obscure orange, 2006
Now situated on the CHASS quad at the University of California, Riverside, this installation originally stood in front of the UCR/California Museum of Photography, aiming to embody design elements inspired by photography. According to Roland Barthes, photography is not merely a scientific or technical apparatus; instead, it encapsulates a process of intentions. These intentions, experienced through the act of viewing, involve doing, undergoing, and observing. My project is grounded in this interactive process, involving both the photographer and the viewer.
In an endeavor to extend the photographic principles of the UCR/California Museum of Photography beyond its architecture and collections to the external environment, an orange structure on the quad serves as a medium for similar intentional interactions. The exterior of the orange is treated with a highly reflective automotive car paint, enabling passersby to engage with it in a process of intentions. The reflective surface distorts and transforms the shapes of individuals as they move closer or farther away, sparking curiosity and drawing people to inspect it.
Embedded in the orange's surface is a viewing area crafted from Plexiglas, housing a lens and a flat pane of frosted glass (refer to Diagram 1). Viewers must cup their hands to peer through the portal, revealing an inverted image of the outside world reproduced through the lens's aperture. By bringing this camera obscura experience outside the confines of the museum, the aim is to prompt viewers to contemplate the photographic process beyond the museum setting and perceive it as a social mechanism.
obscure orange, 2006, Fiberglass, automotive paint, University of California Riverside Campus
obscure orange, 2006, Fiberglass, automotive paint, University of California Riverside CHASS
obscure orange, 2006, Fiberglass, automotive paint, Corona Customs
obscure orange, 2006 - Submitted plans to Riverside Giant Orange ArtVenture
obscure orange, 2006, Fiberglass, automotive paint, Corona Customs
