Thursday Salute to Originals: Waves of Grain

Layers are inherent in our creation process at GPI. We meticulously study rippling veins in our naturally formed onyx materials. We artfully craft walls from combinations of structure, lighting, and surface. We stack lighting diffusers to bend light within slim cavities. Much like architecture itself, our perception of layers is linked to ideas of solidity, tangibility, and an additive approach. How often do we get to witness the “un-making” of layers?

In Waves of Grain, filmmaker Keith Skretch poetically captures the destruction of a single wood block. Planing down the wood layer by layer, the grain shifts in organic waves over a three hour period condensed into a few minutes. Secret patterns are revealed in striking images, then sanded to pieces seconds later. The ebb and flow of the imagery is mesmerizing, a choreography only made possible by Mother Nature herself.

Waves of Grain from Keith Skretch on Vimeo

While watching the video entrances the viewer just as much as gazing into a flame or enjoying the ocean waves, it ends abruptly. The pattern suddenly turns to black and the video comes to a hasty halt after all of the wood material has been consumed. We’ll leave this angle open to interpretation… what do you think it could mean?

This Thursday, we salute Keith Skretch for jarring us into thinking about the process of “un-making” at the macroscopic level. Our perception of materials within the building process has shifted, as we imagine how a manmade tool can unravel even nature’s creations, coming undone in a beautiful script.

Source: The Creators Project