Portfolio
by Karla Fernandez-Mata
A Compilation from Undergraduate and Graduate Work
Introduction
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UN.D.1 Design-build finalist
2013 | Undergrad I feel my duty as a designer is to educate myself in order to find inspiration in the most
mundane of things.
The Cave Built Project
“You need to let the things that would ordinarily bore you suddenly thrill you.� - Andy Warhol
2013 | Undergrad
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Resonance Built Art Installation
2012 | Independent
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30 36 40 48 Triad 2.1 Prototype
2014 | Graduate
Vaal Chair Prototype
2014 | Graduate
Psyche Cape Prototype
2014 | Graduate
Visual Art Compilation
2011-2013
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UN.D.1
Inspired by the digital wave happening in the design community, UN.D.1 was focused around parametric design and digital fabrication. Production methods: laser cutter and 3-axis CNC Milling Machine. UN.D.1 was initially selected as the winning proposal of a design-build competition but was later dropped to second-place runner-up for financial reasons.
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Design-build finalist | Title: UN.D.1
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Design-build finalist | Title: UN.D.1
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Design-build finalist | Title: UN.D.1
UN.D.1 is an elegant example of simple architectural concepts such as frame and skin, the articulation of joints, and the use of geometry and mathematics to guide the design. A self-supported hierarchical system composed of: Structural Integrity + Shape Definer (Frame) Programmatic Response & Structural Support (Attachments) Sound Barrier + Privacy Factor (Skin) The mathematical concept followed was “tessellation�, which essentially means to cover a surface by the repeated use of a single shape without gaps nor overlapping, such as a beehive. Material studies for the skin remain to be further developed.
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The Cave
Winning proposal of design-build student competition. Guiding principle: a “carving of space�, similar to the way canyons are formed through the erosion of water over time. In the same manner, the self-supporting frame was the result of a void digitally carved out by the fiberglass. This project is currently located inside the freshman-level design studio in The University of Texas at San Antonio.
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Built Project | Title: The Cave
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Built Project | Title: The Cave
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Built Project | Title: The Cave
Images in pages 22 and 23 are courtesy of Dror Baldinger
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resonance
An art installation which explored the relationships between geometry and music; analyzing the optimization of sound and tone to create form and experience. Collaborative effort of the members of D-Con Studio. Funded through kickstarter.
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Built Art Installation | Title: Resonance
[resonance]
Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/38992093/resonance-0?ref=users
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Built Art Installation | Title: Resonance
Personal tasks: construction and photography
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triad 2.1
The creation of a system that would proliferate randomly, based on a single generated cell type. Initially derived from PET soda bottles, this cell evolved through a mathematical analysis of the initial geometry (see below). Above is a 3D lateral view of the first family of this system.
D= 1/3 x
D=y x
.5L = 1.2 y
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Prototype | Title: Triad 2.1
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Prototype | Title: Triad 2.1
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VAAL Chair
Intended as a chair that is both simple and elegant sold at a reasonable price point, in order to bring conscious design to a mass market audience. Vaal is easily assembled, stackable, and fits in half a sheet of plywood. By optimizing the amount of material used, we can produce more in a smaller time frame.
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Prototype | Title: Vaal Chair
Collaborative effort of designer Rodrigo Cano and myself
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psyche cape
Our psyche hides the secrets to our existence and it is described as the essence of the human soul, mind, and spirit. When thought and emotions become severely impaired so that a grasp with external reality is completely lost, a psychosis is diagnosed. This collection exposes the designer’s psyche so that the carrier is aware of a subconscious that can be objectified into a garment.
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Prototype | Title: Psyche Cape
Pages 42 and 43 demonstrate the inkblot image explorations
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Prototype | Title: Psyche Cape
The cape resulted from the Rorschach-like image no. 7 (doubled and mirrored into shape).
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Prototype | Title: Psyche Cape
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visual art
Photography and art hardly ever need an introduction. They speak for themselves and are usually subject to interpretation from the viewer.
Title: Untitled | Digital Print
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Visual Art Compilation | Title: Origami Series no. 4 | Digital Archival Print
Visual Art Compilation | Title: Sky-High Blues | Prismacolor Pencil Hand Rendering
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Visual Art Compilation | Title: Toyo Itto Museum | Prismacolor Marker Hand Rendering
Visual Art Compilation | Title: Wyly Theater | Digital Print
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Visual Art Compilation | Title: Enlightened | Digital Archival Print
By allowing the details, which the untrained eye overlooks, to become the guidelines for all creative processes, we observe an emergence of design that is so extraordinary that the words of Andy Warhol only then begin to take meaning.
- KFM
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Contact information: Karla Fernandez-Mata
k.fernandezmata@gmail.com 210.343.0465 USA
55.6693.0751 Mexico