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The Working Model
The Working Model
Matt Shilan
I researched an artist named Matt Shilan who is a self-proclaimed paper engineer who graduated from Cranbrook Academy, he divides his time between “teaching at the University of Michigan, mocking up new-fangled packaging options for billion dollar blue-chips, and creating some of the most inspiring paper art around”.
I chose to research Shilan because of the way he takes something so seemingly simple with a very plain use and function and turns it into something curious and striking, which is something that I, personally found really fascinating and engaging.
I experimented with this idea of folding something as simple as a sheet of paper into something different and ended up creating a simple design of a pair or pyramids joined together that tessellate and link together to form large panels. I continued experimenting into creating panels of these simple diamond shapes forms that would then themselves tesselate and link together to create large panels that would catch the light and cast shadow within itself in a unique and different way. I also experimented with using colour both as solid blocks of colour on these triangles as well as creating random patterns through a process known as hydro dipping. But I ultimately decided that the patterns deviated too far from the work that I had started with and that simple monochromatic tones would be best to work with in this final idea
I continued experimenting into creating panels of these simple diamond shapes forms that would then themselves tesselate and link together to create large panels that would catch the light and cast shadow within itself in a unique and different way.
I also experimented with using colour both as solid blocks of colour on these triangles as well as creating random patterns through a process known as hydro dipping. But I ultimately decided that the patterns deviated too far from the work that I had started with and that simple monochromatic tones would be best to work with in this final idea
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