The Alpha Beta Cube

Fred Bassetti continues to interact with Western Students

In this slideshow format video, we have chosen to feature interviews of our fellow Western students to gain a consensus on how the cube is perceived off of first glance. When we first started this project and compared our initial reactions it was interesting to see what aspects we all picked up on. There was a very fair overlap in what we noticed, such as the emphasis on learning and detailed knowledge. We thought interviews would be a good medium to larger the sample pool and get a more well-rounded consensus. This process was chosen because we wanted the focus to be on how this piece affects students. An important focus was to ask people how they felt the cube fit within its surroundings. It was designed originally to reside in Miller Square as a feature of Wilson Library, also designed by Fred Bassetti. It was later placed on the Fairhaven campus.

Our Shared Perceptions 

Our shared initial take on the structure is that this sculpture is emphasizing themes of knowledge and education as well as nature and the organic. These ideas are shown not only in the process and construction of the cube with the attention to many basic geometric principles but also with the content printed on the object inside. The symbols inside connect centuries of human tradition in western institutions of learning and education. What is intriguing about the piece is that the outside figure demonstrates natural principals that existed in the world long before humans used the man-made principals represented on the inside to define and describe them. This visually ties nature and the sciences together, a relationship that humanity has been conceptualizing for many centuries. The physically unfolding layers of this piece draw the viewer in and provide them the desire to see its contents. It demonstrates the instinctual human drive to seek out more information than what lies on the surface.

Fred Bassetti

Quickly touching on the artist, Fred Bassetti is a renowned Northwest Architect and is responsible for much of the layout of Westerns campus. The building he considers his “first of any consequence” was actually the Viking Union. He also designed Carver Gym, the student bookstore, Fraser Hall, the humanities building, multiple housing complexes, as well as the previously mentioned Wilson Library.

Acknowledgments 

Credit to Mike Oh for the creation of the video, editing, and all technical work as well as contributions to the research and interviews.

Credit to Ellie Olson for taking the photographs featured in the video and writing the post as well as contributions to research and interviews.

Credit to Brandon Roeseler for editing as well as contributions to the interviews.