MIAD - "Room With A View"
From the Shore
62cm x 20cm x 2cm
March-April 2017
62cm x 20cm x 2cm
March-April 2017
Exhibition Text
"From the Shore" is an architecture project inspired by the shoreline of Lake Michigan in collaboration with MIAD and a professor from MIAD named Robert. My piece was meant to create shadows from above throughout the day and give a sense of expanse as you walk out from underneath the slats and into the lake.
"From the Shore" is an architecture project inspired by the shoreline of Lake Michigan in collaboration with MIAD and a professor from MIAD named Robert. My piece was meant to create shadows from above throughout the day and give a sense of expanse as you walk out from underneath the slats and into the lake.
Planning
Inspiration
When we first began the project I thought of not only how I could use the land and the water, but the sounds of the waves from the lake as well. I thought of the Bay View Band Shell in Humboldt Park near my house, an outdoor music venue on the hill that is used to host outdoor movie nights, music festivals, and the weekly Chill on the Hill event during the summer. It's a place that brings together the community and has a strong architectural emphasis on propelling sound outwards. As we moved forward I changed my design from a curved amphitheater to more of an awning across the sand. I was inspired by the slats underneath the shell that hold the roof up. I began to think of how I could use the balsa wood horizontally as well but not as a floor; I loved imagining how light could shine through the structure if the roof wasn't there and how it would change throughout the day, creating new shadows with sharper or softer contrast depending on how diffused the light was. I was also loosely inspired by Richard Serra, as I remember seeing some of his work a few years ago at a gallery I went to with my family. His work was very curved and flowing, while my final product is very geometric, but remembering how it felt to walk through his pieces helped me imagine how my piece would feel if it were to scale. |
Planning Models
Design #1:
My first design consisted of 3 curved walls increasing in height as they moved into the lake with a single long wall connecting them in the middle. I was intrigued by the idea of an amphitheater not on the land but descending into the lake; however, during critique it was brought up that this would block the lake rather than embrace it |
Design #2:
The second structure features the same 3 curved as the first design but with a different structure in the sand. The two pieces were disconnected and not cohesive, with the piece on land not having any thresholds or portals to walk through, only walk around. I was personally not thrilled with this design, and moved on to another. |
Design #3:
This structure involves 2 walls arranged in a maze-like pattern with 4 thresholds: the front entrance at the back, the entrance you walk through to get into the middle, and the two areas on either side of the curve. This faces towards the lake, reflecting the sounds back into it as an echo; however, it doesn't extend into the lake and feels too separated. Our critique actually liked the two furthest walls and suggested I get rid of the curve, which is something I resisted at first because the amphitheater was an integral part of my idea. |
Design #4:
This has the same structure as #3 but with an additional 3 walls extending into the lake from the shoreline. It creates 2 new portals to walk through (if you could, since it's in the water) and expands as it extends. I feel like I would like this more if I had removed the curve, and this is the closest model to what my final product looks like. I didn't use chipboard as a ground plane in any of my designs because I wanted to preserve the natural landscape as much as possible. The sand shapes the shoreline, moving and changing over time, and that's an important part of my idea. |
Process
1. For the planning process I cut out strips of cardstock according to the guide that Robert gave us.
2. Next I cut the cardboard for the shoreline. My first attempts with my own Xacto knives weren't as clean as the Xacto knives from the art room, and shown here are the pieces using the latter. 3. After I'd used the cardstock to create some models, I cut strips of balsa wood for the final product. This material is very light and flexible, yet won't retain its curve unless soaked in water. I decided against this, as I didn't require any curves. 4. I created the base of the shoreline by glueing the cardboard on top of each other and then glueing it to the museum board. 5. Shown here is an in-process picture of the version before the final product. I first cut slits in the layers of the cardboard so I could slot my pieces into them, making it look like the structure is coming out of the sand rather than resting on top of it. I then glued any pieces that couldn't be slotted neatly. Then was to put the slats on top, although I had to keep taking those off to shave the edges for either size or for a cleaner cut. The final step was that I added a small sliver of leftover wood near the entrance to give it a sense of scale. |
Reflection
The relationship between land and water in my work is created through the walls that descended and peter out into the lake. The walls stretch like arms into the water and don't extend for too long or they'd obstruct the actual view. I imagine that walking through this structure is like when light from a car's headlights passes through your window at night; stripes of light that flit across the room. The ceiling is a bit low, so walking out from the slats and right onto the edge of the water is like the light at the end of a well-lit tunnel.
My structure embraces the lake by not intruding into it too much and instead creating a path for people to walk under to get to the water's edge. The main portal is at the back where you walk under the first band above you, introducing you to the space. You can't initially see the water from the back, and you have to walk around the small jut in the wall to even see it. Underneath the bands there's no other guidance but the walls. There are two other thresholds, one on either side of the piece, that lead inward. This structure has a sense of place in that
3 meaningful decisions in my work were the staggered opening for the entrance, the horizontal bands across the top, and the lack of chipboard as a floor material. First, I wanted the view to be anticipated through the walk to it and then appreciated from up close. Up close you don't have any of the distracting elements attached to the land. Second, the horizontal bands were originally simple experimentation with the materials, which then turned into a concrete idea as I observed the light from my overhead lamp creating shadows on the sand. Third, I didn't use any sort of floor material because I felt that I wanted this to feel almost natural despite the use of geometric shapes. The sand would interact with the walls, piling up against it, being pushed and pulled by the weather and people walking through, and so on.
The meaning of my structure is more tied into how it feels rather than a specific theme, although if I had to I'd say the theme was light. The lake looks beautiful in different ways depending on how the light is, and I wanted to make something that interacted with light in a similar way.
My structure embraces the lake by not intruding into it too much and instead creating a path for people to walk under to get to the water's edge. The main portal is at the back where you walk under the first band above you, introducing you to the space. You can't initially see the water from the back, and you have to walk around the small jut in the wall to even see it. Underneath the bands there's no other guidance but the walls. There are two other thresholds, one on either side of the piece, that lead inward. This structure has a sense of place in that
3 meaningful decisions in my work were the staggered opening for the entrance, the horizontal bands across the top, and the lack of chipboard as a floor material. First, I wanted the view to be anticipated through the walk to it and then appreciated from up close. Up close you don't have any of the distracting elements attached to the land. Second, the horizontal bands were originally simple experimentation with the materials, which then turned into a concrete idea as I observed the light from my overhead lamp creating shadows on the sand. Third, I didn't use any sort of floor material because I felt that I wanted this to feel almost natural despite the use of geometric shapes. The sand would interact with the walls, piling up against it, being pushed and pulled by the weather and people walking through, and so on.
The meaning of my structure is more tied into how it feels rather than a specific theme, although if I had to I'd say the theme was light. The lake looks beautiful in different ways depending on how the light is, and I wanted to make something that interacted with light in a similar way.
ACT Responses
Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause-effect relationships between your inspiration and its effect upon your artwork:
While the inspiration is not clearly seen in the final product, it's clearly seen in the planning process as I moved from curved amphitheater structures to a more geometric composition.
What is the overall approach (pov) the author (from research) has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
In my research into Richard Serra, the authors appear to be very neutral; however, others who view Serra's work are heavily divided, as it both infuriates and inspires the public in different ways.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
I've concluded that Richard Serra's work is sometimes seen as an inconvenience, and that's exactly what he was going for when he put his sculpture outside that office building.
What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The central idea around my research were local memories of the lake and my neighborhood as well as how light interacts with the lake.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
I was able to infer that people did not like Richard Serra, but their anger and lack of understanding only contributed to his work.
While the inspiration is not clearly seen in the final product, it's clearly seen in the planning process as I moved from curved amphitheater structures to a more geometric composition.
What is the overall approach (pov) the author (from research) has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
In my research into Richard Serra, the authors appear to be very neutral; however, others who view Serra's work are heavily divided, as it both infuriates and inspires the public in different ways.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
I've concluded that Richard Serra's work is sometimes seen as an inconvenience, and that's exactly what he was going for when he put his sculpture outside that office building.
What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The central idea around my research were local memories of the lake and my neighborhood as well as how light interacts with the lake.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
I was able to infer that people did not like Richard Serra, but their anger and lack of understanding only contributed to his work.
Bibliography
"Humboldt Park History." Humboldt Park Friends. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2017. <http://www.humboldtparkmilwaukee.org/history/>.
"Richard Serra." Guggenheim. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2017. <https://www.guggenheim.org/artwork/artist/richard-serra>.
"Humboldt Park History." Humboldt Park Friends. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2017. <http://www.humboldtparkmilwaukee.org/history/>.
"Richard Serra." Guggenheim. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2017. <https://www.guggenheim.org/artwork/artist/richard-serra>.