Sounding mock-up

A mock-up of the situation at Midsummer place on a scale 1:10 using 25mm ribbon - so in this respect not quite to scale - 4mm would have been 'correct'. Also, no skylights here. Nevertheless this exercise helps to find out about angles and proportions.

Sounding and Fathoms

'Sounding fathoms out the height of the space'. It is the human scale that interests me in this vast space (Midsummer place).
Both bands will be one Fathom wide and composed of 36 ribbons. So, each ribbon will occupy half a 'Handbreadth' or two inches.

Image: Vitruvian Man by Da Vinci (source)

A Fathom is a unit of length used to measure the depth of water or the length of a nautical rope or cable, equal to 6 ft (1.8288 m)

Verb
1. to measure the depth of; sound
2. to get to the bottom of; understand thoroughly

Etymology
ME fadme fæthm (akin to OFris fethm, OS pl. fathmōs), the two arms outstretched (to embrace, measure), akin to German faden, thread
From: www.yourdictionary.com

Sounding

Trying to mount a span of about 20 metres of 40mm and 25mm ribbon. The first attempt in the afternoon felt rather like experiments in kite flying - too windy to span and fix the bottom bit into our lawn...

But then around 9pm the air was still, so conditions were more fortunate and I was allowed to take some dusky images.

Amended plan

Further theoretical experiments for the sea-scape screen assuming that a lens with a throw-ratio of 1.2 would be used. This would allow for the projector to be closer to the screen - if floor based - or else to be ceiling mounted.

Sounding

Meanwhile I've tested a royal blue ribbon, held against the light the blue looks almost fluorescent (hard to capture with a camera).
The material weighs about 223g/m2, so, a band of 1.8m x 30m would be about 10-12kg. Added to this will be the pull needed to keep the bands straight. Made of polyester this ribbon is strong and has little elasticity. Yet when I spanned a length of six metres I found that it was quite flexible which is good. Little effort was needed to straighten it.
I made a small sample-band - not to scale - composed of 6mm ribbons. Each band is twisted by 180 degrees, as if going with the movement of the sun. So the light is caught differently - which would show better using a wider ribbon.
This trial seduced me to order a bit more Grosgrain - enough to make some bigger samples.

Light cones

Have been experimenting further with projectors and settings. This helped me to understand that the projectors and their cone of light will be part of the sculpture very much. So, the three dimensions of the screens determine which lens will be appropriate.

I've been offered to show Fr-Agile at Southsquare gallery next February. Below is a sketch how screens, projectors and light cones might fit in there.

Close-up screen: throw ratio 1.5 - 1.95 (aspect ratio 4:3) / Seascape-screen: 6.05m/3.65m=1.65 => throw ratio 1.5 - 1.7 (aspect ratio 16:9)

Fringe Festival 09 Milton Keynes

It looks like a proposed piece, Sounding, a site-specific piece for Midsummer place in Milton Keynes commissioned by FringeMK 2009, can go ahead. So, I've started looking for materials to build this installation which will be a new challenge size-wise.