MELTING ANTARTICA Architecture can be conceived as a relationship between materials and space. This is the starting point for the development of this project in which I aimed to discover the qualities of candle wax, and explore, from the micro to the macro, how these qualities might inform the design of a space. Since looking at the surroundings was a main component for the evolution of my idea I decided to get my inspiration from what had been occupying my sight. Seeing a world that seems to be violently and gradually falling apart every second, I decided to render wax as similar to the ice of the glaciers in Antartica. I investigated the qualities of translucency and shininess, leading to a fabrication tecahnique that could recreate the visual peculiarities of glaciers, from the colours to the textures. The final product was a chaotic, but studied, combination of blue wax pieces, all with different textures and thicknesses that, with the help of lighting, became even more dynamic and interesting to watch as it transported the viewer from a dark empty room to a suggestive arctic environment. Course: Stuff with Inigo Minns This course explores the fundamental qualities of everyday materials. Taking familiar materials in their raw form through a series of tests, we will transform the cheap into the exquisite. The end result will be a design that flips expected fabrication processes and reconsiders overlooked material qualities, seeing them instead as beautiful and surprising – developing 1:1 details that force new readings and interpretations of often-overlooked substances and products.