Erica Chen: March 2009

This Final Model was developed with the chosen section form my second draft model. The sections were of “Angst” and “remind” with the artists Tracey Moffat and Rosalie Gascoigne. I have decided to derive my concept from these words and so represent them in building.

Concept for Moffat Studio: Angst

When I think of Angst as a noun, I think of ugly bottled up feelings of anger, guilt regret and despair. Naturally this translates to a building that is dark, heavy and perhaps dank with misery. This does not sound too pleasant for an artist studio but I have strived to achieve an aspect of the spiritual experience rendered by Le Corbusiers’ Chapel of Notre Dame du Haute Ronchamp. In addressing issues of ventilation and light, I have allowed a sliver of light to permeate from the rim of the circular building, this precious film of light cast onto the floor come to signify hope and renewal for the artist.
To add to the sense of heaviness the building gives out, the textures I have chosen to line the walls are bold, dense and aggressive in their rigid symmetry. Overall blended in with the curved continuous surfaces of the room they give off an oppressive atmosphere.

Concept for Gascoigne: Remind

When i think of remind as a verb, I picture a whirlwind of thought that is triggered easily but quickly and lightly fades away. Thus, memories and thoughts come in waves in a repetitive motion. To mirror this thought into a building I have tried to weave in and out of the space using the array of glass partitions. The effect was to evoke the thrill of going through a mirror maze when one was a child; this then triggers a memory in itself. The reflective surfaces also mimic the interplay of thoughts and memories in a stream of consciousness manner as they dance from one subject to the next.
As opposed to Angst which suggests substance and weight, remind intends progression and movement. Hence it makes sense that this is the lighter space.

Gallery and stairs

The Gallery in its dominant materiality of glass seems much like an extension from the glass stairs. The purpose of both designs was to act as pure transition spaces, and to allow the two studios to stand on their own. The stairs in particular is lightweight in its transparency makes as little a statement as possible. Further the two contrasting studio spaces are connected into a cohesive whole via the continuous membrane enveloping the stairs, running down the building.

Youtube and Stair sections

Hand drawn stair sections

Youtube Video-Glass Stairs

This is a precedent for my glass stairs. It allows me to experience what it is like to walk on one.

Monday, March 30, 2009

Animation of Third Draft Model

Third Draft Model

I have developed my second draft model, by rotating it to form this shape. This building is very plain externally but could be made better if the interiors are designed to play with light.

Stairs to Moffats' studio

Stairs in Gascoignes' studio

Second Studio Model

My second chosen section is less beautiful in form than the first but perhaps more functional. The next step in development is perhaps to rotate this section and create a building out of it.

Images of second model with complementary stairs

Chosen section for model

First Draft Model

My chosen section is very sculptural in form, I tried to create this in sketch-up but was not sucessful in my attempts. It would also be hard to utilise effectively the divisions of space for an artist and gallery.

Gascoifne Studio Stairs

Moffat studio stairs

Chosen section for model

36 Custom Textures

Materials and Production Methods

Rosalie Gascoigne and Tracey Moffat are two modern female artists making a statement in the modern world. Both make a study of human nature, albeit each focusing on different aspects of society. Naturally their chosen mediums reflect this.
Gascoigne’s artwork takes on a more personal approach through exploring the relationship between man and the natural landscape. Her artwork tells a story with the remanent of discarded material found in the countryside to be her medium. For her, these debris have “been somewhere and done something”; they hold a purpose and resonates with life. It is the turning of these unwanted materials, into works of art that express vitality; and captures the mood and sensitivity of the Australian landscape that is the essence of Gascoigne’s work. Her Earth (1999) series echoes with shades of grey, brown and ochre hues; “sunbaked yellows of the dry earth, muted yellows of dry grass and the soft pale greys that murmur quietly of the open air and cloud”. Works in these series including the 25 scallop shells are characterised to be more “austere” and customarily consecrated in wooden boxes. These art works are more abstract in nature and speak of memories sparked by elements of the natural landscape in their repetitive patterns and materials.
On a grander scale, Tracey Moffats’ artwork takes on a political stance raising issues of feminism and racism; particularly that of the liberty of black women. Her medium of expression is film, that being most appropriate as she explores the dynamics of interracial relationships between black and white people. Film then acts as a neutral medium portraying people as they are; hence Moffat’s works are a search for truth in a documental manner. That being said, Moffats’ work also possesses a more personal aspect to it. She herself is of aboriginal origin and much of what she expresses comes from personal experience as her mother was a black women domestic servant living amidst a dominant white society.

References:
art galleries:http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/gascoigne_education/http://www.roslynoxley9.com.au/artists/ youtube (no joke):http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyhFTwP7bOY (Gascoigne)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ob8At5MPPM (Moffat)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3BwyuRjDew&feature=related (Hall 1/4)

18 Sections

Artist One: Tracey Moffat
Artist Two: Rosalie Gascoigne

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

My three images

A: High School Art Work
The task was to replicate a photo taken of the class in the mezzanine level of the Red Centre as closely as possible. I'm sorry it is not very good, but it was a first attempt at sketching.

B: Great Piece of Architecture
This is a photo taken at the Architecture Graduate Exhibition at UNSW, two years back. It would be my dream come true if I could ever perfect my model making skills to this level and create something so exquisite.

C: Something Beautiful

My childhood memory recalls a trip my family once took to the South Island in New Zealand. Out of the many scenic wonders we explored, the one that affected me most was Milford Sound. I remember what was so special and magnificent about Milford Sound was that it revealed it self to us in all its broad sweeping majestic wonder; after following an hour long trek through the valley tightly enclosed by trees and bramble all around. The contrast of going from a tunnel -like claustrophobic space to the accomodating horizontal openess of the valley on the eye-even seen through the foliage was truly a delight!

Fiona Hall

(n.) Capitalism

(adj.) delicate

(v.)forceful

This is a display in the exhibition of Tender in 2005 in which the artwork allows one dollar american bills to be fashioned in to dozens of birds nests in all shapes and sizes. The medium of this artwork then strongly fortifies the Hall's purpose to be a political one. As the American dollar is the most higly sought after in Third World Countries; we inhabitants of capatalist nations are all like birds in our scavenging search for money to shelter our lives just as birds build their nests. At the save time due to our industrialist expansionism, deforestation has come as a result, depriving the birds from their natural habitat and driving them to extinction. Therefore the dual message portayed by the artwork is delicately yet indelibly expressed.

Tracey Moffit
(n.) Angst

(adj.) articulate

(v.) reach-out

The bottom inscription reads "Her father's name for her was 'useless' ". From the exhibition Scarred For life in 1994. It is one of a series of nine images all sized 80 by 60 centimetres. The aim of the series was to portray distinctly like this one, the ugly and innermost moments and memories in our childhood that we can all relate to. It is so powerful because the few words in the caption coupled with the truth portrayed by the photographs is disturbing end strongly evocative to the responder. In this one the feeling of despair and hurt is forcefully conveyed. The photo adhering to the character of Moffit's works is one salvaged from the time of her childhood in the 1960s and 1970s. This is significant because as the photo is dated and old, it speaks of an issue of universal relevance today.

Rosalie Gascoigne

(n.) collection

(adj.)idyllic

(v.)remind

25 scollap shells,1984 was included as apart of Gascoinge's Earth exhibition in 1999. Gascoigne has said about her Earth series as being one of the four classical elements and expresses her desire of making the panels representing Earth are "very physical" and in touch with an element that is "basic". In doing so she has employed her choice of the grid and uncompromising wood in all her works as exemplified here. The works in this series are compositions of humble materials once apart of the landscape itself; collected into a compostion, these elements invite the responder to contemplate and connect with nature.

References:

Tracey Moffat -Usesless, 1974 http://www.roslynoxley9.com.au/

Fiona Hall-Tender (Exhibition 2005) http://www.roslynoxley9.com.au/

Rosalie Gascoige- 25 scollap shells, 1984 http://www.roslynoxley9.com.au/

Erica Chen

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

3 Animations of Final Model

Final Model (developed from Tuesday)