Josef Albers

Model & Scale

There is no one correct way to accomplish the task. 

The goal is to think about geometric relationships rather than neatly define what they are.

Perceptual ambiguity. 

All art starts with a material, and therefore we have first to investigate what our material can do -  His idea is to discover the potential of each material itself.

Chiaroscuro effect to paper - Perceptual ambiguity 

This effect plays with the light and shadow of a work. Here in the top model, it gives off the illusion that there are two different squares even though it is just one piece of paper. In the bottom model, the Chiaroscuro effect causes a swirl to appear on the paper. There is no swirl but the light and shadow creates that impression.

These models could be anything. They could be roofs for an irrigation system, artificial sand dunes, a playground. What was once just a square piece of paper, the Chiaroscuro effect has now given dimension to it and created many more possibilities for it.  

I used patterns and geometry to further this idea of of perceptual ambiguity. The purpose of this structural shape could be completely different depending on the scale and orientation.

For example, here I've turned it into a sidewalk for people to explore and congregate. Although without the people you wouldn't really know what is. Although, had I orientated it vertically, it would've resembled something more like a building. What Albers wanted to was steer away from these conventional ideas and reimagine how 'structures' are made up. 

  

From there I thought I could use these shapes, structures and techniques to rediscover them into something completely different. From just playing around I amalgamated them into this box structure thing. I didn't have any salient idea or purpose when creating this thing and I was only able to appoint a proper purpose afterwards. 

I ended up turning it into a stage. 

I think I have encapsulated the ideas Albers put forward as I maximised and utilised all the materials I had present and repurposed them through many different stages and ideas. 

Those pieces were considered for an entirely different purpose before but I have reshaped and reordered them to create this stage/concert venue.