1. How is dialog created?

In my final piece, dialog occurs between its two spaces as the viewer's eye moves from the left space where the rods that make up the X-shaped frames create and angle that leads the eye to the space on the right where the framing rods create another angle of the same measurement but that faces the opposite direction.  Also, the horizontal group of rods that pierce through the three prisms leads the eye back and forth between the two spaces.

2. How is a sense of space/place defined?

A sense of space is defined by the three prisms along a horizontal with a distance of 1 1/2 inches in between.

3. How is the idea of system generated?

An idea of system is generated as each element or feature of my piece works to support the others: the three prisms hold the group of four horizontal rods 2 inches from the top and bottom, and 1 1/2 inches from either side of the project.  However, those same rods also hold each prism evenly spaced at 1 1/2 inch.  And the eight rods that form two X-shapes act as two outer frames that force the prisms to stay put along the horizontal and keep them standing up straight on their 3"x 3" bases.

4. How is scale utilized in the project?

Since we were required to only use twelve 4"x 6" white planes and twelve 12" wooden skewers, almost every dimension of both solid and negative spaces relates to the number 12: each prism is 3"x 3"x 4" and made up of four folded planes each; four adjacent skewers pierce through the center of each prism and creates a 1 1/2" space between each prism, making the length of the entire project 12 inches; the three prisms make the height of the project 4 inches; along with the group of four horizontal skewers, there are two more groups of four skewers that form two X-shape frames for the project, thus there are three solid structures (the prisms) and three structural elements (the groups of skewers).

5. How do 2-D images add to the understanding of the project?

2-D images add to the understanding of my project by pointing out the elements of unity and dialog that the eye may not catch at first glance, they help explain the construction and thought processes behind the project, and they focus in on certain parts like joints or spaces.

6. How did the initial project idea evolve?

From the beginning I knew that I wanted to relate this dialog project to my final unity piece, so I immediately started out with X-shaped frames.  After I played around with a few modules of flat planes that only lead me to something too similar to my unity project, I finally started to fold the planes.  I soon came up with a paper cube.  I decided that to create two, and only two, spaces, I would need three solid structures.  Because a cube has six sides and I only had twelve planes to build three objects with, I refolded my paper and came up with a way to make a rectangular prism, rather than a cube, that only used four planes rather than six.  I had just enough planes to create three objects!  Utilizing all twelve skewers, I then made two X's, each out of six rods.  As a first iteration, I attempted to space out the three prisms and glue the ends of each X to either side of the row of prisms.  I had a row of three rectangular prisms floating between two obtuse X-shaped frames.  I liked this model a lot, but I decided that there should be something between the prisms that related them to each other more.  My next iteration was similar to the first, only this time I only used four rods for each X and used the other four horizontally pierce through the center of each prism.  I really liked this evolution, but I found that in addition to my two intended spaces between the prisms, another space was created underneath the row of prisms because only the ends of each X acted as a bas for my piece. 

DIALOG: final

(better images on the way)

DIALOG: progress

COMPARISON: UNITY

During today's UNITY critique, Catherine Maynard's unity piece stood out to me in comparison to mine. Both maintained unity in way the twelve panels were spaced along the wooden skewers yet all of her skewers, except one, were supportive in the same way as eleven pierce through the panels while the remaining rod seems to aid the project's movement. While I also pierced eight skewers through my planes for some support, my main supports were the two exterior X-shaped frames, holding the panels by their corners. Catherine's horizontal and vertical planes, along with the horizontal and one vertical rod, limit the angles of each space to 90 degrees. In contrast, I used horizontals and verticals, but the two X frames add other angles to some of the negative space.

UNITY

My final Unity piece went back to my first iteration.  However, instead of using the same angled X's at the center of the structure, I kept the two X's that connect to the top and bottom planes of either stack, and I used the remaining eight skewers, originally stacked into four more X's, to create a very obtuse X when viewed from the side as four skewers pierce through each stack of planes.  The distance between the vertex of the two vertical X's and the inside edge of the stack of planes is 3/4", equal to space between that inside edge and the column of the four rods, also spaced at 3/4", that pierce through the planes.  This evolution from my initial iteration gives this final piece a little more  physical and visual balance.  This model combines vertical, diagonal, AND horizonals, it forces acute and obtuse triangles of negative space to work together with both solid and negative rectangles.  From any way you view this piece, an X is visible rather you're looking at the vertical front and back X's or the two horizontal X's on either side as the slant's of the four piercing rods alternate. Considering proximity, I still kept the planes spaced out at 1/8" to relate to the diameters of the skewers.  There is also an element of continuation or closure as your eye is lead across the top and along the bottom of the stacks of planes.  Similar to my box for 12 twigs, the different diagonals of the rods and the support they give at the front and back and as they pierce through, as well as the purpose of the planes holding the two front and back X's in place and in line, everything works together to create a whole in my Unity project.

UNITY: graphic work

With our final UNITY piece, a parti, contour, gesture, plan, and elevation were also required for our critique.  Keeping unity between my model and my drawings, I kept my graphic work simple, like my structure, each drawing was done on a 12" by 12" plane, I used the white bristol board used in my model, and although both my final piece and drawings were simple, they all provided a lot of information.

UNITY: progress

As my first two pieces were very intricate and complex, I wanted to take a more simple approach to my UNITY project. Still unsure of how I was going to go about finding unity between twelve 12" wooden skewers and twelve 4"x6" white bristol board planes, my first attempt involved using pairs of skewers to create six vertical X's. After playing around with them I, then decided to glue each X together at their center. This created equal spaces between each that measure about 1/8" (the diameter of each skewer). After more playing around, I finally placed a panel on either side of each X and attached them with glue by two corners. After all twelve pannels were attached to each X, six on the left and six on the right, more spaces were created. The distance between each panel was equal to the distance between each X and the diameter of each rod, and along with the two 55 degree angles of the stacked X's, the inside edges of the stacked panels created two new triangle shapes of negative space. This iteration was simple, yet I thought it put emphasis on the negative spaces it created and that it attained unity in the contrast between the roundness of the rods and the flatnes of the panels, the vertical direction of the panels and the diagonals of the rods arraged in X's, and this model also had a lot of balance and symmetry. However, I needed to greatly improve the craft of this piece by reducing the globs of hot glue and aligning the panels better.

I liked my first iteration, but I still tried a somewhat different approach for my second model. Rather than X's, I glued two stacks of six skewers together, attaching two groups of six panels horizontally between the two rod walls. Each panel was glued along their 4" side between each rod, and the two groups of planes were spaced about an inch apart. This iteration also had symmetry and some balance, but it didn't create many interesting spaces and I thought that somehow, it had less unity than my first iteration. The craft was much worse with this model - the glue was slopping along the entire length of each rod, and the panels weren't completely taunt as they stretched between each rod. So for my third iteration I went back to my first model and tried to recreate it with better craft.

A Box for Twelve Twigs: FINAL

For my final piece, I used my new joint method - cutting away one layer of paper and the foam, leaving a bit of the other layer of paper extending with the width of the foam board to create clean edges around the cube. Instead of cutting the entire pattern out of foam core for all six walls, I made six foam frames to support the six patterned paper squares into a cube.  My original plan was to use brass straight pins along the edges to hold the foam frames together, but before I could get them through the first layer of poster board, they bent. I had to replace the pins with the pale yellow paint I used to contrast with the purple hue of the twigs  Also, I decided to make the top and base of the cube solid because it would minimize the number of empty spots among the branched walls for the twigs to go. In an orderly fashion, yet at the same time creating chaos in the center, the sticks find their niche as they pierced through the cube.