Wrapped Cube – process

Making sense of my “wrapped cube” assignment – now that you’ve seen me analyzing my cube through camera phone technology, I still haven’t been able to find a whole lot of meaning in this assignment.

The task: After I’ve lived with my cube for a week, and analyzed it thoroughly, I have to wrap it (without harming it).  Will there be a sense of mystery/estrangement about what the wrapping conceals?  Will it evoke an emotion? Be easily recognized?  . . .

So I thought I’d do a little research: My Top 10 List of “Wrapped Cubes.”

10. Wrapped cubes are commonplace in horticulture – garden seed starter

9. The perfect Thanksgiving gift – special gift-wrapped rubik’s cube

8. For those of my classmates who very capably created a sphere out of cardboard and glue, here’s a task for you:  a wrapped cube!

7. A classic kids’ Kids science fair experiment – wrapping ice cubes using various kitchen wraps

6. A wrapped cube-icle?

5. This one’s for my dad  – the Cube-line Wrapper

4. Mind-boggling puzzles.

3. Dr. Cube – it’s not actually a wrapped cube, but it was too funny to omit.

2. Cement tea cake…maybe she shouldn’t have unwrapped it.

1. One kilo of wrapped sugar cubes.

I can’t believe how prolific wrapped cubes are in the world.  But none of these have inspired me on how to wrap my cube.  The best suggestion so far, which relates to my current fancy for communication theory, is to wrap it in tape out of a video.  Maybe I will use old book pages or covers.

How would you wrap your cube?
After a lot of reading and thinking about Christo and Jeanne-Claude, I’ve finally started to figure out the purpose of the wrapped cube assignment.  The works they have created are really awe-inspiring (see the page about “Over the River“), and the picture here – The Gates – New York City 2005.

It’s the idea of drawing attention, a sense of wonder – creating something that makes people look at something in a new way.

I think the best concept for my cube is the idea of the computerization of society.  How much of my time is tied up by computers – how integral technology is to my life.  Only a couple of years ago, we were in a complete crisis when we were still waiting on Telus for phone hook up/internet access, and we had to shop for a car.  We were helpless in making that decision.

So I’ve decided to wrap my cube in computer wires.