Activity: Abstracting Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation | Feb 5, 2020
Frank Lloyd Wright’s designs exhibit strong geometric forms throughout, and in this activity, we encourage you to find the geometry in a space, and create an abstraction of it using the provided shapes.
The unique features seen in the eight Frank Lloyd Wright sites that were included in the inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List exhibit Wright’s use of geometric shapes. Wright found inspiration in these shapes from a young age when his mother introduced him to an educational tool called Froebel Gifts. Each of the Gifts are numbered one through 10 and include simple objects like blocks, sticks, and cards. These objects are meant to encourage learning through play, observation, experimentation, and storytelling. The Froebel blocks are often cited as the foundation of Wright’s designs, inspiring him to look at all organic and non-organic objects in geometric form. Looking at the example of Taliesin West below, we challenge you to create your own design out of the shapes provided.
Instructions
2.
Cut out each shape.
3.
Choose a building you want to abstract using geometric shapes or create your own original design.
4.
Using the box, arrange the geometric shapes to create a geometric version of your inspiration. Use your imagination, have fun and channel your inner architect!
This activity originally appeared in the winter 2019 issue of the Frank Lloyd Wright Quarterly magazine, “UNESCO World Heritage: The 20th-Century Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright.”
