For
this project we are interested in the flow of the habitual materials of the past
into a modern time used in architecture. We are juxtaposing three forms and
three different materials representing the transition through this time change.
Our
choice was to employ concrete, bricks and steel - the traditional architectural
material commonly used in masonry construction.
We
proposed three benches on wheels that are movable.
The
benches are shaped to some kind of panels or walls, what metaphorically brings
the idea of some protection.
In
this project, we are suggesting a focal point; a seating area offering
passers-by the opportunity to pause and engage with the art installation, also
serving a practical function they have lowered or raised position and they are
movable. The work interacts with the public and also shifts the sense of
fellowship. This spatial sculpture metaphorically transforms the idea of
domesticity into the public.
The
concept of the work reflects contemporary design and architecture, but
furthermore awareness of the intrinsically human-scaled design of the objects
with which we are surrounded. It exploits the severing of this connection by
removal of the object's function, presenting it in a different context.
The
contemporary time is very unstable; it changes from one element to the other.
The traditional materials used in architecture are changing their conventional
way of operations. For this reason, we would like to expose concrete, bricks,
and steel as components in such of modern architectural surrounding as Euston
area. It would be in one way reversed and less practical, however would become
far more exciting and interactive.
We
have also considered the transitional potential of the materials. For example,
the shiny surface of a steel bench, exposed to weathering elements, will soon
become dull and rusty, loosing its sparkle. Thinking about the transition of
time and physical mobility explored in design, we illustrated the benches with
castors. There is a possibility that their position, or the place/area, could
be changed by moving the structures, and the project could be situated in
various parts of the British Land area.
Taking
another element of transformation, we decided to select the concrete as the
second sample, providing stability and time conservation. There is, for many, a
natural intrigue in guessing the time; when a certain object was made or for
how long has been. This comes as a welcome change in such a time of often
predictable and generic modern building and architecture. Bricks are able to
tell the time on their surface carrying memories through a lifetime, and with
the passing of time the changing of shape.
In
the second stage, whilst we were making models - samples of the forms, we were
re-designing proposals of various possibilities, in which we established the
concrete techniques and patterns, and also the final details of their look.
It
was an interesting experience going through the process of making, as the forms
achieved characteristic outcome. For example: designing the shape on 2d sheet,
where the technical aspect is unclear and it requires the practical side, also from
when they are moulds, and afterwards, when they are set as an arrangement in a
specific place.
Furthermore,
what we consider as the main target would be the interaction of
‘The
benches on wheels’ with the public (the viewers), who could experience the
sculpture, the bench in a realistic approach. It’s interesting that benches, if
situated in a particular area or position, can evoke feelings of comfort and
almost safety. Many of us have favorite locations in which we can take a break
from this fast paced society in which we live, and it is often the simple
things that are taken for granted. Of course the significance of the wheels on
a bench cannot be ignored; whilst, as said above, the location of a bench can
be important, it’s especially interesting to create this feeling of freedom and
fluidity, creating something different and perhaps fun without interrupting the
practical purpose and design and without being overstated or pretentious.
We
all use benches, most of us everyday – and how often do we stop to notice
anything about them - even the plaque, or commemorative inscription? In this
project, we were particularly keen to explore the concept of taking something
very ordinary and making it extraordinary. Especially in this modern time, when
artists are going from strength to strength and technology has never been
better, art is becoming increasingly neglected and overlooked.
For people otherwise
overlooked by the artistic community, the benches could provide a portal into a
new experience of art, with their accessible and familiarity – an everyday
object with a twist. If we could expand on this idea, exploring materials and
designs that are a little different, however still reminiscent of more familiar
objects, we could promote art to a culture that is currently preoccupied with
anything and everything else.
