the model: process and progress
The model is underway - here are some images of the progress:
The trees shown above will serve as the backdrop for the model. I was unwilling to enter the site again, as the majority of what I have been working with comes from the assumptions made from the act of voyeurism at the fence. To replicate the row of trees that are on the site, I photographed some tress that were of similar size, shape, and in a similar topographical situation. Some photoshopping later, the result looks pretty similar to those on site.
The fence, in its third iteration, has been cut, stained, and assembled. The fence panels were treated with an acetone transfer of photocopies of images on the site. They were then washed with India ink and water.
The viewports have also been added: there are five separate areas, all which are being developed through the narrative. The architecture of the site will follow this progression.
I've mapped the sight lines through the viewports with string to establish the areas that can be seen through the lenses, and that will be developped architecturally.
trial by fire: a return to the mentors
Etant donnés, marcel duchamp
After struggling to represent the fence panels in my site model properly, it was recommended that I return to my mentors from the past two semesters; namely duChamp, the Brothers Quay, Roussell, Artaud, and various illustrations of mechanized, grotesques, and theatres from the 16-18th centuries.
DuChamp's Etant Donnes is a pretty significant precent to this project - I've purchased a door spy-hole that will be used to determine the views into the space that will be created. The spy-holes distort the perspective beautifully, and provide a very specific field of view that will be useful in arranging the space. The image of DuChamp's work above is an example of the type of strange and absurdest imagery that I am hoping to develop through my narratives of Sheldon Blank.
image name unknown, the brothers quayI chose this image from the works of the Brothers Quay to demonstrate the blurring of scale and image that I'd like to achieve. I was looking at the way that the brothers use material in their projects - miniature representations are incredibly delicate and interesting, and I have decided to move away from the white representative model that I was headed for (which really makes no sense in the context of previous work) and return to the grotesque and baroque.
The following three images are taken from "Pruned" blog, and are wonderfully illustrated images of old, strange mechanisms. They are incredibly detailed, yet wonderfully simple representations of machinery. I hope to look towards these methods of illustration to influence not only the drawing of the mechanisms in the site, but also to influence the aesthetic nature of the components within the site. It is also possible that I will use some of these images, alongside some of the mechanisms that were found on-site, to create the collage/perceptual imagery of this project.
laser cutting, and progress to date
Because so much of what I have been working on to date is by trial, (ie: I'm working on my third iteration of the fence that is to surround the site), there hasn't been much to post to date. I'm hoping that three's a charm, and so there should be sufficient material to post once the new fence gets up and running. Due to the size of the model, photographing it properly between stages is time consuming and difficult - ultimately not high on my list of priorities right now.
The following are sample images of laser cutting work that I have been working on.
These are some of the supports that I am developing to house the door spy-holes that I've purchased to denote the viewports into the site. Right now they're in development, but the shapes of the outlines are to simulate the act of looking through these specific spaces in the site. The spy-hole is a cheap version of what one finds in a door, to see who is on the other side.
The fence panels are being cut out of thin bass wood - the first iterations were cut from plywood, and then from card. The ply was too thick for the scale of the project, and the card had material limitations in that it was not able to properly simulate the wood and the desired effect of the fence.
(to come:)
The fence panels have been held in place by a jig that was created by modeling the site in 3D: the jig ensures that the warped wood and the angles of distortion are properly maintained in the model.
My current goal is to simulate the trees and natural surroundings of the site, while keeping within the realm of the grotesque, and maintaining the aesthetic that has been established through the work this year. The above is an image traced from a 15th century tree image - I'm considering using the same acetone transfer method that I started developing to age the fence panels, to transfer the texture to the paper. Whether or not it works remains to be seen.Labels: drawings, mechanized grotesque, theatre
old news: collaging some attractions
i have been working on getting some previous historical work up to date for the portfolio, starting with raymond roussel.
the collages that follow are based off of a few of the attractions that occur in the play. for further descriptions of the attractions, or the plot overview, refer to the previous post below.
attraction one: the earthworm zither player
collage: "the earthworm zither player" by c. grant. 2007.
This was the first collage completed in the series of roussel-inspired collages. the zither player instrument is one of the most bizarre and grotesque mechanisms developed in the play; a worm crawls through a thick, mercury-like liquid. liquid drops onto the strings of the zither. in the play, it is said that the worm has been trained to do this task, composing music.
collage: "the one-legged lelgoualch playing the flute made of his own tibia," by c. grant. 2007.
this second collage was completed after a series of attempts to create a legless man playing a flute; after these trials, it became clear that the flute itself was what was interesting. strangely, the geometry of the flute image fit perfectly with that of the bone (unfortunately, it is not a tibia).
attraction three: cats playing the game of 'prisoners'
collage: "cats playing the game of 'prisoners,'" by c. grant. 2007.
the third collage, inspired by the cats playing a game of prisoners, shows not only the cat, but the boy that has trained them to accomplish the task. the description of the attraction states that he is dressed in standard vaudeville, which is strange on a young boy. again, it is this attraction that wins the award of the Incomparibles Club.
attraction four: the echoing chests of the alcott brothers
collage: "the echoing chests of the alcott brothers," by c. grant. 2007.
the chests of the alcott brothers are so completely emaciated that they reverberate sound from one to the other. their father yells his name, and it echoes through the space. the collage shows the brothers as a series of bizarre, deformed, and identical people; it is the emaciation, and the concept of sound reverberation through our body cavities that makes this attraction particularly grotesque.
attraction five: the punishment of pins
collage: "the punishment of pins," by c. grant. 2007.
the final collage in the series shows the queen rul during her "punishment of pins." in the first part of the play, the queen has an affair with another in her tribe; she later attacks her daughter. her husband, furious with her actions, has golden hairpins pushed through the old corset that she wears.
conceptual mapping and design development
(above: site plan drawing, showing fence elevations and mechanized interpretations. original scale 1/8" - 1'-0". drawn by c.grant)
***note: click on any of the drawings to enlarge***finally back - the absense from blogging is due in part largely to a complete withdrawal from computerized + digital means of production. the drawings that are posted are the result of my (long) process of defining the site that i've chosen in point douglas and the creation of the narrative (seen in the post concerning sheldon blank). as previously mentioned, the mechanisms that have been drawn were contrived through a study of their actual geometryl the rest has been constructed through these drawings.
plan drawing -blown up for viewing (original scale 1/8" = 1'-0") drawn by c. grant, 2007
this portion of the plan was pulled out in photoshop to show more clearly the area of the site that is most visibly saturated with parts (as visible from higgins). furthermore, most of the components in this section were developed as mechanized components, seen at the top of the original plan drawing.
section drawing (original scale 1/8" = 1'-0") drawn by c. grant, 2007
the section drawing above is the north-south section through the west end of the site. the sections are beginning to show the three-dimensional relationships between the mechanisms. this end of the space is considerably more condensed with mechanisms than the other areas of the space.
section drawing (original scale 1/8" = 1'-0") drawn by c. grant, 2007the second section (west-east) shows the areas where no mechanisms have been developed. these interstitial spaces will either be further developed in the same fashion as the others, or else they provide area for the new network of architecture to fill the space.
conceptualized machine drawing + detail (original scale 1/8" = 1'-0") drawn by c. grant, 2007
another example of the mechanisms that were drawn along the top of the plan (another was mentioned in a previous post) - this one was one of the few mechanisms that was drawn almost completely from reality - most sides of this were visible from various views in the fence. it is a fairly substantial piece of machinery. this is one of the mechanisms that was incorporated into the mechanized collage about sheldon blank.
the architectural proposal is beginning to develop as well; these components form complex relationships with the site, and with one another, and will serve to create a substrate for an architectural proposal.
currently, the proposal is likely to expand beyond the heights of the fence - both upwards, and down into the ground. this is likely to become more defined as the proposal unfolds.
Labels: design, drawings, Point Douglas
the reckless abandonment of young sheldon blank, aged 3 and a half
complete mechanized composition: "the reckless abandonment of young sheldon blank, aged 3 and a half"
chelsea grant, 2007
Taking a page from the narrative currently being developed by thesis student Ken Borton, I've started to develop the story of the character during his childhood. It is an attempt to possibly gain insight into the site itself - where these mechanisms came from, their history, and the relationship of these machines to their owner.
Leading up to this project, it is important to recall the nature of the research - the mechanized grotesque and theatre of cruelty were important influences in determining that the site has enormous potential within these contexts; the story of young sheldon blank is therefore grotesque in nature, and highly mechanized.
The mechanized collage created to tell this story is comprised of a few components. Firstly, the original hole from the fence has been used as a blank stage for the piece, allowing the collage and the mechanisms to act as players. It has been painted in traditional matte black; it acts as a representation of the fence on the actual site, placing it in our physical world, but allowing the collage and the mechanisms act the story.
Sheldon's story starts in Point Douglas, in the mid 1900's. The son of a wealthy industry owner, Sheldon spent much of his infancy in the care of hired help. During these times, it was common for industry owners to reside in Point Douglas; it was close to work, and there was a strong community spirit.
As the industry started to override residential needs in the area, pollution became an increasing problem. A shift began to occur among the residents: wealthy owners started to vacate the area, leaving the lower classes to occupy the houses among the smog filled factories.
For unknown reasons, Sheldon's parents leave Point Douglas without their son. In their place, they leave a series of strange machines and mechanisms, each performing a different function, and each raising the young boy.
The Mechanized Collage: Scene OneThe collage tells the beginning of Sheldon's life on his own, including the interaction with a few of the mechanisms.
A cradle gently rocks the young infant to sleep...a noise sounds, waking the child. He rises, and continues the regiment that he has begun since the day he was abandoned: sorting through the mechanized grotesques that were left behind, more is learned about his family, his past, and himself.
The imagery used in the collage was deliberately chosen: on one hand, animals like deer, turkeys, and monkeys (all present in the composition) all have various cultural symbolisms associated with them. They were chosen for their meanings, however in the surrealist fashion, I did not want to dictate the imagery and meaning that would be formulated on an individual level. They have therefore been altered in various ways, and manipulated to form a new and more personalized symbolism.
Technically:
The collage is designed to work with arduino. The cradle, a mechanism of wheels and elastic bands, crawls up and down a string, rocking the infant. When a sound triggers a switch, arduino is programmed to stop the first motor, and start another.
This motor is connected to a series of gears (thought processes and self discovery). The gears turn, eventually triggering a separate mechanism: a randomized light generator. It comprises of seven lights, 6 of which light of separate areas along the gears, illuminating various stages in the self discovery process. The 7th light is wired into the projection mechanism - when it is randomly triggered, the mechanism lights up, symbolizing Sheldon's main realization of the day.
A photocell is wired into this machine - once it picks up the light from the LED, the gear motors stop, and the cradle begins to rock again.
The system is ultimately a closed loop, taking in information from the surrounding environments to instigate movement.
the mechanized cradle - front imagery. photo by c.grant
cradle detail - back of mechanism, showing wheels and elastics. photo by c. grant
side profile of the cradle mechanism. photo by c.grant
Labels: mechanized grotesque, Point Douglas, theatre
making circuit boards
In order to fulfill part of the manufacutring requirement, Kyle and I constructed circuit boards to house the circuitry for the H-Bridge and sensors required to control two motors with arduino (discussed below).
The circuitry diagram (left) was completed as vector lines by kyle, and printed out on glossy card stock. The original instructions suggested photo paper, but the print shop where we got this printed didn't have the capabilities to lazer print on photo paper.
Lazer printing on the glossy paper lives a slight ridge to the ink. This is transferred to the copper substrate with an iron. The iron makes the ink stick to the surface.
The plate is then soaked in hot water, until the excess paper comes away. This required some delicate coercion with a paint brush. It's important to be gentle with the boards, and not to rub of the ink when peeling away paper.
This is a photo of the board taken after the transfer had been made from the paper. At the top, some of the circuitry lines had come off with the paper, making for an incomplete circuit. To fix this, a permanent marker can redraw the lines before the board in placed in the chemical bath.
The board soaks, slowly removing the remaining exposed copper. The copper that has been covered remains, and the circuitry is complete.
Labels: technical work
famous puppet death scenes
A few weeks ago, a friend of mine contacted me about a piece he had seen at what used to be my favorite theatre company in Calgary, Theatre Junction. I once associated the company with some of the better shows that I attended; classics were always reinvented (I can still vividly remember the 1960's acid-inspired interpretation of Moliere's
Misanthrope), and shows were generally well received among more youthful audiences.
The company has since been reinvented, and it incorporates a sort of strange, experimental approach to theatre that I admittedly don't completely understand. They did however bring Old Trout's production of
Famous Puppet Death Scenes to Calgary, and I hear it was wildly popular. My friend tells me that he loved the show, and that it fits strangely into the work that I've been doing over the past two semesters.
I later discussed the show with another friend who is majoring in Theatre. She had seen it a year previously ; the creators are from the same theatre program in Victoria. I'm dying to see the piece: not surprisingly, it is not coming through Winnipeg. As a result, I'm limited to the following reviews and visuals that were published on the University of Victoria's Phoenix Theatre Program's website. The full article can be found
here.
The show is a collection of short pieces which represent the collected death scenes from a (fictional) canon of famous puppet shows through history; each one is presented as if it is a scene from a real show, radically expurgated, so that we are seeing only the last moment of a main or sub-character. The broader plot of the shows from which they have been derived is left up to the imagination of the audience; the effect, we hope, is like viewing a painting in a gallery, finding an old photograph, or being parachuted into a four hour long opera, just at the climactic bit.
In any case, I want one of these puppets.
Labels: theatre
(above: beginning stages of drafted fence segment, point douglas)
the mechanized unknown
Again, it's been too long since I've posted. Mid-term break put work on a bit of a hiatus, and since then I have been drawing - proper scans to come.
The installation for Point Douglas has changed in nature. I'm now proposing to create a mechanized collage, by building my impressions of the mechanisms that are seen through the viewports on the site.
Acting as a sort of corps esquisse exercise, the visible planes of the mechanisms will serve as one layer of the drawing. The rest will be filled in without knowing the actual physical nature of the machine.
The following two images show the beginning phases of this process. The drafted image is a composition that was determined from the geometry of the one visible side (the yellow machine in the following photograph).
The geometries will then begin to inform new functions for the mechanized collage. For example, a round grate that was found on the site could be used (at a smaller scale) to create sound, to project directional light, to move and actuate another machine, etc.
arduino + H-Bridge for DC motor control
Kyle and I worked out the above schematic to control a DC motor with Arduino, and an H-Bridge chip. The schematic is a little sketchy, as are the images in the tutorial. The photos are missing two key wires; I assume they have been omitted to make the photo easier to read. Hovering one's cursor over the image brings a pop up that describes the missing wires.
Once we discovered this, the process was relatively easy. The motors can be programmed to control a variety of the mechanical devices that will become a part of my mechanized collage/site analysis/mapping exercise.
Labels: drawings, technical work
The fence, in its third iteration, has been cut, stained, and assembled. The fence panels were treated with an acetone transfer of photocopies of images on the site. They were then washed with India ink and water.
