The first image i chose is a watercolor on rice paper and cloth byVarunika Saraf. I feel that this painting shows the principal theme of my fear project, claustrophobia and also it depicts the feeling that I want to display in my project. The way the flower pattern wraps around the girl in the image is inspirational for me because I want the spaces in my project to feel like they are coming in onto you from all sides.

The second image is the new design for the railway station in Belgium by Santiago Calatrava. I think that the way he controls light through other means than just flat walls or planes creates alot of interest within the spaces. I want to play with shadows created by the openings in the roof and walls to create an eerie feeling. Though his structures do not evoke fear, he uses structural forms that play with the way light enters. The bars that make up the structure and leave spaces for light and shadow are inspiring for me in how I will create a dark and uncomfortable feeling through the control of the light that enters my structure.

Fear environment

For my fear project, I want to create a space that starts out with tight spaces and a lot of darkness. I want the environment to go from more claustrophobic and dark to more open and light, thus drawing you from space to space. However as the spaces get more open they will also become less shielded by walls and thus more vulnerable to the view of other people. I think that this represents a choice between two fears, fear of tight spaces and fear of the judgment of others. I think that for my additional object I will use clear plastic or acetate, along with the given materials of chip board and wood.

Blog Response-Fear of the dark and imagination

After reviewing everyone's blogs I decided that Rebecca Fronsee's post about fearing the dark and the infinite ability of the imagination was a really good point. Most of the things we fear are things that are in our mind. Especially when we are young, being in the dark alone is like giving our imagination license to torment us. Even though we knew that monsters aren't real, or at an older age, that no one sneaking around our house, the thought is still there and the possibility of "what if." I always had fears like this when I was young, and now I sometimes fear coming home to a dark empty apartment and who I might find inside. These fears are completely irrational and socially induced. If we never watched movies about monsters or scary movies we wouldn't have these fears to the great extent that most people do.

These are the images that I chose, as things that I fearand represent certain aspects of fear for me:

I chose the image of the straight jacket because it symbolizes the inability to move freely and a loss of control over my body. I panic when I do not have full control or the ability to move. I am uncomfortable in small spaces, even something like being stuck in an elevator causes that panicking fear to arise. I think that this is an irrational fear, since it isn't physical pain or any tangible reason that makes me panic, I just do.

I also have an extreme phobia of snakes and frogs. Even by looking at this picture I feel creeped out and insecure.

The third aspect of fear for me, is worry. When things are not going according to plan I often stress myself out by worrying. I think that worrying about the outcome of situations is a fear of disorder in life. If something goes wrong there are so many things in your life that can be disrupted and cause chaotic situations that you might not know how to deal with.

So the three aspects of fear that these images represent is irrational fear, phobia, and worry.