My first experience with “gourdlandia” was very interesting, to say the least. Although the concept sounds rather simple, it was much more complex than one might think. To start, the gourds were dried and drilled rather than carved, as one might think. There was also quite a bit of manual skill involved with angling the drill properly and holding it with your fingers in a proper manner. Additionally, there were also a variety of drill sizes to choose from, each with a slightly different feel to the instrument. However, what I found to be most interesting and difficult was the concept of positive and negative space and how this influenced how light was diffused in three-dimensional space. For example, when holes were created on the sides of the gourd, it created a halo spread around the wall behind the gourd. Not only did you have to think about how the gourd looked to the naked eye, but predict how light would look as it passed through it, as a nightlight, this would be the form in which you would see it most.

As this project was not graded and was merely for enjoyment purposes, I had a fun time experimenting with these artistic concepts in a low-stakes environment. I can also say now I know a great deal more about ever-so-useful gourd drilling than I did before this project!