Architectural Projections:
Units
The objective of the course Architectural Projects, was to have the students think critically and creatively to design a measuring tool. For the assignment I choose a motif of square units both two dimensional and three dimensional as the basis of the tool. Through a series of manipulatable surfaces that could be built and rebuilt, I was able to obtain a set of data from the section cuts that were created and construct a rhino model of the measured still life.
In project 1 we were assigned to document a still life constructed from a variety of vessels, all different shapes, sizes, and materials. These objects were chosen based on their unique details, such as the facets on the beer jug and the jar without a lid. These small alterations in shape created a variety of shapes and gestures.
The medium, black and white pastels, made a recognizable documentation of the texture made by the gesso coating.
In the first drawing there is an emphasis the reflection of the still life while in the second the drastic angle compliments the special qualities of the composition.
Projection of drawing onto still life for the opposite position.
In project 1.3 we were asked to document two section cuts of our still life. By setting up a frame I was able to support a grid system of tape squares. These squares varied from .5” to 1”. Each square was accompanied by half and inch of tape to secure them together and make a surface. The surface was both a measuring tool and a way to document the section cut.
The use of overlapping square units was carried on into the next assignment. I changed the medium to make a tool that had the potential to be reused, unlike the tape. Velcro was a material that could construct a surface that can be put together and taken apart repetitively. In using the square units i was able to document and measure the voids in between the vessels and their circumference.
In the next part of the assignment we were asked to deviate from the point system and create a physical measuring tool to document a larger volumetric section cut of the still life. By attaching velcro to foam cubes, creating volumetric units. This tool mimicked the texture and flexibility of the flat velcro squares.
The only issue was that the foam was difficult to cut and its flexibility made the measurements inaccurate. The final structure was extremely unstable.
The foam was difficult to maneuver, so I decided to deviate from the similar textures and use wood. The wood cubes were equally difficult to cut. In attempting to make this tool also have the ability to be constructed and reconstructed I used small wooden dowels to connect each cube. This was inefficient, the dowels were too small and the structure did not support itself. I went on to use longer dowels that went through entire sections of the section cut.
The objective of the course Architectural Projects, was to have the students think critically and creatively to design a measuring tool. For the assignment I choose a motif of square units both two dimensional and three dimensional as the basis of the tool. Through a series of manipulable surfaces that could be built and rebuilt, I was able to construct a set of data from the section cuts that were created and construct a rhino model of the measure still life.
The final four inch model was only two inches and captured half of what I measured using the cubes. The solid structure had the cube components drawn into the wood to show measurement.
To create a system of representation I wanted to incorporate all the attributes of my theme into a symbolic and representational painting. By using section cuts of a few vessels in my still life I documented the layers created when overlapping the annotations of the sections.
By measuring the circumference of the interior with wire form I was able to fill in the space with square stamps in multiple sizes. After doing one section I stamped the next sections circumference right on top of the wet paint. The mixture of colors are indicators of overlapping, thus documents depth.
Throughout the semester I built on the model layer by layer in two dimensional sections. The 2d sections were directly recorded from the velcro square section cuts. They were documented in cool blues and greens then filled in with warm colored cubes that represented the thickness of each vessel.
The lego-like rhino model directly documents qualities of my measuring tool which created a specific set of data. This was a big concern in the documentation process. If smaller squares had been used to document the finer details of my still life there would be a clearer image. I feel that in the end I stuck to my set of rules, mobile units, and made them work to their best ability.
Lego like representation of original still life.
