A Place for a Leaf

In this project we were asked to create a place for a leaf of our choosing. This place should embody inherent qualities of the leaf: form, shape, color, texture, mass, symbolic content, etc. Paper is the only material we could use in creating this place: joints, connections, and spatial enclosure must be accomplished by manipulation of the paper alone. The choice of paper was ours.

With inspiration from the shape and mass of a beautiful leaf found in my neighborhood, I decided to create multiple layers of paper shaped in varying proportions to the original leaf positioned in an elevation. To support the height of the layered elevation I designed a vertical, support column that intersects each layer secured at the base. The five layers were created in proportion to the original leaf section to exaggerate and highlight the captivating shape and mass. The orientation of the composition to the left edge of the paper was to emphasis the leaf's sectional shape and natural elevation. The multiple layers also communicate depth as a reminder that we need to live more in the moment to truly see the beauty of the leaf and in the world around us. Hopefully looking at it in full contemplation and appreciation of everything in the universe that went into creating and growing it.

Sketch model - from this point of experimentation I decided that copying the shape and centering of the composition did not work well in highlighting the layers. To create more focus I re-oriented the project to the left margin of the paper to emphasis the layering, allowing for a generous amount of negative space on the right. Instead of creating multiple layers of the same shape, true to the form, layers of a particular section were created with varying proportions to the original. To follow the new orientation, I attached the leaf at the left, bottom corner by creating a curved holder for its stem and cut it to align with the layered edge. The choice of heavier paper for the layers was more successful in executing the elevation plan in the way the layers stood up securely. The design strategy to utilize only white paper was so the viewer could purely see the layers with no distractions.