Gravitas Academic Monument — Plastic Shell and Cement Fill Study

 

Plastic Shell Study — Reflective Vertical Monument on Studio Table

Reflective shell model on the studio table, testing vertical form, base structure and material presence.

Side View of Working Trophy Shell with Studio Tools .23

Side view of the working model with studio tools and background context.

Folded Shell and Stepped Base Construction Study

Folded shell and stepped base study, showing how the object begins to hold weight and void.

Silver-Grey Shell Construction Study for Academic Monument

Silver-grey shell study showing the same monument form in a quieter material tone.

This page forms part of the continuing sketchbook and studio process archive for the Gravitas Academic Monument — Best Academic Achiever of the Year, a school trophy concept by Pieter Lategan | STUDIO, Pretoria, South Africa.

This second page focuses on the plastic shell and cement fill study. The photographs show a working model placed on the studio table, together with tools, notes, sketchbook pages, material studies and construction references. The object is still in process. It is not presented here as a final trophy, but as part of the visual thinking and structural testing behind the work.

The study explores how a vertical form, a stepped base, a hollow shell, and a central void can hold weight and presence. Within the language of Gravitas, the object is not treated as decoration. It is treated as a small architectural monument: a structure that must carry silence, balance, weight and material seriousness.

The reflective gold and silver surfaces in these photographs are part of the process investigation. They help test form, edge, shadow, visibility and finish before the object is resolved as a final studio piece. The sketchbook pages show colour notes, void studies, ground area planning and material decisions connected to the larger development of the work.

This process is part of my ongoing studio work in Silent Monumentalism and Gravitas, where structure, silence, weight, surface and material presence remain central.

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Gravitas Academic Monument — Process Series

This page forms part of a continuing sketchbook and process archive for the Gravitas Academic Monument — Best Academic Achiever of the Year, a school trophy concept by Pieter Lategan | STUDIO, Pretoria, South Africa.

• Part 1: Trophy Base and Mould Study
• Part 2: Plastic Shell and Cement Fill Study — current page
• Part 3: Assembly, Finish and Presentation Study

For the wider studio framework, see Silent Monumentalism principles and Gravitas as a discipline within Silent Monumentalism.

Related archive: Silent Monumentalism Online Handbook.

Gravitas Academic Monument | Trophy Base and Mould Study

 This sketchbook and process sequence documents an early construction study for the Gravitas Academic Monument — Best Academic Achiever of the Year, a school award concept by Pieter Lategan | STUDIO, Pretoria, South Africa.

The work explores how a small academic trophy can be built from simple geometric forms using a combination of 3D-printed plastic, cement or stone-composite fill, and a cast base structure. The study focuses on proportion, weight, silence, material presence and practical construction rather than decoration.

The base study examines how a rectangular foundation can be cast with a central opening or recess, allowing the upper trophy elements to sit into or onto the structure. This process belongs to the wider development of Silent Monumentalism and Gravitas, where balance, discipline, structure and material seriousness are treated as part of the final object.

This is not a generic trophy-cup design. It is a small monument to learning, effort, academic discipline and achievement.

Gravitas Academic Monument Trophy Base Sketch

Early sketchbook measurement study for the base of the Gravitas Academic Monument trophy system.

Academic Monument Casting Block Study

Sketchbook note exploring how to cast a specific base block with a central hole or recess.

Gravitas Academic Monument Mould Test

Handmade prototype mould testing the shape of the rectangular base and central recess.

Silent Monumentalism Trophy Construction Study

Process view of the mould study while testing the relationship between the base and upper trophy elements.

Gravitas Base Form Construction Test

Top view of the mould prototype, showing the base shape and internal recess area.

Academic Monument Base Recess Study

Side view of the handmade base mould showing the low rectangular form and edge construction.

Studio Process for Gravitas Academic Monument

Studio process image showing the cutting and adjustment stage of the handmade mould prototype.

Gravitas Trophy Mould Material Study

Hand-Cut Prototype Detail for Trophy Base

Wilson Phillips - Hold On | Official Music Video | 27 Febrruary 1990

Notes:

“This study documents the early development of a mould and base system for the Gravitas Academic Monument, a school trophy concept by Pieter Lategan | STUDIO. The process explores plastic, cement, weight, structure and material presence as part of Silent Monumentalism.”

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Gravitas Academic Monument — Process Series

This page forms part of a continuing sketchbook and process archive for the Gravitas Academic Monument — Best Academic Achiever of the Year, a school trophy concept by Pieter Lategan | STUDIO, Pretoria, South Africa.

• Part 1: Trophy Base and Mould Study — current page
• Part 2: Plastic Shell and Cement Fill Study
• Part 3: Assembly, Finish and Presentation Study

For the wider studio framework, see Silent Monumentalism principles and Gravitas as a discipline within Silent Monumentalism.

Related archive: Silent Monumentalism Online Handbook.