Final SketchUp Model

Accept. Captivity. Section.


Above ground. Gascoigne. Accept.

The above ground studio is designed for Rosalie Gascoigne based on her artwork Earth 4 and the word ‘Accept’. The ‘embracing arms’ accept one another as Gascoigne’s rough, reused materials do when they are recombined in her artwork. Centred within this sign of acceptance is Gascoigne’s circular studio. I chose a circular shape for Gascoigne’s studio as I believe circles and more organic, curved shapes, such as those of the ‘embracing arms’, best represent acceptance rather than harsh lines and boxes. The above ground studio is open to the elements as these are Gascoigne’s main inspiration and topics in her artwork. Being open to the elements, and having a 360 degree view of the surrounding environment, this studio represents the acceptance of a variety of materials in Gascoigne’s work, ie. rough, smooth, old and reused materials.

The staircase leading up to Gascoigne’s studio is also circular, accepting the curve of the studio floor and surrounding ‘embracing arms’ by moving in a similar path to them. The steel beams that run from the stairs to the ground are below the ‘Accept’ staircase so as not to be noticed or effect the experience of walking up to Gascoigne’s studio, but rather to add an element of captivity to the gallery.

From within the Gascoigne gallery.

The gallery is situated within the transparent ‘accepting arms’, where from the front, Gascoigne’s gallery is on the right and Moffat’s studio is on the left. To enhance the feeling of captivity the ‘Accept’ staircase has steel beams that run down, as mentioned above. The steel beams from Moffat’s studio are also extended to the datum and above to signify the existence of Moffat’s studio below the ground. This also works to interlink Gascoignes ‘Accept’ studio and Moffat’s ‘Captivity’ studio in and around the gallery space.

Looking up from the Captivity staircase.


Below ground. Moffat. Captivity.

The below ground studio is design for Tracey Moffat based on her artwork Something More #1 and the word ‘Captivity’. Drawing on the captive, disempowered theme of Moffat’s Something More, the studio is dark and angular. The angular design, created by different adjoining concrete planes, creates the harsh environment like Moffat creates in her artwork. The steel beams that run through the studio, interrupting the space, create the feeling of captivity, which Moffat conveys through a girls experience in rural Australia in Something More. The dark environment also works to allow Moffat’s studio space to be a dark room as much of her work is photographic.

The staircase leading down to Moffat’s studio is long, winding and has a low rise to kept it from being traversed too easily. Intruding steel beams also create obstacles that must be overcome to escape. Part of the staircase is created with a wider base than top, thus creating the illusion, from within the studio going up to the datum, the staircase is longer than it actually is to travel. These physical and psychological elements combine to make it difficult to escape Moffat’s ‘Captivity’ studio.

Materials:

Above ground the ‘accepting arms’ of the gallery space are made from glass. Gascoignes above ground studio space is made from concrete. The stairs leading to this studio are made of stones and concrete, and connected to the ground with beams of steel.

Below ground the main structure of Moffats studio and the stairs leading down to it, is made from concrete with steel reinforcements. The beams that run through this studio and staircase, up to the surface, are made from steel that has mostly corroded.