This was a study in creating compositions of shadow through small 12″x12″ panels. The intention was to test what is possible in mediating direct light into shadow, examining a variety of options. It should be noted that I did not completely understand the final project assignment until talking with students this week. Knowing the scope of the final project helps me understand the structure in which exploring these options will help the development of the final.
I began the study with a simple examination of hardline form used to create shadows on a surface a few inches from it, with enough diffusion to partially disguise the original form. I scavenger hunted a little bit, finding a chair back and water droplets creating interesting shadows by themselves. I also tested layering,with strips of masking tape, found objects like templates projected onto other forms, and paper folding. I used a variety of materials: plastic bags, styrofoam, paper, crescent board, mirrored surface, wire mesh, tape and toothpicks.
After noticing the effects of changing shadows, I became more interested in creating thick panels with structure hidden behind screen. As light moved behind these panels, the appearance and location of the structure changed, creating uncertainty of form. I suspect I was strongly influenced by Junichiro Tanizaki’s In Praise of Shadows, which describes the way in which darkness and ambiguity can improve the quality of space, objects, and events, giving dimension and a more spiritual perception to daily life.
“The beauty of a Japanese room depends on a variation of shadows heavy shadows against light shadows – it has nothing else.”
Speaking about the atmosphere of a painting under the eave of a dark Kyoto temple: “The lack of clarity, far from disturbing us, seems rather to suit the painting directly. For the painting here is nothing more than another delicate surface upon which the faint, frail light can play.”
There was also an instance in which I used the reflectivity of the plastic bag to mimic a watery surface, which perhaps was inspired by this quote: “And surely you have seen, in the darkness of the innermost rooms of these huge buildings, to which sunlight never penetrates, how the gold leaf of a sliding door or screen will pick up a distant glimmer from the garden, then suddenly send forth an ethereal glow, a faint golden light cast into the enveloping darkness…”
I also was interested in how shadows could disguise complete structural form and mislead: in this example, the structure is the wire mesh, but the vertical shadows appear structural.
In the end, this exercise was really enjoyable and got me thinking about the importance of shadows, but I am not sure that I will be able to carry any of these ideas further into my digital fabrication proposal. In the next step, adding color, I am approaching the exercise with more focus towards the final project.
