Portobello road is a diverse and
contrasting space, which has colourful houses that seem to have come out of a
children’s book on one side, ethnic shops with vivid colours and fabrics,
interesting relief textures found on brick walls and unusual doors and there is
another aspect, much more peaceful, with toned down hues of an earth palette
that creates a completely contrasting effect with the rest of the area.
Significant architectural buildings are present and it seems to the viewer that
you are walking from one space to another, almost as though you are walking
through time. As I have already made a series of collages that link together
these different elements and have worked in Cinema4D to make a video that shows
the shattering of glass reflections of the space, I am thinking of capitalizing
the idea of reflections in this area. I have the idea of how to bring together
disparate parts of the site, so that a person when walking through the street,
can experience all aspects of it, without having to walk around the entire
area. Taking the idea of fragmentation and collage, reflection and glass, I
have come up with the idea of making a sculpture with magnifying glasses that will
reflect the area. The lenses will be placed at various heights and will consist
of various sizes that will include short lenses as well as long ones, so that
“hidden” parts of the area will be revealed and others will be highlighted or
dimmed down. As the site already has a rich and colourful palette, I do not
want my construction to impose another on it. Glass is reflective and
completely neutral, so will be an ideal medium to use for the sculptural
intervention. Given the site’s ties with the artistic community, having a
sculptural construction, fits in with its history and cultural context.
