Coded Ornament

Penrose Strapping 1

Justin Marshall, 2006.

A Penrose aperiodic tiling system was used as the basis for this plaster strapwork design. This type of tiling allows complex non repeating tessellations to be produced from only two units.

The system also allows an infi nite variety of different designs to be produced from these basic units, which gives each consumer the opportunity to develop their own unique strapwork design.

Penrose Strapping 1 Justin Marshall, 2006.

Justin Marshall

Through collaboration with Hayles & Howe, a manufacturer of architectural ornamental plasterwork, Marshall has developed a range of plaster mouldings that integrate digital design technologies with traditional manufacturing skills.

The installation Morse, a spiral of dots and dashes, relates to the binary nature of digital information.

A separate work, Penrose Strapping , is a stunning contemporary example of traditional strapwork with scrolls, arabesques, and loops.

Justin Marshall’s practice spans sculpture, installation and design. His recent work has been ceramic or plaster based. Marshall is currently Research Fellow in 3D digital production at University College, Falmouth.

www.justinmarshall.co.uk www.autonomatic.org.uk

‘Morse (above)

Justin Marshall, 2006.

Morse’ makes reference to the binary nature of digital information. The installation is based on two plaster units: a dot and a dash. These units were developed in CAD and CNC milled.

The message encoded reads “What hath God wrought” which is the text of the fi rst telegraph message ever transmitted. This was sent by Samuel F.B. Morse on May 24, 1844, from Washington, DC, to Baltimore. The message is a biblical quotation from Numbers 23:23.

Penrose Strapping 1 (right) Justin Marshall, 2006. Morse Justin Marshall, 2006.