Allyson Patterson & Madeleine Eyre Student Numbers: 649269 & 587528 Semester 2/2013 Tutorial 9 Virtual Environments M2: Design
Personal Space
is a self-reflective aura created by the physical and mental perceptions of an environment in which only an individual can exist. It is an implied, non-physical, energetic field surrounding an individual. The Design Brief calls for an innovative design of a second skin; a wearable volume or surface that accommodates the body. The second skin will explore, measure, and/or negotiate the boundary of personal space. The design must create a spatial or emotional effect.
Fenella Elms “The mysterious power of thought enables it to produce external, perceptible, phenomenal results by its own inherent energy” - Subba Row
Isabelle Wenzel “It would be beautiful to dissapear. nowhere to be found. It would be beautiful to be the only one to know you have disspeared” - Elias Canetti
Jessica Drenk “It is the function of the artist to evoke the experience of surprised recognition: to show the viewer what he knows but does not know that he knows.” - William Burroughs, on Gottfried Helnwein
System Analysis
Section and Profile
Subject: Partition
Produced for DAISO Japan
Materials: White Plastic
Dimensions:
140 mm high x 492 mm long Measured beginning at bottom left corner. The object has been cut with scissors into smaller pieces during experimentation. The dimensions of the smaller pieces are shown in Plan A on Page 3.
Evaluation:
The Partition is size adjustable and can be cut to any desired length with scissors to serve the purpose of dividing a designated space into smaller spaces. Its purpose is primarily organizational, as it is commonly used in drawers to arrange items neatly.
Abstracted Partition: Based on Miralles: How to layout a croissant (1994) Analysis of profile and section planes through series of intersecting parallel and perpendicular lines. The partition is created through these intersecting parallel and perpendicular places in space.
It is constructed of 38 individual partitions 140 mm high x 11mm long x 3 mm wide with connectors 11 mm below the top and 70 mm below the bottom. These connectors form a point in the middle of the two individual partitions, to enable scissors to easily cut them.
Front and Back Elevation Scale 1:1
The edges of the individual partitions are slightly rounded, with otherwise completely flat surfaces. Reconfiguring Exploration: My partition model utlilized both parallel and perpindicular planes, but I wanted to experiment with only parallel planes that bend in a curvature.
Week 2 Second Skin Sketches
This sketch design mimics that of a stainned glass window, so the view of the body from behind is not obstructed. This design idea stems from a section containting a frame and portal to an inside view of something, just like a window into a building, or skin into body.
This inflatable art work at the Kowloon Cultural District Art display in Honk Kong was uesd as inspiration for these designs. The use of colour and light creates an auratic feel around the viewers, resembling a form of personal space. In my designs I incorporated its soft contours and free form. http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2013/04/30/inflatable-art-inhong-kong/
Design Process The design process is extremely fluid and organic, making it difficult to accurately delineate in a chronological manner. In our process of reconfiguring our models and exploring within our material systems, we utilized the virtual pin board tool of Pinterest to capture our inspirational images as a visual train of thought. http://pinterest.com/alpats/sizzling-sections-infamous-inflatables/ http://pinterest.com/madeleineeyre/inflatable-art/
Second Skin Developments Week 3: Design I
Rhino Developments:
This Second Skin encapsulates the individual’s personal space and enables them to feel like they have a space that is only for them, but allows them to view the external world through lines of vision, as well as allows the external world to view them. The Extrusions will have clear inflatable platic with internal lighting to showcase the internal personal space.
Dora Kelemen
Second Skin Developments Week 3: Design II
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nautilus_Shell.jpg
Shells have influenced my design idea as they provide a shelter for their inhabitant which is an actual part of the organism and which they carry on them at all times for protection, shelter and is also a personal display. The organism can also emerge from the shell when it has been outgrown.
I have created a dome hand held kite to enclose the body. It forms a shell from which one can emerge to portray perceptions of personal spcae which is circusmtantial. One is especially susceptible to feelings of discomfort when a person is close behind therefore the back is completely shut of from the outer world to protect the wearer. The front of the object is like a net, and woven together to create an airy aura infront of the person which may make people cautious of coming too close.
Prototyping Experimentation I Constructing a rough prototype of the shell
We discovered in our prototype testing that model with duct tape and opaque plastic, we the design was only able to truly inflate experimented how the movement of the body with excessive forceful movement of the affected the Second Skin’s form in relation
body. Otherwise it just hung like a cape.
to the body. As personal space is dynamic
The incorporation of section and profile
and evolves with the movement of the
allowed straps to encase the body, but
body, so should our Second Skin. Madeleine
often the inflatable structure would fully
tested various body movements, and Allyson
envelop the head and shoulders, disabling
photographed and diagrammed how the
all vision to the external world for the
Second Skin prototype moves.
wearer.
Precedent: Aleksandra Kasuba “Cocoon Dwelling” Whiz-Bang City, East Woodstock, NY 1972 This structure creates a personal space within
In a practical sense, this space works due
a space. Structures within the space push its
to tension in the lyrca creating flat, curved
parameters outwards, thus creating volume
surfaces. This can reflect the way that a
from internal pressures. Aleksandra states that
personal space is prone to abnormalities
“the approach was spontaneous throughout”,
depending on the environment, socially
hence fitting in with the surrounding
or physically. For this object, a smaller
environment. The fabric is attached to
environmental space would result in a
branches to create abnormalities within its
smaller personal space. It creates for itself; its
structure.
own ambience and those inside only need experience whatever is internal.
Prototyping Experimentation II Constructing a section and profile paper prototype, we were able to experiment in the ways in which the structure could inflate and collapse. Two structures were created: one two strips by seven strips (featured to the left) and one larger piece that was nine strips by four strips. The first structure was much more flexible and was easily able to inflate and collapse; however, the larger structure was more rigid. These experimentations will be important in our design considerations moving forward.
Precedent: Sulphur-crested Cockatoo This crested bird can raise or lower its crested feathers on demand. Primarily used for communication, the Sulphur-crested Cocatoo raises its feathers as a form of defense on other species that invade its personal space. This physical manipulation of its appeared shape will frighten approaching species to protect the bird. The physical manipulation of its “skin” through movement of its feathers to communicate or display the parrot’s personal space is most applicable to our idea of a Second Skin that evolves depending on the physical and mental state of the wearer. Ideally, we could create a collapsible and inflatable profile/section aspect of our Second Skin.
Experimentation Sketches
We became interested in the enclosure of the body that expands outwards like ribs. The support system was constructed using section and profiling to create a scaffold across the shoulders and front of body to which the spine could connect.
Second Skin: Week 4 Rhino Developments
The design represent personal space by giving it a form which relates to the anatomy of the wearer but enlarges it and creates a shell. Its movement shows how flexible this space is and reveals what is within when opening. While the outside it defensive, the inside is sesitive.
SUPPORT
FRONT
The support system wil be lazer cut and made of thin wood sheet. It will rest on the shoulders of the wearer and each piece will slot together.
BACK
FRONT
SPINE The spine and rib cage was developped on rhino and attaches to the support on previous page through slots. FRONT
SIDE
SIDE
BACK
Second Skin: Week 5 Rhino Developments
This development explores the idea of personal space as an energetic aura. Section and Profiling are used to keep the elements together, and inflation is used as the individual moves and the fabric trails behind.
Prototyping Week 5 Using Rhino, we unrolled our chest section and profile structure, and we sent it to the FabLab to laser cut so we could prototype. We used clear Perspex for our material to create the illusion of reflectivity. We also prototyped the central circle structure to which the spines will attach by section and profile methods.
The nut-and-bolt system will allow the back spines to rotate around an axis as it inflates when the wearer moves.
Second Skin: Week 5 Rhino Developments
Developing the design further after prototyping, we decided it would be easier to construct two flat sun-like structures instead of curved ribs. These two sun auras will be connected by our semi-translucent fabric.
The Rhino model cannot achieve the materiality of the fabric, so the actual structure will not be as rigid. Semitranslucent material is shown here.
Reading Response: Allyson Patterson Thomas Heatherwick TED Talk and ‘Abstraction’ & ‘Reduction’ in Lost in Parameter Space? What would happen if our design ideas sprouted from the seeds of a problem? Through focused inquiry, one seedling may grow into a beautiful, natural, and strong design. English designer Thomas Heatherwick founded the London-based design practice Heatherwick Studio and helped design the Seed Cathedral as the UK pavilion at Expo 2010 in Shanghai using this principle of focused inquiry. Heatherwick was confronted with a problem: with little funding, stand out in the chaos of an expo to represent Britain. Rather than constructing a traditional pavilion that encompassed the entire space given, Heatherwick focused on creating an effect that represented the future integration of nature into cities: an atmosphere of texture. Through trapping 66,000 seeds into acrylic rods, he created an optic to bring light into the focus on the center of the design, allowing the outside environment to be sensed. The effect of an atmosphere of texture allowed the Seed Cathedral to become a precious jewel drawing in the public from the larger open external space. Abstraction is a reduction of the complexity of something as a model containing as little information to describe all properties of an object. Abstraction can take place in shape, material, and detail. We abstracted our bodies utilising 123DCatch to create a mesh. Reduction is the optimal way to transport information without altering the content. Not like abstraction in that it is reducing information, reduction efficiently communicates information without redundancies through optimization of descriptions and processes. While the low-level reduction happens within the CAD system itself, designers are focused on higher-level reduction through Normalization, or eliminating anomalies of redundancies through parametric models, and Refactoring, or cleaning up the model and optimizing descriptions and processes. We used reduction while using NURBS curves in Rhino to digitally model our material systems. Thomas Heatherwick’s Seed Cathedral http://www.architonic.com/ntsht/making-an-exhibition-of-ourselves-architonic-deciphers-someof-expo-2010-shanghai-s-architectural-offerings/7000484
Reading response: Madeleine Eyre Thomas Heatherwick TED Talk and ‘Abstraction’ & ‘Reduction’ in Lost in Parameter Space? Architect, Thomas Heatheriwck has created design effects by examining the reasons for his design and by extracting creative ideas from his brief that has enabled him to reach beyond conventional ideas. As discussed in the lecture, design effects create an environment where the viewer is immersed, and can escape the city such as the cinematography in Leister Square in 1800. Thomas’s architecture of the ‘Seed Pavilion’ enabled viewers to be immersed in a landscape, which was not directly about the pavilion, but about a concept and by using effects. Firstly, his response to the brief that it was for England to represent itself as an expo on the future of cities. By reflecting on this, the concept of the seed being incorporated arose, thus creating a psychological effect as the viewer is then able to see these seeds, which represent future of life in cities. Secondly, he then considers the display of this concept and manages to make the most of the opportunities and limitations of the site. The budget meant that his project became a public space with only a small pavilion, thus making it an accessible space to enjoy. More effective however, was his use of light. His innovative use of optic lenses with the seeds inside made use of all light falling on the pavilion and drawing it inwards to light it from within while also enabling people to actually see the seeds, which had been preserved for the future. A striking display was created, looking like a dandelion about to have its seeds blown away in the wind. The importance of these effects is that although they defy the norm and stand out, are still staying true to the brief and concepts explored within the design. The differences between abstraction and reduction have to do with information displayed of a design and how. Abstractions show as little information as necessary to describe properties of an object ambiguously to avoid impeding on comprehensibility. Thus complexity of a design can also be defined by its simplest description, as only the vital information relevant to construction is needed. It differed from reduction it uses a flexible set of rules to accommodate every occurring case whereas reduction is about finding the optimal way to transport this information. The description is rewritten without altering content to eliminate redundancies and optimize descriptions and processes. This related to the tasks undertaken in module 1 as ideas on how an object both was formed and functioned needed to be understood. The object was firstly shown in its most simply way, abstraction being the method with which an understanding was gained in its most simple form. To show how it worked, reduction methods were used to show more specifically what the object did, why it did and how but in an optimal way.
http://virtualsacredspace.blogspot.com.au/2010/09/thomas-heatherwicksseed-cathedral-in.html