Vassiliki K. Demakis

The objective of this project was to take photographs and create sketches of elements and principles of architecture in Chicago. Using these images, text, a beautiful material, and a found object, a three-dimensional model was to be built from these inspirations.

The solution to this problem was to use Alexander Calder’s Flamingo surrounded by Mies Van Der Rohe buildings as the main focal point. These two pieces of architecture separately read as two different elements but when viewed together create a sense of visual balance. In order to capture this feeling, images were wrapped around boxes connected with chicken wire, wood sticks, and sheet metal, representing the grid-like structure of Chicago. A red curve wove throughout the linear elements to signify the moments of organized chaos, showing that there is a balance between structure and dynamism.