Busman's holiday

7 out of 7 panels fully developed and ready to pin up on Monday. Each is 12"x38"

And one more day of Spring break to enjoy.

Project 2: wallpaper

The first four panels of the series are finished. I started by making an incomplete 3-d model using SketchUp so I could measure proportions and experiment with various methods of deforming, cutting, and subtracting without wasting a big pile of cardboard and foamcore.

Model on left, transparent 4"x4" cube for reference.

Show, don't tell.
The first four panels show the construction of the cube model; first the spine, then the cut-outs and wooden supports. Panels are added in #3, and the completed model is shown in #4. The plans, elevations, and axons are from the same point of view. The sections change on each panel to highlight the constructive 'move' made within the drawing. It took a lot of sketching, head-scratching, and erasing to arrive at this set of rules. I think they effectively show the construction logic.

I'd recommend clicking through and viewing this one in it's original size.

Editing, compiling, reviewing.......

A sampling of my favorite work. Click on each image to see full-size.

Spring Break

And much to do.

More project 2 madness

The first model in the series: Straws, wire, foam, held together with friction.

For the revisions, the foam and straws are swapped for cardboard and foamcore. The new materials are assembled with the same logic:
-Wooden rods go placed through the hollow corrugation hold the panels together
-Friction holds card and foam panels in place.
-Two panels of the same dimensions form a 4"x4" frame. The form implies a cube by assembling panels around this frame. Each panel is sized as a percentage of the two central spines. I am satisfied enough with the clarity of construction here that I can proceed to drawing the next steps. The problem to solve will be showing the progression of 'making' and 'un-making' the object.

'Design is the sum of all constraints'

This is Charles' Eames answer to 'what is design?'
Brian Eno on constraints:
'In modern recording one of the biggest problems is that you’re in a world of endless possibilities. So I try to close down possibilities early on. I limit choices. I confine people to a small area of manoeuvre. There’s a reason that guitar players invariably produce more interesting music than synthesizer players: you can go through the options on a guitar in about a minute, after that you have to start making aesthetic and stylistic decisions. This computer can contain a thousand synths, each with a thousand sounds. I try to provide constraints for people.'

the iterative process of frustration

This is based upon the rules and logic of the straw constructions shown in an earlier entry. Sponge is swapped for foam, straws are swapped for cardboard. I departed too much from the rules, leaning more toward something compositional. The object implies a cube and shows glimmers of a tectonic logic, but the proportions don't have a definite relationship. This reads a bit better in plan view.

Needs more work.

Project 2: Tectonics and silly materials

Project 2 is an exercise in visual and lateral thinking.
Requirements: Build a cude from 'found' materials. No glue, tape, or adhesives; use the natural tectonic qualities of the material.

I picked straws and sponges.
Mistake.



Building another iteration of the pink cube, I used friction and tension to hold the pieces together. And they fell apart. To be more accurate, each piece simultaneously came out of joint, causing the model to CEASE EXISTING.

Final project: Orthographic Projection

Constructing a set of finish drawings for Richard Meier's Smith House. Dimensions are pulled from the not-to-scale building plans. Presentation of the drawings will also include a project board and dissertation.

.........which is why I'm up to two cups of black coffee per day.

A Diagram