Sunday, December 7, 2008

PATHWAYS, EDGES, BOUNDARIES: phase two: oasis









































































We continued casting stepping stones until the last workday.  We decided that since the pillars would take at least a month to dry to even be able to test one, we need to focus on finishing the stepping stones for the open critique and to leave the pillars for next semester if we keep them in the design.

While casting, we attempted several different textures.  First, we experimented with the crete myrtle leaves and shavings.  Then we tried to create patterns in the stones that resembled the bark of the Crete Myrtles by cutting out similar shapes from craft foam and gluing them in compositions on the bottoms of the molds.  But this idea didn't work because the foam was too thin.  After a few other attempts at texture, we finally decided that since we had so many pieces to make that we simply couldn't make elaborate molds.  Instead we needed to come up with simple ways to make and mass produce some kind of texture.  I really liked the contrast between  some of the smooth stones (from the plastic desk organizer molds) and the rougher surfaced stones from some of the cardboard molds.  I thought that this related to the contrast between the smooth bark of the trees and the ground-up pine straw/leaves on the oasis. We decided to incorporated this contrast in our development of texture.  We also allowed some of the circle stones to have a wavy texture, similar to the crete myrtle bark and the desert's texture, that we created by trial and error with wet, warped cardboard molds.  I really like our assortment of texture - I think that it not only ties in the textures of the surrounding islands, but it creates yet a greater contrast between our geometric pathway and the organic sense of the rough perlite and wavy cardboard textures.

We eventually produced enough stepping stones of varying sizes of rectangles and circles.  

1 comment:

Monsieur Dola said...

C'est fascinant, votre projet d'architecture, Linsey!