The first project of my 3D Design career challenged me both conceptually and materially. We were to use only balsa wood, masking tape, wood glue, straight pins, and clear tape to create four sculptures, each representative of a specific element or principle of design. Although every material need not be present in each sculpture, all had to be utilized at least once in the span of our collection.
Sculpture 1: Pattern
"I Had This Argument Before"
In my first sculpture, I portrayed the principle of pattern using balsa wood, masking tape, and straight pins. The w.i.p. photo to the left shows the painstaking process to which I subjected myself in order to create a controlled visual experience: loops of tape with the sticky side facing outwards. I create two layers of loops, careful not to crush the delicate "underloop" layer as I added the second on top, and then raised the square platform with loop-encased pins to structurally continue the motif. I added pins in a careful pattern to the top loops, giving further unity and texture to the sculpture. The myriad loops contrast strikingly with the flat "oneness" of the square plane on which they rest. While the visual experience is thus expected, it is rewardingly so; I have to admit, it's a lot of fun to look through the negative space the loops create as light dapples through. One thing I wish I had fixed, however, is the spacing on the left side of the sculpture. With slightly too much wood and not enough tape, it looks a little unbalanced, which in turn throws off the regularity of the pattern I tried to build. Proper measuring (and, in turn, patience) is something I still need to work on - too much of the time I just cut without consulting my ruler first.
Sculpture 2: Scale
"Planets"
For my second sculpture, I played with notions of scale by creating clear tape balls of different sizes and placing them in a somewhat surreal, cosmic setting. I am not a sci-fi fan by any means, and my sister and I always made fun (lovingly, of course) of Denny's space-themed kid's menu (Galactic grapes! Space Cadet mac 'n' cheese!), however I really like the spindly, rover-esque legs supporting the main platform of the sculpture. I trapped wood shavings and other bits and pieces littering my cutting board in the tape balls. I then decided to add a strange, tape-based offshoot perpendicular to the taller balsa wood platform. I used wood glue to create a goopy, yellowish mess dripping from the upper platform to the tape mat, and continued making tape balls of different sizes to place on this lower platform. I also trapped glue between the pieces of tape, playing with actual and intangible texture. Overall, the design does not overwhelm my emphasis of scale, however its main flaw is in its flimsiness - I should have reinforced the bottom platform with a piece of wood underneath. Nevertheless, I am happy with my final result. It's out of this world!
Sculpture 3: Texture
"Our Home"
Texture is one of my favorite elements of design. In my third sculpture, I wanted to build a small, secure space in which all different textures were able to manifest. I first created a structure of wood, which I then wrapped with masking tape. I twisted the tape to become an unorthodox type of yarn and wove it around and around the wood base, thereby creating a sort of rug-like wreath. (It actually reminds me of the old yet hearty rug underneath the table in my grandma and grandma's kitchen.) The contrast between the wood grain and the "woven" tape is lovely, but I decided to push it further by adding an adjacent piece of wood - this one torn up and gouged by my knife. I added a clear piece of tape to the back of the main square "wall," a pile of tape "garbage" in the corner, and two little needle-like wood pieces on top of the pit-marked wood chunk. Piercing the wood with the pin was strangely satisfying and somewhat therapeutic. Then it started reminding me too much of skin, and I started feeling a little sickly. Although the piece is complicated by its different textures, I believe it retains an important sense of unity. Eyes move around the piece harmoniously and in all directions.
Sculpture 4: Focal Point
"Alabanza"
For my final sculpture, I decided to work with focal point. I knew I wanted to make a vertical statement, so I created a diamond-shaped structure wrapped with clear tape and adorned with pins atop a plain wooden base. By creating a stark contrast between the horizontal and vertical planes of the sculpture, I automatically created a focal point, however I wanted to emphasize it even more. To do so, I added a small hanging piece in the diamond structure, to which I gave some fine detail. I still felt like something was missing, however, which is when I decided to add the straight pins (as seen in the w.i.p. photo below). I bent them with my scissors into a state of praise, and so even their line of sight meets up with the small centerpiece of the diamond. I feel like this piece accomplishes what I set out to do, however I believe the main structure could have been strengthened by better, more concise measurements. Like I said, patience, patience, patience!
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