Nadine Shu

In this project, I made a memorial of Antoni Gaudí inspired by his architecture, and I tried to communicate the idea of repeated geometry and the variation of colours in Gaudí’s work.

Gaudí is a leader in the Modernism movement, so I choose to use acrylic as my main material, which can not only convey a modern feeling but also show a pure, clear quality of the hexagon, associating with Gaudí’s love toward nature. The acrylic was translucent, so when I put this work in nature, it also reflects the colour of nature.

The final installation hangs from the ceiling. For the upper parts of my memorial, I connected all hexagons with wire, and then I thought of doing something different in the lower portion, as Gaudí’s design is always free to change. I also remembered that Gaudí’s architecture is featured by a gravitational force, which makes the dynamic constructions themselves feel as though they were grown from the ground and made upright by gravity. Inspired by this, I chose to hang the rest of hexagons with white threads, which reveal a visible track of the “gravitational force”.

The hanging radiant acrylic also adds a dream-like feeling – this is what I felt when I saw Gaudí’s work.

From my seminar researching, I learned that Gaudí gained much inspiration from nature, and sometimes he applied minerals in his constructions in terms of both the material choices and the flat pattern, so I decided to add some simple elements to embody Gaudí’s passion in nature, and also hung quartz next to the hexagons.

I enjoyed this project because I experimented with the laser cutter and developed my craftsmanship. I hope I can experiment with more new materials and techniques in the future.