Skip to main content

Art Analysis: “HOW MANY BUBBLES IN A BAR OF SOAP” by Kevin Cole




 Sculpted in 2022, HOW MANY BUBBLES IN A BAR OF SOAP? by Kevin Cole is part of a series of mixed media called The Ballot Box series. It is located at Hearne Fine Art in Little Rock in an exhibit dedicated to Kevin’s work named Where Do We Go From Here? II: Exploring Gerrymandering and Voting. It is painted with tar paper and carved with wood and metal. It uses a color palette of blue and white, in which the former takes up the most space while the latter is throughout the sculpture. The overall design of the sculpture is inspired by the old letterbox design of the 1800s.

The most notable aspect of HOW MANY BUBBLES IN A BAR OF SOAP? is the pattern of bubbles seen all around, which fits the name of the sculpture to great effect. A second aspect of this sculpture’s design is the hole in the front, which also works well within the context of its design. Another aspect is the hole of the sculpture, in which objects such as coins or papers are inserted, although since this is a sculpture, it’s not designed with that in mind. Kevin’s emphasis on patterns on HOW MANY BUBBLES IN A BAR OF SOAP? cleverly allows the viewer to ponder a series of questions and theories on a soap just from the bubble pattern alone.

Additionally, Kevin Cole's work, HOW MANY BUBBLES IN A BAR OF SOAP, resembles actual ballet boxes that collect voting papers. Instead of votes, the sculpture prompts viewers to imagine the number of bubbles in a bar of soap, sparking discussions and guesses among the audience. The sculpture's title and design also encourage viewers to contemplate the political world and the importance of voting. Kevin's ability to achieve this goal is truly impressive, and those who have experienced his work have been deeply impacted by it.

Kevin Cole's work, HOW MANY BUBBLES IN A BAR OF SOAP, is truly remarkable in how it prompts viewers to consider both the question at hand and the political world around us. The sculpture's clever design and accompanying title pose a question that urges us to act and make our voices heard through voting. Cole's ability to achieve this goal is truly impressive and has had a significant impact on those who have had the opportunity to experience his work.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Art Analysis: “Batman” by Lino Tagliapietra

Remember: Don't confuse this with the Dark Knight.   Created in 1998 by Lino Tagliapietra, this glass artwork takes heavy inspiration from Australian tools such as the Boomerang. The design of the glass artwork bears a striking resemblance to Batman’s Batarang weapon due to its shape, although the infamous DC comic book character of the same name has no relation to this glass. Batman uses a simple yet effective color palette of red and blue, in which the former color makes up a quarter of the paint used, while the latter is utilized in the middle of the glass. The glass texture on Batman features a wrinkle-like appearance, and the U shape of the glass conveys a sense of emotion. The design choices for  Batman  are clever and effective. Lino strategically uses only two colors, red and blue, which are usually associated with joy and freedom. As a result,  Batman  perfectly captures the feeling of positive energy. The design of  Batman  is very organi...

Week 5 UX: An Observation on Twitter/X

Twitter, a social media platform acting as a microblog, was created in 2006. In 2023, it was rebranded as X, with a stylized letter X replacing the bird as its logo. For this post, I'll call it Twitter.  Using 10 Usability Heuristics for User Interface Design, I'll explain what's wrong with this social media app. Twitter has inconsistent icons for actions, which will confuse users. An example is the share icon on both the web and mobile versions of Twitter. Violation Score: 3 Twitter is poor with User control and freedom due to its habit of constantly changing its layout every few years. Violation Score: 4 2006 2014 2023 Twitter's Flexibility and efficiency of use are poor. For example, there is no way a user can sync drafts or threads between web and mobile. Violation Score: 4 The mobile Twitter App Aesthetic and minimalist design is flawed due to the overall layout. An example would be the spaces feature, which takes a large portion of the viewing screen, causing clut...

Art Analysis: The Persistence of Memory!

This famous painting from 1931 is one of the most influential works of art ever produced. This surrealistic painting is notorious for its bizarre yet consistent aesthetic and color palette. The variety of colors and shading is what shapes its iconic environment. Its influence still applies to many abstract works of the modern era and is even referenced in shows such as The Simpsons. I always found the clocks in the painting symbolic in that they are a visual metaphor for how time flies fast and waits for no one. As for the ants on the watch, I think they represent the process of decaying after death, which makes sense as ants eat dead bodies in real life as well. The odd creature, the most famous portion of the painting, seems to be an exaggerated caricature of Salvador Dalí himself. In a way, this creature may represent how a person would live in a dreamscape.