Ramon SolisMLA I Applicant

Portfolio

Sculpture........................................3-4YMCA garden wall..........................5-6Korean DMZ........................................7Sketches............................................8Site plan abstraction........................9GIS...................................................10Photography................................11-12Photography................................11-12Graphic novel journalism...............13

Ramon Solis 2

Table of Contents

Ramon Solis 3Sculpture

“Wave”, wood, 48“x46”x22”, 2012In this classroom assignment my task was to represent the “sound of a bell”. I considered how sound can be expressed in levels of consistency and as a gradient, like a passing honking car. The flow of water provided an appropriate metaphor, and the composition of multiple wood pieces resolved a tension between the notion of a single bell sound and its expression in multiple frequencies.

Ramon Solis 4Sculpture

“”Flower guitar hybrid”, 28”x28”x38”, plaster and chickenwire, 2012

In this class assignment my task was to hybridize an item from nature with one made from a manufactured process.

The difference in scale between a guitar and a flower provided a creative challenge. The

chickenwire armature called for a rigid struc-ture throughout, and plaster lent itself to re-

vealing the solid forms of the guitar’s neck and bodies. To express the flower I produced an ex-aggerated stamen and a base with swirling

petal shapes.

YMCA Green WallRamon Solis 5

A local San Francisco YMCA sought proposals to increase the amount of vegeta-tion as they underwent a minor expansion. As the building footprint increased, less space would be available for greenscaping. One possible design solution is the implementation of a green wall along the exterior, thereby adding color and inviting passersby in an otherwise unactivated neighborhood.

YMCA Green WallRamon Solis 6

Rock Purslane New Zealand Flax Wooly Thyme

English Thyme Greek OreganoLantanaLicorice

(WALL PLANTS)

(HEIGHT AND COLOR) (GROUND COVER)

Korean DMZRamon Solis 7

How does one approach the representation of the Korean Demilitarized Zone as a landscape architectural project?

The DMZ is one of the most well-known and militarized regions in the world. This cultural moment of tension toward perceived American threats presents an opportunity to illustrate the nature of exclu-sion.

The Asian Art Museum in San Francisco is well-situated to host such a project. A scrim fixed with LED bulbs hangs upon the museum facade, with gestural maps of the Korean peninsula. A constant beam of light, literally delineating the North and South Korean buffer zone, penetrates through the scrim into the night sky.

Simultaneously, those who walk by the museum front terrace find themselves tracked by an encir-cling red glow. How might it feel to walk through an actual minefield in the United States?

The objective is not to induce fear, but rather the user’s experience of what happens beyond fear.

Creating a spectacle of light and employing it as a third dimension suggests not only the breaking Creating a spectacle of light and employing it as a third dimension suggests not only the breaking down of barriers, but perhaps a metaphor for eliminating “either/or” systems of thinking in favor of the “both/and”.

(Original photograph is the work of a separate photographer. Photoshop renderings are Ramon’s own.) 2015

Ramon Solis 8Sketches

“Two Hands”, pencil (left) and charcoal (right), 2015

“View from Montgomery Station”, pencil and marker, 2015

Ramon Solis 9Site Plan Abstraction

Marx sketch, 2015

Site Plan Abstraction, 2015

I admire the work of Roberto Burle Marx. His organic abstract forms and use of color are a constant inspiration.

Ramon Solis 10Geographic Information Systems

This map identifies the optimum location for a new school by evaluating the region’s slope, dis-tance to recreational sites, and other schools. 2011.

Ramon Solis 11Photography

“Rosie”, 2013

“Student Protest”, 2011

Ramon Solis 12

“New Bike Lane”, 2013

“Spring Concert”, 2013

Photography

Ramon Solis 13Graphic Novel Journalism

Excerpt of “End of Session”, Published September 11, 2011Orange County Register newspaper