Final piece - mini-attempt

I'm almost certain that this model is what I'm going to be making for my final piece.  I talked about it in one of my previous posts and spent the weekend making it.  It took a lot longer than I thought and the result is less-than-perfect because I ran into a lot of problems which I wrote about in my journal and will discuss below.  

I didn't decorate it as much as the previous models, partly because I was exploring how to make it but also because it took so long that I just wanted to see an end result.  In my sketchbook and journal, I talked about how the glue gun/paper method wasn't working.  The glue gun worked for the card models that I made during the Easter holidays because it was card and therefore needed a stronger adhesive.  However, I learnt from the previous models that the glue gun just makes more of a mess. 

    

So, I made a practice model from paper and double-sided tape.  I also scored the sections that needed to curve so that they would sit better.  I've put a photograph of the model in my sketchbook.  It turned out very well.  Not only was the double-sided tape neater, it was also strong enough to hold the model together which was what worried me in the first place. 

    

However, I still had many problems with making this model.  When it came to sticking it together, I started from the bottom-up which was a mistake because the bottom elements are larger than the top.  This meant that when I was inserting each layer, I experienced a lot of difficulty.  Not only this, because I stuck the base down before anything else (meaning that it was quite compact) and because the model is so small, I couldn't get double sided tape into the most narrow sections.  This means that many sections aren't as compact as others.  When I stuck the tape onto the board itself, it kept on getting stuck in places where it shouldn't and having it sit in the right place was a tremendous task.  

    

I have thought out three possible solutions to these problems:

• Start from the top because it is narrower.  However, there is still the issue of the form being too compact to stick the tape.  The very first of these models that I made (the red one which is also bigger) was simpler to stick together because I stuck both pieces of board simultaneously.  If I do that with this model, although it will take longer, it might work better.
• Make the models individually and then stick them on top of one another.  However, I like the fact that when done altogether like I have done, the result is smoother and cleaner.  
• Make and stick the unique parts individually.  Then, stick the universal sections on altogether.  Essentially, this is the first and second idea blended together.  

All of these ideas have potential though I am straying towards the first idea.  The best way to find out which is best is to obviously try each one out on a smaller scale.  

Another problem that I faced was that the double-sided tape often became visible on the inside (you can see it though the windows).  I can't paint each section when the model is completed because it is messy, especially with a brush.  Spray painting is also out because I might accidentally paint the outside.  The only viable solution I can think of is making the tape pieces small enough to fit on the edge of the board (0.5cm in height) so that only the edges are sticky.  However, this could compromise the stability of the structure.  Even though all three ideas are not ideal, the final one doesn't seem as bad so I'll be employing that method. 

Finally, a few pieces were longer than the board, leaving a visible gap (you can see it clearly in photos one and four).  I could make and stick the pieces on as I go along rather than the method I am employing right now (making the entire exterior and then sticking it in place.  This could also solve the first problem.  

Since postmodernity is about viewing the same thing in a different way, I turned the model on it's side at different angles and positions and took photos:

Turned on it's side like this, the model becomes quite sculptural.  The edge openings add to it's visual intrigue.  Despite it's flaws, I think it would be a good idea to put this in my exhibition on it's side, simply because it looks really odd.  Also, even though there are some curved elements, these side photographs remind me of the De Stijl movement.  Despite it's modern roots, De Stijl is arguably still influencing postmodern architecture:

• Central Saint Giles, London.  Architect: Renzo Piano.  There are lots of things about it that aren't De Stijl but the buildings are oblong with flat facades.  They are also coloured with two of the three primary colours.  These two elements are core to the De Stijl movement and I think they are present in the influence of this building:  

• Denver Art Museum Residences.  Architect: Daniel Libeskind.  There are many diagonal lines in the facade of this building which isn't a De Stijl element.  However, there are also many horizontal and vertical lines, framing squares - another element of the De Stijl movement: