Impact Portfolio bytony gao
This portfolio contains the works of Tony Gao
01
this is by me
TABLE OF CONTENTS inverse shadow amalgamate architecture programs sketch book
02-3
DeConstruction
6-7
ReConstruction
8-9
Inversion
10-13
inverse I never really believed in the phrase “think outside the box,” but rather followed the idea of merging the past and the future. In that sense, the ideology of “inverting” the box came to mind. This inversion became the driving principle of the first phase of my portfolio.
DeConstruction Medium: Oil Paint Dimensions: xxbyxx Self-Initiated
Construction is a piece that marks the beginning of my reformation. I abandoned the way I was taught that traditional oil painting is done with a style of my own. Starting with highlights/midtones, I ended the piece by sketching construction lines and implementing abstract strokes of primary colors that symbolize the foundation of hue in this painting. In DeConstruction, I inverted my entire process of creating art, a foundation for total reconstruction.
06-07
ReConstruction Graphite Dimensions: xxbyxx Self-Initiated
This is the second phase of my inversion, as this time I decided to reverse how I had drawn with pencil all my life. Right away, without worrying about the anatomy and proportions, I began the piece by drawing the details, the texture of my jeans, then finished it by depicting what should have been the first step of drawing a figure, the construction lines. A piece that looks incomplete is the finale, yet the cycle of reconstructing the self is complete.
08-09
Mutation I: Brunelleschi
Inverse
Rockite, Basswood, Chipboard, Gel Spray Dimensions: xxbyxx Self-Initiated
Mutation II: Duchamp What happens when one inverses the physical and psycholigical aspects of forms?
Here through studying two diametrically opposed master artists and applying their formulae, Inversion is achieved.
10-11
Graphite Dimensions: xxbyxx Self-Initiated
Filippo Brunelleschi, the most prominent archi-
following the rules of perspective, orthogonal
tect of fifteenth century Florence, is the basis
polygons were created with each edge pointing
of Mutation I, for the model is based on his re-
exactly to the middle of the model to simulate
nowned one-point perspective and dome. By
perspective in the third dimension.
The hard part now comes into play: what can I do to invert Mutation I? The solution was derived from studying the intriguing motion of the model. By tracing its movements with long exposure photography, I put together a motion-gram of Mutation I that acted as the origin of the next mutation. Successfully “inverting� Mutation I, a new Mutation that stresses movement and alacrity as supposed to order and harmony was forge.
Photography, Photoshop Dimensions: xxbyxx Self-Initiated
12-13
A true work of art is but a Shadow of divine Perfection.
Integral
16-17
The Mother Wolf
18-19
-Michelangelo
shadow
Darkness, a time of despair and destruction for many. How-
ever, there are always those who dwell in the shadows. So then, can shadows be what people call “home?� Is it possible to use shadows to symbolize our artistic expressions...
Integral Oil Paint Dimentions: xxbyxx Self-Initiated
Wanderers travel, sometimes with nobody but their faithful shadow. Many people dwell in the darkness with no physical shelter and no place others would call home. But in the heart of those voyagers lies a home that is constructed from shadows and void. In this painting, a beauty is on the move through the vines of darkness and palaces of shadow, where she settles and integrates into the architecture of shadows.
16-17
The Mother Wolf Graphite, Water-Soluble Charcoal Dimentionss: xxbyxxW Self-Initiated
Senseless, unconscious, and gorgeous: a woman, alone, stranded, abandoned, lies upon the cold hard ground. Isolated, the beauty sleeps, but she isn’t alone. When examined carefully, the drawing reveals the shapes of howling and ferocious wolves in her hair. She is the mother wolf who gives birth to life through the mist of shadows, and she is just a human who finds life and companionship in the realm of darkness.
18-19
Tempest
22 - 25
Convergence
26 - 27
Permance 2D
28 - 29
Permance 3D
30 - 33
amalgamate As humans, we are given two choices: to stay and face the world or to flee and hide from reality. For me, the greatest challenge was to assimilate into Western culture. I stayed and chose to amalgamate the East and the West. The following are works that illustrate the power of art through combining and intertwining cultures.
Tempest Wood, Paper, Metal cage Dimensions: xxbyxx Self-Initiated
This piece symbolizes my journey through the unknown My introduction to the West was an incident that was abrupt and difficult in my life. As I grew, I began to conform and learned the traditions and values of the West.
West as I decided to use the fan, a sacred object that I shared with my grandpa back in Beijing, to represent myself while the cage of the mechanical fan symbolizes the Western barrier. The stiffness and shape of the cage show the difficulties of intertwining myself into the culture, but nonetheless the fans manage to wrap around the cage and become one with this object of unfamiliarity.
22-23
24-25
Convergence Left Painting Caligraphy, Galzing Medium, Oil Paint Dimentions: xxbyxxW Self-Initiated
Right Painting Caligraphy, Galzing Medium, Oil Paint, Acrylic Dimentions: xxbyxxW Self-Initiated
Further exploration of the convergence of East and West led me to the consideration of mediums. One of the most traditional mediums used in China was ink for calligraphy, and its counterparts in the Western culture are acrylic and oil. I decided to portray revolutionary figures with the use of two distinct mediums to show that the combination of those two foreign elements can be radical. The figures are Ai weiwei, a radical artist in China, and Eric Arthur Blair (George Orwell), the author of 1984. The distinctive mediums had a hard time working well together, so a rich coat of glazing medium was applied when transitioning from one medium to another.
26-27
Permanance 2D Graphite Dimensions: xxbyxx Self-Initiated
While learning the history of art, I was fascinated by the patterns on the rose windows of Gothic churches. During my studies, I learned that eight petals meant longevity to the Catholic Church, while back in China, cicadas were creatures that also symbolized long life. This symbolism fascinated me, so I decided to combine the design on a rose window with the pattern of the cicada wing. The final design was a transformation from soft edges to hard solid lines, suggesting the dream of convergence coming true.
28-29
Permanance 3D Chipboard, Gel Spray, Gel Pen Dimensions: xxbyxx Self-Initiated
Inspired by I. M. Pei, I decided to take this project further by using my pattern design as a template and transforming it into a sculpture that can trigger the viewer’s senses. After many variations and explorations on how I could make my pattern design into an object of fascination, I finally created a desirable form that utilizes the techniques of scoring and folding.
30-31
Graphite Renderings of Model
Top and Bottom Elevaton
Front Elevation/Section
32-33
Perceived Cube
36 - 37
Tool Alanysis Performance
38 - 39
The Vessal
40 - 41
Place of Contemplation
42 - 45
Gather
46 - 49
architecture programs The pursuit of a higher level of architectural design brought me to various architecture programs such as the Cornell University Summer College “Introduction to Architecture” and the “Young Guns Summer Intensive” program in Vancouver. Both enlightened my perspectives on architecture and helped me shape rudimentary foundations for my years to come in the field.
Perceived Cube Cornell University Summer College Mediums: Chipboard, Baswood Dimensions: 6’ by 6’ by 6’
Our first project in Cornell’s summer program was to create a 6x6x6 cube that utilizes an operation. I commenced the project by making a 6’ by 6’ by 1’ bas-relief using the word shearing. By shearing a rectangular prism horizontally and shifting all the pieces horizontally then slicing and shifting the result diagonally, a complex structure was formed. I then duplicated the bas-relief vertically and gradually made every level less dense. In the end, a model that represents sheer shearing is formed in the shape of tectonic plate borders.
36-37
Tool Analysis Cornell University Summer College Medium: Graphite Dimensions:
Our second project at Cornell University Summer College was to diagram a given tool. I got a pulley and first drew sections and elevations of the tool as it was (right). Then we were given the task to create a performance drawing of our tools, highlighting their functions relative to the body and surroundings. I based my drawing on the motion of the ropes versus time itself and created a simple, yet complex, drawing.
Left drawing: Performative
Right drawing: Analytical
38-39
The Vessel Cornell University Summer College Mediums: Chipboard, Baswood, Sheet Acrylic Dimensions:
The next stage of our program was to create a place that our tool could dwell in, while performing its function. It was to be based on our previous performance drawings, and we had to somehow generate form with the construction lines we had. By protruding one end of the given space and depressing the other, I created a cascade effect that digs beneath the chipboard from above. Each slot provides a place for the pulley to fit and operate in.
My design stresses the fact that when one operates a pulley, the main forces behind the movement are in the upward and downward directions. With this in mind, I carved out the spaces between the ropes and began creating sections of open space, following the direction of the forces.
40-41
Place of Contemplation Cornell University Summer College Mediums: Chipboard, Basswood Dimensions: 18’ by 24’ by 20’
Plan (from the left) level 1 to level 3
42-43
Front Elevation/Section
Side Section
Our final project was to design a place of contemplation on the side of a gorge based on one of our preexisting pieces. I chose the Vessel to continue exploring the directions of forces. As they carried on to the place of contemplation, I figured out how those forces could be applied to the act of reflection. I believed the best spots to contemplate were created by following the natural forces of the universe: up and down. As a result, a place of contemplation involving the sky and the land was formed.
44-45
Gather YGAS Summer Intensive Program Mediums: White Museum Board, basswood Dimensions: xxbyxx
During this one-week intensive architecture program, students were assigned the task of creating a space for socialization and relaxation. My project is designed using repeated modules and four basic operations: Split, Rotate, Hinge, and Flow. Through experimenting and playing around with the forms of geometic shapes such as the tetrahedron, I managed to create a structural network with repetition and bifurcation for people to access and use. A place to gather and socialize is born from the experiment.
46-47
Split | Phase 1-1
Split + Hinge | Phase 1-2
This model was derived from slic-
I introduced a hinging mechanism
ing tetrahedrons on three of the
into one of the vertices on the mod-
sides and spliting the
ules. Doing so, created a more so-
vertices.
Then, the module is repeated.
phisticated pattern.
Rotate | Phase 2-1
Rotate + Flow | Phase 2-2
By trimming an octahedron in
Freeing up the rotation model by
halves then stacking every part in
creating a new module from tetra-
a skewed pattern, the illusion of ro-
hedrons created a continuous void
tation was formed.
filled with flow.
Street View
48-49
The sketchbook is an artist’s bestfriend and it has helped me progress as an architect in the making. I believe that the processes from my sketchbook are as important as the finished works.
Sketchbook
50-51
52-53