3D cardboard relief

18″ x 18″ relief inspired by the work of M. C. Escher. I focused on applying the idea of “activated” vs “implied” space. Applied space is when the meaning is given to the viewer, whereas implied space is when meaning is inferred by the context of the surrounding shapes.

Taking up the middle, rectangular prisms of different heights form the shape of stairs creating a distorted rhombus shape-like that you would see as if you were looking down a flight of stairs, or M. C. Escher’s Penrose stairs, the inspiration for this piece. Some of the spaces for rectangular prism steps are missing, and they are implied.  One edge has two triangular prisms that touch the side of the distorted-rhombus “staircase”. There are a few details of corrugated cardboard as well.

I think the work tells a narrative of disconnect: meaning the story of walking down a path and realizing there’s a step missing so going back and reasserting from different angles to understand the illusion.  I think it could also be a city, with different buildings and passages.  In creating it, I made the foreground the side where there is a step missing next to the two lines of corrugated cardboard, but looking at it from different angles, I can see that there could be many interesting foregrounds.