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ONLINE GREENLIGHT

REVIEW PART 1 - SPACE &ENVIRONMENT - THE

WHAT IF METROPOLIS

05/11/14

Chelsea Butler

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Contents

Who is Richard Deacon?

Definitive Influence Map

Travelogue

Initial Thumbnail Designs

Useful Links

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Who is Richard Deacon?

Richard Deacon is a Welch bornsculptor, but also involves himselfwithin areas such as writing andworking with mixed media. Herefers to himself as a fabricator,rather than a constructor.

Deacons interests come in awide variety, including rocks and

minerals, animals, skeletalstructures, and even a chain thathe found on the street. Deacon isinspired by anything thatinterests him.

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Definitive

Influence MapFor this influence map, I was ratherinspired by Richard Deacons ceramicwork. With the way he has created a

polished finish on his sculptures gives avery Emerald City sort of appearance,

which I found rather intriguing. I alsoincluded fluid abstract forms, such as asnakes bone structure, and architecturethat demonstrates negative space. I alsoimagine the potential buildings to havesome form of metal framing to them, asDeacon has been known to use mixed

media. My idea was to create amysteriously intricate city, with a green

tint to, so it looks extravagant, but doesntfeel like a homely place. Rather, it would

be made to feel quite alien.

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Travelogue

It has been a while since you last saw any form of life along the dusty, barren pathway. The road ahead is a long one,

and the rocky terrain at the foot of the towering mountains is a treacherous path to travel. Any traveller is advised to

remain cautious of the cavernous depths of the mountains pathway. Trekking onwards, the path becomes thinner;

more narrow, as you progress. But wait. You spy an opening. Perhaps a way out. The light draws nearer as you push

forward, tip toeing between the tight spaces of the rocks and rubble scattering the path. It gradually becomes closer.

You finally make it out. And there it is. Amplexus.

Stumbling through the gap, you venture on to this strange environment. As you gaze upwards, you are only just able to

decipher the peak of the monuments buildings aligned along the road into the city. Each building varies in height and

shape. The abstract forms of the mass amount of structures leaves one puzzled, as it is difficult to determine where the

entrance and exits are placed. The buildings have many features to them, be they incredibly large, or moderately

sized, with chiselled edges and cubic towers, or curvaceous domes as smooth as porcelain, no two buildings are the

same. Upon first impressions, one would assume that Amplexus has a thriving trading service as there is a vast amount

of materials incorporated into the citys structures. From rubber and leather, to glass, ceramics, chrome and metals like

steel and copper, it diverts any visitors eye to roam across the intricate patterns of each surface.

If you were to delve deeper into the cities heart, you will find an obscure building. This building has many poles and

beams supporting the curves of each wall. In the centre of this building, a tower of immense height rises up towards

the cloudless sky, looking down on the city itself. This tower is of great importance, for it is the main power source, the

heart, of the entire city. It is uncertain to outsiders as to what this form of energy could be, but if you were to get

close enough to the tower, even behind the wired fencing, you would be able to feel a heated breeze, as radiation emits

from the base of the tower.

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Navigating through Amplexus is quite the task if you dont live there. The twisting and turning of the pavement as you roundthe corner of a building is known to leave one feeling lost. It is advised that you use local transportation as a method of gettingaround the area. A vehicle, resembling that of a tram, pulls up next to the pavement, but there is no specific stop sign to signalit to come to a halt. But this mode of transport is different to any other tram that you may recognise. This, cart, is made ofsteel, with a glossy silver exterior that glistens in the daylight. The large glass window at the drivers end of the cart, at a glance,appears to make the vehicle look like a large metal beast with a gaping maw. As the doors slide open, you expect to see adriver. Or so you thought. But rather, instead of a driver, there is a speaker. Nothing more, nothing less. As the speaker buzzesto life, you just about make out the muffled response of, where are you travelling to?. Trembling ever so slightly at the lack ofhuman interaction, you state where you wish to head, only to then be directed to take a seat. The interior of the cart is simple.With a ceramic ceiling design, large windows that almost replace the walls, wooden flooring, and leather-bound seats that runalong the edges of the cart, creating an aisle down the middle. The cart then whizzes off, running on nothing else but asingular rail running down the middle of each road you come across. Although intimidating, it is for the best to be chauffeuredby this strange contraption. Besides, the carts seem to have a better sense of direction than any life form living here.

As the evenings draw in, pathways are lit by large bulbs trapped in circular cages, held up by stilt like posts, casting beams of

light onto the stone slabs that is the pathway, and onto the solemn faces of the city folk that reside in the abstract apartmentsand houses. It leaves the mind wandering through each crevice carved out of the buildings. Its like peering through a telescopeinto an other worldly dimension, as if somewhat alien. Perhaps a little outlandish, as some would describe the area. The colourgreen glows and illuminates the cityscape as the moonlight hits the tinted buildings and structures, and yet, one can neither feelat home, nor does he wish to leave just yet.

Walking through the streets and alleyways, it bewilders you as to how you are capable of seeing the stars so clearly at night,especially with the amount of light pollution the lamps are creating. People have been suspicious about the citys behaviour,including the placement and how each occupant is blissfully unaware of how peculiar their settlement is to an outsider. As ifthey were brainwashed.

Its strange, Amplexus has been known to fabricate buildings of unimaginable structures. It is forever remodelling andimproving itself. The reason it is a city is due to the fact that it is forever expanding, and consistently creating new buildings.There is a beginning to the city, but no end. Analysing your recordings of your time in Amplexus, each set of buildings appearin one manner, and then as you progress down the streets, you notice that each design of the buildings gradually evolve intoanother form of architecture, giving themselves a new appearance, even to the extent of incoherency. The ever changingmindset of Amplexus is fascinating, and as visitors come and go, they would simply ask the residents, Is the city unfinished? Isit still under construction?, to which they shall reply, We are simply improving. We are moving forward..That is Amplexusmentality. To enlarge, to increase, to improve.

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Useful Links

Blog Links:

http://chelsea-a-butler.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/what%20if%20metropolis

http://chelsea-a-butler.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/life%20drawing

http://chelsea-a-butler.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/maya

http://chelsea-a-butler.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/film%20review

http://chelsea-a-butler.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/project-what-if-metropolis-travelogue.html

External Reference Links:

http://www.theartsdesk.com/visual-arts/richard-deacon-tate-britain

http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-britain/exhibition/richard-deacon

http://www.tate.org.uk/context-comment/video/tateshots-richard-deacon

http://www.lissongallery.com/artists/richard-deacon

http://www.lissongallery.com/artists/richard-deaconhttp://www.tate.org.uk/context-comment/video/tateshots-richard-deaconhttp://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-britain/exhibition/richard-deaconhttp://www.theartsdesk.com/visual-arts/richard-deacon-tate-britainhttp://chelsea-a-butler.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/project-what-if-metropolis-travelogue.htmlhttp://chelsea-a-butler.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/film%20reviewhttp://chelsea-a-butler.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/mayahttp://chelsea-a-butler.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/life%20drawinghttp://chelsea-a-butler.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/what%20if%20metropolis