Construction Project Day #21
Even thought I switched the lights completely out yesterday, I have re-introduced just one for today. Not because I feel totally attached, but because I thought that the one white striplight may add something to the work as help emphasis the colour behind the aluminum sheets.
I was right. Without the white light behind, the painted colour on the metal did not shine; it was barely noticeable. However, with the white light, the colour reflected onto the white wall they were propped up against and started to saturate the surrounding space.
Using aluminum sheets (found in my planchest – given to me a long time and NEVER used) was a delight. I had been toying with the idea of using them for a while and never found a solution or reasonable idea. They share the same industrial quality as other materials I have used in previous work, but also have a gorgeous reflective nature which isn’t as sharp as in a mirror. That slightly blurred reflection in the aluminium offers an insight, highlighting elements of the surrounding space, but without detail.
I have them in the shape and size that they were given to me in. Someone else already made that aesthetic and formal decision. I am happy with that limit for now, at least all three are identical. If I were choosing the size for new work now, the choice would certainly be different.
Whilst fabricating this idea, I painted the back of the metal different colours. I originally had blue, yellow and green – thinking about how the two primary colours (yellow and blue) made the secondary (green) as I wanted to see if the colours mixed in light as well as in pigment. After testing, I found out that the blue paint was perhaps too dark and offered no reflection onto the wall. The lighter colours suited this idea better, hence painting over the blue with orange.
