Personal Display

Geometric Void Display Shelf

The concept of creation is rooted in logical strategies. Balance, proportion, unity, emphasis and rhythm are those that compose good design. These measures feed the ability to balance out proper units of regularity to organize appropriate patterns. Must these principles always be present in design? Eventually overuse of these regularities occurs within a design movement. An example of this is the language used by Le Corbusier in "5 points of architecture". Freestanding support pillars emphasize the vertical elements. Open floor plan independent from the supports reinforces open horizontal movement. Vertical facade that is free from the supports is still promoting verticality to a greater degree of freedom. Long horizontal sliding windows, again emphasizes horizontality to a greater length. Roof gardens imply terminality of vertical movement with a notion of a higher horizontal ground plane. The common language is the horizontal and vertical line with the emphasis of spatial freedom. Only two strategies are applied by Le Corbusier and dominate the motion of design. This overuse is present to simplify design organization. Why can we not complicate and use the same use of horizontal and vertical emphasis but with abstractions to the concept? This abstraction takes precedent in my design. An abstraction is, “an impractical idea; something visionary or unrealistic.” . Staggering an absent and void rotational geometric abstraction is the concept of the design.

The design of this display case is composed of the shapes in which it is meant to display. The first of these shapes is a photo frame and small case. The frame staggers with small boxes and is meant to be displayed on a vertical wall. Staggering is present within the display case where no horizontal level is at the same height as the other. The display case provides rectangular vertical surfaces in which to display the staggering frame. 

Rectangular surfaces are provided instead of squares for the reason that the rectangular shape approaches the proportion of the golden ratio quicker than that of a square. The absent spaces within the display case also form rectangles and are abstract in size and proportion to each other. These hollow spaces provide niches where smaller items can be housed such as cologne cases. The absent spaces are derived from the CD case. The center of the CD case is hollow and void of material. This provides more horizontal surface area to display other artifacts. There are wide horizontal shelves on the display case capable of displaying irregular objects such as the CD case. The geometry of the CD case is in the shape of a polygon in which the CD’s are housed in flaps on the outer portion of the case. The shape of the display case, when viewed from above, forms a hexagon. The hexagon has been extruded abstractly to form the staggering shelves. The legs of the display shelf derive their shape from the curvature in the cologne bottle. The curves of the legs are tangent to one foot six inches, which is half the size of the display case. The legs are not symmetrical about the hexagonal display case and have different widths. This abstraction of foundational footing gives the illusion that the cabinet is unbalanced.

                My design motivation was to break free of the rules of classical architectural design while emphasizing the foundational concepts of the horizontal and vertical axis. I did this by staggering an absent and void rotational geometric abstraction. The motivational concept is abstract expressionism. This is to artistically express emotion through the spontaneity of design. The display case is unbalanced, irregular, and ill proportioned. It would be correct to say that this shape is confusing and frustrating. The contrast in spatial relationship is cluttered, distorted and anxious. However this display case is meant to sit out in open space and traversed around. It is meant to be the central focal point of the spatial relationships to the surrounding room and artifacts. Therefore implied symmetry and balance is evident with the rotational element of an equal sided polygon.