Proposal

For our next project, we will be working on making a form and creating a stop motion animation using that form. For my form I am using a slotting technique using 12 cut-out Bristol pieces. For the stop motion, I will be taking this form around the city of Philadelphia. The form will symbolize myself by traveling to the places that I go to most often. Below are some photographs of the form in progress.

Zaha Hadid's Theatre Seating

Recently, we learned about Zaha Hadid in our Foundation Design 102 class. These seats were designed by her. She not only designs amazing architecture, but she also designed these amazing theatre seats. These seats are an innovative because they are an equally effective and more interesting twist to the classic theatre seat. She includes the geometry in to her work just like she includes it into her architectural design.

array auditorium + theatre seating for poltrona frau

zaha hadid

Designboom

Artist's Statements for Mid-term critique on March 25, 2013

1. Modular Relief

The first project in Foundation Design 102 was the modular relief project. I worked on a design team with Maxine Whiteley. Maxine and I worked very well together. I enjoyed working on a design team. Being in different majors, I imagined that we would have very different visions. However, we found to have a similar idea: a sculptural dress with intricate detail and relief. We started out with a large vision that was transformed into something more successful than we had originally envisioned. When we first started discussing our visions, we both knew that we wanted to make a dress, however, we wanted it to not be as literal as that. We wanted the dress to be seen as both a sculpture and a piece of clothing. Our first thought that was provoked because of the restraint of color was to design a wedding dress. With this idea, we wanted to keep it delicate but still structural and fresh. We chose go with folded origami cherry blossom flowers in different sizes. Our biggest technical challenge was time. This ended up working out to our advantage because our sculptural dress was more successful with a short skirt. Our main concern for this project was maintaining good craftsmanship. In my opinion, I believe that we did an excellent job. We used the same techniques that would be used in a dress made out of fabric as we did with our dress made out of paper. For example: we hand-sewed every flower onto the dress, used hook and eyes for the closure of the dress and made a structure for the underneath of the skirt that is similar to a hoop skirt structure. An unexpected positive change to our bodice occurred when we began layering strips of paper measuring less than 1/4” on the bodice with the use of matte medium. The intent was to hide the darts placed to make the bodice fit better on the mannequin. The strips of paper did not completely hide the imperfections so we began folding, cutting and sewing paper cherry blossom flowers measuring less than an inch in diameter. This was a positive solution to the problem because our fresh, delicate, and sculptural dress became more intricate. Even the time challenge became a good problem because it forced us to keep the skirt short. This was good in end because the length would have taken away from the intricacy of the bodice. We were able to achieve a good balance between the bodice and the skirt. This also gave us a good balance between the low relief in the bodice and higher relief of the flowers in the skirt.

2. Serial Planes samples/curvilinear foam-core sample sculpture

For my horizontal serial plane without a transition, I chose to get inspiration from my background and place of birth. This project represents where I was born, which is in London, Ontario, Canada. This inspired the plane’s shape which is an abstracted known symbol of Canada. My work visually incorporates the maple leaf from the Canadian flag. Craftsmanship is important to me. Therefore, I tried to keep the transitions between the planes as even as possible. The planes are separated my foam-core squares which are the same size and placed in sequence throughout the serial plane.

For my horizontal, right angle serial plane, the project represents from my home away from Moore College of Art and Design. My work visually incorporates flowers and water in wave form. The bottom plane is a flower which reminds me of my home because every year we plant flowers at my house. Another prominent inspiration from home is the beach, considering we live a fairly short distance away. As the serial plane transitions upward, it morphs from flower petals, to waves. This personally resonates me with the feeling of summer. Like the non-transitional serial plane, the planes are separated with foam-core squares that are placed in order from the bottom plane to the top. This is so that there is good craft from all angles of the work.

For my vertical transition serial plane, I took inspiration from the right angle horizontal plane but in a different sense. I took the curvilinear edges from the flower concept and transitioned it to become from linear as your eye moves backward on the plane. My work resonates with a sense of softness to hardness caused by the transition of the edges from curvilinear to linear. The biggest technical challenge for this piece was cutting the curvilinear edges with an xacto blade and maintaining good craft. This serial plane was the most challenging to execute.


The curvilinear foam-core sample structure was more challenging for me. I focused more on material explorations than the overall concept for this piece. The biggest technical challenge was placing all of the material explorations together on one foam-core base so that they were cohesive. I believe that this piece has a good balance as all of the elements are placed around a central element. This gives a sense of organization and balance. Also, the elements rotate around the central element and transition from curvilinear to linear. I also believe that this unifies the piece. The elements steer the viewer’s eye around the central element and keep the viewer’s eye engaged in the architectonic sculpture.

3. Architectonic Sculpture with re-purposed materials

Instead of my architectonic sculpture made out of repurposed materials being made to be viewed on a horizontal plane, it is meant to be viewed vertically, or as an installation piece. It is meant to be viewed this way because I wanted to focus on the weaving on the base of the foam core. The reflection from the background catches the viewers eye and the simplicity of the design lets the viewer focus on the elements inspired by the concept. I went through 3 different versions of the project derived from the same concept: Tribal print, navajo sand painting and blankets, and cactus flowers from that region. In this project I used: the ‘Smart Pop’ popcorn wrapper, condiment paper cups, water containers and broken plastic.

The Ginkgo Polypropylene Umbrella

The Ginkgo Polypropylene Umbrella

By: Federico Venturi, Gianluca Savalli, and Marco Righi

Designboom.com

Click Here to See Out More

I chose to blog about this design because it is relevant to our current project: recycled materials. This umbrella was designed in Italy within the past three years. The umbrella is both aesthetically pleasing as well as practical and environmentally conscious. The umbrella's parts have been reduced from 120 pieces in a traditional umbrella, to 20 pieces in this more conscious design. The production steps have been reduced by 80% as a result of rationalization of components as well.

Texture Experimentation

Reading Assignment #2 3/17/2013

1. Describe interaction and stability in 3-D form. What is the “three plane rule?” Give an example?
It has been discovered that there are only three ways that two planar forms can interact with each other. (1) When paper is folded, it meets at a common edge. (2) An edge of one plane can have a common boundary with another. (3) Two planes can pass through one another. The three plane rule is the most simple way to achieve stability. "A stable structure results when any three planes meet so that each plane interacts with both of the other planes."

Honeycomb Lamp

Kyouei Co. ltd

Japan

Designboom

2. What is an environmental plane and planar structure? Give examples and describe it.
Examples of environmental planes are walls, ceilings, shelves, surface of the earth, etc. They are examples because they all define space in where a planar object finds itself. The ground plane is what a planar structure is attached to.

Magnetic Steel Block Installation

OBU by Elisabeth Lemercier

Designboom

3. Define an architectonic form. List three examples given in the reading: (A). (B). (C.)
Architectonic form is the category for furniture, architecture, and other objects. Three examples are (A) regular geometric shapes, (B) emphasis on horizontal and vertical orientations and (C) the contrast of closed and open space.

MRM Arquitectos: Añorbe Cemetery Extension

Designboom

4. How cans a reflective surface effect the transition of space? 
Reflective surfaces can effect transitions by creating the illusion of space.

Mut Design

Zig-Zag Mirror

Designboom

5. How can planes define volume?
A space is divided and shaped by a plane. For example, a circle can be shown as cross-section slice from a sphere.

Wangjing SOHO

Zaha Hadid

Beijing

Designboom

6. Describe the following organizational principles that relate to 3 dimensional forms: (Give your own visual examples)

1. Organization-the structure or pattern that ties an object and it's elements together.

Carpet Pattern Skyscraper Structures

Babak Golkar

Designboom

2. Synergy-"the whole is greater than the sum of it's parts." Each element individually is not interesting, but when but together in numbers it creates something interesting.

Tokujin Yoshioka: Mirage for LEMA

Milan Design Week 2013

Designboom

3. Order and freedom- Human minds naturally create order. Excess freedom can result in the lack of viewer engagement. 

Waelice 3D printed wall lamps

Nodesign

Saint-Etienne Biennale 2013

Designboom

4. Structure and unity-A grid is the most common systematic structure. Relies on formal and math principles, while unity is the principle that perceptual devices bind a composition together.

Japan Pavilion

Expo 2000

Hanover, Germany

Designboom

5. Symmetry-the same on both sides. Most common is the 'mirrored' or bilateral symmetry.

Symmetry

Ivo Rodrigues

Portugal

Designboom

6. Repetition within variety- repetition with the same elements into a composition. When there is no variety in the repetition, viewer interest is blanketed.

Isbjerget Housing Project in Aarhus by seARCH, CEBRA, JDS + Louis Paillard

Designboom

7. Rhythm and gradation-both help to create variety. 

Waelice 3D printed wall lamps by nodesign

Saint-Ettienne Biennale 2013

Homework Progress for 2/25

First Serial Plane that I designed. 

The serial plane was abstracted from a Canadian Maple Leaf and consists of 7 planes.