Judit Varga was born & raised in Hungary, but moved to the US in 1993. She is a collector & creates art which mimics the structures & forms of the natural objects she collects. Varga is particularly interested in cocoons & seed pods. She likes things rustic & low-tech; her art reflects this. She finds that she has a lot of reject pieces, which she keeps in case she changes her mind about them at a later date. She works alone in silence, but prefers a spacious & bright studio with a view. Below is a collection of her works, which use predominantly rich, muted colours. |
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1. A Thousand Tiny Deaths by Jeanne Quinn (2009). As the balloons in this installation slowly deflate, the ceramic pieces fall & break. "I'm also interested in material as a metaphor. I'm interested in the dialectical nature of ceramics: soft and plastic to hard and immutable, permanent and fragile . . . these contradictory qualities invite endless exploration." - for the full interview, click here.
2. Arca-Type by William Lungas (2009). "My work is situated within the context of a memory of architecture and an architecture of memory. Architecture and memory exist analogically in a relationship which is given meaning by our individual memories and experiences . . . ARCA-TYPE is directly linked to archiving and the arca. In medieval times, an arca was a memory box, a container of past memories." 3. 38 by Fenella Elms (unknown). "Aspects of my past career in mental health continue to influence my work with clay: the subconscious approach, a sense of rhythm, attention to detail and difference. I don’t seek to put my experiences into the clay, but marvel at how they emerge." 4. The Azure Water by Chiho Aono (2010). "I've been interested in the tension of water surface, the eternity of water movements and its shapes for many years. Recently I'm working on the theme of its gravity." 5. Crowd by Ronit Baranga (2010). "I chose to deal with ‘mouth’ as a metaphoric connotation to a border gate. A border between the inner body and the external environment surrounding it. The mouth allows physical entrance & conceptual exit. I created several works based on this element, dealing with borders, gates & entry into deeper layers.” 6. Empty Pod by Judit Varga (unknown). "I believe my work has a strong connection with nature & its organic structures which it is built upon. I am not interested in simply copying the forms, rather I wish to understand the reasons & relations which lay beneath the surface of a shiny pod or a weather-worn shell." 7. Black Petals by Valeria Nascimento (unknown). "My inspiration is drawn mostly from the natural world and porcelain has the smoothness and the malleability that I need to create new shapes, manipulating it to appear in some cases defiantly weightless. My work is about repetitive sequencing with separate elements to form a cohesive sculptural group. I am principally interested in large-scale wall installation projects." 8. Icarus by Kate MacDowell (2007). "In my work, this romantic ideal of union with the natural world conflicts with our contemporary impact on the environment. In some pieces, aspects of the human figure stand-in for ourselves and act out sometimes harrowing, sometimes humorous transformations which illustrate our current relationship with the natural world. In others, animals take on anthropomorphic qualities when they are given safety equipment to attempt to protect them from man-made environmental threats. In each case, the union between man and nature is shown to be one of friction and discomfort, with the disturbing implication that we, too, are vulnerable to being victimized by our destructive practices." Design one of a pair of live/work units on the site, each comprising:
-Publicly accessible gallery/selling space (with associated storage area) -Publicly accessible cafe or coffee bar (20 covers, with associated WC facilities) -Workspace/studio -Kitchen/dining space -Lounging space -Bedroom with attached bathroom -Storage facilities -Terrace/external space If you wish, you may collaborate with one of your site analysis colleagues in respect of the front elevation (to High Pavement), but the live/work units must be individually designed. You have been assigned the artist category: Ceramicist. It is highly recommended that you identify a specific, distinctive artist in the category assigned to you in order to provide a focus or theme for your design ideas. 1. European Oak. Hardwood with good durability & a coarse, straight grain & a fine texture. Used mostly for joinery & furniture. It is also relatively expensive & extremely heavy. Expected service life: 40-60 years. 2. Columbian Pine. Softwood with good durability & a typically straight & plane grain, but occasionally comes with a curly grain. Very strong for its weight & machines well. Used mostly for joinery. Trees grow long & straight so greater lengths are available (up to 5m). Expected service life: 25-35 years. 3. North American Cedar. Very durable softwood with a straight grain, medium coarse texture & easy to work with. Used mostly for joinery & external projects. Currently the most popular species used for external cladding, it can be nailed & screwed easily without splitting. British Cedar is also available, but it is less durable. Expected service life: 40-60 years. 4. European Larch. Non-durable softwood with a straight & spiraled grain, medium to fine texture & a greasy feel. Easy to work with & can display lots of character & interesting patterns in the growth rings when flat sawn. Used mostly for flooring. Supply of good quality material is sometimes problematic. Siberian Larch is also available & of higher quality, but it is much more expensive. Expected service life: 30-40 years. As a result of my research, I have decided to use Columbian Pine for the structure and North American Cedar for the cladding. Natural oils in the Cedar have a corrosive effect on ferrous (iron containing) metals, so I will have to use galvanized or stainless-steel fixings. Both species will also age to a silver-grey colour (shown above). http://www.hoghtontimber.co.uk/wood-range/european-oak/
http://www.hoghtontimber.co.uk/wood-range/douglas-fir-columbian-pine/ http://www.hoghtontimber.co.uk/wood-range/cedar/ http://www.hoghtontimber.co.uk/wood-range/european-larch/ http://www.greenspec.co.uk/building-design/cladding-selecting-species/ http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-identification/hardwoods/english-oak/ http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-identification/softwoods/douglas-fir/ http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-identification/softwoods/western-red-cedar/ http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-identification/softwoods/european-larch/ The Metric Handbook states that there should be a maximum of 12 steps in a flight because "many people find long flights of steps difficult to use." Successive flights should have resting places at least 1200mm long, but preferably 1800mm with an unobstructed landing space at the top & bottom to avoid collision. A comfortable step will also have a rise of between 150-170mm & a going between 300-425mm deep. All staircases & steps should have handrails, but these are not mandatory on both sides if the staircase is less than 1m wide. The top of the handrail should be between 900-1000mm above the pitch line. Where there are likely to be small children, an additional handrail at about 425mm high may be provided. The Architect's Pocket Book states that public stairs should have a maximum rise of 190mm & a minimum going of 250mm. Metric Handbook: Planning and Design Data (Fourth Edition), David Littlefield, 2012, p. 2-18, 42-7
Architect's Pocket Book (Fourth Edition), Charlotte Baden-Powell, 2011, p.195 |
Florence KnightsHi! I'm an Architecture student at Nottingham Trent University. This blog documents my work & experiences so far. Categories
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