Cleo Arco
288 to 34 St
Prompt: For this project, we were asked to create a container of light using materials of our choice. We were also challenged to avoid using glue when connecting materials.
This container made of skyscraper shapes contains three main buildings: Empire State Building from NYC, 63 Building from Seoul, and the tower where I used to go to work in Seoul.
For this assignment, I wanted to convey my experience in the two cities that I grew up in–NYC and Seoul. Although two cities are far from each other and have distinctive historical backgrounds, I found them similar in a way that they are both fastpaced and full of workaholics–including myself. Therefore, I made skyscraper shapes that indicate two cities and connected all the buildings using wires to suggest the similarity and connection between two different cultures.
Along with the physical depiction of cities, I wanted to incorporate the feeling that I got from the fast-paced life and workaholism: being trapped. To depict the powerlessness, I chose to make all the buildings have an A shape, which gives the illusion of looking at the building from a low angle.
While the light source is also trapped by the buildings, the light still shines through the windows, suggesting the possibility and positivity from the people who live the suffocating lives.
