Exercise Five: Planar Construction

“The objective of this exercise is to gain an understanding of the characteristics of planes and how they relate to each other in space. In this problem you are asked to create a beautiful construction using a variety of planes.”

Two-Dimensional (Flat) Planes are characterized by their axes:

  • In Straight Axis Planes, the axis moves straight across the plane. The edges of the plane express the direction of the axis.
  • In Bent Axis Planes, the axis moves across the plane’s surface in one direction and then shifts in another direction. The plane is flat, but the axis is bent.
  • In Curved Axis Planes, the edges are curved, causing the axis to curve. The plane remains two-dimensional.
  • In Complex Axis Planes, the axis changes direction (there are infinite possibilities). However, no matter how complex its route is, the outer edges of the plane visually “add up” to the course of the plane’s movements.

In general, the edges of a plane should express the axis. If the intention is to maximize the power of the “plane,” the eye must move across the plane’s surface, not around its outside edge. Visual continuity across space is based on the way the surfaces slant. The edges of planes should never be shapes (movements) in themselves. They must relate to the whole.

When one edge of a plane is cut, it affects all the other edges, thus influencing the movement of the axis. Our challenge is to see how well we can control the visual experience.

Three-dimensional planes are of four types:

  • In a Curved Plane, the surface curves into more than one plane but does not twist through the transition. It is a simple curved surface.
  • In a Broken Plane the plane bends in space at a hard edge through the transition.
  • In a Twisted Plane, as the plane moves in space, it twists, shifting the axis on its surface.
  • In Grouped Planes, three or more planes create a group movement or gesture. (Flat planes can also form a group.)

Begin by making a series of two- and three-dimensional planes. For sketching, use cardboard, Bristol board, construction paper, oak tag, tape, stapler, glue gun and pellets, and wire, if needed for support. Experiment with proportion and character to experience the infinite potential of these forms. In all cases, the edges must visually express the desired axis and the quality of the plane.

Note: Cut the outside edges of planes to make them curve in space; do not draw curved lines on paper to represent a desired curve. Forget about the outline. Start with a rectilinear surface and curve it to the desired shape in your hands. Just make a beautiful gesture. Hold in position and pencil in the changes. Cut a little at a time.

Next, do some three-dimensional sketches of ideas for exciting forms that might be created by planes shifting direction and slanting in space. Work with a combination of straight, bent, curved, broken, and twisted planes. You can tape them, glue them, notch them, attach them with tiny wires, and leave some standing alone. Experiment with vertical and horizontal orientation. Develop relationships between planes across negative space.

Here, you create the design statement that keeps you on course as you develop your construction. If you do not have a strong design statement at the beginning, the analysis, rather than your visual intent, overtakes the idea. This is the “passionate” phase. Do it quickly, spontaneously, faster than your conscious mind can detect. Afterward, we will look at the ideas and refine them.

This is a challenging problem. However, it allows you to express something that is visually your own. It will draw on your talent and creativity. Be patient. It may take you many hours to create an assemblage of planes that looks like something more than a pile of paper. Persevere until you have some examples that express a clear statement.

At this point, you may want to do some proportion sketches to evaluate and adjust your overall design idea.

Now, you are ready to develop and refine your design statement. Focus on establishing two or three group movements. Try to activate the negative space between and around groups of planes. Establish tensional relationships between groups of planes.

Your planar construction should express the following:

  • Complementary contrast in types of planes
  • Complementary contrast in proportion
  • Harmony between the edges of planes and their axes: The edges should reflect the movement of the planes.
  • Dependent balance: The positions of individual planes and groups of planes should ‘add up’ to create a sense of visual balance from all directions.
  • Space as position: Each plane should have a distinct direction in space. The number of positions should equal the number of individual planes.
  • Space as opposition: When planes have discontinuous axes (i.e., the axis of one does not lead to the axis of another), visual continuity across space is achieved by the way the surface slants “add up.”
  • Group movement: A plane’s direction, axis, and slant (tipping of the surface) are continued by a change in the axis and slant of another plane. The visual character of the transition is determined by the angle of the line of intersection between the two planes. The intersection should happen at a place that feels natural in space—it should not feel like an arbitrary bend.

Before executing your planar construction in final materials:

  1. Make a box frame using sticks and glue.
  2. Make your open box in a proportion that best fits your design statement.
  3. Make a short-hand version of your design within the box, using just a few planes and including the major movements.
  4. Study the space in and around your planar construction.
  5. Note that as the planes are slanted and tipped in space, the shifts affect the space—they can either kill it or make it come alive.

Once you have achieved a sketch in which proportions, position, movements, and plane edges are pleasing, construct the design in final form using 3-ply Bristol board or museum board (2 or 3-ply) and optional metal and/or styrene.

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Forward
The principles of study that Rowena helped formulate were embodied in a foundation curriculum that became the primary, universal first year of study for all Pratt Institute art and design students.
On Sketching
For those of you who have never worked in three dimensions, it provides an introduction to the three-dimensional world and to that complex and exciting set of relationships that will challenge you for the rest of your life.
Exercise One: Rectilinear
“At first working with 3-dimensional forms in this way is difficult. But soon you will begin to speak this language. You really have to make these beautiful. That sounds pretentious. How can you make three blocks beautiful? But I know that you can.”
Exercise Two: Curvilinear
“The second experience involves the organization of curvilinear volumes in a dynamic relationship. In addition to mass, proportion and character, you will now deal with the additional challenge of the diagonal axis. We will work with the following curvilinear solids.”
Exercise Three: Rectilinear + Curvilinear
“In this problem we introduce the notion of group movements. Be aware of inherent, comparative, and overall proportions.”
Exercise Four: Fragments
“The objective of this exercise is to choose a solid, cut it apart and reorganize the cut fragments in a new composition that is more beautiful than the original form from which it was derived.”
Exercise Six: Lines In Space
“Lines have many uses in design. They can be used as the axes of solid forms, to describe planes or volumes, and to delineate.”
Exercise Seven: Construction
“The abstract experience based on construction involves the design and organization of contrasting forms, the new experience of grouping forms to create related movements, and a deeper understanding of the balance of directional forces and of tensional positions in space.”
Exercise Eight: Convexity
“The exercises in convexity and concavity are based on organic forms. They present the opportunity to explore the properties of a single, specific form. Unlike the dramatic quality of the construction exercise, the convexity and concavity exercises deal with subtle gesture.”
Exercise Nine: Concavity
“In the convexity exercise you were already learning about concavity — about how negative volume affects form. Now, the focus will be on concavity.”
Exercise Ten: Space Analysis
“The study of planes in space is all about relationships — about how the planes look in relation to each other. The answer is not yes or no — it’s yes in relation to something else or no in relation to something else.”
Exercise Eleven: Space Design
“This project follows the abstract exercises in space analysis and cannot be successfully completed until the student has mastered those exercises.”
Exercise Twelve: Development
“These are examples of more advanced work in which students continue to explore abstract forms but also begin to apply some practical criteria to their work.”