Virtual EnvironmentModule one: IdeationStudent Journal

Yun Gu633789

4th Mar - 27th Mar 2013

Week 1 Introduction to subject

In week one's lecture, we were introduced to virtual environments and how we generate analytical drawings of the natural patterns. Paul uses game to explain the difference between based syetem and strategy; also uses various images to show how is virtual environment represented. The analytical drawings for module one have three aspects: symmetry, balance and movement.

This week's reading: Analytical Drawings by Clark Poling explains stages of analysing pattern: 1. to subordinate the whole complex subject to one simple overall form with concise schema and abstract. 2. to understand the formal characterization of individual parts, making clear the tensions discovered in the structure. 3. indicating the structural network by focal points(dotted lines) and emphasize the principle tentions by lines.

Through the analytical process, we can find out the various structural possibilities from the natural patterns and exercise in the simplification of the complex and individual tensions. The lecture also introduces how natural patters can be transformed into other patterns such as the fish shapes. The order and rules of the natural patterns are also transformable; the rules in geometry and fomulas can be seen as abstracted pattern from natural as well. Making a recipe for a pattern could explain the ideas clearer and better.

I chose a cracked tree pattern as an inspiration for my brief.

Aim: to see, think logically; work combine both analytical and sunthetic processes, calculation and intuition; to perceive the abstract, the essential form, undistracted by secondary aspects or insignificant features.

touch under the skin of nature its essense

Movement: The growing ring(repetition of circles) of the tree produces diffused movement from the centre of the fissure like a electric wave.

Balance: The proportion of the pattern divided by three primary lines(crack) is not even, but the proprotion divided areas symmetrically on the middle vertical line.

Symmetry: distribute similar amount of lins on both side along the diagonal axis using same structure and method.

Week 2 Pattern & Rule based system

Various systems were discussed in this week's lecture. Firstly representation is defined as a way of describing information which could be a drawing, a diagram or even a recipe. Mark Gracia describes pattern as "a sequence, distribution, structure or progression, a series or frequency of repeated unit, system or process of identical or similar elements." Natural patterns could relates all the back from natural processes into design. An example can be the bubble structure used in large object such as the Eden Project.

The second idea is about pattern formation as spatial device. The mapping of movements give information about a photo; a pattern can also be used as static representation. Information make real through representation. For natural process to occur, something has to happen in order for an object to become another. An example could be Frei Otto's minimum path using strings and water tension.

This week's reading is Pattern Formation in Nature by Philip Ball . In this article he tallks about the form and growth, physical information about how the evolution occur. He also talks about the idea of reaction refusions process. Ball refers his ideas of chemical transformation to the organic system in nature. Geometry is formed by different shapes and sizes, relative position of figures and the properties of space. Two lins make a surface, lines and points form geometry. Geometry has four basic transformations: move, rotate, scale and mirror.

To emerge a model of the pattern, I decided to make some trace on a square piece of paper that looks exactly like the pattern, instead it's more three dimensional. The model results like a piece of crumpled paper, to add more volume I tried to repeat this crumpled paper to produce a new form of cube by Rhino.

To emerging a form with my pattern, firstly I outlined the primary lines on tracing paper and cut it into pieces.

This is a pure view of the tracing paper before cutting.

After I cut the pattern, I draw lines around the pieces 5 mm away from the boundary for folding to glue; excluding the bordering lines of the square.

I glued the tracing paper pieces onto white paper to stable it and get the shapes better, then cut aroung it 5mm away from the boundary.

I folded the boundaries upward and glue it to form the original pattern in a square. After that, starting from the middle cracked point, I pull the corners up and the cracks stay in a order of concave-protrude-concave-protrude...The image on right is the top view of the final emerging form with my pattern.

The emerging form of my pattern is not stable, tapes need to be used to maintain the model. Also it's irregular so the spaces are not divided well for the model to stand. The square is not centred by the cracking point so folding the corners makes the top(parts around the point) have messy lines and hunch-up that doesn't reach a good aesthetic quality.

The form is hardly relate to a lantern and I decided to manipulate more transformation of the original pattern to get a more delicate form. I am also considering to hollow parts of the emerging form to allow more light coming out which this model doesn't provide.

Week 3 Camouflage & Effects

Pattern is about informations and representations. Pttern can produce Effects that defined as a change which is a result or consequence of an action or other cause. Husssin Chalayan's spring summer collection in 2008 use series of mirrors to refocus and transform his collections into spactials, that creatively shows how pattern produce effects by action. Light is another important factor to produce camouflage as it creates ambiance and feel of a place, as well as the expression of a structure(quote by Le Corbusier). My faviourite example is the TO AND FRO TABLE which uses pattern and material to create a graphic shadow. The idea of saturated environment as known as blending environment is always associate with camouflage. Disruptive patterns are often used to disturb signts such as using to prevent enemy from estimating distances of the boat during war time. Another idea of pattern is MULTIPLE that is creating an effective environment by multiplying objects. Differentiating something ciould produce other effects like movement as well. Differentiated environment is about similarity and change of view points.

Interference system is another way to create effect where one pattern is overlay another pattern, the differences of the patterns create movements. The six category of lights are: direct, layered, cut, filtered, extruded and diffuse. Shifting materials one a surface can capture the light itself, an example will be Tara Donovan's Installation.

By further emerging with my pattern, I found some similar patterns. On left it's a natural pattern appears on leave and the bottom one is an image of broken glass. These two images inspire me of how to relate my pattern to other objects. There I came up an idea of broken bulb.

The idea of my lantern will be like a giant broken bulb, which there are a lot of cracks on the surface(allow lights to go through) and probably close to a sphere form. The idea is still variable at this stage.

In this week's workshop, I worked with my partner Annie to emerge a three dimensional form using clay. The recipe I told Annie to do is make a plicated surface and fold it to a bowl form. It's hard to produce gaps on clay surface and the model results like a dumpling.

At this stage I am also considering how to hold the lantern. The clay model doesn't have a handgrip so it's temporary lifted. If I continue work with the broken bulb idea the result should be hanging.

This model is emerged from the paper mould of the movements in my pattern. By repeating the curves on surfaces and piece together I made a bowl form.

Rhino Practise

I tried to seperate the pattern following the cracks and somehow combine them into a whole form but it looks too abstract; so I did another tryout by trailing all the points on the pattern and lift the sides upward.

- extruded curve tapered at an angle of 5

After it's emerged, the movement points increased to a great amount and I think there are much more ways of transformation. But this form does not associate to lanterns so I did not spend more time on developing this model.

This model is made by extruded curves to a point. On left are other views of the same model.

I extruded the curve to a point to emerge another form and it leads me to other perspect in seeing this pattern.

After a 3D rotation and adding mirror effect, The model looks like being bombed and similar to coral. I quite like this model but it's hard to relate this to a lantern.

Here I rail revolved the curves on an axis and spin/rotate it 360 degrees and I got a complicated irregular form that has enough volumn for a bulb. So far this model is closest to a lantern.

End of Module One