stairs

these are the stairs that lead down through Moffat's gallery to her studio. it is a set of 3 cases that curve along the round walls of the gallery. i feel they help to reinforce the idea of a camera lens upon which the design of the underground section is based. each case is rotated 80 degrees relative to the one above which contributes to the impression of movement and twisting throughout the gallery. the edges of the stair are made of tubular steel which also suspends the stair. the steps are wooden and the panels along the inside are glass to allow the patron to continue to appreciate the room as they move downwards through it. the mixture of materials is analagous to the photographic collages Moffat produces.




This array of three staircases leads up to Gascoigne's studio and the two gallery levels below, which are contained inside the tubular geodesic sphere structure. the stairs are designed primarly to interact with and complement the gallery levels located inside the sphere. they are grand and powerful in their simplicity and proportions. they give the illusion of supporting or presenting the gallery levels. they specifically go up through the floor not down into it to give the patron a more profound experience when entering the gallery levels and suddenly finding themselves in such a radical space. the stairs also isolate the gallery levels, as you can see you cant move downstairs within the sphere, this further enchances the impression of uniqueness and importance of these three levels.

The stairs somewhat mimic Gascoignes paintings which often consist of an array or arrangement of simple geometric shapes or patterns, and give a similar bold impression.




this is the grand staircase which transitions the gallery from above ground to below. this idea of transitioning is seen in the design of the steps which give the impression of flowing. the steps on the top half are discontinous resembling cascading water and the steps on the bottom half of the staircase change from concave to convex, and together with the narrowing and widening on the passage, produce the effect of a flowing staircase. this case is made of two halves distinct yet in harmony with eachother which represents the differences and similarities in the artists occupying the below and above ground sections.