Title: Man's Pandora box
Dimensions:20.5 width /15.5 height /9 depth ( Inches)
Medium: Rapid prototyped gypsum powder, leather, and wood.
Statement
While researching the historical aspects of the old Opera house, I was rather surprised by the absence of evidence about the building's past. When I looked at old pictures of the building, I noticed that the shape of the exterior had changed drastically over the years--the original 'meaning' behind the edifice was lost in time so to speak. Ironically, the loss of connection between the current and past aspects of the building made me think deeply about mankind's power to profoundly alter landscapes and cityscapes.
How was is that the historical place was so easily altered by man's influence? In my project, I constructed a model of the old building using a 3D software program from only an old photo. In the model I added a leather suitcase, sewn together from men's leather shoes, breaking through the buildings. The suitcase symbolizes mankinds bold and decisive restructuring of cities, neighborhoods, and the environment as a whole. The suitcase also represents a man's version of "Pandora’s box", which contains items that are found in the current storefront. Interestingly, the items sold in the current store, such as cigars and pipes, symbolize the interests and hobbies of men in general.
