The next homework that Estela set was to take the cardboard model and push the form further. Here, I explored different aspects of the model and explored ideas through the making process. This type of “thinking through making” took me back to when I was undertaking my bachelor in Applied Science in Architecture at the University of Canberra, Australia (2007).
There we used a similar process to communicate a concept through making “mock ups”. Mock ups were paper and cardboard models that were made in a minute or two, that explored an idea or describe it to someone else. Usually there were many iterations of models in quick succession. I continue to use this process in my practice today. I often make a paper or cardboard mock up of a design before I move into the final material. It helps me work through proportions and potential problems before I pick up a saw blade. I can then edit the paper model with scissors and glue rather than a new sheet of precious metals or one off found objects.
An example of the thinking process behind the models.
With this collection of paper models the first object informed the second. In the second model I focused on a slightly different aspect. Then the second model informed the third and so on. Each time I accentuated an idea or proportion. I used some of the feedback I received in the class to explore through these paper models. How could I bring lightness and looseness to a cardboard model?
A selection of the thinking through making cardboard models.
I thoroughly enjoyed this process. Before I knew it I had almost twenty cardboard models in front of me. Each of them different from the one before. This process allowed for incredibly playful exploration. Each of these models could be explored further in their own way. There is plenty of making fodder available.
