My next step was to craft models based off my collage. I tried to use materials that were similar to my groups surfaces.
The models I made based on my own collage and my groups’ surfaces:
The feedback I received from my group:
My groups surface models:
Our task for today is to choose a surface in the interior of our own home and record the surface over the course of 10 minutes minimum. We are then to get into groups and give feedback on our chosen surfaces, and produce a collage combining the surfaces of each member.
My chosen surface:
The surface in my house I chose was the timber floor (specifically in the kitchen area). While the rest of my house’s floor is also made of timber, there was something I liked about the pattern the shadow of the windows made on the ground. I went ahead and did a rubbing of the wooden floor to record the texture. I noticed on each individual plank in that area had scratch marks from movement overtime (most likely from walking and moving furniture).
Later on, I realised this surface had a distinct connection back to my artist model Michael Hayden, where his light installations focused on the theme of movement and linear patterns. This was a coincidence that I had chosen a surface, which when recording it communicated these same themes.
Feedback from my group members on my chosen surface:
A series of surfaces chosen by my group members:
Dharshna’s surface (on the left) was her wooden cupboard, Jess’ was her bedroom curtain and Tanesha’s surface was her pot plant. I noticed that all of the surfaces my group chose had a reflection of natural light.
My own collage with mine and my group members’ chosen surfaces combined:
Feedback from my group members on the collage:
We were asked to create three models inspired by our chosen artist model. I chose to base my models off Michael Hayden’s ‘Sky’s the Limit’ colourful and lively installation in the O’Hare Airport, Chicago.
For the first model I focused on using a multicolour palette and was inspired by the curved ceiling panels. I tried to create the effect of flow of movement through space – like the movement of people in the airport terminal. The materials I used were paper, thin wire, coloured pastels, masking tape and black cardboard.
In the second model I tried to amplify the chaos of the busy environment, shaping blue paper and wire into a sort of circular hollowed object. The terminal consists of hundreds of people transporting on fast moving travelators through the long linear space, and neon colourful elements projected all around the space. Movement and liveliness were big factors that stood out to me when researching about Hayden’s artwork.
The last model is a more simple approach, but I tried to highlight the flow of colour through the space. I used thin transparent PVC for the base. The blue paper squares on each side are to resemble the coloured ‘light box’ walls in Hayden’s installation, and the red cellophane is to represent the colour that is spilled and reflected on every surface (eg. floor and ceiling).
Michael Hayden (born in 1943) is a Canadian artist who is known for incorporating neon lighting in his works. Hayden uses a rainbow/multicolour palette. The artist has done a lot of collaborative work with architects and has created a large amount of work for exhibition and large scale public works. Hayden is the owner of Thinking Lightly Inc. and has been installing ‘Lumetric’ artworks for over 50 years.
The images below show his most well known work: ‘Arc En Ciel’ a temporary installation, located in Yorkdale Subway Station, Toronto, ‘Floor/Wall “&” York Electric Murals’, located in York University, ‘Quadrille’ light display in the Duke Building, North Carolina, and ‘Sky’s the Limit’ located in the United Airlines Terminal, in O’Hare Airport, Chicago.
Hayden’s most well known work ‘Sky’s The Limit’ was designed in 1987, located in the United Airlines Terminal 1, in O’Hare Airport, Chicago. This was collaborative work with Helmut Jahn, Murphy/Jahn Architects, Wm. Kraft Music Composer and LA Symphony Orchestra Resident Composer.
This large installation projects thousands of linear ‘neon’. The ceiling is made of of mirror, causing the passageway to appear much higher, and reflecting every neon shape – controlled by computers. The neon tubes have ~80 different hues progressing cool to warm. Electronic music is played alongside the crazy installation to really create the liveliness when passengers pass through the tunnel.
The installation was originally created after United Airlines was concerned that their terminal passageway felt very small and ‘claustrophobic’ and would stop people from flying with United. Hayden’s installation successfully achieved the room from feeling rather small and confined.
I have personally experienced this artwork in real life and can confirm that the reflective ceiling really creates the large scale and high ceiling effect, and did not at all feel squished.
“Hayden’s art transforms a long passage through the underground into a lively experience.”
For the late 1980’s his design approach is quite similar to Contemporary design, and I wonder whether people considered this artwork as ‘futuristic’ for that time.
From this artwork I really picked up in the intensity of movement and liveliness in the space. I like that this is a very bright and vibrant design, and is contrasted with the colonial architecture of the St James theatre. I’m hoping to work with juxtaposition between old and new, and bringing together different time periods.
“I discovered some initial interpretations of a restricted environment having an extremely long horizontal length that I identified as an ‘accelerated visual impact’”. Hayden mentioned this during his design process – this is relevant because the lobby of the St James Theatre is long and horizontal as well. This has given me the opportunity to perhaps turn the lobby into a moving space, like Hayden’s work.
Reference links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-hayden-66068ab
http://www.thinkinglightly.com/hayden/resume.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Hayden_(artist)
https://www.blogto.com/city/2010/10/the_tragedy_of_the_lost_rainbow_at_yorkdale_station/
https://www.blogto.com/arts/2010/11/michael_haydens_arc_en_ciel_might_return_to_yorkdale_station/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Hayden_(artist)ilight-tech.com/quadrille-case-study/
https://www.codaworx.com/project/skys-the-limit-united-airlines
Other useful links:
Colour Theory in Architecture: https://architizer.com/blog/inspiration/collections/kandinskys-color-theory-and-architecture/
https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/light-up-windows
In week 2 we split into groups and were given a topic for our seminar – my group’s was Colour Palettes in Context. Our task in class was to produce a series iterations of models, based off our theme.
Materials I used for my models were red cellophane, blue coloured paper, white cardboard, straw and masking tape.
Above is a rough collage I put together of my experience to the St James Theatre site. When making this I was thinking about light + shadow, saturation/desaturation, coloured material texture, colour reflection + distortion, overlapping of coloured materials and natural coloured material being affected over time. I noticed how the colour red out of the site stood out the most, probably because it is a very vibrant colour and is strongly seen especially when the surroundings are white or black – the colours of the exterior of the St James Theatre building.
The collage I have created will help me with making concept models later on.
AUT Spatial Design Fabrication 