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Roksana Sobelska
I started my project by analyzing spaces to get a better understanding of the space and things that affect it. I looked at how light, perspective, colour, type of space, form, line and texture affect the space. Then I searched random spaces and investigate them to find how those spaces meet their purpose and function. Analyzing those spaces helps me with creating my own spaces and what things I would need to think of when creating space.
Those are my initial ideas. My first idea was to create a space that fade with time. My second idea was to create a space that is eco-friendly. My third idea was to create a space that is a workspace, but make workers feel at home. I choose first idea, because I found it the most interesting and I wanted to explore new technique. This idea is strongly related to memories and how their disappear in space/walls suggesting that we forgot memories.
I draw some sketches of the places from my memory. I wanted to put places from memory onto the paper, so I can remember them and develop them later. Those places are from different periods of my life. They didn't have much details, because I can't remember certain things. I used those sketches as a starting point in my project. I will be gradually adding more sketches to gather more memories that will help me with my work.
I was drawing empty spaces to highlights that no one is in there and the memory of this space is fading over time. Also, i used watercolours, to create an effect of vanishing space. I was inspired by Nick Goss when I did those paintings. In his work he was trying to blow and wash the image until very little of the image will be seen. He wanted to highlight that this memory of space don't exist in present moment. In my experiment I wanted to show that this place disappear from our memory over time. Therefore, my paintings have little details and look quite blurry.
I did some paintings from memories using Mike Ryczek style. However, my paintings aren't as I expected them to be. They have very little details and is hard to tell what is exactly on them. Furthermore, they don't look like artist works. I think that they didn't work because I'm unfamiliar with his style and my paintings are much smaller, which didn't allow me to add more details. Also, due to they small scale they look messy and chaotic. Those paintings are unsuccessful.
I did some experiments with spaces. I was trying to create a destroyed space that have a sense of abandonment and is decaying. This experiments were inspired by abandonment, ghosty places that I look at and Valerie Hegarty work. my intentions were to create spaces, which shows that as the time pass the space decayes and turn into ruin with the memory of this place. I wanted to show that space was stripped from memories. I did variety of different spaces to show that memories and space can be demolish in different ways. Also, it shows the importance of the space. Some of the experiments contain destroyed furnitures to emphasis that the place is falling apart and is no longer the same. In general, I was looking what effect the space have on memory.
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From the ideas and experiments I decided to create a model about memories. This image shows how I want it to look like and describe the idea in details.
After the crit my idea suddenly change, but the concept of the idea is still the same. Rather than creating interior space that will present particular memory, I'll create a surface on the walls that visitors will be allowed to touch and this surface will remain the of certain memory. Therefore, this space wouldn't be only about my memories, but also about other peoples memories.
On the picture there are details about how I want to create it, concept and how I want it to look like.
Bas-relief was the technique that I wanted to use in my final piece, but due to the time limit I will use plaster and clay technique that have very similar effect and is quicker. I wrote step by step instruction of plaster and clay technique base on how I made my casts.
Those are some inspirational pictures of different surfaces from Pinterest.
This is an experimental cast that have different surface in different places. I zoom in into each part to show each texture from closer view and in more details.
This is another experimental cast with slightly different surfaces. also zoom in on them for closer view. I was testing how each surface feels like and its effect.
I dis square-like cast with different surfaces and zoom in on them. I was testing different surfaces. I believe each surface have different effect on individuals. However, I want the people to remember memories by touch. Therefore I testing variety surfaces.
I did square-like cast containing only one surface; bumpy. This cast was suppose to act as one of the walls that would be in the gallery (my final piece). Each wall in my final piece would have one surface like this one in the picture.
This is another cast that was suppose to act as a wall in the gallery. However, this surface is pointy and sharp and will have different effect on the person.
This was my first attempt to create a gallery using kunstmatrix website. It didn't came up how I wanted, but I was only testing it.
I choose different space and make a pictures bigger to fill the most of the wall.
I placed the same image next to each other to create a pattern. I wanted to cover the whole wall with this surface, but I couldn't due to limited number of images.
I did a floor plan using floorplanner website. I did it in 3D and 2D. This floor plan was draw in my sketchbook, but I wanted to make it 3 dimensional.
I used photoshop to create a floor plan that was more realistic. Therefore, I took a picture of my cast from the top and created a floor plan. It make it look more realistic and the surface of the walls can be seen from this floor plan. The real gallery would have different surface of the walls.
The picture on the left explains two techniques that I used to make a mold.
Below there are molds that I made by using latex and vacuum forming.
Latex is strange, quite strong and stretchy material.
The pictures on the top were the first latex mold that I made. I put thin layer of latex and when I was peeling off the latex from the cast it ripped and made holes in the surface. Therefore, i made another latex mold in which a putted thicker layer of latex (below).
I bend plastic using vacuum former. The plastic appeared to be very smooth and shiny.
When I was using vacuum former to bend the plastic, i moved the shelf with cast into plastic to bend the plastic and transfer my cast (shapes) onto plastic, but the plastic wasn't hot and flexible enough to capture all the details. therefore, this plastic appeared to be very smooth and it hard to identify the form, but I like the effect that it creates.
The black surface created reflection and draw attention to light. However, white surface draw attention to shadows.
I will crop parts of casts and molds to fill walls in a virtual gallery. I think that virtual exhibition will present my idea how I wanted and allow visitor to walk through the space.
I cropped images of casts/molds and skimmed the walls in a virtual gallery. I placed them next to each other. Each room have casts/molds with same shapes, but made using different technique. I arrange them like that for the visitors to feel the difference when touching surface. This gallery presents how I wanted my final piece to look in reality. However, if I were going to build this virtual gallery again I would create a bigger space (from my floor plan) and add skim more walls with different texture.
I did a video of walk through the gallery on a right hand side.
Virtual gallery link: https://www.artsteps.com/view/60ab711bef6d5f72ffda7669?currentUser
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