Vitruvius – Fisterra Studio Projects

About Vitruvius

January 17, 2015January 17, 2015
by fisterra

“The celebrated description of human proportions by Vitruvius, used to illustrate his discussion of symmetrical temple design, is directly relevant here. He describes the circle and square ideally defined by the outstretched limbs of the body, a relationship of shapes very similar to the architectural solution he prescribes for vaulted circular building….

In the the new Roman architecture, man was shown his path and place by vaults tramadol order online overhead as much as by plans and openings.”

William McDonald, The Architecture of the Roman Empire, Volume I.

Notably, in this book, McDonald uses an illustration of Leonardo’s Vitruvian Man, which uses a circle and a square, rather than Vitruvius’ original sketch.

2013-2015 Catalog

Four Gates

August 10, 2013September 15, 2016
by fisterra

Steel, wood, ink, chalk, hardware, 98″ x 120″ x 120″

Read my writing about the process of making the Four Gates:

Planning the piece

Getting the wood base cut

My inspiration for the sculpture Four Gates is from Mark Helprin’s novel The Winter’s Tale.

There is a short chapter at the end of the first third of the book, page 219, titled Four Gates. Here is an excerpt from the chapter:

“To enter a city intact it is necessary to pass through one of the new gates. They are far more difficult to find than their solid predecessors, for they are tests, mechanisms, devices, and implementations of justice. There once was a map, now long gone, one of the ancient charts upon which colorful animals sleep or rage. Those who saw it said that in its illuminations were figures and symbols of the gates. The east gate was that of acceptance of responsibility, the south gate that of the desire to explore, the west gate that of devotion to beauty, and the north gate that of selfless buy tramadol online without prior prescription love. ”

The steel circles have four different diameters, 78″, 84″, 90″, and 96″ so that four different average sized adults can stand in the circles and expand the geometry of their reach to their biggest selves, as in Vitruvius’ drawing. I inscribed on each of the four gates a section of the sentence above. After conversations with friends, I chose the North Gate, that of selfless love, to be the largest. The largest and the smallest are opposite each other, and the two middle sized are opposite each other. When four people expand themselves inside the circles, they create a sculptural human community.

This sculpture was the focal point of the show. The “Four Gates Drawings” were made from these circles laying down on paper.