Poem

The stars on the pond

again the winter shower

ruffles the water.

Concept

Upon reading the poem I was instantly transported to a cozy couch in a room with a fire and lots of windows to watch the snowfall at night. Using the color palette to emphasize the coldness expressed in the haiku; the darkness of the night, blustery wind, and the shining stars. The white granite is used to represent the winter storm, the variations in the cold white color is to symbolize the ruffles in the water. The violet color glass tile represents the night sky near the moon that illuminates the night. The dark hues of the black tile, the dark wood, and the two paint samples illustrate the surrounding landscape hidden in the darkness of the night. The artichoke green tile and the clear glass suggests where the water meets the bank of the pond, gradually becoming thin enough to see through and see what lies beneath, the brassy stone that lines the pond. The clear glass also illustrates what separates the viewer from the blustery, cold outdoors. Cheeks are kept rosy and warm by the blazing fire nearby the soft velvet couch keeping the viewer on the warmer side of the winter wonderland outdoors.

            I wanted the hand of the materials to reflect the words used in the poem not just the appearance. The biting cold, harsh wind, and the sparkling snow reflect in the granites innate coldness, the harsh pressure used to create the dimples on the tray, and the slight shimmer to the artichoke tone tile. While the orange in the textile on the board as well as the fire I created help to keep the viewer from having to fully embrace all of the elements held within the haiku. The projected stars help to keep the scale in tact to some degree; I couldn’t contain the materials onto a board if there were large enough to immerse the viewer fully. By turning off the lights and utilizing the projector brings back the larger sense of the poem, seeing the stars while the snow falls across the landscape. I also have the stars on the board, this brings the scale of things back down into an interactive level, allowing us as viewers to interact with and experience the materials.