3r's

We have each been given a random item from the pound shop which we are to make a product from within two weeks. We have been allowed to do anything with our item from attach it to other items all the way to cutting it into small tiny pieces. 

I have toothpicks, my initial idea was to make a building construction but I know that product design and fine art is more my forte than architecture. I decided to play about and get a feel of the toothpicks understanding how rigid they were and how much pressure they would take before breaking - depending where on the toothpick that the pressure was placed. 

I started off with some initial line drawings before moving to the photocopier where I dispersed the toothpicks on the copier. I experimented with the scale, the proportions, colour and dispersion of the toothpicks creating different patterns. During this time I experimented a lot with my sketches, the forms and shapes by using a vast application of drawing materials. 

At this point I decided it was time to start trying to recreated some of these drawings in 3D. I took to using my toothpicks and a hot glue for quick and accurate use. I also experimented freely with the toothpicks and different ways you could join them together creating obscure curves and shapes. 

When making these structures, I had an automatic connection to Antony Gormley’s use of aluminium rods to create structures which led to him becoming a source of inspiration for my outcome. 

I then took to pointers where once searching Antony Gormley, I came across a range of artwork using lines from lighting, to accessories to interior structures. I was definitely intrigued by the 3D shapes they made from lines and the depth you could achieve in the model. I appealed immediately to the lighting designs as they had depth but both had a form and function, the shapes formed by the lines were very striking and led to me look further into other forms that could be made. Along the way I came across arc’s that had been made using just lines of wood - I love the concept of being able to form curves from straight lines, as it adds a whole other dimension to designs and shows that we do not have to conform to basic methods to make shapes. 

The idea of my project came from the image I found of shapes made being made from lines, but, it was not wood, the structure was made from long lines of thread joined together. 

I immediately from seeing this came up with making a similar concept out of toothpicks. But instead the chair made from toothpicks in the centre would grow to form an arc over the top made of toothpicks.

I drew my initial ideas which I was not too pleased with as I felt the depth of my idea could not be seen. 

Upon developing my idea I thought it would have a better statement if you could look from above and down into the installation, so within the room created a muezzin level which you could stand on and look down into the work. 

In further development I decided I wanted the audience to be engrossed with the art at first sight so decided there was one door you entered and left out of which was shorter than the average door. Meaning the audience would have to crouch through the door when entering, I felt this would mean when they walked in they would be a lot smaller than the work, therefore the work engrossing them. 

The final outcome message of my work was to express the stress and pressure’s felt by oneself as well as the pressures others put on us. This I felt was expressed by the over arching dome which represented us almost feeling trapped within a space and oppressed as well as the fragility of oneself. The fragility of a person could be seen in the manner that no one could sit on the chair without it breaking as well as hurting yourself. 

I was very pleased with the outcome of my project and I found sketchup to be hard work especially when not working against a background as well as at times making the model and getting such thin surface areas to stick together.