Durer’s Solid and Platonics

Durer’s Solid and Platonics

Durer's Solid and Platonics

Dodecahedron

In my last post Be a Bit Pirate AR I spoke about working on a small app using platonic solids and I have continued to develop that alongside other things since then. I made models of the solids to act as targets for the app and also used photographs to develop the apps using vuforia .

The models have been scanned using Polycam and can be viewed using this link

When I reached this stage I realised the project needed something else to make it hang together so I found my dialogues and took the appropriate quotations from Timaeus 

and made this version of the app.

I’m in the process of setting up a Google Play developer account so that it can be easily downloaded when it’s complete.

I made a model of Durer’s solid when I was building the other models, and a set of drawings.

Alongside this I applied for a couple of grants, the one I got is effectively a purchase award from the DGLAM Culture Fund, this was my accepted proposal.

The work would consist of a set of five black and white drawings of the platonic solids. Each of these would be linked to an augmented reality application allowing further illustration, animation and colour to be seen on screen when the drawing was viewed through the app. The platonic solids were named for the philosopher who proposed that the classical elements, earth, air, fire and water were associated with them. The enhanced virtual content, displayed through the app, would reflect Doncaster through the lens of these qualities; A virtual representation of the cube from the drawing in the bandstand at Hexthorpe Park for instance to reflect Earth. The application would show AR content from different areas of the city for each drawing.”

Most of the work I do can be seen on my website

Drawing

I’ve continued to draw every day; I filled sketchbook 9 on 13th April and have begun No. 10. The March drawings can be seen here

and the February images here

There is a link to the previous month’s Gallery on each page.

The drawings are posted to Twitter and Instagram each day.

Be a bit Pirate AR

Be a bit Pirate AR

A short while ago I made myself an AR animation to go wih my business card, the post Gardens Project 14, says a bit more about it and I’ve wanted to do more since.

One of the arms of my ever growing octopus of projects is looking at platonic solids and developing drawings and sculptures around these forms. The work then becomes about itself rather than it’s subject; materials, textures, colours and other qulaities of surface and form become more central to the piece. So I started to play around with building AR accompaniments to drawings and ultimately models of the figures.

This first piece uses a photograph as the source but was originally worked off the 3d model. Part of my thinking is around the idea of imperfect platonics, as if they were crude representations made as simply and quickly as possible. Both of these are recorded from my android phone.

The next stage of the project will involve extended the range of models and the nature of the the solids in relation to the classical elements. The example above is my first attempt with the tetrahedron and fire.

Be a bit Pirate AR

Studio View March

The model for the tetrahedron was made from hand made paper deliberately because it presents difficulties, it is hard to finish evenly because the paper is buckled. The thickness, about 2.5 mm, would appear to offer a good join but the twists and turns of the surface work against it.

tetra model on a sketchbook

tetra model on a sketchbook

I used this view of the model as a target for the vuforia file and the apps will tie in quite easily to the object itself.

I’ve obviously continued to work on other things as time passes, writing applications for grants for example, and I’ve also worked on some other drawing.

Be a bit Pirate AR

Because Therefore

This drawing arose as a another tentacle of the mathematical symbols research I’m still engaged with.

Drawing

I’ve continued to draw every day, including reaching 1000 consecutive drawings on 30th January, and you can see the February images  here

and the January images here

There is a link to the previous month’s Gallery on each page.

The drawings are posted to Twitter and Instagram each day.

Same Old Same Old

Same Old Same Old

Same Old Same Old

torus maquette 1

During January I continued work on the lemniscate/finitude/tori path, moving the tori drawings into sculpture through a series of five maquettes. These are conceived as large scale works, eventually around five feet tall so the standard view is across the apex of the lens that tops, in fact ‘is’, the form.

Same Old Same Old

torus 1 detail

The photographs above give an indication of the presentation.

The idea behind these is discussed in Stepping Aside Occasionally, a blog post from August last year where I talk, briefly about the notion of the absolute presented by the form. It’s not original but is a way into making things again.

I started to work with styrofoam (expanded polystyrene) from packaging and eventually bought some blue foam to build the structures solid parts. What I want is for the sculptures to be spatial translations of the tori drawings.

Same Old Same Old

torus 2 maquette

torus maquette 2 detail

torus maquette 3

torus maquette 3 detail

torus 4 maquette

The fourth maquette was actually the first to be put together but fell out of sequence with repairs and repainting – I’m considering the addition of graphite elements.

torus 5 maquette

The fifth maquette is the one that uses the blue foam on its own to layer the lens that you look across.

torus 5 maquette detail

As well as carrying on with these sculptures I’ve been painting, just to keep my hand in by stretching myself with technique.

Glassware – Oil on Board 10″ square (wip)

The glassware and the table are from photographs I found so I’ve started to use views of the house instead.

Table – oil on board 12″ square (wip)

Like this view of the kitchen table.

kitchen table – oil on board – 12″ square (wip)

All of these, as you can see, are works in progress.

I put together a round of 2022 as a mini website https://www.ian-latham.com/2022/ linked from the front page of the main site.

Drawing

I’ve continued to draw every day, including reaching 1000 consecutive drawings on 30th January, and you can see the January images  here

and the December images here

There is a link to the previous month’s Gallery on each page.

The drawings are posted to Twitter and Instagram each day.