Capturing the Moment
There is more to taking a picture than just pointing the camera in a certain direction and pressing the shutter. It involves comprehending both the moment itself and the factors that led to it. The image always refers to a broader visual culture.
Just like the series of gears in this sculpture are the reason behind rhythmic motion of shapes, generating interesting alignments, there is always a story behind an image or a moment captured.
Inspiration
In his book "The Decisive Moment", Henri Cartier-Bresson, a master of candid photography, emphasized the importance of composition and the relationship of form in capturing the intensity of a subject. He wrote:
"If a photograph is to communicate its subject in all its intensity, the relationship of form must be rigorously established. Photography implies the recognition of a rhythm in the world of real things. What the eye does is to find and focus on the particular subject within the mass of reality. In a photograph, composition is the result of a simultaneous coalition, the organic coordination of elements seen by the eye. One does not add composition as though it were an afterthought superimposed on the basic subject material, since it is impossible to separate content from form. Composition must have its own inevitability about it."
"But inside movement there is one moment at which the elements in motion are in balance. Photography must seize upon this moment and hold immobile the equilibrium of it."
This philosophy inspired me to explore the interplay of light, color, and form in a dynamic sculpture. Engaging in discussions with students and faculty from the photography discipline at NID, I discovered a shared ideology that resonated with Cartier-Bresson's views. While some highlighted the crucial role of lighting, others emphasized the significance of RGB colors in digital photography. These insights helped establish the constraints and guidelines for my project.
Conceptualization
I envisioned a sculpture comprising coaxial rotating shapes in transparent red, blue, and green, with a light source creating intriguing patterns as it passed through them.
Prototyping
The initial prototype aimed to test the feasibility of the rotating mechanism.
Subsequent prototypes focused on understanding the behavior of light interacting with the shapes. Organic shapes were laser cut from acrylic sheets and colored using thin vinyl film.
Organic shapes failed to produce visually appealing patterns. Instead of forming white light at the intersections of the three colors, a dark spot appeared due to the light losing intensity as it passed through the shapes. So, the idea of prompting the audience to capture the formation of a white light/spot will not work. This led to the realization that simple shapes might yield interesting alignments, prompting the audience to capture them. Digital prototypes helped determine the optimal shapes before creating physical models.
As mounting a single light source on the axis of rotation was impractical, an LED ring light was used. However, this setup resulted in multiple refractions for a single shape. To address this, a light box was designed to channel light through an outlet aligned with the rotating shapes.
Different materials, including silver paper sheets, white glossy paint, and white matte paint, were tested for the inner walls of the light box. White matte paint provided the best results, diffusing the light evenly.
Final Construction
After refining the design, the sculpture was scaled up. Using Fusion 360, a digital model of the box was created, and sketches were exported for laser cutting. The final sculpture comprised two boxes: one for the rotation mechanism and one for the light source.
Inside the light box, two 7-watt LEDs were placed in diagonally opposite corners to ensure even illumination.
Exhibition
This project, inspired by Cartier-Bresson’s philosophy and enriched by collaborative discussions, resulted in a light sculpture that explores the dynamic interplay of form, color, and light. The iterative process of prototyping and material testing was crucial in achieving the desired visual effects, leading to a piece that captures the essence of rhythm and composition in a three-dimensional medium.
Guided by:
Dr. Bhaumik Nagar