I was inspired by the artist I did my presentation on and would like to produce a work like his.
Since freshman year, I’ve noticed that in the Spring and early Fall the side of innovation studios that faces the Bartlet Center reflects so much bright light onto the ground that its almost blinding. To me I have always referred to it as the best studio lighting I’ve ever seen but now I see it as an opportunity. When thinking about what made Peter Erskine’s art, it was all centered around the sun. My first concept is similar.
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My second idea if this one doesn’t pan out would be to attempt the same kind of idea using the artificial light from the lamp posts around campus.
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Finally my third concept is something completely different. If I am unable to get permission for this exhibit I would love to do some studio photography. My photography tends to be more in the moment rather than planned out and I would love the opportunity to try and perfect my photos. I have this weird shaped glass vase that I put some random cellophane wrapping in and I immediately thought about what it might look like with light shining through it. I would love to explore this concept with other colors of cellophane or other translucent materials to see the effects they produce on the shadows.
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Questions:
Does anyone know if WPI has a laser cuter?
Does anyone know who I would contact in order to see if I would be able to try to set up one of the first two installations?
Because the main focus of Peter Erskine’s work was to comment on the environment and clean energy by not using the sun and instead the LED street lamp does it take away from the art?
Experiment:
For my experiment I played around with the vase I have as well as coloring the cellophane inside of it
I was just using a small IKEA clip-on lamp I have, when I would actually be creating the art I would be using an actual studio light so the light would be much more powerful and hopefully be able to project a clearer image of the inside compared to this one. Overall I was a little underwhelmed with the results of the cellophane I think if I were to continue with this project I would want to try other materials instead, maybe by stripping a plastic bottle or smashing up some colored glass.
I think all concepts are really great — I really hope you can do the one with the innovation windows.
To answer your question about the laser cutter:
There are two laser cutter labs on campus, one in the makerspace and one in unity. I think you have to be a certified user in order to access it (I would double check on the makerspace canvas page), so make sure you do that if you want to use it. Also, make sure to book a time because you cannot just show up.
Also, if you want to get more glass objects to play around with concept 3, Savers should have a good variety of glass wares for pretty cheap. I have found some really cool stuff there in the past.
I’m a big fan of your ideas, especially the first two. Some some more light art across campus would definitely bring it to life. However, making modifications to Innovation would definitely be a task that takes months to get approval for, if its even possible to get. For this reason, my pick would be the lamp post one. You would still need approval but it would likely be a lot simpler and you could still have as big of an effect as you would with the Innovation project.
Your concepts all seem like a lot of fun! I’m definitely leading towards the first one, but towards something a little more portable. I think you can get around asking for permission if you don’t attach it to the side of Innovation. Also, WPI definitely has a laser cutter (makerspace eand unity), and feel free to reach out if you need any help!
Your concept of using natural and artificial light to create art inspired by Peter Erskine is intriguing. The idea of leveraging the bright reflections from the Innovation Studios is particularly appealing. Consider experimenting with stencils and cutouts that you can insert into something portable that would capture the effect you want off the side of innovation. This would allow you to continue with this idea without needing permission from the school.
I know someone already mentioned there’s two laser cutters(one big one small) on campus. You do have to do “training” but it’s online and super easy to do. Then you can book a time to use them. I think if you could get 1 or 2 to work (even temporarily) those would be super cool to see and would be something out of your comfort zone (in a good way). I wish you luck with your exploration!