Our artistic premise is to explore the progression of a state over time. We start with a blank state, and as time passes, the blank state transforms little by little, obtaining more color and visual elements until it is transformed into a visually captivating scene. We want to represent the passage of time and create an art piece that demonstrates movement using unique materials.

We will start with a 3-dimensional “blank” canvas, a wooden scene with 2 panels, one for the “ground” and one for the “sky”, and a wooden house on a corner of the “ground”. It will look something like below:

Then, as time passes, viewers will see the ground and sky start to fill with color. To illustrate how this will happen, we start with the ground. There will be a slit on the side for cloth to come through. A motor will turn, unwinding a spool of cloth through the slit. Sewn to the cloth will be iron filings, and the cloth will thus be dragged across the ground using a magnet (present under the surface of the wood on a conveyer belt). When the magnet reaches the right side of the floor after having traveled from the left side, the motors transporting it stop, and the cloth is successfully “glued” to the correct position across the floor.

We would use this same mechanism to fill the “sky” panel with colored ribbons as well.

After the sky and the ground have been completely filled in with colored cloths, the house will get “colored”. This will happen when a piece of fabric is unwound and multiple magnets attached to belts on the other side of the house are used to drag the fabric upwards to “wallpaper” the house.

Though we’re not exactly sure what the scene we’re going for should look like, this is a rough idea of the transformation of the initial state.

What is the most unresolved visual element

We’re still not sure if we are going to just have the fabric pieces move horizontally to cover the canvas, or include other elements as well (like pop-ups or fabrics moving in interesting directions). We’re also not sure what the actual scene we’re emulating is going to look like.

How does the choice of materials support this inquiry

We will be using different colored cloths (sewn together) with magnetic filings sewn inside to transform the scene from its initial state to its final state. We will also be using motors and belt drives.

How does your choice of behavior (movement and interaction) support this inquiry

The materials we have chosen are flexible, and can thus be manipulated to add color and depth to the initial scene. The movement of our motors will cause us to see a visual representation of how our project changes over time.

What is the most difficult technical element

We are still unsure of whether our idea of using motors with a magnet attached to a belt to transport the fabric will actually work. We would need to do a prototype test first early on, to see if it is even feasible, before replicating it at a greater scale.

Materials Needed