I first learned of Andy Goldsworthy in my Conceptual Practices class with Professor Rothrock. We were doing an assignment that dealt with nature and manipulating it in someway. I think his work, and specifically the ones I picked, really exemplify a spatial drawing. Andy almost always only uses materials that he finds on location so the work is impacted heavily by what the space provides. In the first one it appears he used a thing grass or vine of some kind to enunciate the circular contours of the stones and draw attention to the space they fill. There is a sense of movement that is reminiscent of orbital charts that I personally enjoy about it. The second image relies heavily on the colors available from the fallen leaves of nearby trees. The glowing contour that is created by the yellow leaves totally changes the way the tree stands in the space. The final image is a motif of sorts he replicates in various mediums but this one is exquisite in its own right because it is a loose construction of twigs that create a full circular form due to its reflection off the surface of water. We perceive a tunnel like space yet its all just an illusion that will change over the course of the day. Another aspect of his work that I find really intriguing is how impermanent they are. Their essence is captured in the one photo but as time goes the leaves or sticks will blow away or decay, surely changing the aesthetic and maybe even the concept of the original work. He is manipulating the space but not attempting to tame or contain it.

Once we had the space shrouded, the ceiling canvas stretched and the cube hung our main issue was which light bulb(s) would work best for our projections. Our first attempts were with a single bulb and we were finding that some were either not strong enough to project clearly or the bulb was too large and the projections were blurred and hard to make out. We knew a light source that was projected in a specific direction would create the clearest image. Hollis was able to find an ideal solution with a light fixture that could support multiple USB plugins. We plugged six manipulatable LED mini-spotlights into the fixture and then the challenge was how to project each side clearly without distorting the other panels too much. Jenny and Hollis proved to be quite adept at this stage in the process and since it was already night at this point the projections were quite clearly recognizable. The orientation they finally settled on worked well and allowed for the piece to really create the dream space we had hoped for. The difference in images also created a dynamic space since the amount of light being let out varied from where you stood and as the cube slowly turned. In the end I think it was successful and the last minute drapes were the final touch it needed to close of the space.

The early goals and obstacles for our project were to build the pieces we would need to help create the specific space for our installation. We knew we would need something to block out the light from the gallery so our projections would be clearly visible. After acquiring the hollow core doors we connected them together with screws, tape and puddy. After sanding and painting we were able to hang it where it concealed a good deal of light. However we realized we may need more to block the open spaces beside the wall for a better shadow.

One of our main objectives from the start however was getting each group members panel cut. We had the wood and I took it to the wood shop and ripped it down to fit into the laser cutter. After that it was a matter of signing up for a chance to use the cutter. Fortunately for our group we had members who were familiar with laser cutting so we were able to get everyones pieces cut correctly and in time for installation. Each panel was supposed to be based on dreams or an amalgamation of specific dreams, mine however was influenced by the night sky and how I associate that with nocturnal dreams. I coupled that with the doodles I frequently do during class while day dreaming. The aesthetic I hoped would emulate a night sky but not a specific recreation of it, like how must dreams are a hodge-podge creation of what may be on our mind that day or week. I had chosen to do the top panel so this image would hopefully help the viewer step into a dream-like world that they could react to on all sides of the room. Unfortunately in the installation process some of the center line work is lost due to the way we mounted the box to the light. I think the piece still conveys its point however.

The week before spring break, some of us were preparing and gathering hardware and materials during class time, while the rest of our team members were trying to get the cutting part done so when we came back from the break we would have enough work as we expected it to be. The problem was that we did not have enough wall in order to project all the six sides of the cube. Luckily, Hollis came up with an idea of putting the two door panels together and then painted with white so we can hang it from the gallery’s ceiling to create an extra wall that we needed. On the ceiling of the gallery, we needed to stretch a white sheet so that we could project Drew’s design and not having it blend in with the original ceiling which could be distracting.

The picture on the right was when we temporarily put the cube together without light bulb and the one on the left was the finished version.

This experiment was reminiscent of assignments from 3D Design but due to the open nature of this assignment I was able to create something a bit less traditional and explorative. I started by creating multiple different pieces that were sturdy three dimensional forms that I could piece together with glue. The materials I chose to use were beer, wine and coffee shipment boxes. A common feature on a lot of these is their preference to design amusing or eye catching marketing to decorate the cardboard box. This provided already colored pieces I could juxtapose with traditional brown cardboard. Some where along the way, as I began attaching different forms, the piece took on a moveable and interactive tone. The orientation shown in the pictures is the most sturdy but it can be manipulated and held to create other viewpoints or meanings. I think that cardboard can be used to create stunning or evocative works of art, however I don’t prefer it myself. I did enjoy using some for my collage, they work well creating a layered aesthetic.

At the first week of collaborative project, I chose to work with Britney’s main concept and idea of using light to project the negative cut-out. Our idea is projecting the unconscious dream onto the wall. The design I created was abstract because I feel more comfortable with non-narrative patterns and to me, I feel like it would be more convenient when working with the software and laser cut. Our concept is to build a laser-cut 18’x 18′ in. cube and project the light from the inside of the box. So every side of the box has its own individual design which represents the dream.

This is a picture of how the design looked like before cutting.

It took 30-45 minutes to cut this 18′ x 18′ wood panel. I loved how it turned out!

I also think that the actual cut-outs are very interesting in terms of the fragments and negative space on the laser cutting bed.

The sculpture continues to be built. As of now we are making more wore and prints of drawings to be placed on the wall. We are currently figuring out how to support the weight