SAFE AND EFFICIENT (Main set)
Contrast of Space: Minimal foreground elements
Shape of form: Square 1×1″ and Rectangle 1×2″
Orientation of Forms: 90 degrees ALWAYS
Size of Forms: small; varies between 1×1″ and 1×2″
Placement of Form: central; either a square or an axis
Space between Forms : thickness of 2 canford card papers stuck together
Unit Form: Foreground: Square, Background: thickness of 2 canford squares
Objective Rule #1: Balance is along vertical and horizontal axis
Objective Rule #2: Any emphasis has strong gravity towards the rest of the body and is temporary
What did you interpret to apply the rules?
I interpreted safe and efficient as reliable and predictable. The angles are safe, deviations are minimal yet unambiguously effective. The overall personality of safe and efficient I had perceived to be more on the conservative side.
Explain your process.
I stuck two canford squares together to create a thickness element. This I used as an instrument to decide the unit spacing. Why I wanted the spacing to be small is to be able to unambigiously show the various elements of balance, hierarchy, rhythm and emphasis using the smallest possible (efficient) spacing. This made the elements tighter. To show emphasis, I used the notion of white space and this was a multiple of the unit thickness. So I cut out more sheets of canford paper and stuck them to create a multiple of the width. I had also cut out an L shape so that I can consistently be able to place a square at the center of the canvas.
WHIMSICAL AND DELICATE
Contrast of Space: Minimal foreground elements
Shape of Forms: Square 1×1″ and Rectangles 1×2″, 1×3″
Orientation of Forms: A fixed small angle decide flimsiness of cohesion
Size of Forms: small; varies between 1×1″ and 1×3″
Placement of Form: mostly central; either a square, rectangle or an axis
Space between Forms : The small angle and its positioning decided the space between the forms
Unit Form: Foreground: Squares and Rectangles Background: the fixed small angle
Objective Rule #1: Balance is along the spine of the body.
Objective Rule #2: Indicate the start of an unravelling or collapse with an indication of what the form could have been if it stayed completely stable.
What did you interpret to apply your rules?
An intentional chink the armor of stability is how I had interpreted Whimsical and Delicate. Showing a small angle as opposed to placing forms in parallel was enough to indicate a deviation from stability and this also gave a curvature to the overall form creating an appearance of whim and mysticism. What held the forms together despite the breakdown in stability was the existence of a ‘spine’.
Explain your process.
For the small angle, I cut out a triangle with a very small angle and repeatedly used that as the fixed unit form to decide the spacing between the squares. I also made variations in where the corners and the edges were attached to balance the overall composition.
FIERCE AND DYNAMIC
Contrast of Space : Angular white space
Shape of Forms: Jagged, connected forms created by rectangles and squares
Orientation of Forms: 90 degrees to each other; variations of 45 degrees to the canvas
Size of Forms: Variable – to create variations in white space too
Placement of Form: Off-centered
Space between Forms: Variable – to create variations in white space too
Unit Form: Foreground: Squares and Rectangles Background: 45 degree angles
Objective Rule #1: Using background white space to create balance with an off-center body
Objective Rule #2: Create interesting diagonal white space forms using minimal foreground elements
What did you interpret to apply your rules?
Using a single foreground element and studying the white space immediately next to it helped in the conception of a lot of ideas and the overall alignment of that foreground element was also used to make sure that the compositions in this set go together. The white space next to this foreground element was angular and had opposite orientations, so this white space was also used to convey rhythm, hierarchy wherever necessary.
Explain your process.
The angular white space was a guiding element to help organize the compositions. It helped me perceive rhythm in not just spatial formats but also conceptual as the rhythm that my composition deals with is the rhythm of aggregation in white space. In one composition (balance with 3 forms and using space), I adjusted the white space (or a concept of it) to create an impression of the existence of the form in the Z-axis.