Serial Planes Study Project 2

Project Two consisted of two completely different projects that in appearance are very different, but in their concepts and construction, they are the same. Starting out the study of serial planes, we watched a video about Maya Lin. She is a very unique artist. She makes her work relate to herself personally, but it also can take audiences in to enjoy it as well by putting his/her own take on it. For example, the park she created was a true work of art for all to enjoy, and included earthy elements that were traditionally lost in the urban setting that surrounded it. Her other works, such as the Vietnam Memorial and landscape pieces, were simple but were astounding in their construction, and based on her personal experience that makes it a universal piece of art.

When starting Phase One, Maya Lin’s video inspired me to base the next project off something that I could relate to and to be something simple in structure, but make a statement. My original idea was to create the Rockefeller Christmas tree star out of my book, because I love going to see it every winter. My book had a lot of pages to provide a large amount of volume, and it was much bigger than some other books, so it could really out from the rest when completed. As I began folding, I realized how much folding and cutting created volume. I did the best of my ability to make it look like a star, but in the end, it did not come out how I anticipated it to be. However, this was not a bad thing. I enjoyed the way it came out. It was nothing like I planned, and although it looks nothing like the star, it is abstract, and good looking in itself. It is a hanging piece, and it looks cool from all angles. The curves give it a unique look and structure that it is unexpected. I would have never imagined a book could be created to look the way it came out with such thin pages put together. It was a very fun project and I plan to hang onto my finished project for a while because I love looking at it, and I definitely learned a lot about using serial planes with this hand on experience of trial and error to create the right effect.

Part two of the project was more challenging to me to come up with an idea. Without the flexibility of the pages to create volume, I had to use rigid thick piece of foam board to create it. After researching some previous serial plane projects, and taking a closer look at the ones my professor showed me, I began to come up with an idea how I wanted the viewer to be focused more on the negative space than the positive space. Creating the curved pieces as I did, I made a spherical shape in the middle that catches the eye. The circles at the bottom of the structure, give viewers interaction with the piece if it were a large sculpture. The structure has a theme to also do with time, because there are 12 curves, giving it a timeless appeal, because it could go around forever. I am pleased with the way it came out, and I feel it solves the problem of serial planes very well.

After being inspired to put me into my project, Part 1 came out better than I expected. Although it did not turn out the way I planned, that made it more exciting to work on, and I think I explore how to use serial planes very well. Part 2 was more of a challenge for me, but in the end, the simplicity of the design makes a big statement.