LA – Form and Space

TASK:

1. Rearrange shapes cut out of paper, and try to find the point at which the figure disappears into the ground.
   • Cut out a series of shapes from black paper – squares, rectangles, circles and random shapes – in a variety of sizes, from small to large.
   • Working with a square piece of white paper, place shapes of different sizes into the white space; place them on the white one at a time and move them around.
   • Try to find the point where the distinction between figure and ground becomes unclear. Does it depend on which shape dominates the space: black or white? Is it about the position of the shape within the space? Think about how important figure-ground relationships are within composition and design.
2. Write down your findings, and remember to take pictures of your progress. Submit these pictures and your write-up on your WordPress blog.

I started by cutting out random characters as shown in the picture below:

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Then I used the figurs to make different illustrations. I feel that the figures are in the foreground no matter where you place them.

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Then I tried to fill out the negative space with more figures to see in the foreground / background became more unclear. I don’t think that made any difference.

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In the end I made an illustration where the negative and positive space has the same amount and space. Here I found a way to show figure / ground in an unclear way:

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