Spinal Surgery

My review went well. Martha and I had so much done that it seemed as if we were presenting a final review. We had:

Plan
Site Plan
10 Sections – rendered shadows and light by hand
Process Work
Hybrids
1/32” model
3 1/8” section models

Seriously? We both looked at our pin up and were like “Fuck, when did we do this all?” We work in studio pretty much everyday for about 3-6 hours and this steady pattern yielded the largest crop! I wish I could have done this my past studios – the partner thing makes you go to studio and makes you work because you know someone else’s ass is on the line.

I am not in love with our project. I love it, but not in love. I love our process as a team much more. I am dazzled by Martha and her technical hands and mind. There is a traditional – ness to our project that has Martha written all over it, which I’ve slowly been trying to erase and write my name as well. Martha, is a wonderful person – yet she at times falls victim to her technical mind and body. She is fascinated by my abstract mind and lets me feed her hungry mind with ideas. She eats them all and very carefully saves the least abstract one for both of us to share. I can’t help, but go along with this. Me asking Martha to be abstract is like asking me to take Construction – not going to happen. So instead, I have been walking on the fence of abstract and concrete.

Our reviewers basically told us everything that I had been thinking and trying to express from the beginning, but Martha did not hear or did not agree with. The fact that what I wanted in our project was verbally coming from academic’s mouths, makes it much more powerful. I don’t really care who says it, I’m just glad it was said.

Our project has a spine, however instead of allowing everything to fit in its socket we have dislocated it – and right now our project walks on hands and eats with feet. The reviewers basically told us that if we have spent so much time constructing this beautiful spine then why on earth is our skull upside down? They are telling us to keep the spine, but to relieve the arms of carrying the weight of the spine and putting them back in place.

Martha completely agreed with everything they said. I am excited now. This will hopefully be one of the most comprehensive projects I have ever been a part of!