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student publication of the university of michigan department of arl.

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Foreword The Sesquicentennial. of The University of Michigan initiated the concept of this seventeenth edition of Dimension. Several of the profeesors in the Department of Art, individually or in coordination with their students, have d~ voted their time and efforts toward projects related to this event. The articlee included in this magazine reflect the most ambitious and extensive projects. These have been enjoyed throughout the year by all of us in Ann Arbor. We have seen the finished work which bas enhanced our campus while commemorating the one hundred and fifty years of this great w:rivemty. The men who undertook the work have written the texts of the articlee in order to better articulate their ambitions, their trials and tribulatiolll!, their failures and successes. These successes comprise what the rest of us are able to enjoy without the long hours and bard work. The results have directed our attention to the artistically creative side of this academic environment. What these few people have contributed is invaluable and worthy of our praise and admiration.

Ann Dinsmore 1

Dimension 17. Table of Contents

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The University and the Photographer's Eye An Individual Discovers

Knowledge, Wisdom, and the Courage to Serve To Paint a Fence

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The University operates a fleet of several ships in along term study of the Great Lakes. This is the largest vessel in the fket, a. wooden-hulled ex-minesweeper now named the "Inland Seas." This picture was taken about 30 miles out in La.ke Michigan just before sunset._

"Early in 1965, I was asked to prepare a photographic essay on the University...

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...with the stipulation that the essay relate to the Sesquicentennial theme: Knowledge, Wisdom and the Courage to Serve ...

. . . I was a little hesitant about accepting this assignment ... . . . It would be an enormous amount of work ...

. . .but hesitation turned to anticipation ... here was a chance to work freely and spontaneously...

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NO PARKING AT ANY

TIME

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. ..with a major exhibition as a certain consequence ... 8

... I accepted." 9

The University and the Photographer's Eye A REVIEW OF THE SESQUICENTENNIAL EXHIBIT BY ITS CREATOR, PHIL DAVIS, PROFESSOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY

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When I say this essay required a new (for me) approach 1 mean simply that I was not used to "snapshooting." My experience both personally and professionally had been in a more controlled sort of photography. I was accustomed to illustration rather than expression: to premeditation and con路 trol of variables rather than the more intuitive "hit and run" approach so highly developed in the "editorial" photographer. As an illustrator I had tended to approach a subject clinically, paying more attention to the purely visual aspects of light, form, color and texture than to the identity of the subject, which is often in路 tentionally distorted. For example, the girl in the cigarette ad who smirks in spite of (because of?) the gorgeously painted black eye is clearly a fake. She hasn't been in any fight. Nobody cares what cigarette she really smokes or even if she smokes, but some photographer labored long and hard to make her picture what it is because that's his job. He isn't "expressing himself" his contribuGetting set for one of the Ienger races in a track meet, this runner settles into a crouch and adjusts his starting blccks.

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Members of tM football8f[uod disperse from a calisthen.ics drill and head for their various scrimnwge areas.

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A long teleplwto lens

is responsible for the effect of confusion.

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Arransed in an almost classical pose, these members of the swim team wait their tum for practice.

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One stormy evening in early spring I was struck by the strange light condition ami took this picture. 15

tion is largely technical. In all fairness, I must emphasize that playing these games can be great fun and completely absorbing, but games they are, and one can't really oonfuse them with reality. Above all, I felt this show would demand reality.

Technically, I anticipated no problems and encountered none of any consequence. My camera equipment, geared largely toward commercial work, did include a Leica M-3 with 35mm, 50mm, and 90mm lenses. and a Nikon F with 28mm, 50mm, and 105mrn and 200mm lenses. These cameras were by no means strange to me, but I had never taken them seriously-they were my "slide" cameras, for trips and shots of the kids, but I had always felt that when there was work to be done something bigger was clearly indicated.

Graduate students in fisheries seine a stream near Ann. Arbor in a study of water poUution. Fish expert Dr. Karl Lagler has watched this stream ouer the last two decade$ and ha$ seen the 30-odd species of fish which lived here dU! out gradually one by one. This seining produced not one living creature. 16

After a few weeks of shooting, during which I felt strangely ineffectual, I became aware that the 35nun camera is not merely a toy, and that it offers real advantages. (Thousands of photo-journalists have not been wrong.) Therefore, except for a few special situations. I used 35nun cameras exclusively.

Almost from the first my intention was to make the pictures as genuine as possible. With this in mind I avoided special lighting as much as I could and worked almost exclusively with the light which existed normally at the subject area. I was also careful to shoot only authentic situations; nothing was "set up" just for the picture (except a few of the portraits) although in some cases an action which I liked was redone for me. As much of the shooting as possible was done completely "candidly," and I'm sure that many of the people in my pic路 tures were unaware that they were being photographed. In general I was an observer of the University scene, remaining as inconspicuous as possible, but shooting a great deal of film in an attempt

A girl practicing on the balance beam in Barbour Gymnasium. 17

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to capture those critical moments which best describe the action. I believe that compositional strength is perhaps, even lll<lre important in photography than in the other visual arts because the subject identity, that is, "rontent," is likely to be obtrusive and the "fonn," therefore, must be emphasized if a balance is to be maintained. For this reason, I occasionally resorted to the use of "soft focus" lenses, distortions of perspective grainy films and glaring effects of light to subdue detail-realism, and to emphasize the patterns or textures or mass路 es of light and dark tones for their own sake. In every case I tried, with varying success, to keep the compositions simple and clear, so that the pictures could be enjoyed for their abstract design quality even though the viewer might be unfamiliar with the subject matter or the show's purpose.

A dentistry student, having asked his instructor for help, flinches a little as his ilutructor involves him in the demonstration. A swdent nurse watching a demonstration of bedridden patient care.

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Professor Tom McClure, instruc路 tor in sculpture in. the Art Depart路 ment, takes a break from bronze pouring and talks to an alumnru and friend. I e;tperimen~ a great deal with equipment and materiala, and gradually became very fond of wide angle lenaes because of their dramatic effects of perspective and their great depth of field. My favorite camera for this sort of work is now the Leica M-3 equipped with the 2lmm f/ 3.4 Super Angulon. Except for occasional viewfinder problems of paral.lu and inaccurate framing this combination was very satislactory. In addition, to the camera previously mentioned, I also used two Canons, a Pellix and later an FT, the Hasselblad 500c, the Hassel.路 bla.d Superwide, a Rolleiftex, and in one instance, a Sinar 4 x 5 view camera, equipped with a 65mm Super Angulon lens. A few pic路 tures were taken with a 500mm

Members of the Sclwol of MU$ic faculty are active performer~ and a number of very fine groups exist. These members of the Baroqtu Trio posed most cooperatively for me on an outdoor background in. front of the School of Music. 21

mirror telephoto lens on the Nikon, and I also u5ed a 500mm Teletessar lens on the Hasselblad for a few special perspective effects. Most of the pictw"es were taken on Kodak Tri X film rated at 640 to 800 and developed in Acufine. Some very interesting effects of grain and halation resulted from the use of Kodak type 2475 recording film, exposed at 3200 and developed in HC-110. Whether the exhibition expresses satisfactorily the Sesquicentennial theme is a matter for the individual viewer to decide for him路 self. I am satisfied that it depicts my feelings about the people and places that I have seen during these last fifteen months, and that it does, to that degree at least, present one aspect of The University of Michigan as it existed m1966.

In 1932, Mr.JohnN. Clancy started a camp for boys with speech problems near Northport, Michigan. The camp was taken ouer by the University in 1949. Museum diorama builder, George Marclwnt, in his office.

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Some of the stones that were painted for the University of Michigan lithograph8. The floors are strong when you consider that each of these stones weighs about two hundred pounds.

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An Individual Discovers THE SAMENESS, THE DIFFERENCE, THE CYCLE OF RETURN by Emil Weddige

The opportunity of c:omposing a

series of color lithographs as part of the Sesquicentennial celebration of 'The University of Micltigan presented challenging and exciting possibilities. It was an honor and a privilege to be able to make a contribution to the birthday year and to work with the Committee.

In early November of 1964, at a casual gathering, Dr. Joseph T . Hartsook, asked what in my area of interest could I do in relation to the Sesquicentennial. It was a provoking question and although no immediate answer was made it was the beginning of thinking. After a period of quiet appraisal, with some probing for dire<:tions,

it was thought that an answer could be suggested. A discusaion meeting with Mr. Richard L. Kennedy, Executive Director of the Sesquicentennial, led to the for路 mation of the Committee on the project which consisted of: Mrs.

Sara W. Germain, Professor Robert L. Iglehart, Professor Charles W. Joiner, Mr. Richard L. Ken-

nedy, Mr. Edward E. Lofberg,and Professor Charles H. Sawyer. Various possibilities were discussed with the Conunittee and an objective was established: to compose and produce a suite of original lithograph prints in color commemorating the one hundred and fifty years of the University of Michigan. By October 5, 1965, all other personal commitments had been cleared and exclusive attention was devoted to the project. About the next year and a half was spent under numerous situations wondering if the expectations could be fulfilled. My first consideration was a review of the various ways of interpreting the objective. The campus that I had known for twenty-eight years was walked several times on every path from the stadiwn to the Arboretwn and to the North Campus. Along the way there were conversations with townspeople, visitors, students and faculty. Wherever one goes on the campus there are object symbols that have been plaoed by individuals and groups. They act as a reminder of the past and yet are closely related and point toward the future. They come in many shapes, from a building to a scratched letter. Many are clearly

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defined, and were used directly, while others are a part of a larger and perhaps more obscure pattern of which the combined total is the campus. These thoughts toward a search for broad meanings finally became the point of departure for work. Composition proceeded in the studio where literally hundreds of sketches were made. Odd time was spent reading the history of the University. In about three. months a group of rough sketches, about four by six inches in size, had been selected

and these formed a working sequence. It was time for another meeting with the Conunittee. The Committee on the commission functioned perfectly. As a group they always contributed what was needed. The stages of work on a project of this enormous size are periods of extreme concentration, filled with doubts and constant work. The collaboration of a committee furnished guidance and critical judgment. In effect it also forms the testing ground for ideas. After the preliminary skirmishes

Forty Acres A handbill of the original sale of land indicates Ann. Arbor is young, its people pioneering with vision. Main Street iB punctuated with open views of roUing fields that continue to the edge of State Street.

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State Street Not many decades later the campus has several new, important buildings. Open areas are di$appearing. The sidewalk levels akmg the street are among the last indications of rolling hills. Professors and their carriages were the delight of dogs. The campus was becoming coeducational, which eased the stress of transportatwn. 28

with developing ideas, there fol¡ lowed about four months of work in the studio with an occasional trip to the campus to check details. It should be mentioned that one of the most difficult aspects for me on the project was related to scale. Because of the complex content of the compositions it was necessary that the work be carried on in more detail and at a smaller scale than had been my previous habit. The problem here was to find the means of radically reducing scale and at the same time to maintain my established structure of form. Normally one could arrive at a transition without making formal trials. In this instance it was believed necessary to make a test to be able to judge the transition needed. Consequently two color compositions, unrelated in content but related in scale, were completed in editions for this purpose. The reproduction rights on both of these compositions. "Detroit Marina" and "Rococo Americana," incidentally were purchased by The Detroit Free Press. With the evidence of these tests and with the tonfidence that the scale could be handled, a major doubt was removed. From the accumulation of sketches a third preliminary selection

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Work on one of the seuen stones for the print of the North Campus.

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Faculty This work is symbolic, being wtable to be inclusive, of the faculty hoTWr roU as it passes in review.

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President's House The President's House is the axis that links the earlU!st days of The University of Michigan with recollections and impressions of the past. It stands, as it were, in review of the quiet passing of the years in elegance 31

was made and work was started on full scale line drawings. There were more of these sketches than could be used. The actual number of compositions to depict 150 years of life and development, at this time was abstract. The number of compositions to be selected eventually would describe the physical bulk, the possible cO&t and the relation of these to time and work. The principal concern for me was the amount of work and what could be anticipated in the seven months that were available for oomp]etion. The weedingout process continued and like a large "pot au feu," simmering on the back of the stove, a final selection was arrived at and the precise intent of the suite was establiahed. This selection was then made into the final set of full sc.ale poliahed line drawings. It may be worth mentioning that I prefer not to carry a sketch further than a maplike line drawing. No preliminary work is done on other aspects, this allows all painting to bappen without predetermination and with the most freedom possible in relation to form, content and tools. Fortified with all the usual apparatus and needs, my wife and I left for Paris, France, where the

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painting and printing was to be dooe. The location of Paris is normal for me because this is the source of the paper and pigment that ia liked best. For an ~ lithographer Paris is one of the few places where there is a tradition of lithography and one can obtain skilled assistance. Actually this means that most of the physical and time consuming labor can be done excellently under supervision for the particular need. The saving in time and energy is very large. Alone it would have taken at least three years in my studio to have produced what was done in seven months with assistance. Generally I would prefer working without the pressure of a c!O&e time schedule. As it turned out my estimate of time had about a twenty-five percent error. The overall time could not be extended, consequently the error was made up by working a longer week.

It is always a frightening experience to stand before the first blank stone of a commission involving so many stones. However, with tbe painting of the first. stone all previous doubts seem to ~ppear with the acceptance of the commitment. On any work there is a great sense of relief and a feeling of

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Angell Han Not so distant in some memories are the hilarious and wonderfully determined rebels of the 1920's. A generation left its mark and in so doing opened some doors to the future. 33

four stones were painted. There are a profuse amount of i~s to keep track of until the work is completed. I have a total recall on the working details even though during this period many other things are forgotten, overlooked or neglected. Eleven trial groups, and the Iitle page, of seVen prints each were pulled to determine the precise color combinations for the editions. The "bon tirage" of each was selected and sent to the Commit-

tee.

"Joe's cmd the Orient." This workcmd the two companion pieces, "Mementoes" cmd "Faculty," were separated in form to indicate their individuaUty. The symbolism of this print is the many shadows that have been cast to all stations cmd walks of life in every quarter of the world.

of freedom that comes with this phase of the work. It is a freedom that has been earned by all that has gone before; it is consuming and requires everything that can be offered. For me this is a period of total enjoyment. When the first composition was completed, which incidentally was "The 34

President's House," consisting of six stones, an essay was pulled and checked against all the other compo&tions to determine that the approach as painted would work throughout. With what appeared to be a confirmation on this aspect the remainder of the work flowed without interruption. Seventy-

At the completion of the painting phase I was about worn out. Twenty-five pounds of weight had been lost and my clothes fitted as if they were inherited. We took two weeks of ..,acation, attending two Grand Prix automobile races and traveled through Greece to Turkey. In Istanbul we enjoyed visiting a dear friend who was one of my first students. Along the way a large group of general sketches was made, and will be used for future work. Occasionally we had thought about the type of presentalions that should be designed for The University of Michigan prints. A preliminary presentation was designed while in Milan, Italy. Correspondence took place back and

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The Michigan Union It takes an event and a place to bring older and younger generatiom of students together. There may be many reasons for being, with only the place and event in common. TheMichigan Union is this place on our campus. 35

The Diagonal With tM change of classes, here is where the life of the com pus b/os$oms to full vigor. At a moment in time,life meets and {XJ8ses. The pattern is constantly different with a basic similarity.

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forth with the Committee and it was believed that the presentation should be in the classic manner. On the return to Paris time seemed to be running at thirty seconds to the minute. A path was worn between the studio and various houses who were assisting on the presentation. My wife took up most of the loose ends by setting up meetings and when neoessary transporting decisions from place to place as they developed. The presentation was refined and produced to my design by Fequet & Baudier, typographers and Adine for containers, both of Paris. France.

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In retrospect there are many things that could be written about the project. There were the regular late Friday afternoon d.iscussion meetings at the Zephyr Cafe with a number of our friends and past working companions. -The stairs and distances that were walked, the ascending stairs alone if added up over the period of time would be of an amount close to orbital height. Then the many ideas for fulwe work that were noted Ol' sketched-a few wonderful new friends- the Ull80licited advice of the elderly concierge on the progress of work. There were some other errors, beside the mat-

"Mementoes." The importance of the silent symbols tlw.t mark the campus become evident to one wluJ walks there. Those WJed in the print are to represent all and were selected for reasons of composition. When placed on the campus, each of these silent symbols 1uJ.s become part of the hi$tory and life of the University. ter of time that were nerve shalt· ing. The time a young man who was celebrating his Fete day and by mistake ground off three of six stones that had just been completed. 'Ibere was a letter that was left out of a wOid on one of the priDta. Incidentally this is easy to do, when working backwards one

is concentrating on space and line without thought of the word. The error on shipping will not be forgotten; instead of packing ten crates that was thought could be handled at my studio, the shipper changed to one crate measuring six and a half feet by si.x feet by four feet weighing 2800 pounds.

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North Campus North Campus is a beginning and a recapitulation of all past substance and concept. It is the gentilness of what is basic to the constant present and at once the direction of future years. 38

The sidelights and minor problems are now past and the project is finally oompleted.

The intention in this suite of com-

positions, has been oo convey three interwoven basic themes: the sameness, the difference, and the cycle of return. One side theme is the continuous gaiety of the dogs and other small animals which with joy and dignity have shared our environment and have in return added to it. The work now, as one peraon saw and reacted, must stand on its own for what it is to the observer.

Discussing the rotatU>n of work with M. Jacques Desjobert, director of the studio. 39

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Graduation

In thi8last work in tlu! suite, tlu!re i8 intended a moment of truth with the power and force of direction and faith, and the mystery of the unknown.

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Ema Weddige, born of American. parents in Ontario, Canada, in 1907, received his early art train· ing in schools in the United States. He holds the Master of Design degree from The University of M ichigan and later spent several years in advanced study and research in France. In 1937 he received a fel· lowship at The University of Michigan. He has remained at the University and is now a Professor in the Department of Art.

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W eddige began exhibiting in 1934, mainly oils and watercolors; since 1955, howell€r, his attention hllJJ been accelerated toward lithography. He organized the Michigan Printmakers Society and is the author of Lithography, a book re·

leased in 1966. A pioneer in the contemporary renaissance of color lithography, Emil Weddige has made a signifi,. cant contribution to its development in America. The art world has honored his work in lithography with numerous awards and prizes. His work, through one-man and group exhibitions and through numerous major commissions, now enjoys the widening scope of an international audience.

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Knowledge, Wisdom, and the Courage to Serve LETTERS INTO WORDS, AND WORDS INTO MEANING

by Leonard Zamiska The inspiration for designing a type-face came as a result of being appointed design coordinator for the University of Michigan Sesquicentennial celebration. My responsibility was to design all publications issuing from the Central Committee office in order to achieve a consistent image. Before I took on this assignment several significant graphics were already in

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use, such as the official device and the University seal. Many publications had also been produced. This made matters difficult from the design standpoint although the bulk of the publications and the design of a oommemorative medal had yet to be done. Graphic ronsistency I felt could be achieved not from illustrative material, but through color and distinguished typography.

Selecting a dominant type-face compatible with the emblem was a prime ronsideration. A straight forward Roman Capital seemed to be the only solution. There is nothing comparable to its integrity and doubtless never will be. I wanted, however, a face that was different, one that would be associated with Michi.gan--"that face they used for their sesquicentennial!" It had to be some-

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thing not identi~ed with some other context, and that, of COIJl'lle, Wft$ impossible. With respect and admiration for the masters of type design I could find nothing with the appropriate elegance. Above all, faces which have been in vogue were out of the question. The mortality list is long and in路 eludes many excellent faces. It became apparent that the qual路 ity I 60Ught in an ideal type for our purposes did not exist. I feel that I have designed a type..face that approaches the ultimate goal. Adding a "new" type-face to an almost endleas index makes little 路 sense except to typophiles. They generally possess this in-born dream of glory which is not fre. quently fulfilled. I am glad, therefore, that this occasion nudged that donnant ambition in me.

My concept of the letter was rather vague until I began work on the medal. As a dominant element I incorporated the theme, "KNOW LEDGE, WISDOM

AND THE COURAGE TO SERVE." This dramatic oombi路 nation of words was beautiful in its typographic harmony especially because it containedfour''O's''. To conform to the disk of the medal I felt these must be per-

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fectly circular. All the other letters were designed around this initial characteristic. Each letter is a mechanical and free-band refinement of original pen calligraphy. 'The "color'' is somewhat lighter than moat Roman but the proportioos are fair· 1y close to tTad.ition. 1M unique feature is in the aeri.fs, or spurs, which are fully brack.eOO<l on the left only. T1rla subtle innovation, I feel, gives each character a for· ward impetus. Both top and bottom serifs are sharply projected. This bit of plagarism is from Central European influences. My feel· ing is that words should not lie blandly on the paper 8Urlaoe, but aasert themi;elvea by digging-in tooth and nail. As a tribute to the fust president and vice-president of the University, the face is called MONTARD, a combination of Monteith/ Richard. MONTARD is dedicated to The University of Michigan and will be on tile for its exclusive use. (It was tempting to name it after myself for the dubious distinction of its appearing last on type-face indexes.) Designing type is tedious for the eye and hand; restyling the diffi. cult-to-space !etten~ was often

frustrating, especilaly in the case of the "R." With the help of competent technicians at the Univ~­ sity Printing Department I was able to do final art on the font through photographic prints from original renderings. Now the exhilarating pt06pect of putting letters into words and words into

meaning. In nwnerous preliminary studies for the medal I could not find or concoct an image or symbol that would represent the entire university, past, present, or future. In a physical sense the campus has no sky-line as such. If the buildings of the central and north campuses could be squeezed into a design, the rapidly changing panorama would be unrecognizable in a very short time. Burton Tower is a much-used land-mark but more identified with ''Town and Gown" and too readily associated with decals and souvenir ash·traya, etc. It was apparent therefore, thatdepictingthephysical plant was out of the question.

The idea of a portrait occurred, but what founding father or individual in the history of the University was more important than any other? A commemorative medal, as a coin, should give the 51

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impression of value and importance but I wanted to avoid beraldic devices or nwnanistic imitation. I must Admit, however, that I did a few designs with heroic nudes but these looked pretty silly for the space-agel The first decision to use straight typography for the reverse left me with the problem of making the "heads" side equally as important. To begin with, I raised the letters in ''The University of Michigan" to counteract the overpowering effect of the theme text so it would appear to be punchedout from the back. The technical pl'QCess of prepar-

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ing a design in three dimensional form is arduous and complicated. Regardless of the size of the finished medal, a working model of each side must be sculptured and

cast in plaster. These models were 10" in diameter. The diee are produced by an extremely sensitive three-dimensio nal pantagraph which scans the surface of the mod.el to achieve a reduction. Use of the University seal seemed appropriate provided I could compose it in a less traditional way. I redesigned it calligraphically and this conformed nicely with the freely sculptured face of

the medal , It was positioned to give the appearance of having been struck as a final and individual operation. The full seal on a semi-circular fonn is to convey the idea of one and a haH eesqui. The deeper IJiash (arc) represents a portion of a circle of much greater circumference, to mean a considerably longer period of time. I have been asked if the lowercase is forthcoming; my reply is that it never occurred to me. It may have limited use as a displayface, but I don't a.eeociate the University of Michigan with any endeavor in the "lower-case" category.

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To Paint a Fence A SESQUICENTENNIAL STUDENT PROJECT by Milton Cohen, Donald Kersten George Manupelli

Fences can be annoying barriers to visual exploration. If a fence is interesting or beautiful, however, it becomes a visual experience in itself.

As a special Sesquicentennial project, art students in several "twodimensional design" classes were invited to design the exterior faces of a construction fence which blocks the view along Maynard and Jefferson Streets.

There are many ways to approach the design of such a fence. Many solutions were proposed and rejected as limitations narrowed the possibilities. Because of the very different and unique position of each side of the fence, the perspective of the viewer changes radically at each tum. Whether it is desirable or even possible to view a single section in its totality or whether it must be passed at a close range, and viewed only

a few路 panels at a time, the design must accommodate the viewer. The specific environment of the individual faces of the fences are further limitations, and factors of illumination, traffic patterns, buildings and trees in front or to the side of the fence, must be considered as well. The solutions of each section were carefully planned, and the finished painted fence has become an exciting visual experience.

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This special opportunity to take art out of the constrict ive environme nt of the claearoom and into the fully..acaled "real world" was greeted with enthWiiâ&#x20AC;˘ sm by my students and myseU. In determinin g matters of style and technique for tbe south section of the fence, a number of coosiderations were discussed by my two design classes. The sun playa directly on thia surface and so we wanted to make the most of the modulat ion of light and shadow. Accordingly, low-relief vertical units were decided upon as unifying elements which at the same time would take advanta ge of the direction al light

asitmov es fromeas ttowest. Traf¡ fie, both motor and pedestrian, passes only a few feet from the surface of the fenee, thus the painted and relief pattern could effective ly be small-scaled and delicate. The passerby could have an intimate visual experience. As a group, we were engaged by the roncept of the design pattern

The south wall of the feMe along tM Umon driveway. A collage of wood and tin 0011$ on tM south wall.

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Shifting three-dimensional des1gns as seen walking east along the south waU. 58

radically altering as the vantage point shifts from left, to center, to right. By considering the movement of the viewer in this manner, the two foot by four foot panels constructed and painted by the students, could seem to possess a self-contained quality of "animation." The students were enCOW'aged to study the pecul.ia:r environmental properties of the site in order to arrive at specific color and design ideas with special reference to the richness of the activities within the building site. However, certain basic shapes and colors were used in all panels in older to guarantee urofication. In general, we wanted to set a tone of gaiety capable of quickening the visual pace of the area.

Without destroying the expansive, planal integrity of the wooden wall, we have wanted to comment upon and enliven a comer of the campus.

Milton J. Cohen Associate Professor of Art

A three路dimensional design Ioccned at the eCl8t end of the south sec-

tum. 59

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Our specific QMignment within the "fence-design project" was to create a design for the north wall. Before we began to think in terms of actual designs, we discussed the following considerations: the fence facee north, and has little or no direct sunlight for most of the year; the fence can be viewed both from a distance and at close range by pedestrians depending on which side of Jefferson Street they are walking; the fence is ap-

Variation of sea~ and tont.dity on the north section.

proximately 140 feet long, and is made up of 4' x 8' panels. Students initially developed abstract designs using geometric shapes or free foi'Ill8 illustrating alternating space in black and white. From this preliminary exercise on 10" x 20" illustration board, they developed their space solution into a continuing rhythmic design in color. The students were encouraged to util.ne tech路 niques of tonal diiferences, repeats, transparency, overlap,~ positive and negative reJationships.

The claas then chose the design which they thought most appropriate considering execution . as well as design. The final de&gn was altered somewhat by student suggestions in an effort to achieve more variety and to create a greater unity. We decided to paint some panels in oolor and some in black and white. Lucy Beatty created the original design, and Warren Shear coordinated and mixed the final oolor

scheme. Donald B. Kersten Assistant Professor of Art

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Preliminary sketches designed by three of Mr. Kersten's students. 62

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Oor initial approach was to consider our section of the fence as a aeries of discrete panel& This was the only limitation under which we began. The final solution emerged from a combination of several ideas. The panels were to be architectural and geometric, involving parallel linea, right angles and rectangles. Color was restricted to black, white, and several shades of gray. Projectkg panels were superimposed on some of the de-

signs. The colors which we selected were those which wouJd interact most dramatically with natural changes, such as snow, daylight, and night. 'The design, thus reacts to its changing environment. Dlumination from the sun during the day, and car lights at night cause the projecting panels to cast shadows which change and

move. George Manupelli. Assisiant Professor of Art

Projecting panels on tM east section of the fence. Assembl4ge of tires punctuating the south end of tM east wall. 64

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Dimension 17 Spring 1967

A student publicatwn of the De· partment of Art, University of Michigan published in Ann Arbor, Michigan. TII.U ~sue was designed and produced as a class project in the advert~ing

program of the Department of Art under the directwn of Professor D. B. Gooch by the folLowing senior students. Michael Clauser, Ann Dinsmore,

John McCluney and Katherine Strand, Cover, Introduction and Zamiska article designed by Michael Clauser. Format and Wed· digearticledesigned by Ann Dinsmore. Dav~ article designed by John McCluney. Fenceartickdesigned by Katherine Strand. Typeset by Fillinger Typesetting, Ann Arbor. Printed by Braun & Brumfield, Ann Arbor.

Price per issue J2.00. AU material in Dimenswn is copyrighted by the University of Michigan and may not be used without

permission. Address all correspondence to Dimension Magazine, Department of Art, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan. 67.

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