THE PLACE IN QUESTION EVALUATION

By Bradley Santon 0380

THE PLACE IN QUESTION BRIEF We were given a specific location and asked to explore many different ways in which to analyse, capture and express this space visually. My location – ‘The Metal Staircase’. From this I would need to make a three dimensional cube to represent my area and then present all my work at a final show.

The area that was given to me, was the metal staircase shown here. It wasn't a very visually interesting space, so I explored many different interpretations of staircases from other artists to see how they had made they look interesting. Each used a different style and media. These are the copies that I made of their works. El Lissitsky study

Renzo Piano study Tara Bental study

2D PIECE AND 3 CUBES IDEA Before making our cubes we had to do a large scale (A2) mixed media piece which was inspired by and artist that we had studied. I chose El Lissitsky and using a combination of fine liner, collage and acrylics, came up with this piece. It was also, later used as part of my SHOW exhibition.

My three cube ides were based on the artists’ work that I had made copies of and they were all very different in style, colour and weight. They all represented the staircase well but it was generally thought that a combination of idea 1 a & 2 – based on Renzo Piano & Lissitsky – would produce the best final outcome.

1

2

3

FINAL CUBE IDEA PROCESS

I based the outside of the cube on my idea 1. I like the clear lines and the acetate painting which reflected light through the cube / staircase. I also added a mirror film in the bottom so that the reflections would be intensified.

I then used painted sticks and boxes to form the structure of the staircase and the steps. These would be inserted into the white shell to give the cube a more solid appearance.

It was quite difficult to stick the solid boxes in but the sticks held them in place and created more interest. It actually accentuated the boxes within the cube.

I really enjoyed making the cube, and was very pleased with the final outcome which I believed represented the staircase in an abstract and remarkable way.

PRINT PROCESS

Second print template – I added some extra areas from my cube drawings, and removed some of the more complex elements of the first print, so it is more simplistic and balanced.

Metallic silver spray paint - conveys the visual and structural qualities of my area ‘The Staircase’, in terms of its metal appearance.

From our Final cube idea, we then had to create some templates for printing. The first used dry point etching where I carved the cube pattern into the thick acetate sheet then used ink to print the pattern.

THE SHOWAfter all our work, we were asked to present what we had done in a “show”, to the head teachers. We had to work together in small groups and plan out how we would display the pieces of work that we had all done.

This included presentation boards, large 2D pieces, print experiments, business cards and photos of final cubes in presentation style.Working in the groups was a good way introducing us to how a real practise would work and also set us up for group work on a later project.

EVALUATION OF THE PLACE IN QUESTION PROJECTGenerally, I am pleased with my overall results, however, I would have liked some more preparation time for the show, as I believed I could have made it look even more professional than it turned out.

My favourite part of the project was the large 2D piece because it gave me a chance to work in way that I had not done before. My artist research gave me a great foundation on which to build my ideas.

I found making the cubes in a way that represented my area quite difficult as I am not a fan of 3D work. However I am really please with the final cube that I made and once again, I was glad that I had done so much artist research because this really influenced and helped me to make the cube.

Business Card idea that I used for the Show.