A new Maquette was the focus of this group crit. After my realization that it wasn’t quite working connecting these two structures I began to investigate the Leith structure differently. I have always done research into the history and made sculptures that reflect this research or a more personal experience with the buildings. This maquette wasn’t about that as much, its a physical dissection of the structural elements. This originally stemmed from the materialism article for a seminar a few weeks back. Damien Ortega’s Cosmic Thing, a vw beetle structurally taken apart and suspended by wire in the pose of a technical exploded drawing. I wanted to experiment with not knowing a structure but instead play with what physically made it what it is. The space it has and the space it occupies. The levels stack themselves, they pile one on top of the other, Walls appear to have clipped together in huge concrete blocks.
This Maquette does not portray the exact exterior dimensions but rather an imagined realization of the vast inhabitable space on each level. Suspended on string these boundaries are movable. sliding apart like a childs toy to form different formations adding notions of playfulness.
This Maquette has lead me to my open studio idea. I have created a larger piece which is one level from the structure. Cast in concrete and suspended between the two walls in my studio. This is also a reflection of the ‘perpetual perishing’ that David Harvey talks about. The solid structure isn’t immune from decay, time deals with that. This is a frozen moment, a floating piece of concrete having it suspended creates a sense of tension, it can’t stay in this position forever it is in a form of ‘perpetual perishing’.
stephenkavanagh 