Project 1- The 'wearable'

When you aren't sure how to begin a project, start sketching.

Figuring out what constitutes 'wearable' architecture was a two-week task. From sketches and models, we have created a set of rules:
-It must attach mechanically to the body (duh)
-It must trace or react to the motion of the body part under scrutiny
-It should make a comment about how the human body interacts with objects in space

First off, I am not a fan of figure drawing. After three weeks of doing it every day, I am not a fan of figure drawing.

To get some motion under my fingertips, I loaded a short Capoeira clip into iMovie and advanced it frame by frame. Once I found an interesting set of stills, I traced them from the screen. I like the result.

Next up, we have the wearable itself. I took what I had learned about measuring motion and applied it to the pedal stroke of a bicycle. This is the first version of the wearable device:


The device will attach to the upper and lower parts of the leg, with a hinge at the knee. That piece of black PVC supplies spring tension to the upward pull of the pedal stroke. The hope is that using this device will help a cyclist develop a smooth and even pedal stroke.

Also, we've acquired some new drawing skills that will prove useful in the coming weeks.

Architorture Season Premiere

The fall semester has gotten off the ground, and I with it. Three fewer credits equates to about fifteen fewer hours of work each week. Last semester was all about developing a good foundation of skills. This semester seems to be about wishing that foundation went a few meters deeper. Let's break that down, shall we?

Drafting: There's no right way to draft, just a few conventions and a big basket of things that distract your critics from your design intent.

Drawing: It's never going to get easier, but gradually your figures become recognizable as human. As for still life, something in the picture will always look like it is floating. Furniture does not float.

-I haven't cut myself with a utility knife yet, but I keep jamming thumbtacks into my thumbs.

-Nutrition should not come out of a pasta box this time around. We're trying the Paleo Diet instead, and so far results are good.

-In that 15 hour space, we're training for cyclocross. Let's face it, mental strife should be at least tempered with physical torture. It's all about balance.

Keep an eye out for spy photos of this week's top-secret prototype construction.

Expensive cameras, bikes, and mud

Things we like.

US Gran Prix of Cyclocross - Portland, Oregon from Jesse Rosten on Vimeo.

Re-posting this because it really captures the feel of a day of racing cyclocross.

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T minus five days until we're back in the pain cave for another fifteen weeks. For now:
http://twitter.com/ddeitch