Bella's Cofa Blog

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Documenting a blind walk

Using a notation system, we recorded how many steps and the direction we turned on the walk in order to produce an almost mathematical documentation of the walk. 8 steps then right 9 steps then left 7 steps then 4 stairs 7 steps then left 21 steps then 10 stairs 4 steps then 9 stairs 11 steps then right 22 steps then right 4 steps then left

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By erasing the furniture, the images have a different meaning and mood. The relationship changes from confrontational and clinical in nature to more relaxed.

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Editing done to my experiment by a peer

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Editing Work After

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Editing Work: Before

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In conclusion

After using my initial experiments to explore how materials and concepts may be developed, by my final work I was determined to create something that had transformed the box both physically and conceptually. In using my final experiment to create a chair out of cardboard, I aimed to create something that both paralleled and juxtaposed the role of a box. Typically used a tool for containment, the box is a somewhat restrictive notion. The cardboard box in particular is also associated with moving and travel. Conversely, the chair is a tool that nurtures the user and is associated with a domestic environment. By rearranging the material of the box, only through cutting and repositioning, the emotion of the object is changed, as well as the usability. I found this idea while I was determined to turn a box into something that was still very physical and useful. My earlier experiments were largely metaphorical, and whilst interesting, I wanted to create something that felt more real. I found a guide for creating this chair online after searching for "cardboard chair" and was pleased to find that through trial and error I was able to create something that I was happy with. The actual process was quite a precise art, and compared to the endless potential for transformation that a box possesses, the chair I created has a sense of stability. I am happy with the end product, and feel that it has transformed the original box in endless ways.

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The box, once a drawer used for storage has been transformed into a container for light. The foil reflects the light throughout the space, creating a box essentially made of light.

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Step Five

Place a piece of photo paper on the lid of the box directly opposite the hole

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Step Four

Turn the box over and attach a flap of black cardboard on top of the hole

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Step Theee Cover the hole with a small square of foil

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Step Two Make a small hole in the centre of the floor of the box

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Step One

Paint the inside of a shoebox black

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A video documenting my process in creating a chair or pouf out of a cardboard box

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AFTER

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BEFORE

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Experiment One I brought a cardboard box alive, using the boxes “skin” to cover my own. The mummified hand depicts the originally motionless box as a transformed living entity.