Weilin Yan (Jason) 596561

Semester 1 2013 Group 9

WED 1.30-3.30 Angela

Module 4

IDEA

TIO

N

This is my chosen pattern- Eye of Dahlia.

From this pattern, there are a lot of ideas show-ing througn the petals like scale, movement and and symmetry. For my analytical drawing, I just use Kandinsky’s theory of drawing with three steps; they are simplification, analysis and transformation. Thus I apply each step into each of my analytical drawing.

Balance Symmetry

From Kandinsky’s (1987, 114) second stage, it maintains a discovery of the structure and then find the whole network among the pattern. So I developed my balance drawing by trying to share clarity through the whole structure of a blossomy Dahlia.

Just as Kandinsky mentioned of the first stage about exemplify elements of a pattern and then think about the overall shape. For this symmetry drawing I just went through this process. I used a based element equilateral triangle which I extracted from the petals shape. After I used Rhino to trace the pattern, I came up with this symettry drawing.

Movement

The petals from the centre expand towards outside and become bigger and bigger. So this makes me develope my movement analytical drawing (showing below).

For my movment drawing, I just use simple geome-try- a circle and get the track from my pattern picture. Thus I made the drawing like that on the left.

Then based on my analytical drawing, I extruded each circles with different heights and got the spiral cylinders above.

I kind of like what it looks like so I chose to look deeper on the drawing and develope something else.

Paper Model

From the precedent study of the Museum of Glass in Washinton, I found the shape really interesting and for my lantern I want to achieve the panel like this.

So I kept working on my base element and came up with the small shape showing on the left. It has a shape just like the petal of my pat-tern and can creat a linear light effect.

Museum of Glass in Washinton

I kept working on my base element and came up with the small shape showing on the left. It has a shape just like the petal of my pattern and can creat a linear light effect.

From the precedent study of RMIT Building 80, they creat a 3D feeling like a lot of swateeth or polygones only with multicoloured geometric - triangular. This gives me the idea of how I can make my panels for later module and how I can put them together on the overall shape of my lantern.

RMIT Building 80

Response

For my lantern, according to my recipe it is like a cone shape. So I came up with the interface with fingers as the steepletop then coverd my forearm.

Interface

Light Effect

For this module, we were asked to generate some general ideas from our chosen pattern, like the drawings, paper models, clay models. So as to create a lantern, this step is really important . It gives us the corestone for our later design. Without these desgn process, people will get lost of our work. Besides, from this mod-ule, what I learned from this module is that there is no good or bad in a design process. There are only reasons why you choose this or that. How can we relate our choices back to our design.

With my ideation module, I followed Kandinsky’s analytical ap-proach to generate my recipe and drawings especially the simpli-fication of my pattern to simple geometries. Then I kept trans-forming my elements through clay models and precedent studies. I have to say, everything what we think about or generated are supposed to linked to our recipe. But some of my ideas are just some immediate thoughts or decisions. Even though I tried my best to relate them back to my initial recipe, it is still a bit difficult to make strong connection with it. Hence, for my later design sub-jects recipe or agenda should be the centre of all my later work.

DESIG

N

At first, I made the shape like this from my recipe. It gives me the feeling about spiral and twisted curves. But I found it a bit boring and like a ‘noodle’ model.

Then I changed the pipe shape into three bubbles, which also shares the feeling like before with twisted spiral curves. Besides, for the panel, I chose a two layers panel combined with triangles and polygones.

Later I kept transform my lan-tern shape without twisted but just three normal bubbles and only apply for polygines on the surface. I was struggling with these two forms for a while.

While I was doing the panel in this model, I found that the trian-gles and the edge of the polygones sometimes can’t intersect well. There are some small gaps be-tween them.

When I did prototype for this panel design, I was shocked! The dimension of each panels are way too small! Then I considered to scale it on Rhino. However, if I scale them, the dimension of the overall shape will also get bigger and then cannot fit well with my forearm. So I had to abandon this choice and focus on the simple form. Simple is the best!

Thus, I measure my arm’s length and width and apply the dimension to my model so as to make it suitable enough for me to wear it like a sleeve.

Light Effect

At module one ideation, I created the light effect with linear light through the little hole. It was supposed to creat plenty of the linear lights (on the left). How-ever, as my final chosen model uses panel of polygones with no interspace. And this is because I don’t want to show my clothes or skin out of audiences when I wear my lantern. Therefore, based on my precedent studies above I may just chose the single linear light , or in another word light beam coming through the top hole of my lantern.

Response

According to Thomas’s speech on Ted Talk, a lot of design are cold and soulness. Then I ask myself how can a design be of soul and spirit? Does it need to be exaggerate or as simple as possible? From this module, in my opinion design process is actually like a proble solving work. Just like my design of my lantern, I was struggled which shape or panel should I pick up. Then I evaluate both model and finally settle down my overall lantern. Besides, in lecture Paul talked about an example of an architecture on the lake which called ‘drink the building’ designed by Liz Diler - spread steam outwards. This kind of design does have a spirit. It can get audiences or us-ers to be involved in such design and have their own sense towards the design by their experience.

This is exactly like the design of a lantern. What I got from the precedent is what the feeling or sense a lantern can create for users. I need to focus on the shadow and light. Then how can the light be created? Through the openness of the lantern. Thus for my lantern, I generate the effect just as a torch or similarily the spotlight and the light can come through the top open space. I think it’s pretty fun and like the sword in “Star Wars”.

Blur Building

FAB

RIC

AT

ION

For this module, it gives me the opportunities to revise my former design and get back to my recipe again

Paper Model Paper Model

Before I started to fabricate my final lantern, I made these two models just to test the key skills of fabricating the lantern. I only used A4 Pringting papers and got the final model with ‘mountain fold’ and ‘valley fold’. These were like the cut line and fold line while doing the set up of unrolling in Rhino!

With my paper model, I used them to test my lantern panels which are 3D polygones just look like the swateeth above. The paper model really gives me how woudl my lantern look like with those panels rather than visually see it in Rhino. The picture on the left shows that they can performe pretty well and it also shows that when I wear it on my arm it is just what I expected before.

While I chose part of my lantern to make my prototypes, the highlited panels were both top and bottom part of the lantern. I will use them to test all the process of fab-rication, like unrolling, making tabs etc.Besides, the tools I would use for the fabri-cation were scissor, glue, knife and cutting mat. After testing all kinds of glue, I found super glue using gel seemed to be a better choice. It can dry fast and won’t leave any glue trace on the paper.

From the prototype process, I tested the paper with light. I found that under the light the taps will become ouvious so I may have to revise my making process.

Besides, I made two tapes and made them over-laped by mistake. For my final fabrication, I need to create tabs carefully and pay attention to the dimension of the tabs. Not too long or too short.

For my another prototype, when I grouped the ‘floor’ together I found that it changed the shape! Then I realised I should group them as a whole rather than group each floor separately.

Prototypes

Time to do my final lantern!

From the experiences from my prototype process, I labeled each floor I unrolled . Besides, I also need to consider how to connect each ‘floor’ together. From my second prototype, I did it my separate each floor into two parts and each part has four polygones. But the shape was still changed. So I then make a vertical brunch of polygones (Green in the picture), and then put together with rest panels in each floor. It finally worked!

I was struggling with how to con- trol the light turing on and off at first. However, with help from LMS, I then tried to put a strip of paper between the legs and the battery.

Response

According to Branko (2003), with the recent shift in the use of digital technology from design to fabrication. It makes the complex geometry of a project not only describable, but also producible using digital means in order to ensure a high degree of precision in fabrication and assembly.

His reading reminds me of our lantern making process. With the first mod- ule of idealisation of a pattern, then we make 2D into 3D panel by Rhino and then transform it again into 2D. By fabricating the unrolled surfaces, we finally get a lantern!

This module mainly focuses on the process of translation from the difital to the physical realm which is the inverse of computer-aided manufacturing. With the opportunities to fabricate our model we could make a lot of prototypes to exam the models and try to see whether there are prob-lems or not. Then we can fix the proble in the computer with feedback from our prototypes just like what I did like chane e tabs or change the way to unroll and group each floors.

REFLEC

TIO

N With Rifkin and Macmillan’s reading (2011), I am able to un-derstand and start to think about the future context for digital making. The world used to be and still is constrained by ener-gy, especially oil-related sources (Rifkin & Macmillan 2011). In 21st century, the world start to pay attention to new clean en-ergy. The same thing happened for digital making. The new 3D printer is a good example of such development. For our project, it really gives me the opportu-nity to review design and digital making. I used to think design is like a pure abstract work. Then with my design of the lantern, it actually is the transformation of an abstract thing into physical object.

When an audience just see the pattern and the final lantern, he or she must be curious about the process. I think the reason why the process of a design is more important than the final outcomes is that the design process shows all the visible and unvisible elements of the whole design. What I mean is that the final product actualy is one of the choices you have cre-ated. There are a lot of information showing in the design process which cannot and should’t be ignored. Take my design of the lantern as an example, I used to struggle with decision-making and some problems, like the choice of the final lantern shape and the pan-el. Even though I set down the panel to be a single layer of polygones, it does not mean other choices are not good or this final choice is the best one. It only shows in such an context, this choice is more suitable.

Response

Bibliography

The Red and Black architect. 2013. Retrieved on 24 May 2013 from <http://there-dandblackarchitect.wordpress.com/2012/08/27/the-red-black-review-swanston-academic-building-building-80-rmit/>

Tooling / Aranda, Lasch. New York : Princeton Architectural Press, 2006

Poling, Clark (1987): Analytical Drawing In Kandisky’s Teaching at the Bauhaus Rizzoli, New York, pp. 107-122

Diller, L. Blur Building, 2013. Retrieved on 26 May 2013 from <http://tropolis.me/post/35898734079/liz-diller-in-conversation-with-christian-marclay>

Architecture in the Digital Age - Design and Manufacturing /Branko Kolarevic. Spon Press, London, c2003

The third Industrial Revolution / Jeremy Rifkin. Palgrave Macmillan, C2011.pp107-126