Serial Planes
This week we are concentrating on Serial Planes
Please review Chapter 2, pgs 247-258 in Principles of Form and Design, by Wong
Serial Plane Studies
This is a two-week
project. You are doing the studies this week.
What is a Serial Plane?
First think about a volume. Then imagine slicing that volume into planes. An example of this is a loaf of bread. Even though the bread has now been cut, the slices - the serial planes still hold the shape of the volume together. ( Other examples of serial planes: Dominos, playing cards, pages of a book, slinkies, stairways, banisters.)
We have done a lot of work with unit forms. A serial plane is a unit form that is repeated. The serial planes depend on a baseline to hold them together.
These units don't have a plan.
In this example, the unit forms follow a straight baseline. They can also follow a curved, or angled baseline. Or they can rotate around a point.
To see other examples of baselines, view this link
In the next group of examples, I am going to add other unit forms.
This apple has been sliced into sections.
The point of rotation and baseline is in the middle of the apple.
As I spread the apple out, there is more space between the units,
but they are still rotating around the central point.
The apple slices, serial planes, are now rearranged to follow a straight baseline.
I also used a cracker for a unit form and placed it on a curved baseline.
To see more of these examples, view the following link.
I had a good time, playing with found objects. I used playdough to hold them together.
There are a lot of recipes for playdough online.
Paper Studies
The same elements apply when using paper-
a unit form/serial plane
a baseline or rotation
and variations in the spacing and position of the unit forms.
These are studies that I made with paper.
Each study has about 10 units and a baseline.
The serial planes are 2x2" squares positioned on one corner.
One corner is folded over for a tab to attach to the base.
The baseline runs through the middle of the unit form. I made a slit for the paper strip to go through.
In this example, the unit form has a gradation of shape. You could also do a gradation of size.
This is the same group. The baseline has been curved.
The unit form has been folded, so that it has two directions. The baseline is curved.
This unit form is attached to the base by using slits. It is flipped in two directions.
This is the same unit form, but now the surface has been cut into, to make it more interesting.
To see more variations of paper serial planes, use this link.
Serial Plane Studies
This is a two-week project. You are doing the studies this week.
The goal of these studies is to help you understand the variations possible in using serial planes.
You may do these problems either with paper or found objects.
Paper
1. Invent a unit form that can be repeated 10 times
Place it on a straight baseline
Place it on a curved baseline
Place it on an angled baseline. (This could also be an accordion fold base.)
2. Invent a unit form that has a gradation in size or shape. The change should be gradual, although you could repeat the same shape 2 times before changing. Include 10 serial planes.
3. Consider how you will construct these forms. You can use tabs and glue, cut slits, or use a spine through the unit forms. If the baseline curves or angles (up from the ground) you will have to attach it to a base.
4. Document your studies. Be aware of how light affects the way the form looks. You may want multiple points of view.
Found Objects
1. Find an object that you can use in multiples. (It doesn’t have to be food, as I showed in my examples. You could use any object. (paper plates, lids, q-tips, paper cups) Use 10 repetitions.
2. Place the objects so they follow a baseline
Straight
Curved
Angled
3. Consider the spacing between the objects and the angles of the objects.
4. If you want to glue this to a base you can, but there might be other ways to construct this. I used play dough to hold my objects in place. This doesn’t have to be a permanent construction, so be sure to document the constructions as you go. Photograph it from different points of view.
The goal of these studies is to help you understand the variations possible in using serial planes. You are only using 10 repetitions of serial planes. Next week, you will expand this to using 30 repetitions of unit forms. Again, you will choose between paper and found objects.
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