Artist Research

Artist David Smith, nice dilapidated futuristic building, that's how I see at least.

Artist Derrick Lin, @marsder on Instagram, creates some of the most interesting dioramas of any I found. I instantly was awestruck by these images, well before realising how he had achieved these and what they were made from. Lin attempts to capture the anxiety and stress of adhoc agency life, a lifestyle that he lived for many years, through the use of everyday items to those working in offices. To give an idea of scale he regularly places a pencil somewhere in the scene but most amazingly all of the structures, pavements and objects are made from simply piling jotters, textbooks, folders and cardboard boxes. A perfect example and combination of intent through material. really like this work

Artist Randy Hage, it was from these photos found on the website colossal, which I really enjoy the name of, which focuses on miniature and scale model artists that I thought building a section of wall would suit my needs as much as an entire structure would.

Artist Joshua Smith, A New York city building that he passes a lot on his way to the nearby subway remade in, I think, 1/35 scale

Artist Simon Laveuve, He tries to capture scenes of a post apocalyptic nature and the structures that may be found in such a setting. Extremely impressive and intricate work.

Artist Lori Nix and Kathleen Gerber, this artist duo I focused on in my essay so won't go on at length for but there interest in similar spaces as the focus I am dialing down into makes them a perfect source.

 Sketch Work

I always loved those posters from the 20's-50's that were advertising a location and thought maybe I could do something similar, picturing a beautiful vista or beach scene with the car in the foreground but having the whole image show obvious signs of disuse and degradation.

I started looking for miniatures and dioramas that imagined similar settings and what other people had thought these futures would look like and drew from them.

Always having had a fascination with abandoned spaces, which has cropped up before in university projects, I looked through old photos of my own I had taken while rummaging through forgotten buildings. I feel no space looks totally derelict without graffiti, this is basic but I feel sometimes it should be, not everyone can does, can.

Started looking at wall sections, as building an entire 4 walled structure with all the detail in this timeframe will be tricky.

(This is where my scanner gave up on me, only photos from here) More wall sections.

Started thinking about what objects could be made/drawn into a background. (Cloud scapes and Telephone pole)

Look at degradation in actual buildings as well as miniature ones.

Something has always spooked me about telephone boxes, grown up in the years they had just started to become obsolete, to me, they are a constant reminder of life before modern technology and the state of disrepair most of them now stand in just goes to show what happens to spaces without regular upkeep. 

Thinking similarly to the telephone boxes, what other signs would tell you, that you had left todays world and entered a derlict one? coca-cola sign in bad shape, petrol station unused and water towers half wrecked?...

With this and a lot more sketch work completed, I felt it was time to start designing my own space and thinking about how to make it...