ART AND ARCHITECTURE PORTFOLIO

This architecture and art portfolio features nine of my creations during my high school career. It is a varied collection, featuring several 3D models, 2D diagrams, 3D printed pieces, larger items handmade from wood, works of art, and even a museum exhibit I helped create with LEGOS. All of these different forms of architecture showcase the kind of architect I want to be: a diverse and imaginative designer who will think outside the box.

DREAM HOUSE, 3/15/23 (DIGITAL RENDERING, NO DIMENSIONS)

One of the things I have always wanted to do, even before I wanted to go into architecture, is design my own dream house. I used to scribble drawings of it on paper in elementary school, but during one of my school breaks, I discovered Planner 5D, a website where you can make comprehensive planimetric diagrams that are converted into 3D floor plans. 

PINGREE SCHOOL HOUSE CUP TROPHY HANDLES (4/21/23, 3D MODEL, 4.1 in x 7.4 in x 3.5 in)

During the school year, my high school keeps track of the points obtained by houses, certain groups of students, and whichever house has the most points wins the House Cup. The House Cup was usually just a metaphorical idea, but at the end of my sophomore year, I was asked to help create an actual trophy. My part was designing the handles, which would then be attached to the overall cup which is carved out of wood from local trees.

STORAGE BIRTHDAY CAKE (9/8/22, 3D MODEL, 3.1 in x 3.2 in x 3.5 in) AND

CHRISTMAS PRESENT (12/14/22, 3D MODEL, 3.6 in x 3.2 in x 5.1 in)

TinkerCAD is a website that allows students to use a simpler version of AutoCAD. I took advantage of this and the 3D printers at my high school to create presents for friends and family. I made a birthday cake that could be used for storage for my sister’s birthday and a Christmas present, designing both of those models and many others from scratch.

HOGWARTS SCALE REPLICA (1/25/19, LEGO MODEL, 160 in x 100 in x 40 in)

One of the very first projects I ever helped with was creating an exhibit for our local museum. Along with a few other LEGO builders, we created a scale model of Hogwarts from Harry Potter. It was built for an annual event of the museum and is taken out and replaced every February for Harry Potter Day. It was a really meaningful project to work on, especially because I love both Harry Potter and LEGOs. 

HAND BUILT TABLE (8/8/23, WOOD, 90 in x 26 in x 9 in)

Along with the digital models, I have also hand-built larger pieces. Originally, I 3D modeled the idea for a custom table I wanted to put into my room, then bought the wood that I needed after making some measurements. Even though I wanted to paint it, after building it, I decided to leave it as natural and unfinished as possible. It was an artistic decision to show that it is very much handmade and still imperfect, just like my skill as a builder.

HAND BUILT GARDEN BEDS (7/20/22, WOOD, 48 in x 96 in x 9 in)

Originally, buying the wood for my table came from a different project. My mom wanted me to make some garden beds, and after taking some measurements, we bought more wood. I assembled the gardening beds in an afternoon and now they are fully functional, with my mom using them every spring to grow tomatoes, squash, and lettuce.

“HTRAE”  (5/4/23, PAINT, PAPER, PHOTO PAPER AND INK, 16 in x 20 in)

On top of 3D works, I have also done a little bit of traditional art like painting. This art piece shows how different our planet could have been. Maybe it is like this in an alternate reality, with upside-down mountains as floating islands and trees that are more like bushes stacked on top of each other. The grass and the sky are almost the opposite color of what they should be. I used artificial intelligence to draft the source images for my project because if anybody can draw something that is inhuman, it is a computer. 

“OF MYSELF” (5/21/24, PAINT, PAPER, PHOTO PAPER, FOIL AND INK, 14 in x 14 in)

Another piece of art that I have made is this collage that features different parts of me symbolized through the art. The entire piece is made on a larger printed copy of the first chapter of my book, rather than a traditional canvas, to show how writing has been a part of all aspects of my life. Overlaying those are checkerboard patterns to show how much I love and play chess, droplets of green, orange, and blue, the colors of the Indian flag, grid patterns that are reminiscent of Rubik’s cubes, and foil to reflect myself, literally. All of these are arranged in a triangular pattern, a mathematic display of art, much like architecture. 

“DOOMSDAY” (12/4/22, PAPER AND MARKER, 12 in x 16 in)

When I was a little kid, I wanted to be a cartoonist, before I realized that I didn't have the chops to draw the same characters over and over again. But part of that seemingly random dream always stuck with me. When I signed up for a comics book class at my school, I was beyond excited to try cartooning for the first time since I was a little kid. My favorite cartoon was "Doomsday," a reflection on how nonsensical comics can be, while also holding meaning. In this case, it was the feeling that we had a finite amount of time on this planet. At any moment, something "nonsensical" could happen and cut our time short, so we should make the most out of it. 

CUSTOM OFFICE BUILDING (4/30/24, CARDBOARD, ACRYLIC AND SPONGES, 11 in x 6 in x 7 in)

Finally is a model I created with acrylic and wood pieces that were cut out by the laser cutter at my high school. It’s my attempt at creating a model of a building in the same style I have seen in architecture studios. The model is relatively simple, based off my parents' old office building and a building at M.I.T. that I really love, with its more jagged angles, not making it a perfect rectangle and square. It’s not perfect, but I’m still really happy with how it turned out.