I.A.R 101 Project #5: Dialog

With 12 skewers and 12 planes of bristol board (4x6), I had to create two distinct spaces that relate to one another in a mutually supportive way. This parti to the left suggests my first thoughts and inspirations for this project. When I thought of two spaces, I figured I could make two opposite spaces but they go well together. My starting point was the idea of Yin Yang : good and evil, light and dark, fire and ice, life and death. All of these things are complete opposites yet they fit, work and speak well (dialog) with on another.

This lead me to the idea of creating two spaces that connect but have opposing differences that make them similarities.

In the end the idea of yin yang made me think of time and balance. Which lead to the idea of an hour glass shape. I decided to construct the skewers in a design where they would meet at a small point, representing the small point at which things of the yin yang meet. My model expresses elements of full and empty and right side up & up side down. I also decided to create a swirl effect with the cards to express movement.

Below is a photograph of 3 models other than my own that I felt expressed very good use of two space using the skewers and the bristol board. If you look closely they all have one thing in common: that they each manipulated the skewers in a way that the skewers create a space on their own (against the board). Each model is beautifully crafted, express interesting spaces and are cleverly made. They have done an excellent job at creating a space without completely closing it in with the cards. I often view things by "recognizing." From left to right I have nick-named each piece: fortress- because it reminds me of protection or something that would have a mote or castle somewhere near it. The next is "under the sea" - because it has great similarity to something I have seen in the disney movie "the little mermaid." And the third I call "the opera" - one that you could experience outside of course.

I'm not too sure if this was the message that the creators of these pieces where trying to send off but after nick naming and recognizing I realized that each thing that I named either have great use of space or have dialog within its spaces. In a fortress there are several spaces created within spaces such as surrounding walls or motes, even though they aren't structures or buildings they both can be considered spaces that surround a smaller or much bigger space. For "under the sea" I though of a shell. If you closely look at a shell every nook and grove within the shell creates a tiny little space even if it isn't closed in completely. And finally, if you have ever been in an outdoors opera there is a sense of two connected spaces even though it is not completely defined. After this project I have learned that several things can be defined or considered as a space, but it is only decided depending factors such as angles, and form. The tinniest difference between a 40 degree angle and a 45 degree angle can be the difference between if it is a space or not.