Lucy Hamilton / spring 2018 HAA 96A Transformations studio
This body of work is concerned with the lamination, rotation, and excavation of form and space in the production of apertures. As opposed to punched windows and other forms of surface treatment to accommodate apertures, this work is a serial exploration of how volumetric forms might be interacted and operated upon to create openings. Each iteration in material and fabrication seeks to expand and develop the concept of an aperture. The shift in medium, from paper to plexiglass, prompted the shift from a square aperture-shape to a pentagon-shape. Additionally, the “aperture” no longer projected out, but rather spiraled inwards. While earlier models rely upon the calculated extraction of a shifted interior form from an outer frame, the chipboard model marks a shift in the way an aperture is defined. This iteration realizes the internal, hidden form that was framed by the pentagonal plexiglass border: excavated negative space is transformed to become positive space. Without borders, the spiraling, internal form is able to interact more organically and dynamically with mirrored modules to form relational apertures. Later iterations remove the center of each layer that comprised the stacked spiral. This allows for an aperture to exist internally, within the form, as well as externally, between neighboring modules. These external apertures were created by mirroring the stacked spiral module. The final iteration, a pavilion for a local residential park, situates the internal as well as the relational aperture in relation to site. In this case, internal apertures are visible within each module, from above and below, and external apertures are visible between modules. These different types of apertures are integrated with structure for the form, allow for light to filter through, and create occupiable space for park-goers to inhabit.
