An assemblage of cast paper imprints derived from non-architectural objects, Yevrus 1, Negative Impression is a disposable architecture of literal references. It calls into question the contemporary architectural vogue for software generated form, complexity and abstraction. A 1973 Volkswagen Beetle and a late 1970’s open top speedboat were cast multiple times in recycled paper pulp and then united to make a strong structural whole. Visitors to the Gallery can occupy a mock tanning booth formed from the negative spaces left by the artifacts.
With Negative Impression, Ball and Nogues pose the question, “can we adapt everyday objects as tools for fabrication and generators of both architectural space and decoration?”
The project inverts and reworks some of the methods Bruce Nauman employed in making the sculpture A Cast of the Space Under My Chair in1965. Where Nauman makes a solid cast directly from a negative space found in the real world, Ball-Nogues makes a negative cast directly from a solid object and then expands the process to yield an architectural system of panels that can be arranged according to functional demands and aesthetic whimsy.
Prior to selecting the Beetle and speedboat, the designers considered several iconic relics gleaned from the Los Angeles suburban-scape including a 19-foot tall roadside “Muffler Man” and a classic kidney bean swimming pool. To study each objects feasibility for use in the project, the team explored the structural possibilities of its form, evaluated its potential to become a heated mold, and then tested a proprietary pulp casting process on it. Once chosen, the object was then digitally scanned in three dimensions. The scan data provided an accurate model of the object that reflected its idiosyncrasies in minute detail. The data was then used for studying the arrangement of spaces and determining how each shape might be divided into panels and unified within the structural whole.
The designers call this integrated design and production process “Yevrus”—the word “Survey” spelled backwards. In this project, the first in a series of Yevrus experiments; Ball-Nogues rethink conventional uses for scanning and surveying equipment and explore its potential within architectural design methodologies. No longer a simple tool for construction and engineering, the survey is a means for “finding” form, seeking structural stability, and realizing iconic meaning.
Long considered disposable, paper has traditionally played only a supporting roll for architecture. As a medium for drawings, models, and memos, it assists in the process of design. Origami notwithstanding, designers have recently begun to recognize paper’s potential for three-dimensional products and architectural building systems. Paper is also potentially more sustainable than other materials because it is made from a renewable resource making it well suited for provisional structures.
Ball-Nogues Studio: Benjamin Ball, Gaston Nogues, Benjamin Jenett, Allison Porterfield, Anirudh Dhawan, Melissah Bridge, Mora Nabi, Edwin Cho
Project Manager: James Jones
SCI-Arc Student Workshop Team: Sonali Patel, H Clark, Julian Rui Huang, Roger Cortes, Edwin Nourian, Vanessa Teng, Manori Sumanasignhe, Chung Ming Lam, Chi Hang Lo, Casey Benito, Duygun Inal, Hector Campagna, Cristen Dawson, Gyoung Min Ko, Jonathan Schnure, Francisco Movre, Pablo Osorio, Amir Hababiolaolalai
Other contributors: Forester Rudolf, Kristen Loheed
Digital Scans and Consulting: ScanLAB Projects
Structural Consultants: Buro Happold, Los Angeles.
Special thanks to Eric Kim for letting us use his pool.
