Making/ Shaping II: Shadow Gallery Assigned:10/12/99

Most museum curators are anxious to have uniform, shadowless, indirect light in their galleries.

We¹ve been collecting objects and considering the sun¹s path across the sky as an indicator of time and seasons passing. Now we¹d like you to design a little gallery where the shadows are the stars.

First, some field natural history. As you go about your daily routines, be conscious of the shadows cast by objects, indoors and out, sunny or cloudy, direct or indirect light, natural or artificial light. Observe for a while and note different types. There are shadows that work well for telling time. There are dense shadows. There are sheltering shadows. There are shadows that delineate surfaces or textures. Use your field notebook to record your observations, including a descriptive name for each type of shadow. The more the better, but aim for at least five different shadow types.

Second, choose five shadows cast by objects that are of a size (and availability) that would allow you to appropriate them to cast shadows in your shadow gallery. Design a low-tech mounting system (hot glue, found objects and hunks of wood, etc.) and a fixed arrangement for the objects on a surface---your gallery floor---that would be large enough to contain their shadows from the hours of 10AM to 4PM on a sunny day. This surface should allow you to put a large piece of paper in place to trace the outline of the cast shadows. Your gallery should be sufficiently portable to allow you to observe its shadows both indoors and outdoors.

Bring your completed shadow gallery to studio on Friday (10/15/99). In between other activities that day [(drawing (Bob), lecture and discussion (Rob and Tim)], we will periodically ask you to map the shadows cast by your gallery of objects, under both natural and artificial lighting.We¹ll gather for a show and tell of all the shadow galleries between 2PM and 3PM .

The third and final part of this project is to complete a drawing that shows the profile of each object (projected downward onto the paper), and maps the shadows cast by each one at regular intervals during the day and under different lighting conditions (identify each contour accordingly). Include this drawing in your portfolio. Your shadow gallery should also be available for review at the end of the term. Take good care of it!