Image 1: A Woman in The Sun, Edward Hopper. 1961, Oil on Canvas.
From the Hopper painting I drew a narrative based around the decline of a dancer's career; the phrase I constructed to suggest this narrative was 'a dancer decides to give up going to auditions.' The phrase then evolved into the more suggestive, 'dancer's last audition.'
With these sketch models I wanted to play with inherited forms from antiquity, in particular the building forms of the theatre and Coliseum. I'm interested in these building types because they are both used for presenting performances. They also present a contrast between refined control of form and light, and repressed savagery.
On viewing paintings by Hopper, I was captivated by the strong allegorical nature of the images. Surrealism was also an evident influence. The spaces Hopper creates are fully lit, yet suggestive of subliminal forces. I am interested in making a series of spaces that express this sense of Surreal allegory. I intend to explore this through control of light, and by using building shapes that are familiar and carry cultural freight.
I believe the pavilion with wide, fan-like stairs is quite successful. I'm also interested in using the wall that admits light in slices, since it resembles drapery and seems to me to be a subjective, abstract take on an idea from antiquity.
