5/14/2009

University of Michigan: Winter 2004, Construction II

When I was a student in the University of Michigan, one of our projects for Construction II class was to construct an installation that was 3 x 6 feet. We worked in groups of six and were given a number of objects which we had to incorporate into it, which included a flourescent light fixture, some tubing, some electrical cable, and a few other things. People designed some wonderful things, and it was especially beautiful at night, when all the structures were lit up (since we all had to use the lights that were provided). I unfortunately don't have pictures of all the projects - I think there were 16 - but here are some of the nicer ones.
Some highlights: the orange one with the plastic tubing has a compartment that rotates. The one with beer bottles is actually a cavity wall, which we filled with ice to keep our beer cold during the last week of studio. The one with phone books is one of the more comfortable chairs I've ever sat in. The one with a seat woven out of plastic tubing is a confession booth, which has a tape recorder and speakers. People sat inside and taped themselves saying stuff, and then the tape played on a constant loop. After a couple days it because a hodge-podge of different people saying things out of order, and added to the effect of the installations at night.