charleston house

ARC465H1S : casting - articulating voids

john h. daniels faculty of architecture, landscape, and design

university of toronto

winter 2023 

*group assignment

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combing three "original" replicas from charleston house, the collection of objects captures the essence and vibrancy of the home as an art object and the hub of the bloomsbury group

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reflecting on the spirit of charleston house, the aim of our project looks to replicate the home’s status as an art object in our created artefacts. seeking to create a holistic image of charleston, we distilled the home into its two primary purposes: the hub of the bloomsbury group and its art object status thanks to Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant’s treatment of the property as a “blank canvas.”

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to capture the texture and various painted surfaces of charleston, we opted for acetone transferring in hopes of translating a clear and crisp photograph of charleston to our plaster pieces. we learned early on that acetone transferring is a temperamental process and the images we were able to achieve on our plaster pieces were recognizable abstractions of charleston house. we decided to lean into this abstraction of the images of charleston like the artists did in their practices. the feathering of the images also reminds us of the age and wearing of the work that Vanessa and Duncan covered their home with that overtime has begun to weather away.

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the use of sugar in our series of artefacts further strengthens the objects’ relationship to charleston without coming across as too literal. the introduction of a food immediately relates back to ideas of domesticity and cooking which becomes subverted through its use as part of the artefact and also contributes to the abstraction of charleston through its placement on top of the acetone transfer images which distorts the imagery.