cockatoo island cinamateque Liam Marosy-Weide 310207932
take a step
There is a certain inherent rigidity when one takes on something which one is not ready for. It is a tension, a feeling of anxiousness and confusion. It is the moment modernism subverts the running order of society, and if almost overnight an entire culture begins to run like clockwork to a new set of rules and systems. We become lost in a maze of conformity, linearity, monotony and transparency. We cannot take solace in privacy or in the comfort of control. But it takes only one flicker of a flame to a candle to release this tension… and as it melts, the overwhelming rigidity and anxiety begins to dissipate. At first a trickle… not all will follow immediately, heat must be built through the attention of action before the rest can make the leap and dive into overwhelming black holes which subvert initial expectation. The more that jump in the more the fire burns, and so the trickle turns to a stream and cuts deeper and deeper into that which causes our anxiety. But others are stuck… they will not jump for fear of the unknown and turn back to wander amidst a maze of pillars and as they pace each one passes over the other and with each pass so heightens another wall which abrudlty folds over itself, and interweaves into a cavern. The tensions rise we are trapped! As more poor in, the space becomes smaller and there is no choice but to venture deeper and deeper, and our ability to adapt and enquire with intrigue sets us to move beyond the threshold and the rigidity hits its breaking point and movement ensues. The maze is broken, and as the torrent quickens, it cuts and twists and turns and arch’s beyond foresight. It can be expected however that there is excitement as one takes on something which one is not ready for, it is a break in the monotony, the familiarity, the conformity… and those first steps breath cool air which pulses with energy and you feel safe and comfortable with the burden of anxiety lifted as the soft delineation of lighting greets you with a warm embrace. The torrent has reduced back down to a light trickle, the flame to a sombre ember, and we are rewarded with glimpses of light scattered in beams before us, beckoning us to peer through small crevices which turn into soft edged rooms which splay light from its back and we are calm. For moments the anxiety and tension returns as the darkness creeps up the vertical wall and we peer over the edge and down into the unknown, but it doesn’t seem to matter and we continue to walk and be greeted with unexpected occurrences and we are happy that we took that step…
films Last year in Marienbad by Alain Resnais depicts the sorrow and yearning of a man waiting 1 year for his love. Often people in scenes will freeze while others may move. This constant interplay of movement and rigidity gives the film uneasiness and uncertainty. It is deeply unsettling and often confusing. Playtime by Jacques Tati comments on societies initial struggle and subversion of a modernist world. The film begins in a very linear and geometric format, it is ridged and tense. As society subverts modernism, movement begins to occur, there is freedom the tension is lifted.
last year in marienbad playtime
mapping movement Representing the movement of pedestrians in playtime through continuous line drawings. The circles highlight how long individuals/groups are static in the space before moving again. Patterns were identified in the drawings and developed into string analysis models. The atmosphere created by disjointed elements and interweaving string is tense and anxious.
wax Wire was twisted and manipulated to replicate the movement diagrams. It was cast in wax and electrified to melt tunnels / passageways through the solid body. In reference to playtime the rigidity of the wax meets the movement of the wire. The warm ambient yellow light and red string create intrigue and inquiry.
modelling movement Patterns identified in the movement diagrams were cut and scored out of a single piece of acrylic sheet. Illuminated from the back, shapes created from the intersection lines are cast onto the ground. A selection of movement diagrams were scored into sheets of acrylic and overlaid to reveal unique hidden patters through differing depths. It is an exploration and adventure through the circulatory patterns of playtimes movements.
drawing tectonics Tracing images of the movement mapping diagrams and models to create spatial tectonics. Linear elements juxtapose organic forms. Spaces occupy varying depths of a plan creating a feeling of mystery.
erosion of movement Based on the themes identified in the previous experiments and the idea that movement can create erosion in solids. Balloons were embedded in resin and plaster. Organic, fluid and ephemeral tunnels / cavities were formed inside the solids. Shadows permeate deep into the resulting spaces, whilst light on certain surfaces reflect and glare. The shapes invoke an aura of danger and uncertainty, yet at the same time, its smooth edges are comforting and relaxing.
arranging space How to apply spatial organization to a set of spaces, which has been determined by natural occurrences, which are ephemeral? Erosion is a narrative of movement. A process that follows a set of codes. Spaces are drawn through tracing the shapes made in the resin casts. Their connections are determined by vantage points in plan.
retail archive cinema e x h i bi t i o n artist residence
fragments of cockatoo island cinemateque The dog leg tunnel at cockatoo Island was chosen as it provided many of the atmospheric qualities which were identified throughout the design process. The existing pathway is cut in half to reveal a 3+ story void with multiple walkways. Spaces are arranged in a haphazard fashion along the walkway. These are determined by the complexity of the intersections in the movement mapping diagrams. The pattern outlined by these intersections occupies the interstitial space between the tunnel and the solid rock. In relation to Playtime, walking through the tunnel is like navigating the modernist world and societies subjugation of it. Glimpses of light from cinema “pods� or reflected light from entertaining rooms peer out of the void.
You want to enter but you don’t quite know what is stopping you. You can’t wait, It’s warm, its inviting, yet your uneasy… Being sucked into the black hole, Are you in control? The cavern provides comfort and security. Yet there is an inherently tense and anxious feeling. You are claustrophobic, You are overwhelmed… Trapped, yet you’re okay with that, You know if you go further in… everything will be alright.