Preview

Final Project: Fleeting moments, change, and reconstituted fragments

Proposal:

A space created by continuing the rectangle created by the skylight near the loading dock down to its footprint in the floor. The walls will be "quilted" from fragments of rectangles of various sizes, cut from various translucent white fabrics, with the seams covered with strips of black or brown fabric or ribbon (depending on availability, budget, etc). These 4 "quilts" (2 measuring 113"x262.5" and 2 at 90x262.5") will be hung from a rod from the lower ledge of the skylight, and continued to the floor. The bottom of the frame (on the floor) will be reinforced by a rectangle made of 2x4's, matching the dimensions of the rectangle formed by the skylight. Pockets to insert the frame into the bottom of the fabric will be sewed into each of the "quilts." Additionally, pockets will be sewed into the vertical sides of the of the quilts, to hold cables that will help to maintain the form and rigidtiy of the screens. The quilts will be attached at the corners with buttons, drawing attention to the relationship between the body and the materials being used.

On one side, the buttons will be unfastened at the bottom, creating a flap-like doorway at the corner, intentionally disrupted the symmetry in the piece. Inside the threshold, the floor will be covered with sand-- whose temperature will inevitably change with variations in the intensity of the light through the skylight. We are attracted to sand for a number of reasons, including:

1. the way it holds heat
2. it's potential to transform the space
3. the tactile element of walking on sand
4. the fact that the viewer's progression through the space is literally recorded on the sand-- creating a space that is constantly evolving-- endless series of fleeting moments (if the sand is a canvas, each viewer/participant is repainting it, using what was there before)
5. It's associations with the outside environment- the sea, etc
6. It's associations with play: sandboxes, sandcastles, etc.
7. The fact that it is a material that is a record of time and change (sand is what was once rock), a literal compilation of fragments
8. The relationship between the color of the sand, it's reflective qualities and the translucent walls
9. The fact that it facilitates a specific type of movement, interaction (speed with which one can move through sand, crouching, touching, playing, etc.)
10. I'm sure there are other things we talked about that I can't think of right now.

In addition to sand, we will have objects to sit on, explore (maybe wood, shells, teacups, something... we have to clarify this)

On 3 panels of the walls (rectangles created by a single piece of white fabric and transcribed by black/brown strips of fabric/ribbons) we will project images. There will also be a camera mounted high above (perhaps outside of the space itself) that records movement in the space. That video (with the help of Elijah, who is brilliant) will be translated into an abstraced black and white moving image and a corresponding sound, which translates the image into a "song" (Elijah figured out how to do this quickly and effectively this week, so we know this part is feasible).

We are still trying to figure out the logistics of filming and recording, although the idea is that the moving images and sound will be projected into the space as viewers pass through, and the response of viewers to the space (and the sound and projected images) will then be recorded, translated and reprojected, etc. Creating a space that is constantly evolving (in terms of how the natural light moves throughout the day, how the sand is moved around, how the temperature of the space changes, how projected images and sound change and build upon each other), and which emphasizes the relationship between discreet moments across time (i.e. the way one person experiences the space is directly impacted by the image and sound produced by another viewer's progression through the space).

Materials:
Cloth
Black or brown ribbon or strips of fabric
Thread
Cables
Sand
Driftwood, etc
Shells
Wood for base (2x4s)
Plywood for floor (maybe)
PVC (for top)
Screws
Sewing machine
Projectors
Camera
Speakers (2, 4, 6?)

Timeline/Things to do

1. get materials (fabric, sand, etc.)
2. determine sizes of rectangles of the individual fabric panes in the walls
3. cut fabric
4. sew fabric
5. add black ribbons
6. sew pockets for rods at top and 2x4's at bottom
7. finish edges
8. sew pockets (on 1 vertical edge of each side) for cables
9. sew and close buttons
10. place rods through tops
11. attach tops to the bottom of the window
12. build bottom frame
13. Line bottom with plywood and/or plastic sheeting
14. fill space with sand
15. arrange objects
16. begin filming
17. convert original video to sound and altered image, re-project new image, repeat.

Addendum to final project ideas

"I have become aware of how raw nature is in a state of change and how that change is the key to understanding. I want my art to be sensitive and alert to changes in material, season and weather...At its most successful, my ‘touch’ looks into the heart of nature; most days I don’t even get close. These things are all part of the transient process that I cannot understand unless my touch is also transient—only in this way can the cycle remain unbroken and the process complete. I cannot explain the importance to me of being part of the place, its seasons and changes."

-Andy Goldsworthy

Maybe I want to make a piece about spring.

I don't think I'm interested in making a piece about nature for the sake of nature. But about the negotiations that take place between built and natural environments, and how we navigate those divisions, yes.

A catalogue of Andy Goldsworthy's work:
http://www.goldsworthy.cc.gla.ac.uk/about/

Final project ideas

Spring break was lovely, now I just have to motivate myself back into work mode.

I've spent a considerable amount of time thinking about the final project, but I'm still having trouble coming up with a starting place. There are these fleeting images that I've come up with that maybe relate to the idea of "situational spaces":

1. A treehouse in a grove with hammocks (or inside, in an unexpected place-- maybe functional, and maybe not)
   
2. A half-built playroom made of Legos in which the "viewers" come in and keep building, playing, constructing-- I like the idea of a space that is transformed to suit the needs of its occupants, that is interactive, where the viewer has to construct their own reality (I also recognize the near-impossibility of the scope of this particular project--and most of my concrete ideas here-- under the circumstances)
3. A giant ball pit filled with transparent or translucent balls, with something projected onto it
4. Some sort of airy architectural space built under the beautiful skylight near the work tables in Tockwotton

Another way to start brainstorming, I suppose, would be to think about what happens in the space-- as in, what action does it prompt? For example:

-Thinking, waiting, listening, watching, talking, remembering, touching, resting, playing, working, building, eating

What kinds of dynamics does it create?:
-Sense of size, power, community, solitude, luxury, relaxation, tension, frustration, etc.


I like the idea of intervening in space outside of Tockwotton, but also want to do something feasible.

I like the idea of building or manipulating a space in such a way that people are forced to think about their relationship with their environment on a personal and more global level (think Andy Goldsworthy, or Olafur Eliasson)

I want to make something that incorporates sound, touch, sight, smell, etc.

I wish I had more concrete ideas to bring to class tomorrow-- the ideas I have don't seem that feasible-- hopefully getting into a group will kick me back into creative gear.