Tetris is your friend, or isn't it?

The next project I am about to start goes like this: I want to make a closet but not just a normal closet but one that doesn't stand on the ground but hangs on the wall, like a painting. I do not make shelves in it as well, so the pieces stand just on top of each other. 


With pieces I mean the 5 shapes that are used in the 'Tetris game'. I would like to call all the pieces together table ware. Although it are only 5 shapes and they are only good for little dishes, table ware is still the best specification. 


The part where it involves my point of view as an artist is that this 'painting' can be reorganised by the owner, and I like the fact that because of all the pieces standing op top of each other you can't take what ever you want you have to find your way through. 

The repetition of the shapes make the whole work together a very interesting piece of art to look at.

I started by working out the shapes/components in paper to get an impression of how it will look like, then I will make wooden models to make the actual plaster mould for the porcelain or crockery, not sure which material fits best for this. 

I really like how you can control it and put it the way you want it, that is a very important aspect of this art work.

Some photos from the process of making the wooden models

Finishing the prototypes to be good enough to cast them.

Some thought that crossed my mind while working on this project: 

What does the Tetris project represents?

I wanted to make something that carried out 2 important things: First of all: It’s playfulness. What I aim for with this is: The fact that the spectator is not able to grab the piece on the bottom of the artwork, because the whole artwork will collapse, this because the pieces are stacked, and if you want the bottom piece this means that you have to remove all the pieces above first.

Second is: I wanted to give the ‘owner’/spectator’s a role in ‘using’/seeing this art work. What I aim for with this is: Because the pieces are all separated, have a different colour and shape, they can stack in different ways. Because of these features the  owner can give is own twist to it (since everyone has his own thought about how things should be combined). 

What else keeps me occupied is the fact that in my opinion, this artwork is between art and design. (This is something that I am for in several pieces of work I have made previously. It’s something I would like to become more familiar with). It has the looks of an average painting because of the frame, just like the frame around a painting  used back in history. Next to that, the pieces together make the gesture as an image (like a drawing/painting), these pieces can also been taken out and used separately and then the piece suddenly has a function (you can put something in it).

That last sentence makes me wonder: Does the owner/user values art that represents something that is placed on the wall (as a painting/drawing)? Or will he be influenced by the possibilities of the separate pieces?

Personally, I am thinking about the pieces being spread all over the garden or living room or any other place around the house. By doing this there is an empty space created at the wall, but this empty space represents more than just an empty space. If someone else asks you why is there only a frame on the wall? You can tell them that the art supposed to be in there has integrated itself in your environment and interests. The owners/users world.

Jirina van Rossum

 Adding some colours to it.

My working table.

Casting

Because I wanted to stack the pieces, it was really important that the object are as straight as possible. So putting them into the kiln was going to be a dangerous job. But I was really happy with the result. They mostly stayed as straight as possible.

 

The project is not finished yet, but my time in Finland is over. So I take all the knowledge home and going to work on this project back in Holland. Stay tuned for more results soon.