To be or not to be...? I have more questions than Hamlet.

Okay, I have identified a totem and a shape that I truly have struck a chord with so I need to start developing the design.  I start this by considering how this totem fulfils my requirements.

The beauty of a cuboid column is that it can be split into distinguishing bands of colour as it rises, how better a way of signifying stages of life.  But is that all there is to life?  No. What about the events and activities that occur once or that continue to progress with you through the years, and which of these has the potential to influence who you become.

I started to look at how a year comprises of different stages and that these could be created by layering or aligning glass - or both???  I then wanted to find a way of capturing the events and activities in a way that allowed them to flow through the totem.  Perhaps the combination of vertical and horizontal layering of glass was the way to go.

As these doodles from my sketchbook journal show, I had already started to consider how the totems would be displayed.  

Okay, hands up, I did think at this stage that the pattern of layout made the sections look like Jenga blocks, even worse was when I made the timber maquette.  The bid question was, do I make the layers fixed, do I allow the parts to be moved (like Jenga) or do I allow them to rotate?  Maquettes were the only way to resolve these questions.

I also started to think about how I was going to add light to the piece, which in turn led me to consider what type of glass, or combination of, was I going to use; opaque or transparent.  What does this matter?  I'll explain.

Opaque glass has a very high density of colour which means you can not see through it.  Light can not pass through it however light does reflect off of it, which in turn creates that lovely glossy glass texture and vibrant colour.

Transparent glass can be dense however, as per its name, it does allow light to pass through it therefore transmitting its colour - just like the cast light from a stained glass window.

In short, one creates interest by reflecting vibrant gloss colour where the other shines with electrical colours.  Why not use both I hear you say?  Lets make the maquettes and see how that influences and informs these design decisions.