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Module 2 required a flexible and creative mind when it came to designing a three-dimension- al world out of six selected blocks taken from a screenshot reference of the well known game: Mario. The challenge was found in keeping blocks angled correctly whilst constructing forms that could be cut, hidden and manipu- lated. I tried to achieve a sense of organised chaos in my rendition of the Mario world, using a maze of pipes as a way to unite and balance my final composition. I also attempted to ex- plore hidden spaces in the axonometric view by overlapping pipes and creating cuts and in- tersections in elements of my design.
The Making of the Projected World
The Original Sample Prompt
Underneath are the original screenshots of the Mario World I based my 3D drawing off of:
Building Blocks for Creating a World
For my six elements, I wanted clear differentiation in the shapes of each, which encouraged me to select elements of different widths, lengths and textures. I chose to select a colour scheme reflecting that of the original elevation references - keeping the earthy browns and multicoloured blocks of orange, blue and green.
Colours
I believe that my choices of colour were made on the basis that they contrasted well. It was my intention to use the warmer tones of the brown and orange pieces to cut through the green- ery of the pipes and provide a frame of control. Blue was also added as a way to enhance the greens of the trees and pipes, and I chose it also to be the colour of the inside of the pipes due to blue being naturally associated with depth. This way, a clear contrast could be made between the inside and outside of the pipe, while simul- taneously offering a stronger relation between the pipes and its surrounding elements.
Shading
The shading in this piece followed the same ba- sis as the colour. I first established the main light source in my sketch, by doodling a small sun in the top right-hand corner. This then helped guide my choice for placing highlights and shadows. However, the only exception to this rule was my use of highlights on the metallic pieces - which would gleam in a more scat- tered pattern over the surface - differentiating its texture to that of the other elements.
Reflection
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What is pictorial space according to Le Corbusier?
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Pictoral space describes how space is designed to be experienced by sight, and from a singular, limited angle. It cannot be touched, and is designed to be experienced from a distance, unable to “be entered or circulated through”. Le Corbusier also mentions that “...space [is] viewed from a distance, and therefore eternally resigned to frontality.”
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Two properties that attribute Le Corbusier’s painting’s to flatness:
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Frontality: a common feature of Le Corbusier’s paintings is his dedication to frontality, as it is the only way in which pictoral space can be viewed.
Distance: The flatness in Le Corbusier’s paintings can also be attributed to the distance he hopes the audience to take before viewing his work.
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Le Corbusier believes that the combination of these two elements will consequently infer the real objects of the composition. Contrasting to these ideas, rotation is introduced as a way to create proximate space, and consequently defies the core concepts of frontality and distance.
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Pictorial (in this case perspectival) space vs projection:
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While perspectival space has an established vanishing point, projection forgoes the reality of human sight by removing this element, stretch- ing the vanishing point to infinity.
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The origins of axonometric projection:
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Axonometric projection offers a clarity and measurability to its compositions, and thus be- gan as a method to “inter-chart three-dimensional trajectories of artillery projectiles.” for military purposes.