In Between is a two-piece work of art consisting of a film and a scale model installation. A fragment from the short story collection (Billenium) by J.G. Ballard is transformed into something tangible. A passage is materialized, moving the focus to the architecture allowing it to contribute to the story.

The film seeks to capture the path of the character who descends a staircase in an attempt to escape, but does not succeed. This is not achieved by filming the main character, but by letting the architecture around it play the leading role. Repetition, rhythm and light are key here.

A (self-designed) scale model (created from words from the short story) serves as setting for the film. There is a relationship between an object and moving image.

This project is an interplay of scale, materials, deformation.

By placing mirrors in the scale model, strange views develop and the staircase no longer seems to descend logically. The mirrors create illusions, completely deforming the staircase.

The architecture seems to be trapped in itself. Fully enclosed, causing the destination to never be reached and getting lost in itself.

Architecture is experiencing, it is not about where you are going or where you are coming from. It is about the transition between both, the In Between.

The ‘everyday’ stairwell carries the story. There was no search for sophisticated architectural elements, but just because of the simplicity, details and repetition are more underlined.

An autonomous installation is the sequel to the film. How do elements from a sequence translate into an installation? This project experiments with scale and materialization.

The interior is abstracted and the stairwell is fully enclosed. All aesthetics are now in the play of lines of the tubes in relation to each other.

By sanding the plexiglass, the view from outside is obstructed, although light can still get through. Small openings cause the creation of well-chosen viewing holes so we can look inside the tube.

The technique of the mirrors used in the film is further deployed in the installation. From the outside, it looks like a normal staircase, but this does not correspond with what you see inside. Creating confusion, a play, a strange relationship, between interior and exterior. It calls for alienation and makes you think.

Materials:
Scale model: balsa wood, paper
Installation: sanded plexiglass

Video:
https://vimeo.com/148985208