Frame and Form

Open Frame and Form with a brief article on Richard Serra, inspiration for the structural designer, which was recently awarded the Order of Arts and Letters from Spain.

Serra was born in San Francisco in 1939 and from 1968 His work is characterized by the use of materials associated with structures such as concrete or steel. During his student days, Serra worked part time in a blast furnace which explains its minimalist construction from steel plates.

Serra's work is notable for large-scale sculptures in weathering steel (or rusted steel) with shapes that invite the viewer to walk through them. In his own words “The public perception is the central theme of the sculptures. There are drawings or parts that you put on a pedestal. Without the experience to move between them there is no content, no sculptures” Spirals, Ellipses, Diagonals, clean geometric shapes, unadorned, to induce the viewer to experience dynamic sensaciones.

In the conceptual process design, Serra uses materials such as vulcanized rubber or lead sheet to a scale modeling of future sculptures. This allows, not only to visualize the ways, but also the dynamic equilibrium of the scheme of his sculptures.

Frame and Form we like Serra sculptures designed for space previously elected as, once executed, interact with the environment to redefine and change perceptions of the viewer. A good example is'The Matter of Time’, permanently located at the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao.

In many of his sculptures can be seen where a marked structural forms appear to come down by the tensions and rigidities of the laminated compositions of these works of art. It is no coincidence that the sculptures resting under its own weight in a well-studied stable equilibrium without artificial anchors. Excellent source of inspiration to investigate rational geometries in the world of structural design.

Meta-Information:

Documentary in which the author dissects his work, You can see the entire production process, transport and assembly of the installation for the Guggenheim Bilbao. It's very interesting to see how Serra's own controls to the smallest detail ‘Construction timing’ of his sculptures.

Videos.
Part, Part II, Part III and Part IV.

Biography.
Richard Serra in Wikipedia

Article in El Pais 12-12-2008
“The sculptor Richard Serra, first awarded the Order of Arts and Letters from Spain“