Sunday, November 28, 2010

Wood Project

We were assigned a project to create a system out of wood. When  I think of a system, I think of something that needs every component in order to properly function. Solar system, eco system, digestive system, the list could go on and on. So I took this idea and ran with it. I decided that I wanted every piece to have to depend on another part of the project.


We had to use an 18" piece of 2x4 wood. I cut it in half lengthwise and then cut those 2 pieces into 3", 4", 5" and 6" pieces. The two 6" pieces joined the 3" pieces, and the same for 4" and 5" pieces. Corners were held together by finger grooves. The weight of each side counter-balanced the piece as a whole, helping it to stand on its own. After joining pieces together, I cut the S shaped grooves into the wood, and these were also another component in the final project staying together and balanced. This was my final project:

Left Side      
Corner
Finger Grooves
Inside top view





Luminaire Project

I have really enjoyed this project. I like that we are creating something that actually works and can be used once the critiques are over. My inspiration was knowledge. I initially wanted to create a sphere, made out of mylar.


 After some experimentation, I decided against the sphere idea, and decided to create a cube. I felt that a cube represented knowledge much better, because there is so much knowledge that comes to mind as soon as you think of a square. 4 sides, four 90〫angles, symmetrical, cut in half creates rectangles, diagonally cut creates two 45-45-90 triangles, all sides are equal. 


____________________________________________________






 


My idea evolved to be a cube made out of mylar, and held together with eyelets. I used vellum to experiment, in an effort to reduce costs. I weaved together a small version, as shown above.








____________________________________________________









Then, I tried a larger scale and added the eyelets. I was going to use silver ones, but again, in an effort to reduce costs, I  used blue ones to save the silver eyelets. 


____________________________________________________



 Again, my project evolved. I decided against using eyelets, because they made the cube look too busy. My next step was trying to make the cube with the mylar. After sampling a few different bonding methods on scrap pieces, I chose rubber cement. However, once the whole thing was put together, the glue was very visible and unattractive. 







____________________________________________________

Finally, I made the choice to use vellum in the final product. It was much sturdier than the mylar and it looked much more finished.