unit 1: creating form in papermaking
Form is the three-dimensionality of an object.
Forms shape the space around them just as figures shape the space on a sheet of paper. When working two-dimensionally, we call the parts of this relationship figure and ground. (a) In figure/ground arrangements like the one below, we may focus on the spaces (ground) as much as we focus on the figures. (b) When the same eleven figures are rearranged to create one figure, it changes the way we view the relationships. Here we focus on the figure more than the ground.
a.
b.
Figure
Ground
The solid/void relationship is the three- dimensional counterpart to the figure/ground relationship of two-dimensional spaces. Depending on where the solids are placed, the void spaces will change and feel different. Just like the boundaries of the paper define how we view two-dimensional figures, boundaries determine how people react to the forms of a three-dimensional sculpture. Sculptures may have implied boundaries that give a sense of being in the space of the sculpture or being outside the space of the sculpture. In the sculpture on page 6, the platform marks this boundary. If you chose to stand outside the platform, you participate as a viewer. If you chose to stand on the platform, you participate as part of the sculpture.
Solid
Void
5
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