katmartenson

Light Study

10/10/2009

 
I was interested in manipulating light in simple ways in order to understand the changes that were taking place.  I wanted to see how a simple structure could be manipulated slightly to contrast the regulatory with the unexpected; I kept the variables to a minimum by creating a grid structure and using all white materials.  From there, I played with the aperture size, the connection points, the scale and eventually the internal transformation of the grid. 
The first test involved white paper and a 2” x 2” grid structure.  I created a smaller system within the larger structure.  The material choice of plain paper and tape gave the grid a flexible quality creating organic voids between the grid form.  By placing a translucent sheet on top of this structure, the shadows were manifested in a variety of ways related to the changes in aperture.
The second screen was a simple iteration of the first.  I was interested in keeping the uniform grid structure, but manifesting it at a larger scale.  I kept this as a 2-D panel, but again analyzed the aperture size.   The random pattern of closed, partially open and open was designed to foster movement across the panel.  By manipulating the panel’s planar quality, the patterns created from the shadows help to emphasize movement.
The final panel I used the grid structure as an underlay.  From there, I transformed the grid into a simple pattern to see how the geometric form could become more organic through repetition.  This pattern was also created one white paper, but with an added glossy finish.  The tonal value of the transformed grid was a clear and beautiful way to read the effect of light.  The contrast was most evident in the natural light when a translucent panel was added as the final layer and the first two grid formations cast a more elusive pattern.
Nancy Cheng
10/10/2009 10:38:13 am

Kat,

These photos are really great! I appreciate the way your pieces use simple elements to create a complex whole. I find it particularly intriguing to see how the simple S-shaped shiny paper creates a texture (not unlike someone's curly hair!). The paper cubes introduce the possibility of fractal self-similarity. I encourage you to explore different possibilities for what the small component (or family of components) could be.

While both the paper cubes and the S-shaped paper work well with the distance from the translucent trace paper screen, the negative spaces are especially interesting with the latter because we are getting emergent form.

The photos of the grid reveal rich possibilities when background is less predictable and when the distance from grid to backing surface is more variable. You have an opportunity to play with how the geometry of the foreground screen, the shadow and the luminous background relate.

Overall, I'm glad to see these interesting experiments complemented with strong photos.


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