Translations, ver 2.0
Translations 2.0
Cut paper and card
4.75 x 4.25 x 5 – 60 inches
2011
Private Collection
Translations 2.0
Translations was developed and shown first at Clutch an alternative gallery space founded and operated by artist Meg Duguid. The title Translations is a mathematical term literally meaning to move something. I came across the term working in the 3-d graphics application Maya a few years ago. I liked the idea that you could “translate” geometry and so the title has stuck.
I have been making unfolding sculptures for over ten years now. When I started making this type of work, I was really interested in logistics and distribution networks and I set out to make work that would be as standardized as these systems using a simple cuboid as a starting point for a larger and more aesthetically challenging outcome.
Initially when I was thinking about my piece for Clutch I wanted to create an unfolding form, something that would unfurl like the petals of a flower, or the solar panels of a satellite, eventually transforming from a small cuboid to a totally flat multi faceted single plane. I wanted the piece to unfold from inside the gallery. I didn’t want Meg, or the participant to have to remove it from Clutch in order to manipulate it.
Initial tests suggested it would be very difficult to get the hinges to work in the necessary way. The space was quite deep, and all four sides would be constrained by the internal walls of the gallery space. I ditched the idea of making this as a strict unfolding form and instead starting researching and developing a concertina or accordion based object. The advantage of the accordion is that it fully occupied the volume of the gallery space but could extend to well over sixty inches in length.
I am very happy with the outcome of this project. And I am currently working on a number of different variations, experimenting with painting the bellows and printing designs on them prior to cutting. I would like to scale the sculpture up and create a “life size” version that people can interact with more fully.
April 2011