PRIMITIVE
Trial & Error D5, 2016
CONTENTS 7 8 16 26 34 50 56
Introduction
Doodle & Compositions
I-Ching Doodles
I-Ching Models
Development
Development of Mirrors- Patterns
Development of Mirrors- Reflections
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62 70 76 82 88 118 141
Development of Mirrors- Surfaces
Development of Rope- Rope Type
Development of Rope- Stitching
Development of Rope- Formats
Final Pieces
Exhibition
Conclusion
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R. L. D. T
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Introduction This portfolio of work is a result of using the idea of chance, and how chance can be used as a tool rather than a hindrance. The book “I-Ching (Book of Oracles)” was consulted throughout the design process to generate ideas, which then resulted in a portfolio of work that had a prominent theme of a indigenous handcrafted feel, which prompted the title-‘Primitive’. Within in this portfolio I experimented with materiality and texture, and spatial qualities of light. Materiality & texture: Starting out by chance, I was randomly given a set of I-Ching readings to derive ideas from. I encountered a lot of textured media and mediums, which ultimately lead me to develop on to the material, rope. With the rope I solidified it with wax, covered it with clay, burnt it, frayed it, stitched it, and so on. And all this material experimentation allowed me to draw parallels on how this could be implied in an architectural format, such as materiality, structurally (through lashing techniques), and even theoretically, by drawing references to Juhani Pallasmaa’s idea of phenomenology (through igniting the senses of touch and smell). Light and Spatial: Again my initial stages of mirrors and light were conceived through the I-Ching readings I randomly received. From analysing my seemly simple I-Ching model, I grew to understand the qualities of light and how it interacts and affects the space. Using the idea of reflection to drive this particular project, I was able to generate patterns of light on high surfaces of the room, such as the ceiling, which gave attention to that particular space that it shone on. Thus creating attention to space above and beyond the object itself. Therefore, this body of work is not mere forms of art, but a critical analysis of the complexities of materials and how these experiments help to understand spatial issues and complications. -Renee de Thierry
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DOODLE & COMPOSITIONS
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‘The Doodle’ Wall Paper ‘Anagalypta’ Red pigmented wax, (0.05pt, 0.3pt, 0.5pt and 0.8pt) black pen, charcoal, black felt 1200 x 600mm 11
‘Composition No.1’ Wall Paper ‘Anagalypta’ Pink pigmented wax , glue, 0.3pt black pen, Black felt 130 x 255mm
‘Composition No.2’ Wall Paper ‘Anagalypta’ Pink pigmented wax 130 x 255mm
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‘Composition No.4’ Wall Paper ‘Anagalypta’ Pink pigmented wax and 3ply toilet paper 130 x 255mm
‘Composition No.3’ Wall Paper ‘Anagalypta’ Pink pigmented wax, black felt 130 x 255mm
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Close up ‘Composition No.2’. The texture and salmon pink colour gives it a fleshy and gruesome look.
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Close up ‘Composition No.4’. The textured wall paper is emphasized through the salmon pink wax. Creating a very textured look.
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I-CHING DOODLES
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From left to right: ‘Drawing No.1’, created through the I-Ching reading ‘25: Innocence, the Unexpected’. ‘Drawing No.2’, inspired from the I-Ching reading ‘46: Pushing Upward’, and ‘Drawing No.3’, created through the I-Ching reading ‘57: Penetration’.
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Above- Close up of ‘Drawing No. 1’, showing the texture created by oil pastel. Next page- A result of the wind blowing soft pastel off the page of ‘Doodle No. 3’, and onto the concrete.
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Close up of ‘Doodle No.2’, showing the texture of the dirt.
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+
=
Above: A diagram showing how I created ‘Doodle No.2’, using dirt and water and throwing it on my work. Previous Page: Close up of ‘Doodle No.2’, showing the earth splatter created, and the light quality of the sun filtering through the trees.
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I-CHING MODELS
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From left to right: ‘Model No.1’ created through the I-Ching reading ‘8: Holding Together’. ‘Model No.2’ inspired from the I-Ching reading ‘22: Grace’, and ‘Model No.3’ derived from the I-Ching reading ‘39: Obstruction’.
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Above- ‘Model No.2.’ Made from 40mm diameter circle mirrors and 600mm long twine. Next page- Line Drawing of ‘Model No.2’, showing the simplicity of the object itself.
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Above- Full view of ‘Model No.1.’ Previous page- Model portraying movement and folding notion which I wish to explore further.
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DEVELOPMENT
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Extreme close up of my ‘Development Model No.1’, which is a progression from ‘Model No.1’ of the “I-Ching Model” section.
Above- Top view of ‘Development No.1’. Next Page (from top to bottom)- Close up showing dried dripping wax, close up on the inside of model conveying a fleshy aesthetic, close up showing the rope solidified in this drooping manner
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125mm
240mm
SECTION @ 1:1 240mm
Close up of ‘Development Model No.2’, showing the imperfect grouping of rope and similar folding/overlapping effect of the rope portrayed in ‘Development Model No.1’.
DETAILS ON THE CONSTRUCTION 540mm
0 15 m
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0m m
800mm
m
1.
2.
1. Using plain white card (800x540mm), draw faintly the circumfrence of two circles as depicted above. Then smear PVA glue all around the centre of the card. 2. Starting with the smaller circle, start spiralling twine clockwise from the centre until you reach its boundary, then change to cotton 3mm rope, and spiral until its boundary line. *leave excess string hanging.
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Scale 1:6
Full image of object (excluding the card). 45
Curtain of mirrors laid on the internal door step of the studio in the sunlight.
Above- Experimenting with my object by laying it on a chair. The result is that it hugs the form, but also produces various angles that would create different reflections. Next page- Plan of the ‘Development No.3’
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1000mm
150mm
1385mm
150mm
150mm
150mm
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DEVELOPMENT OF MIRRORS -PATTERNS
Above- Mirrors scattered on the ground. Next page- Experimenting with patterns, which will then produced different reflections.
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EXPERIMENTING WITH DIFFERENT PATTERNS
Smashed mirror
Checkered pattern
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Randomised pattern/ Tetris
Randomised pattern with circular mirrors
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DEVELOPMENT OF MIRRORS -REFLECTIONS
Speckles of light projected onto coffered ceiling, which is a result of the 3pm sunlight shining on square mirror tiles.
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Patterned lights of squares produced on the studio ceiling. This was a result of using a projector to shine light on the tiled mirrors.
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Elevation view on how the projector was used to shine artifical light onto the mirrors to create patterning on the roof.
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DEVELOPMENT OF MIRRORS -SURFACES
ELEVATION OF HOW TO MANIPULATE THE CURTAIN MIRROR
1.
2.
Up-ward force
3.
Up-ward force
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Elevation showing mirrors with no external contact.
Elevation showing mirrors with a force acting upon it. Such as a hand pushing up under the fabric of mirrors, resulting in the mirrors reflecting light at various angles.
Elevation showing how two different forces can cause either more or less reflections.
Up-ward force
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MANIPULATION OF THE SURFACE OF THE REFLECTION
1. Reflection on a flat surface
2. Slight manipulation (bend) on the surface
5. Variation of #4
6. More torsion added
9. More distortion to concave surface
10. Flattening + tilting the surface
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3. Larger manipulation (bend) on the surface
4. Larger manipulation (bend + slight twist) of the surface
7. Greater bend in the surface
8. Change from convex to concave manipulation of the surface
11. Variation of #10
12. Sun strength declines, resulting in a soft, blotchy reflection
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DEVELOPMENT OF ROPE -ROPE TYPE
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Above- 15m of rope frayed by scraping it with a ‘flower frog’. Previous page- 30m of rope boiled in a pot of 28 teaspoons of coffee.
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Above- 15m long cotton rope boiled in black dye for 30 minutes. Next page- Rope just boiled.
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DEVELOPMENT OF ROPE -STITCHING
STEPS ON HOW TO BLANKET STITCH
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1. Tie off knot and thread twine through to the other-side
2 . Thread needle through loop created
4. Repeat process until you reach the end of the rope
3 . Pull thread through
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The final result of stitching. This image shows six 15m pieces of rope, folded in half, then stitched together, which are then all knotted together. 81
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DEVELOPMENT OF ROPE -FORMATS
27m long cotton rope soaked in water, and coated by hand with terracotta clay.
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0.13m of cotton rope solidified in pink pigmented wax.
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Frayed rope stressed further buy burning it with matchsticks at random points.
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Dyed rope, and hand stitched with twine and red wool.
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FINAL PIECES
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Above- Full display view of my final piece Next page- Extreme close up showing the folding and interweaving of twine, rope and wire
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2.
EVOLUTION OF FORM
1700mm
2400mm
1.
GL
Form 1- Made from one piece of the interwoven rope that is 7500mm long
Form 2- Building on from the previous form I added another piece to make it more prominent and more expressive
2400mm
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Form 3- Due to site constraints, I had to relocate my object, which resulted in me having to reform the whole piece
Extreme close up of final display piece showing the interwoven knot of twine, rope and wire. 94
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Above- Line drawing of an axonometric showing how this piece is assembled. Next Page- Final instalation piece. Portraying texture (from the cloth), and mininmalism.
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Extreme close up showing the creases of the cotton fabric , which promotes a handcrfated feel. 99
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Above- Close up showing the spiral displayed on a side profile. Previous Page- Final display piece consisting of materials that are raw and true.
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FOUR STEPS OF CREATION
1. Lay burnt rope in a spiral on a 500 x 770mm sheet of cotton fabric
3. Turn over to see spiral hanging loosely.
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2. On the other-side of the sheet, stitch directly through the centre of the spiral
4. Rotate sheet 180 degrees, and the desired view is achieved
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Close up showing the stitch line 105
Above- Close up showing the thin tread holding the heavy terracotta up. Next Page- Full view of display piece.
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755mm 140mm
0m 52
1135mm
m
PLAN @ 1:6 108
HOW TO MAKE TERRACOTTA ROPE
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1. First soak hands and 15m of cotton rope in water. 2. Take a piece of clay and flatten it out. 3. Wrap flatten clay around the rope and spread up and down the rope. Repeat steps 1-3 until entire rope is covered. 4. Starting from the centre of the card, create a spiral until the rope finishes.
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Close up showing the stitching and detailing
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510mm
2 1 3 11
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790mm
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Scale 1:2.5 Above- Numbers showing what threads were stitched first. As well as pink indicates red thread, while grey indicates twine. Previous page- Full image of display piece.
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2200mm
4500mm
1200mm
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PLAN @1:8
Close up of mirrored object showing the pooling of the material, which creates various angles the sun can interact with to produce patterned reflections. 115
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A knot showing how my piece was structually hung 117
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EXHIBITION
STUDIO PLAN OF MY WORKS
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First bay exhibition space. Collaborative work
PLAN @1:20
Plan showing collaborative work of Damien, Emilio and I. Pink represents my work, light grey represents Emilio, and dark green (black) represents Damien.
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Above- The site (first bay of the studio). Previous Page- Juxtaposition of Emilio’s work and mine
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2100mm
750mm
SECTION @1:16
Above- Exhibition day onlooker. Next Page- Two display pieces for exhibition.
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Above- The pattern of light from my curtain mirror. Previous Page- How the light interacted with the space, people were looking around.
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Black mesh fabric knotted into itself shown at three different angles
C
Sun angle at 16.00, 43.1 degrees
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B
Curtain puddling on floor
SECTION @1:28 134
7740mm
300mm
Section showing how the sun interacts with my piece. This also portrays how changing the angle of the object alters the pattern of reflection.
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A
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C
B
PATTERNS OF REFLECTIONS Patterns A, B, C, which shows the pattern of reflection by changing the angle of the object itself.
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Site where my curtain mirror was exhibited
From Top to Bottom: Interior view of Le Corbusier’s, Saint-Pierre De Firminy. Samoan lashing of interior beam. 140
Conclusion Overall, this body of work was a way to help me understand the properties of materials and how they can be applied on an architectural platform, and also how the idea of chance is relevant to architecture today. From chance, I encountered difficulties such as cost, site constraints (what you can and can’t do in the studio), design changes, and having to work collaboratively with the whole class. These are issues in practice today, so it was a valuable learning experience. I now also have a better understanding of how light affects space as it not only illuminates areas, but can also create patterns of light in spaces, such as the ceiling, to encourage people to look up and take notice of the space. Thus giving attention to places that otherwise will go unnoticed. Whereas, my material and texture analysis helped me to realise how a simple material such as rope could be formatted in various ways to enhance its properties. Its soft, flimsy and flat nature, was developed into a solid, strong, and more textured rope. To assist in taking my findings further, precedents such as Le Corbusier’s, Saint-Pierre De Firminy, and Samoan lashing techniques, show how the qualities of their architecture resonates with this portfolio. Le Corbusier’s, Saint-Pierre De Firminy, deals with manipulating the surface that the light shines onto, thus creating ribbons of light along its high wall. This effect draws people’s attention to the subtle detail of the curving wall, which would rather go unnoticed. While the lashing technique of Samoan architecture proves how rope can become structural and how this handcrafted technique adds authenticity and honesty to its building. This portfolio is really only the first initial stages of what could potentially be created if it’s progressed forward. Due to the time and course brief this was not realised, but this course has broaden my understanding and my ambition to create and explore the little details. Therefore, this body of work allowed me to realise that you need to understand how things truly work first, before delving into a design that you wouldn’t honestly understand.
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