Exercise to the 6th Lecture

Perceptive Realisation of the Shape

General guidance

Design the exercises in an abstract, non–objective way … that is concrete. That way we won’t have problems with “meanings” and we will see primarily the art.

Old analog media have an absolute advantage in implementation. Mostly drawing, collage… You take an image and upload the product to an online classroom.
However, make sure the footage is of good quality; straight papers, parallel edges without perspective distortion, and above all good lighting. Post processing is also possible on a computer.
However, all the themes are adapted to work with the computer.

I use equivalent terms of shape and form. They have the same meaning. I just want to make a clear distinction between the form you have to choose, create, or as required by the task, and the shapes that emerge at work, or the shapes that are already a property of everything that is visible

You submit all the pages of the exercise in a single common acrobat — pdf data file.
File name: name_surname_6.pdf
Image size (height) 1080 x (width) 1920 px.

Material and shape

The idea behind this exercise is that for particular shapes particular material is best suited. In general I create prismatic shapes with wood. Boats are the exception. In general the sheet metal is best for tense, three–dimensional curved, shell shapes. The Land Rover Defender is an exception or an example of what happens if I go “wrong”. The surface of this car is by no means flat even though it was designed to be flat. It is similarly difficult to cast a cubic shape in clay. If full, it bursts during drying. If it is hollow, its sides are pulled in during drying. So it is best to respect that and simply not force such material into straight forms.

A very good example is Vespa. It was planned by an aeronautical engineer. It was made at a factory that used to make airplanes. The Vespa does not have a tubular frame like most bikes. It is simply made of two–way curved sheet metal, which is completely self–bearing.

And an architectural example. With concrete, I can create consoles, balconies … I can’t do that with brick. To bridge a certain span with brick, I make this most elegant and respecting the the limits of material with an arch. The house made of snow – the igloo is necessarily round or spherical in shape.

So it is your job to adapt the artistic idea to the material or / and technology.

Note the previous paragraph. You are limited to the visual world.

Read the text Stone and its (Hidden) Image in The Lord of the System.

The task

6—1

The material sets the rules of the game.

I wonder how I would have to change some chosen shape to fit a particular material.

6—1—1 I design a composition. I do not proceed from surface properties such as hatches, rasters, textures… Anything is allowed, but I try to delve deeper into the material I currently have in my hands; this material should dictate the design. It’s like interpreting it with, say, a 6H pencil.

The pencil is very precise and I can draw each leaf individually.

6—1—2 As if I interpret the same composition with pencil 6B.

The pencil is moderately accurate, and it is easiest to draw a trunk and tree in a winter, leafless appearance.

6—1—3 As if I interpret the same composition with charcoal, for example.

The stylus is by no means precise and the tree can only be drawn in outline or rough strokes. I often smudge my charcoal with my finger to model.

I only mention pencils for illustration. Instead of pens 6H, 6B and charcoal I take, say, wood, concrete and metal; or three different processing technologies for the same material: sawing, milling, turning, carving…

It makes sense that I behave appropriately with the material. So produce three relatively different drawings of one basic design; preferably architecture.

But watch out! The task is completely visual and by no means conceptual.

I usually encourage you to think about meaningfulness, a new use in a new age… but this is about design. Simply to “give” shape.