When we had the task to create a wearable mask from an architectural space that had given us a “wow” moment, the first building that came to mind was the The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. I distinctly remember going there for the first time in 2009 for a school trip. What fascinated me about the the museum was that the building itself was just as interesting as the art on display in the museum. Every curve and corner evoked curiosity and emotion in me. I visited again in 2022 and spent some time observing the building from the outside. I really liked the texture of the building, the smooth limestone feel against the old concrete buildings around.
In creating my wearable mask I wanted to capture both the organic form and texture of the building. I started with sketching how I envisioned the wearable, and how I could make the structure work. I bought paint, wood and paper and started to experiment first with the right colour and texture of the mask. I was not happy at first with the texture but finally settled on a perfect white colour with a tint of taupe in it, and started cutting the paper into the right form. Initially I was going to have each floor cut on its own but quickly realised that I was missing the organic and flowing form of the building. I proceeded with gluing the paper together to make a long stretch of paper and then wrapping it around the wooden sticks to get the organic shape. I struggled with the “top floor” as I wanted it to overlap a bit as it does in real life, but managed to glue it so it was a bit bigger. The result was structurally sound and allowed me to see my peers when presenting myself with the little space between the floors.
- Image 1: Sigurbjornsdottir, J. (2022). Guggenheim Museum [Photograph].
- Image 2: Sigurbjornsdottir, J. (2022). Guggenheim Museum [Photograph].
- Image 3: Sigurbjornsdottir, J. (2022). Sketching Process [Drawing].
- Image 4: Sigurbjornsdottir, J. (2022). Close up of texture [Photograph].
- Image 5: Sigurbjornsdottir, J. (2022). Guggenheim Museum [Photograph].