FMP | #5

    

  

Personally, comparing my 'cheap boxes' experiments with the Favelas of Rio De Janeiro and the 'Walled City' of Kowloon, Hong Kong was one of my best decisions. I felt that because they were aesthetically very similar, cheap materials, disorderly configuration and purpose built, it gave me solid ground for improvement. It also gave me a structure that sort of linked back to my original predicament. 

Social housing has been in demand for years and years and the main issue is that there isn't the capacity to house so many people in an area as a small as London, this is also considering that most of the so-called 'desirable' spaces have been sold to the highest bidder. This comparison to some of the most densely populated areas in the world gave me the foundation for my structure. Although the overall appearance of these dwellings is chaotic and unchecked, there is a method in the madness. It is all compact and space efficient, making the most of every inch. That is definitely something I can work and improve on. 

Sol LeWitt

   

The research into Sol LeWitt's structures is proving to be monumental in my design process, studying some of his work is allowing me to consider regular shapes and how they interact with each other. Not just between the same shapes but relationships between completely different shapes and forms, how they interact and combine to create something totally new but at the same time provide me with ideas that fit my desires. 

I began thinking, 'how can I incorporate LeWitt's use of order and formation within the disorderly and unregulated shapes I have created?' It didn't occur to me for a while that it was simply best to just very literally combine them and see what comes out of it.  

Using the influence of Sol LeWitt in my work really breathed some new life into the models I have currently been developing. They now hold a great balance of irregular shapes and forms with a consistent and regular, cubist net. The aim was to not only add more to the aesthetic of the model but to also create some purpose. Referring back to the ever growing demand for affordable housing, these cubes, influenced by LeWitt, could possibly be developed into small little apartments. Using a net of repetitive shapes is a great way of maximising space and increasing the capacity of possible tenants. 

Cardboard was probably something I should have reconsidered when creating these models, although it is a sturdy material it is bulky and thick and sometimes difficult to work with. The middle section was originally intended to be cut by hand but the process of doing that became tedious and not time efficient, opting for a laser cut net was one of my wiser decisions with this model. 

In a way I feel it was successful interpretation of my designs, it certainly gives the impression of a building and there is a great contrast between the plain walls and the cubist net in the middle. I was thinking of how the cubes could represent a single apartment, possibly some sort of Single Room Occupancy that was majorly popular in America for those who couldn't afford much. 

A much cleaner example of a model inspired by Sol Lewitt's use of cusbism, in a way they all seem to incorporate everything I've researched and developed so far, as they are made of cardboard they still reflect the notion of being a 'cheap box' and therefore link to both the statements I have been interpreting from the beginning and the current artist I am exploring.