The project currently underway addresses these ideas of a marked context. The students would likely refer to the project as “ruins,” though the idea of ruins reaches well beyond the fragments of a previous time. The site location is Lens, France during WW1, the aftermath.
I call my project the Marionette Parade.
Who pulls the strings in the theater of war? Soldiers march, perform, and sacrifice, but are they the heroes—or merely marionettes in a grand, unyielding spectacle? This project invites you to step into that stage, where control, memory, and perception intertwine in a haunting dance of light, shadow, and space. My interests of this project is to create a symbolic space that reflects the cycles of war, memory, and societal perceptions. My spaces tell the story of marionette-like soldiers, whose lives and identities are controlled, consumed, and reconstructed by the forces of war and society. A theater of honor and sacrifice, yet also of dehumanization and mechanization. It shows the variety realities of war through spatial narratives that are both open and obstructed, cyclical yet linear, intimate yet monumental. The performance space serves as a linear procession where the marionettes tower over the audience and subjects. A choreographed spectacle of sorts. I am playing with two drastic scales. A regular person to control and then the colossal marionettes that are the performers, 6ft vs 30-50ft. This also emphasizes their monumental role as symbols of war. Performance begins with a hidden reveal, a glimpse of the marionettes preparing to descend into the parade. Mirrors the secrecy and suspense of soldiers preparing for deployment. As they “drop” into the performance area, the transition symbolizes their abrupt immersion into action. The open design of the performance space conveys transparency, while its linearity reflects the inescapable path of duty and conflict. The performance space is a light and airy linear framework of cranes and scaffolding of holding. The interplay of light is critical. I’ve decided to use beams of light to act as “strings” to visually reinforce the puppeteer-soldier. The place of holding operates as a dual-purpose space: both as a repository of memory and a site of transformation. Artifacts such as name tags, uniforms, and personal belongings are stored here. This space also embodies the recycled nature of conflict. They are reassembled here and prepared for the next performance. Symbolizing the relentless replacement of war. Place of viewing. Designed to how society perceives war in a parade like viewing. It incorporates a range of vantage points some obstructed, others entirely open. Fragmented types of views reflect on the diverse perspective society holds. Heroes to some, villains to others, and pawns in a larger game for many. The interplay of slats and panels and light and shadow emphasize the tension between what is seen and unseen. What is revealed and what should stay hidden. As a whole, the model is a meditation on the human cost of war. It invites the audience to reflect on how society views, uses, and remembers those who serve in conflict. The spaces within the model are designed to evoke a range of emotions: awe at the scale of the performance, the unease at the mechanical repetition of the holding space, and reflection as viewers grapple with their own perspectives and identities in the viewing space.
Who pulls the strings in the theater of war? Soldiers march, perform, and sacrifice, but are they the heroes—or merely marionettes in a grand, unyielding spectacle? This project invites you to step into that stage, where control, memory, and perception intertwine in a haunting dance of light, shadow, and space. My interests of this project is to create a symbolic space that reflects the cycles of war, memory, and societal perceptions. My spaces tell the story of marionette-like soldiers, whose lives and identities are controlled, consumed, and reconstructed by the forces of war and society. A theater of honor and sacrifice, yet also of dehumanization and mechanization. It shows the variety realities of war through spatial narratives that are both open and obstructed, cyclical yet linear, intimate yet monumental. The performance space serves as a linear procession where the marionettes tower over the audience and subjects. A choreographed spectacle of sorts. I am playing with two drastic scales. A regular person to control and then the colossal marionettes that are the performers, 6ft vs 30-50ft. This also emphasizes their monumental role as symbols of war. Performance begins with a hidden reveal, a glimpse of the marionettes preparing to descend into the parade. Mirrors the secrecy and suspense of soldiers preparing for deployment. As they “drop” into the performance area, the transition symbolizes their abrupt immersion into action. The open design of the performance space conveys transparency, while its linearity reflects the inescapable path of duty and conflict. The performance space is a light and airy linear framework of cranes and scaffolding of holding. The interplay of light is critical. I’ve decided to use beams of light to act as “strings” to visually reinforce the puppeteer-soldier. The place of holding operates as a dual-purpose space: both as a repository of memory and a site of transformation. Artifacts such as name tags, uniforms, and personal belongings are stored here. This space also embodies the recycled nature of conflict. They are reassembled here and prepared for the next performance. Symbolizing the relentless replacement of war. Place of viewing. Designed to how society perceives war in a parade like viewing. It incorporates a range of vantage points some obstructed, others entirely open. Fragmented types of views reflect on the diverse perspective society holds. Heroes to some, villains to others, and pawns in a larger game for many. The interplay of slats and panels and light and shadow emphasize the tension between what is seen and unseen. What is revealed and what should stay hidden. As a whole, the model is a meditation on the human cost of war. It invites the audience to reflect on how society views, uses, and remembers those who serve in conflict. The spaces within the model are designed to evoke a range of emotions: awe at the scale of the performance, the unease at the mechanical repetition of the holding space, and reflection as viewers grapple with their own perspectives and identities in the viewing space.
