People Power #4: Raytracer

An exploration of virtual architecture.

The White Building, Queen’s Yard White Post Lane London E9 5EN

Opening event – Wednesday 2nd April, 5 – 7pm

Open to the public – Thursday 3rd, Friday 4th and Saturday 5th April 2 – 5pm

Raytracer
An exploration of virtual architecture.

Raytracer was an architectural installation that explores the relationship between graphical systems, light projection and physical structures. Artist Lawrence Lek and a group of Year 9 students from Bow School are began by creating a series of three-dimensional drawings based on mathematical grid pattens. These experiments will form the basis for an indoor pavilion and light installation at the White Building, with the interactive drawings projected onto a three-dimensional lattice of recycled timber and rope.

The project was cross-curricular, linking the Maths and Art departments and exploring geometry alongside Roy Lichtenstein’s Perfect / Imperfect series of line paintings.

‘It was great to have students from different year groups working together. With regards to curriculum within art it ticked all the boxes as it involved trips out of school and helped develop students culturally. It gave students the opportunity to work with a practicing artist and allowed them to recognise the potential for a career within the arts. It allowed students to work within 2D and 3D mediums and introduced them to different ways of working with materials. The project helped them bond more as a group/pair and helped develop their social skills further.’ Roxanna Osso, Art Teacher, Bow School

‘I learnt new skills. I was happy with the outcome because I created a raytracer and it looked cool, the final version at The White Building was really cool. I learnt about drawing perspective and what a vanishing point is.’ Bow School student, Year 11

“Raytracer was an opportunity to distill my working process – between concept, model, to installation – and share it with a group of young artists. I wanted to show that there’s an unbroken line between a drawing and a large-scale sculpture, but that there’s a complex process of translation between these two scales. Most important to me was their sense of wonder that that you can physically inhabit an idea that you create”. Lawrence Lek, artist

Raytracer was sponsored by Bloomberg.

For more information about SPACE’s People Power art, technology and sustainability programmes for schools please contact Fiona Fieber, SPACE Head of Learning, fifi@spacestudios.org.uk