Reflection on Creative Display #2
In my original conceptualizing of my creative display, four tree-silhouettes were supposed to be free standing. I wanted them to be approximately four feet tall, because I felt that at that height they started to really make a visual impact. Anything less than that height is really too far below eye level to be applicable to a human viewer. The problem with this, and one that didn’t emerge until I was attempting to put the whole assemble together, was that the pieces would bend so much that they were in serious danger of falling over. I had anticipated this and had tested the rigidity of each piece as I produced it, but I believe the simple fact that they have been glued together for a number of days now is to blame for their tendency to fall over now. The weight of the uppermost parts of the silhouettes is becoming too much for the lower parts over time and creases are forming. Some of the support pieces holding the larger sheets together had also began to come off, due to inadequate glue. This second problem was easy to fix, and helped some, but the second way did not have an easy solution.
Initially, I had a few ideas about what to do to compensate for these leanings:
Glue cardboard rectangles to the other side to try to counterbalance the sway
Cut more slits in the base in order to insert more perpendicular supports
Tie the pieces to the walls and chairs around them
I ruled out the second idea once I looked more closely at what was happening at the base of the display. The sides of the slits were being forced askew, and this was compromising the rigidity of the whole piece. I decided that it was best not to mess around with that part of the display then. I ruled out the first idea because due to a similar thought process. I had no idea if I would be able to counterbalance the shapes, plus I thought they would be distracting on both sides. I enjoyed be able to tell from one side that the large shapes would made up from a number of smaller rectangles. I thought keeping that smooth side was important.
That left the third option. At first, I didn’t think I would like the look, but after taping one of the forms to the wall I liked the effect. It makes the display sight-specific. When I set it up in the classroom I will need to use a different set of props than in the basement of my dorm building. It also one move more slowly around the display when reading the words that wrap around it. One is careful not to trip on the ribbon assisting its standing. In turn, this will hopefully cause the viewer to reflect more on the meaning of the sentence wrapped around the display.
The connection to the article Viewpoint: How Creativity is Helped by Failure is as follows: The article recounts the creative process of writers for Pixar. After an initial draft, each component of the plot is carefully considered, analyzed, and placed in the wider context of the film. In the same way, this failure forced me to reevaluate the whole project and its message. This failure has pushed the display into a more active work, commenting on the role the environment has on impacting what becomes of recycled materials. This is told through the symbol of the ribbon attaching the recycled cardboard to whatever objects are around it. The goals of recycling, what the materials are recycled into, is contingent on the value placements of the surrounding nation-state, county, or community.