Birthday Wall Displayed at 618 South Michigan Ave.
Birthday Wall Displayed at 618 South Michigan Ave.
A Moment in Time
I was tasked with creating a model that captures a moment in time, constructing shadows that represent a singular instant in the life of a wall—specifically, the sunrise on the day of my birth. The light will shine through the openings in my wall and fall directly on the model's base.
Sun Path
Utilizing the Sun Path Diagram, I precisely defined the four attributes that represent the properties of the sun at a given moment: Date, Time, Azimuth, and Altitude.
Kit of Parts
The kit of parts was meticulously crafted from a white Crescent Cole Press Medium Weight Illustration Board. Using an architectural scale, I carefully drew each piece side by side to properly scale the birthday wall and minimize waste. I cut out the parts with a box cutter and metal ruler to ensure straight edges and experimented with techniques such as scoring both sides of the board to achieve crisp folds. The edges were glued in place with tacky glue, and hot glue was used for more stubborn areas. Columns and beams were crafted from basswood to achieve the correct diameter and thickness. Ultimately, this kit of parts would come together to create a freestanding wall.
Initial Layouts
After assembling my kit of parts, I arranged for them to follow the path of the sun on my birthday and create a special engagement with the sun. My initial layout was to mimic a triangle so that there would be three points of interest. In addition, shadows from the sun could indicate time on the ground using the tallest beam(s) as though the space itself were a clock.
Layout 1: Birds Eye View
Layout 1: Angled Perspective
Layout 1: Front Window View
Layout 2: window structure was rearranged from layout 1
Layout 3: tallest beams at window were moved under suspended floor
Final Layout
In these pictures, I utilized a flashlight to capture the sun at the exact time my wall was constructed to capture the sun angles on my birthday. My scaled figure is illuminated when the sun goes through my birthday wall window and walks up the steps to capture the view.
Behind My Thought Process
My vision for the project is dynamic because I am an early bird. I wanted it to be fun and energetic to cancel out the negative energy (grogginess, fatigue, bad attitude, etc.) of people who struggle to wake up in the morning. To do this, I drew inspiration from my experience at the Modern Wing at the Art Institute of Chicago. Upon entering, there is a beautiful skylight overhead that catches your attention. This is captured by the cross-stitch beams above the staircase. There is always something new to see when you turn a corner at the Art Institute so that is what I wanted to execute in my layout. For reference, my scaled figure is named Jeon Jung-kook. He stands at approximately 5’-10” and holds a bouquet to gift me as he reaches the window on my day of birth. Jung-kook walks straight into the flat archway made by the half circle and column on the west side of the
structure. He then turns to his right (south) and walks up the stairs to the second floor admiring the cross-stitch skylight. From there, he must hop onto the first floor which is about 1 foot below the second floor. Completely safe. The full-height windows allow sunlight to pass through and Jung-kook to see the sunrise at approximately 7:30 AM (the time I was born). When he’s done absorbing the landscape, Jung-kook can walk down the steps leading out the window and take a U-turn to re-enter the building through its east entrance.
structure. He then turns to his right (south) and walks up the stairs to the second floor admiring the cross-stitch skylight. From there, he must hop onto the first floor which is about 1 foot below the second floor. Completely safe. The full-height windows allow sunlight to pass through and Jung-kook to see the sunrise at approximately 7:30 AM (the time I was born). When he’s done absorbing the landscape, Jung-kook can walk down the steps leading out the window and take a U-turn to re-enter the building through its east entrance.
