New York:
B L O C K
The sculptural visualisation of the architectural details of New York City
My third and final year at University gave me the opportunity to utilise methods such as welding, plaster casting, and laser cutting - where I used these techniques to illustrate a three dimensional depiction of New York City, inspired by the two dimensional version that exists in my memory. This focuses on making the invisible, visible, by using a tangible and physical outlet to portray something immaterial.
My third and final year at University gave me the opportunity to utilise methods such as welding, plaster casting, and laser cutting - where I used these techniques to illustrate a three dimensional depiction of New York City, inspired by the two dimensional version that exists in my memory. This focuses on making the invisible, visible, by using a tangible and physical outlet to portray something immaterial.
Whether describing a solid piece of hard material, or a measure of distance, the word ‘BLOCK’ became a sub-heading for the project New York: Real and Remembered, in its ability to be used to describe both things.
‘BLOCK’ when describing a solid material, references the sculptural outcomes to the project, which are made from three materials; Plaster, Perspex and Metal. They are made in a series of colours, which reflect building materials such as brownstone, limestone and red brick.
This initially began with the drawing of two dimensional shapes or faces for a basic cube, inspired by shapes taken from buildings within New York. A basic cube was chosen, as a way of simplifying and minimalising the literal and recongnisable architectural shapes within New York City.
These blocks aim to not only depict the architecture, but also to embody the way I remember navigating my way through New York. This brings back to the original title of Real and Remembered, where the underlying theme of memory and place are highlighted - and also, the sub heading ‘BLOCK’ in relation to the American term for a measure of distance.
NEW YORK: BLOCK - In detail
INTRODUCTION
Constructed between reality and imagination, ‘BLOCK’, is the embodiment of my memory of New York. Based on, but not fully indicative to, the architecture, and inspired by, but not specific to, one location; each one aims to preserve a detail or feature of various places observed and explored throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn.
INSPIRATION & PROCESS
Details such as surface and material texture, shape and pattern, were collected in mood-board style grids, (Statue Of Liberty, Brownstone Buildings, Tenement Buildings, Marble Buildings - Wall Street Stock Exchange, Metal Framework and Bridges, Art Deco, Modern Glass buildings of Lower Manhattan, and Green Areas) each grouping together a concise and visual reference collection, to both describe and inform the design and construction of each BLOCK.
Using these various and unique features, both from primary documentation, photographs and my memory, I was able to re-imagine my experience of New York, and it’s buildings, whilst also gaining architectural knowledge and context.
ARCHITECTURE OF NEW YORK
New York is an amalgamation of architectural styles, such as Romanesque Revival, with features including bevelled and rounded window forms, semi circular arches, and decorated bricks and terracotta tiles. This style is common to the brownstone town-houses of the Upper West Side. Contrastingly, there are also elements of Greek Revival and Neoclassical Architecture seen throughout New York, where it is particularly notable on Wall Street at The Stock Exchange and also buildings such as the Public Library and The Natural History Museum. The classical features include columns, symmetry, ornate mouldings and pediment - originating from Greek and Roman architecture, these features evoke a sense of regality and knowledge. Now, New York’s skyline sees the increase of modern style, futuristic angular buildings, made from a steel frame and layered glass sheets. As each ‘new’ style is put amongst the pre-existing buildings, New York’s skyline becomes a contrasting mixture of innovation and design through several eras.
VISUALISATION OF MEMORY
‘BLOCK’ aims to capture this sense of variety and architectural information, whilst also evoking an anecdotal recollection and solidified version of something conceptual; memory. The purpose of using sculpture, which is very tangible, physical and perceptible, as a form of communication, - is to use it to visualise something that is the complete opposite. Memory is something we cannot physically touch or see, but with ‘BLOCK’, it embodies the idea of ‘Real and Remembered’ - ‘Information and Story’ as it can blur the lines between the two.
‘BLOCK’ when describing a solid material, references the sculptural outcomes to the project, which are made from three materials; Plaster, Perspex and Metal. They are made in a series of colours, which reflect building materials such as brownstone, limestone and red brick.
This initially began with the drawing of two dimensional shapes or faces for a basic cube, inspired by shapes taken from buildings within New York. A basic cube was chosen, as a way of simplifying and minimalising the literal and recongnisable architectural shapes within New York City.
These blocks aim to not only depict the architecture, but also to embody the way I remember navigating my way through New York. This brings back to the original title of Real and Remembered, where the underlying theme of memory and place are highlighted - and also, the sub heading ‘BLOCK’ in relation to the American term for a measure of distance.
NEW YORK: BLOCK - In detail
INTRODUCTION
Constructed between reality and imagination, ‘BLOCK’, is the embodiment of my memory of New York. Based on, but not fully indicative to, the architecture, and inspired by, but not specific to, one location; each one aims to preserve a detail or feature of various places observed and explored throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn.
INSPIRATION & PROCESS
Details such as surface and material texture, shape and pattern, were collected in mood-board style grids, (Statue Of Liberty, Brownstone Buildings, Tenement Buildings, Marble Buildings - Wall Street Stock Exchange, Metal Framework and Bridges, Art Deco, Modern Glass buildings of Lower Manhattan, and Green Areas) each grouping together a concise and visual reference collection, to both describe and inform the design and construction of each BLOCK.
Using these various and unique features, both from primary documentation, photographs and my memory, I was able to re-imagine my experience of New York, and it’s buildings, whilst also gaining architectural knowledge and context.
ARCHITECTURE OF NEW YORK
New York is an amalgamation of architectural styles, such as Romanesque Revival, with features including bevelled and rounded window forms, semi circular arches, and decorated bricks and terracotta tiles. This style is common to the brownstone town-houses of the Upper West Side. Contrastingly, there are also elements of Greek Revival and Neoclassical Architecture seen throughout New York, where it is particularly notable on Wall Street at The Stock Exchange and also buildings such as the Public Library and The Natural History Museum. The classical features include columns, symmetry, ornate mouldings and pediment - originating from Greek and Roman architecture, these features evoke a sense of regality and knowledge. Now, New York’s skyline sees the increase of modern style, futuristic angular buildings, made from a steel frame and layered glass sheets. As each ‘new’ style is put amongst the pre-existing buildings, New York’s skyline becomes a contrasting mixture of innovation and design through several eras.
VISUALISATION OF MEMORY
‘BLOCK’ aims to capture this sense of variety and architectural information, whilst also evoking an anecdotal recollection and solidified version of something conceptual; memory. The purpose of using sculpture, which is very tangible, physical and perceptible, as a form of communication, - is to use it to visualise something that is the complete opposite. Memory is something we cannot physically touch or see, but with ‘BLOCK’, it embodies the idea of ‘Real and Remembered’ - ‘Information and Story’ as it can blur the lines between the two.