LJL - Mundane to Magnificent

Oct 9, 20213 min read

"Every act of creation is first an act of destruction."

-Pablo Picasso

INTRODUCTION-

This project was basically about experimenting with different paper forms, properties, techniques and complexities. We manipulated different types of paper using different techniques and created unique outcomes.

MANIPULATING PAPER-

paper texture-1

For this texture, I was trying to make a cone out of gateway paper but ended up making this shape, which turned out to be a better idea.

Later I tried to burn these paper rolls using a matchstick which almost burned it fully, then I tried to burn it using an incense stick which gave it a nice burning texture. It was so much fun burning gateway paper as the paper was burning very smoothly. I have also put oil at the bottom of these rolls to add the brownish color.

I liked this texture so much that I even used it in my final cube and

it was looking even more nice when tried on a bigger area.

Though this texture may look a little creepy but it gave 3d look to my cube.

paper texture-2

I tried pulping using my old 12th standard worksheets, I added too much of water and because of that it took 3-4 days for my pulp to dry, and I couldn't make any shape using it.

When I tried pulping for the second time, I made sure not to add extra water and grinded the pulp thoroughly in the mixer. This time I tried to make cones using my pulp, it was difficult to give it the exact shape as the pulp had become a little hard and stiff.

First I tried to arrange these cones on a 5 by 5

square to get an idea about how will they look

on my final cube.

MANIPULATION OF THE PROPERTY OF A PAPER-

For this texture I soaked a tissue paper in water and glue and then placed the wet tissue paper on a pastel sheet. After leaving it for 15-20 minutes, the tissue paper got dried and became hard and stiff.

SAFETY PRACTICES WHILE BURNING A PAPER-

*DO'S*	*DONT'S*
where a mask as the fumes can be dangerous.	do not switch on fan or sit at a windy place while you are burning a paper as it spreads the flame and the fumes.
where glasses or eye protectors as the fumes makes your eyes watery and causes a burning sensation.	don't wear anything synthetic as it catches fire really quickly.
always sit outdoors in an open space.	do not sit inside your home or in any close space.
use an incense stick to burn gateway sheet	do not use a matchstick to burn gateway paper as it can burn the whole paper
make sure that there are no flames left on the paper before you keep it somewhere	do not use your hand to stop the excess fire on the paper.

CONCLUSION-

Muddiest Point-The most unclear point for me during the whole project was making the final cube using sun board, cutting the sun board was very difficult for me as it kept on breaking and also I faced trouble in making the exact measurements for the cube. Also I was really confused about which paper techniques shall I select for my final cube as had a lot of them in my mind.

Clearest Point-I was clear about experimenting and exploring different kinds of paper using different techniques such as burning, pulping, quilling, cut and fold, cutting, non-adhesive etc. I really enjoyed doing all this and exploring different paper possibilities as while exploring and performing different techniques I came up with some unexpected explorations and ideas.

KEY LEARNINGS-

I learnt how to manipulate the shape, size or property of a paper using different techniques to create some unique and beautiful abstract textures. Also I learnt that it isn't necessary to always know what you are doing, sometimes just randomly experimenting with things can give you some of your best creations.

eg, I wasn't sure about what I'll make from the sun board, so I just randomly started to cut and scrap off the layers of the sun board and unknowingly created a really nice texture that I also added in my final cube.

I also learnt that to achieve a final outcome you have to explore and experiment a lot.

eg-To work on the final six sides of the cube, we first explored at least 30-40 paper techniques to create textures. The more we explore, the more ideas we get. I wish I had explored with more paper forms.

Except from all the learnings that I gained from this project, what kept me most engaging throughout the project was the need to burn paper, that I enjoyed doing a lot. And also the work done by my peers kept me exploring more and make something even more better.

I think Tanya ma'am and Pankaj sir are the most humble people I have ever met, they motivated us a lot, showed different techniques and examples. Tanya ma'am's contagious smile kept me smiling through the whole project!