(Fabric)ating: Folding + Suturing Mid Review Pin Up

At this pin up I explained how through the first scheme I tried to explore the patterns that would emerge through the literal weaving of the Millard House floor plans. My second scheme involving the folding of the fabric patterns, seemed too flat and geometric by just cutting out patterns and folding and bending them up. I took strips of fabric and yarn and dipped them in wax to give them strength, and twisted and overlapped them based on a pattern where the lines intersected each other creating a different space. This scheme (the photo with the overlapping fabric) is my favorite. My third scheme examined the possibility of taking my last mini project and flipping it inside out, creating a almost tent like structure that would be very light and airy.

Underground: Carving + Casting Final

"A cemetery is not a tomb. It is, rather, a relationship with the landscape and with forgetting..."

-Enric Miralles

In my final scheme for the Carving and Casting project I tried to create a strong relationship with the landscape to create an experience that would like the Columbarium, commemorate the activation of a memory. By embracing the void and exhuming gashes into the ground to create spaces for burial boxes, I believe I create a strong experience for the user, that would make the space inviting and contemplative.

Casting Week One

Plaster may not be "allowed" in studio, but it certainly was fun. I created several molds to try and convey the ideas for my schemes. It's a completely different way of thinking when your making a mold. Everything is backwards. It kinda messed with my head at first, but after the first couple of molds you get the hang of it. 

(This one was just for fun) 

What I thought would be my best mold turned out to be the worst one that came out. I tried to be additive to the landscape and create a massive sculpture like building that would be very experiential. For some reason I though it would pop out of the mold nice and clean but as you can see that's not what happened. 

The chip board stuck to the plaster and when I tried taking the mold off several pieces broke because they were too thin. But I still think this model was essential for my pin up review because even with some pieces missing it still showed the experience I was trying to create. I'm starting to work on a new mold (out of foam this time) with the same qualities of this plaster mold, but more focused and based on the site and exhuming the earth to create the forms. 

Newest Cast

Working with the foam insulation worked much better than I expected. The cast came out very clean, but I did still end up picking out foam from all the crevices. Today I will work on adding the trees to the cast so make the relationship to the site stronger, and then I will begin to cut the drawdle sheets. 

Attempt at Casting #2

So I've learned that to get the cleanest molds foam insulation is the way to go. It was so much easier and came out way cleaner than the previous casts I did. 

I cut out my curves first, and glued them to another piece of foam upside down. Then I cast around them. 

Because my design focused more on the site I choose to cast the columbarium and the library/museum space on the site as well. I'd like to add some trees to show the relationship to site but ill do that after it dries for a few days. 

Negative Space

While this piece is not from my studio class, I feel that it has really helped me with the carving and casting process. Instead of identifying an object by painting it itself, the object is identified by painting and identifying the negative space around it. The study of negative space in my visual arts class has helped me create molds for studio by knowing what to exhume in order to identify the spaces I wanted to create. 

Final Product: Book Carving

My book was on historic homes in early America. It had several full page photos, and I decided to carve a scene into the book that would depict what was going on in one of those photos. The photo I choose was of the Ashland House, owned by Henry Clay in Lexington, Kentucky. While the world remembers Henry Clay as one of the most significant and effective politicians and statesmen in American history, few realize that he was equally skilled as a farmer. He developed his estate, Ashland, into a national model for progressive farming. After his death in June of 1852, his wife Lucretia took over for the care of the estate, and began the most successful horse breeding/training center in the US.

Slow Progress

The first layer to my carved book, the trees, is complete! It took a little longer than I expected, I was only able to cut through two or three pages at once without the paper tearing. I'm trying to go slow and not cut my fingers. The next layer is much smaller and detailed, I think the best way to approach it will to go one page at a time. Here's the progress so far...

Book Carving: Step One

It appears that so far, I'm one of three students who have ventured into studio today to do work on the second snow day of the year. Last night I started to think of what image from my book I wanted to make a scene from. I choose the photo of the Henry Clay estate. This was one of the few images where the house was set back enough to allow for images to be laid in front of it. After reading about Henry Clay in the book  I learned a few things.... 1. The estate was a working farm/plantation, 2. Henry Clay loved farm animals and had many of them on the property, and 3. That after his death his wife took over the family business (which was very unusual back then) and created the most successful horse training/breeding facility in the country. Last night I cut out the silhouettes of the images that will layer over the scene.

 

 

There are two trees that will emerge from either edge of the image to layer over, two riders on horse back and a man with a cow, to try and show the spirit of what working and living on this estate was all about.

 

 

I'll update with some progress soon!

Precedent Study

     The examination of funerary structures from around the world was quite an eye opening endeavor. Before this project began, I knew of only two things that happened after death; you could be buried or cremated. The idea of an ossuary at first seemed strange, but as I continued to research for the studio booklet, I found that it wasn't an uncommon practice. In fact, the storage of bones of ones who have passed has been going on for thousand of years all around the world.

                                                   Cimitero Monumentale Del Verano

 

And in fact, I've found that they are quite beautiful. Traditional lawn cemeteries in America are designed for solitude. There are rarely places for interaction or reflection. But this architecture reflects the Americans feelings on death. We would rather ignore death than face it and celebrate it like other cultures around the world. Mausoleums like the Cimitero Monumentale Del Verano in Rome Italy pictured above, and the  Municipal Columbarium in Montevideo Uruguay that we are studying, both are prime examples of funerary structures that create an open public environment for interaction, reflection and celebration, while also maintaining a level of privacy for individuals. They choose to celebrate the lives of those we have lost.