It was all started by a mouse..and a sketch. “Constructing Beauty” is a remembrance of the beginnings in which Disney art and animation was born. The process in which sleeping beauty’s castle came to life began with pencil, paper and the imaginative hand. Walt Disney sketched his ideas on paper, napkins, through building model trains, etc; Walt Disney used his hand as the tool to animate his imagination. “Constructing Beauty” illustrates what it means to construct space with the hand, to illustrate an entire thought-process on paper and bring the imagination to life. The sketch is the first step in what it means to construct space. A blank page is transformed; a small process sketch originates in the corner to brainstorm the big picture, size proportions and prep the hand for the great artistic endeavor. The page begins to be filled with construction lines, then the facade goes up, details are pieced together and the ornamentation is applied. The sketch is a graphic model of Sleeping Beauty’s Castle under construction from start to finish; blueprint, framework, finished product. The next phase would be to raise the sketch off the page into a three-dimensional tangible object; a “Constructed Beauty.” It will be constructed in an extraordinary and unordinary way, entirely by hand and entirely carved out of paper. It will appear as if the Castle emerged out of the story book. I am an intern architect, the Design Competition is a blending of my talents, passions and aspirations.
**This piece was entered into the Disney D23 Design Challenge 2015 and was selected as a Finalist. The Second Phase (Final Artwork) of the Design Challenge was later submitted for a chance to win the Grand Prize. Final Artwork was displayed at the D23 EXPO in Anaheim California August 14th-16th, 2015.
Megan Carpenter 