Launching the

Imagination
A Comprehensive Guide to Basic Design

fourth edition

Mary Stewart

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SPACE
In three-dimensional design, space is the area
within or around an area of substance. A dialogue
between a form and its surroundings is created as
soon as an artist positions an object in space. Space
is the partner to substance. Without it, line, plane,
volume, and mass lose both visual impact and func-
tional purpose.
The proportion of space to substance triggers an
immediate response. The space in Alice Aycock's Tree
of Life Fantasy (9.39) is defined by a filigree of delicate
lines and planes. Inspired by the double-helix struc-
ture of DNA and by medieval illustrations showing
people entering paradise through a spinning hole in
9.39 Alice Aycock, Tree of Life Fantasy, Synopsis of the Book of Questions
Concerning the World Order and/or the Order of Worlds, 1990-92. Painted steel ,
fiberglass, and wood, 20 x 15 x 8ft (6. 1 x 4.6 x 2.4 m).
198 chapter nine Elements of Three-Dimensional Design
the sky, Aycock combined a linear structure with a
series of circular planes. The resulting sculpture is as
open and playful as a roller coaster. By comparison,
Burden's Medusa's Head (see figure 9.21, page 190)
presents a relatively solid mass of tangled cement,
wood, and metal. With sculptures of this kind, the
surrounding space becomes more important than any
enclosed space. Like a stone placed in a glass of water,
the large, solid mass seems to displace the surround-
ing space, pushing it into the edges of the room.
Positive and Negative Space
The interrelationship between space and substance
is demonstrated in every area of three-dimensional
design. David Smith's Cubi XXVII
(9.40) is dominated by a central
void. The 10 gleaming geometric
volumes are activated by the space
they enclose. Space plays an equally
important role in representational
work. The open mouth in Model of
a Trophy Head (9.41) really animates
the mask. No facial expression,
however extreme, would be as lively
if this mouth were closed.
Negative space is especially no-
ticeable in designs that are dominat-
ed by positive form. Karen Karnes's
Vessel (9.42) is a functional pot, with
its internal bottom placed just above
the vertical slit. In effect, the lower
half of the design serves as a ped-
estal for the functional container at
the top. This narrow slit of negative
space presents a strong contrast to
the solidity of the cylindrical form
and helps activate the entire form.
Compression and
Expansion
Space is never passive or meaning-
less. It is just as important as the
surrounding substance, and it can
be manipulated very deliberately.
The tangibility of space is especially
apparent in the works of Richard
Serra and Walter de Maria. Using four enormous
steel plates, Serra created a sense of spatial com-
pression in figure 9.43. Upon entering the piece, the
viewer immediately becomes aware of the w eight
of the tilted planes and of the support the com-
pressed space seems to provide. The space in de
Maria's The Lightning Field (9.44) is equally clearly
defined yet is wonderfully expansive. Arranged
in a grid ov er nearly 1 square mile of desert, 400
steel poles act as a collection of lightning rods.
Impressive even in daylight, the site becomes awe-
inspiring during a thunderstorm. Lightning jumps
from pole to pole and from the sky to earth, creat-
ing a breathtaking pyrotechnic display.

Activated Space
The space in an artwork may be contemplative,
agitated, or even threatening. For example, a Jap-
anese Zen garden is usually made from an enclo-
sure containing several large rocks surrounded by
carefully raked white sand. A few simple objects
9.40 David Smith, Cubi XXVII, March 1965. Stainless steel,
11 1% X 87% X 34 in . (282.9 X 222.9 X 86 em).

9.41 Model of a Trophy Head, Ecuador, La Tolita, 9.42 Karen Karnes, Vessel, 1987. Stoneware, wheel-thrown,
600 sce- Ao 400. Ceramic. glazed, and wood-fired, 16Y, x 1OY, in. (41.9 x 26.7 em).

SPACE 199
 9.43 Richard Serra, Betwixt the Torus and the Sphere, 2001 . Weatherproof steel, 142 x 450 x 319 in.
(361 x 1,143 x 810cm).

9.44 Walter de Maria, The Lightning Field, 1977. Stainless steel poles, average height 20ft 7~ in. (6.1 m),
overall 5,280 x 3,300 ft (1 ,609.34 x 1,005.84 m). Near Quemado, NM.

200 chapter nine Elements of Three- Dimensional Design

are used to create a contemplative space. By con-
trast, the space in Anish Kapoor's sculptures
the sculpture presents a magical entry into a prosaic
place. This subway station provides transportation
I
is often disorienting. Placed at the entrance to for the mind rather than the body.
Millennium Park in Chicago, Cloud Gate reflects
the surrounding buildings while the lower "gate"
section visually pulls the viewer into a reflective
Key Questions
interior chamber (9.45).
SPACE

• What relationships between substance and

Entering Space
Some sculptures are designed to be entered physi-
cally. Lucas Samaras's Mirrored Room (9.46) multi-
plies and divides the reflection of each visitor who
enters. Other sculptures can be entered only men-
tally. Subway with Silver Girders (9.47), by Donna
Dennis, re-creates in great detail the architecture
and lighting we find in a subway station. Con-
structed at two-thirds the scale of an actual station,
space have you built into your design?
• What would happen if you substantially
increased or decreased the amount of
space? For example, would 70 percent
space and 30 percent mass strengthen or
weaken your design?
• How might space play a stronger concep-
tual and compositional role in your design?

9.45 Anish Kapoor, Cloud Gate, Dedicated 2006. Millennium Park, Chicago. Stainless steel, 66 x 42 x 33 tt (20.12 x 12.8 x 10m).
Visitors and the surrounding city are reflected in the mirrorlike finish.

SPACE 201