Project Statement
In this project, I wanted to convey my love for nature and its strength. By using a background of the man-made cityscape of Columbus, and a foreground of the forests that it has displaced, I show that these trees and wildlife will return. Each of my layers consists of multiple pieces of the same shade of greyscale, rather than a single silhouette of the objects featured. Using the principle of unity, I demonstrate how the separate pieces not only come together to create a single layer, but come to form the entire project as well. The smooth surfaces of the cardstock highlight the detailed contours of my silhouettes, making the imagery more realistic. The image portrayed invokes a feeling of loneliness, which furthers my concept and helps the viewer to empathize with the wolf, and in turn nature as a whole. I worked on improvement of my craft, which in comparison to previous projects I achieved by far. I did simplify my layers and consolidate them while working in Illustrator, as the greyscale cardstock I had only had a certain amount of shades, so I would like to create even more layers and depth. However, the sparse forest furthers my concept of the waning wildlife habitat at the hands of humanity.
Process
View detailed project process at Layering Space: Process
Reflection
I absolutely love the concept of layering, not only digitally but in space. Even when laid flat on paper, layering creates a three dimensional space. Three dimensional space is important to me because it adds physical texture, depth, and spatial relations, as opposed to implied two dimensional texture and depth. Interaction with a design is very beneficial to me, as it provides me with a sensory experience beyond sight. I would love to not only experiment with this again, but to implement layering into other designs in the future. I initially ideated upon the idea that these pieces would be suspended in a constructed box, similar to a diorama, but due to time and material constraints I adjusted to construct the layers laying flat. Although this still conveys my concept, I would like to experiment with my original ideation, as I believe the three dimensional space would give my composition a dynamic visual and strengthen my concept. Regardless, I enjoy the simplicity and uniformity of the use of my single primary material of cardstock. This was my first experience of using the laser cutter, which led to some of the cardstock to have burnt edges or singed faces. With more practice and knowledge, I will use the laser cutter with these caveats in mind, and either eliminate them or use them to my benefit.