encounter
laser cut on plastic sheet, 118.9 x 84.1 cm, 2024
Encounter consists of two overlapped laser cut plastic sheets, that create a tangle of lines as it represents two sets of hands in contact with each other. The work comes from thoughts about layers and intersections, and how this can be expressed through the intertwining of lines. The representation of the hands of a loved one who passed away, in the white marks produced by the laser cut, suggests the feeling of a delicate and fleeting memory.
process
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In the beginning of the term, big scale plastic sheets from an ex-student were found in the studio, so luckily I could keep them for myself. It is a material similar to the one I worked with during the last term, which made me very excited to experiment with it once again.
As I focused on the imagery of details during this term, especially the details of this person that I deeply love, I made a lot of sketches throughout the last months.
I already had a lot of drawings of hands, of his hands, as I'm coming from a focus on the aspect of touch for the aspect of memory. Therefore, I thought about utilizing the digital fabrication workshop once again to make this work.
In the beginning, I hadn't yet reflected deeper on the material - plastic -, but now I realize that it has an impersonal/distant characteristic, due to its industrial nature. This contrasts directly with the image of the hands touching each other, the corporeal intimacy of a human being.
sketches
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process
Thinking about intersections and ideas of connection, and how this can be translated through the representation of intertwined lines, I decided to overlap two images/drawings that I have had done recently.
With the white/clear lines of the laser cut, I thought of this point of encounter being able to suggest the ephemerality of a moment, of time in movement, or perhaps of past memory.
I didn't explore further ways to display the work, apart from thinking of placing them on a wall, with magnets, and with a magnet between them, to create a slight shadow in the small space between. That way, they'd be connected but apart at the same time. For this idea, strong magnets would have to be used to support the weight of the material. However, I haven't tested it yet. I still need to explore possible ways of displaying it.