Fly Home: An Investigation of Objects that Support Ideas of Home

Fly Home: An Investigation of Objects that Support Ideas of Home

Matthew Pearson

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KDA478 Dissertation B

Bachelor of Environmental Design with Honours

Supervisor: Simon Ancher

School of Architecture and Design

University of Tasmania

2014 1

I declare that all material in this assignment is my own work except when there is clear acknowledgement or reference to the work of others. I am aware that my assignment may be submitted to plagiarism detection software, and might be retained on its database. I have read the University’s statement on Academic Misconduct (Plagiarism) on the University website at www.utas.edu.au/plagiarism or in the Student Information Handbook.

Matthew Pearson

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Table of Contents

Title Page Statement of Authorship Table of Contents Introduction Defining Home Early Research Methodology Connection to Home Through Objects Material Investigation Through Fly Ash Resin Narrowing Direction Situational Furniture that Support Ideas of Home Diagramming Mould Making and Experimentations Objects Kettle Stool/Side Table Fly Light Range Freestanding Shelves Bench Seat Wall-­‐mounted Shelf Conclusion Bibliography Cited References General References Image References

1 2 3 4 4 7 9 9 11 12 14 16 17 17 19 21 23 24 25 26 26 26 27

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Introduction

Fly Home: An investigation of objects that support ideas of home explores how objects can create and support feelings of connection, identity and belonging within a home. I have developed a body of work consisting of furniture and sculptural objects that explore how our interactions with objects help to create our individual concepts of ‘home’.

Traditionally, phenomenological studies have looked at home as a physical place or connected to the artefact of the house. I will develop an argument stating that objects play an equal, if not more, important role in creating a sense of home, identity and belonging. I will investigate how objects are able to do this and how we, as designers, can afford certain situations to facilitate an emotional connection between object and user.

My initial investigations were concerned with how objects would be used to support ideas of home. Personally, I always lived in the same dwelling [home] in Sydney, which had been owned by my family for over 30 years. I am now at a point in my life where I am living on my own, in a new state, in rental accommodation. Simple signifiers of home are not easily attainable in rental accommodation, such things like hanging paintings and photos on the wall, or having built in furniture suited to your needs. I had also found myself attached to objects that I had brought down with me from Sydney to my new dwelling [house]. Like those in the study of university students moving away from home, I required certain constants, or anchor points, in my life, in order to establish a connection with place (Chow & Healy 2008, p. 367). This has made me realise the importance of objects in creating a sense of home and belonging. My goal was to think of ways to deal with the disconnect that people feel when living in rental accommodation.

Defining Home

In order to investigate this project with clarity, a clear and concise definition of home needs to be formulated. This, however, brings with it its own challenges.

‘Home’ is a universally experienced phenomenon meaning the quantity and variety of definitions is vast.

For many, home is the place in the world that is considered as your origin point.

In Home: A Place in the World (Mack, 1993, p. 30), home is said to be the place that when you leave, you aim to return to. It is not necessarily a house; it can be an object, an area, anything that you strive to get back to. It is the focal point in your life and is what your being is centred around.

Whilst reading this text, my mind went back to an episode of The Big Bang Theory in which the eccentric and extremely smart character Sheldon Cooper has a 'spot' on the couch in his apartment. This spot supposedly remains in an "eternal state of dibs" (The Staircase Implementation, 2010). Sheldon has a deep affinity with this spot, an almost child like ownership of it which is shown when

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he disallows anyone to sit there. In an episode where their neighbour accidentally shoots his spot with a paintball gun, Sheldon explains the connection he has with his spot (in his usual nerdy way). He says, "In an ever-­‐changing world it is a single point of consistency. If my life were expressed as a function on a four-­‐dimensional Cartesian coordinate system, that spot, at the moment I first sat on it, would be (0,0,0,0)" (The Cushion Saturation, 2009). For Sheldon, his spot gives him a feeling of home, the one thing that he can rely on, and the one point in the world that he will always return to.

IMAGE 1: Source Old Yellow Moon. Image by Michael Leunig. An essential feeling of home, a constant in your life. In an ever-­‐changing world of politics and economics, it is the simple moments in life, such as enjoying a cup of tea, that make you feel at peace.

Defining home is not a simple case, but a rather complex exercise. Rybczynski talks about the complexity of comfort using his ‘Onion Theory of Comfort’ as a simile:

It appears simple on the outside, just a spherical shape. But this is deceptive, for an onion also has many layers. If we cut it apart, we are left with a pile of onion skins, but separately, we lose sight of the whole. To complicate matters further, the layers are transparent, so that when we look at the whole onion we see not just the surface but also something of the interior (Rybczynski, 1986, p. 230).

Although he is talking about comfort specifically, this simile can easily be applied to the entire concept of home. Qualities of home can be divided into three main categories: personal, physical and social. Within these categories we find the essential qualities of home: centrality, continuity, privacy, self-­‐expression, social relationships, warmth, gender and the physical environment (Smith 1994, p. 31-­‐ 34). It is naïve to only examine a singular quality of home, as it is inherently

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interwoven with the others. Rybczynski (1986, p. 231) explains that the definition of comfort has become more complex throughout history. Changing societal values have added new layers of meaning to previous definitions. The encompassing idea of home, then, becomes an amalgam of layered meanings. It is influenced not only by history, but cultural and geographical differences, as well as personal expression: who we are as individuals.

Although home, it seems, is a rather complex topic, if you were to ask someone to explain what it means to them, they would be able to do it with confidence and clarity. You would feel mistaken for thinking that defining home was a difficult task.

Memories of the outside world will never have the same tonality as those of home, and by recalling these memories, we add to our store of dreams: we are never real historians, but always near poets, and our emotion is perhaps nothing but an expression of poetry that was lost (Bachelard 1994, p. 6)

Bachelard talks about the emotional impact that home has on us, and that any recounts of home are deeply affected by emotions rather than factual recounts.

Home becomes a part of our being. It shapes who we are as human beings, making it an extremely important building block for life. Bachelard talks about home as being an “organic object” and that a persons way of life was shaped and coded by their first home (Bachelard 1994, p.15). The organic nature of home contributes to a person’s state of flow, the fact that whilst being in the home everything feels intrinsic to oneself, an almost clairvoyance of spatial awareness.

As Bachelard talks about, you can almost navigate your home in the dark (1994, p.15). I have also felt these feelings: whilst staying in my parent’s home over Christmas, a house that I have never lived in, a simple activity such as making breakfast becomes quite frustrating. It can take numerous attempts to find a knife and plate; each draw you open that doesn’t contain these items heightens your dissatisfaction. It is ruining your flow state. Generally speaking, an activity like making breakfast is done on ‘auto-­‐pilot’ and a ‘successful’ breakfast making attempt would go unnoticed in a standard day. An ‘unsuccessful’ breakfast making attempt that brings about frustration and dissatisfaction, even though seemingly insignificant, could affect your emotional state.

The home is like a design prototype; it evolves through testing and user interaction. Home is not static but dynamic; it is constantly being shaped by internal and external pressures (Mack 1993, p. 213). No two ideas of home can ever be identical, as it is more a process of habitual movements and rituals formed by the inhabitants. “Home is not so much concerned anymore with the idea of place and culture, but a greater importance is placed on self-­‐expression, who we are, and who we want to be as human beings” (Pico Iyer: Where is Home?

2013). Iyer talks about the idea of home as being the place where you can make critical life decisions with absolute clarity. Here, home is not the physical place but more a state of mind, an opportunity to remove the stressful blur of everyday life. Home is a representation of who we really are, and it is less caught up with who we want society to think we are. The privacy that the home provides allows us to keep our most intimate secrets from our peers.

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Early Research Methodology

Early on in my investigations of home, I conducted a small survey consisting of 20 respondents across a varied demographic. The survey asked people to concentrate on certain feelings and emotions in regards to their home, to list what happens in their daily routines, and to describe, in detail, one aspect of their home. The answers were collated and certain expected words such as comfort, family, security, identity and warmth started to emerge. One word that caught my attention was sanctuary. When asked to list their daily routines a pattern started to emerge. It seemed as though home was the greatest salvation in a person’s day. Most respondents talk of the rush, stress, and chaos of working, commuting, going to the gym or sorting kids out for school. The start and end of everyday that is spent at home is always savoured and looked forward to, home becomes their sanctuary.

It is to be understood that for some people, home is unfortunately a place of volatility and anxiety. Through the survey, I did not have any respondents who exhibited these negative feelings towards home. As the survey results acted as a guide for my research in this honours project, I will focus more on the viewpoint that home is a sanctuary, for which it is for the majority.

One respondent, when asked to describe an aspect of their home in detail, provided an interesting answer. See below:

I have this stainless steel coffee plunger that is completely unremarkable in every way (not expensive, designer or impressive etc), but I love it. I got it when I first moved out of home and it’s been through multiple share houses/girlfriends/festivals/camping trips, it has seen it all. My relationship with it is ritualistic and has been for many years in all of life's ups and downs. The coffee it makes is on the better side of acceptable, but I swear coffee from any other plunger tastes rubbish. I always thought it would be cool if I had of kept a record of how many people had drunk coffee from it: hundreds, surely.

This response can be likened to the attitude of those interested in rat rod cars and brat motorcycles. These vehicles usually are rusty in appearance and employ very dated technology. Another term for these vehicles are ‘nostalgic hot rods’.

They represent not only the history of the vehicle but are a representation of the owner themselves. They are a testament to their skills and abilities as well as aesthetic tastes.

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IMAGE 2: Source Wikipedia. Image by BrainToad. Image of a typical rat rod

IMAGE 3: Patina of my motorcycle tank

On my own motorcycle, there are remnants from previous owners. I can only speculate about the time the previous owner filled up the tank and accidentally spilt some fuel that has then trickled down the tank and has reacted with some of the paint. Rather than be seen as a blemish, this mark becomes an historical account of the ‘life’ the motorcycle has had.

Just like the teddy bear that you've had forever and a day, or the leather jacket that has that tear in it from the first time you rode your motorcycle, objects of the home should be able to age gracefully and develop a certain patina. Although you cannot create situations in which the inhabitant will associate a memory with an object, you can aid the process by using quality materials that will endure over time and will not fail. Materials such as copper, brass, tin, leather and timber all age gracefully and will not be discarded as soon as they tarnish.

The two main things that cause people to form long lasting attachments with objects are how much they enjoy using them and what memories it provides them with. Ideally the object will be irreplaceable, indispensable and a self-­‐ extension of the user (Schifferstein & Zwartkruis-­‐Pelgrim 2008, p.8). Ideally this is the goal with any designed object, even if it does not directly concern itself with the idea of home. By creating objects that are cherished, and not be thrown out at the first sign of tarnishing, less furniture will end up in landfill. Short-­‐term furniture will be a thing of the past, and you will not just be buying furniture just for yourselves but also for your children. Similar to the rat rod, it will be a celebration of the craftsmanship and longevity of the objects.

An activity that is undertaken, by many, is the personification of objects that they own and cherish (Noble 2012, p.435). Whether it is giving an object a name or

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attributing it with human qualities, the object will start to feel like a part of the family. Some people can’t even explain to you the meaning of their personification. As time passes, the original meaning is lost, but the object is now coded with this human trait as it has been incorporated into that persons daily rituals. My partner’s family often does this with items around the home. Many meanings have been lost, but the significance of the personification still remains.

These items are cherished around the home, they will generally be passed on through the family when replacements are sought and if one were to be taken away, it would be akin to losing a family member.

Connection to Home Through Objects

In my opinion, the fireplace has traditionally been the gathering point of the home, the place where the day’s events are detailed to the loved ones around you. Modern houses and short-­‐term living spaces (in Australia anyway) do not contain a physical fireplace anymore. The television screen is replacing this traditional gathering space. The 'fireplace' now is located as close to the coaxial aerial port as possible. Yet this causes a loss of communication with loved ones that the original fireplace provided.

The fire represents many things: primal feelings, energy, warmth, protection, foci, respectful fear, creation & light, destruction & purification. According to Mack (1993, p212), “there is a relationship between 'home' the physical form and 'home' the cognitive experience. Home is created by the warmth, protection and security [cognitive] provided by the structure [physical] making it cyclical in nature”. Without the fireplace [physical], you start to lose these essential emotions [cognitive]. Therefore it was my goal to extract these qualities and create a light that helps form the new gathering place for the home. One that would afford situations of meaningful contact, stories and positive memories with loved ones.

With the loss of the fireplace you also lose another important aspect of the home; the mantle, the space that was designated for photos of loved ones, sentimental ornaments and your most prized possessions. This then sets up an opportunity to create a shelving system that can facilitate the process of displaying the objects that mean the most to you.

Material Investigation Through Fly Ash Resin

Fly ash has been used, in Australia since 1949, in concrete for the construction industry (Samarina as cited by the ADAA 2009, p.1). Fly ash is categorised as one of many Coal Combustion Products (CCPs). CCPs form when coal is burned in a boiler to generate power. Ash and gases accumulate which exit via a flue, the ash is then separated and collected and is referred to as fly ash (ADAA 2013). Fly ash is a pozzolanic material, meaning it will react with lime to form a dense compound. When fly ash is mixed with cement, it produces denser and higher strength concrete (Arivalagan 2014, p.305) than without using it as a filler. Fly

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ash can also be combined with various resins to create strong, lightweight cast forms. Singla and Chawla conducted an experiment of the mechanical properties of fly ash epoxy resin. Their findings showed that the compressive strength of epoxy resin increases as the percentage of fly ash contained in the sample increased. The tests also showed that the impact strength decreased as the fly ash percentage increased. A final test showed that with the addition of glass fiber material, the sample showed an increase of approximately 16% in compressive strength and over 420% increase in impact strength (2010, p.204-­‐209).

Compared to subtractive manufacturing processes, such as CNC milling, forming manufacturing, such as casting, has minimal waste and an efficient reproduction cycle. The surface finish and detail of the part is dependant on the quality of the moulds, which can usually be made at a low-­‐medium cost (Thompson 2007, p.67).

The fly ash resin, once cast, can also be CNC machined, cut using standard wood tools and sanded with a high level of finish. From my experience, I have found that fly ash resin is slightly abrasive so accelerated wear of tooling is to be expected. The fly ash itself also has insulating properties, so drilling with standard wood tools will generate a lot of heat. Materials such as timber will draw heat away from the cutting tool, whereas the fly ash will keep the heat concentrated at the cutting tip and lead to dulling of the cutter. Drill bits that perform more of a scraping action are better suited for this application.

This material has certainly peeked my interest and it is of my opinion that fly ash's eco credentials, lightweight and strength properties mean that it is perfect for select furniture and object applications.

IMAGE 4: Fly ash resin samples.

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Narrowing Direction

A stipulation I had set for myself, at the start of my honours project, was to collaborate with a manufacturer in developing a product.

Last year I had engaged with a manufacturer, Evostyle, for a small production run of one of my products: the first time I had utilised outsourced manufacturing.

Evostyle specialises in CNC turning as well as general timber manufacturing. This link with a manufacturer has somewhat guided my design style and process, as I have started to develop a language using timber dowel. Being aware of Evostyle’s manufacturing capabilities and processes, I have been able to design with their manufacturing processes in mind, and have utilised the efficiencies that they can provide.

Keen to expand upon this process and my knowledge acquired, the next logical step was to collaborate with a manufacturer in the early stages of designing. This would allow me to obtain a sound understanding of the intricacies of the material and process in order to produce innovative designs.

Initially, the project had a large material selection palette with only one component being made out of fly ash resin. At the midway point of my honours project I decided to narrow my path of enquiry. This came about after a weeklong collaboration with Don Browne, the manufacturer of ET-­‐21: a fly ash resin composite. I wanted to concentrate on experimenting with and looking at furniture applications for this material.

Don was a great fit for this collaborative task. He was more than willing to give up his time and resources in order to educate me in the process of casting fly ash resin, whilst giving me an insight into what the material can do (as well as some lessons about life along the way!).

The biggest difficulty in this collaborative process was the geographical distance separating our practices. Don lives and works out of Romsey, a small town in rural Victoria. With myself living and studying in Launceston, this proved the hardest task of the entire process.

Whilst I was in Melbourne earlier in the year, I was able to meet up with Don for some preliminary talks about my intentions and to develop a process for communication. Thanks to the Internet, there are many collaborative programs available to aid distance collaboration, Trello, Mural.ly or even Facebook messaging to name a few. Unfortunately Don, being from a different era, doesn’t use a computer all that often. The best option we had was to utilise small amounts of email, many phone calls, and face-­‐to-­‐face contact. By far the most fruitful experience was the week that I spent in Romsey working with Don.

Early on, we had developed a plan for me to experiment and prototype, in Launceston, using plaster. It has similar properties to the resin in terms of the casting process. I was able to develop scale moulds that I tested with the plaster, which I then took with me to Romsey to test with the fly ash resin. After testing

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these and learning more about the process, I was able to tweak elements of the moulds as well as the design of the object in order to produce consistent and high quality results.

Situational Furniture that Support Ideas of Home

The act of coming home is one of the most significant rituals we perform in our daily lives. The act of walking through the front door delineates the threshold between work/public life and home/private life. The act of arriving home helps us to separate these two worlds and to feel safe in our intimate surroundings (Pallasmaa 1994, pg8).

IMAGE 5: Coming home sequence and the furniture objects you interact with.

Diagramming the coming home sequence was an important exercise in determining what types of furniture are integral to the home. This helped generate ideas for the physical component of my honours project. The three main areas that I identified were the transitional/key offloading area, the relaxing area and the area for the display of ornaments and memories (refer to IMAGE 5).

Ritual objects help us to escape from the chaos of the everyday. Home, being our sanctuary, should aid and support these rituals. The start and end of everyday that is spent at home, for many, is always savoured and looked forward to.

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Home is more inward than outward. A strategy to escape from the stress of the everyday might be to take 30 mins to just be alone to reflect on who you are, or even to just think about nothing. A chance to perform a ritual activity that otherwise would have been ignored in your busy life.

To aid in this process you could argue that a piece of timber could be used as a signifier for this 'me' time. A blank canvas that supports various ritual activities such as enjoying a cup of coffee, reading a book, or allowing yourself to create.

IMAGE 6: A piece of timber as a ritual signifier. To enjoy a coffee, a good book, a piece of toast, or to paint or draw.

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Diagramming

Diagramming has become an integral part of my design process during this project. It can be used in conjunction with observing human interactions in order to identify interesting situations. There are a many designers who use diagramming at the core of their idea generation. Nendo's Oki Sato is known for saying, "my sketches are awful" (Concept 2014), but he states that the ambiguity of them is the key to developing great designs. The conceptual sketch doesn't lock him into anything, it is merely a diagram of what he calls ‘!’ moments.

“Giving people a small ‘!’ moment. There are so many small ‘!’ moments hidden in our everyday. But we don’t recognize them, and even when we do recognize them, we tend to unconsciously reset our minds and forget what we’ve seen. But we believe these small ‘!’ moments are what make our days so interesting, so rich. That’s why we want to reconstitute the everyday by collecting and reshaping them into something that’s easy to understand. We’d like the people who’ve encountered Nendo’s designs to feel these small ‘!’ moments intuitively. That’s Nendo’s job.” (Concept 2014).

IMAGE 7: Source Nendo. Image by IMAGE 8: Source Nendo. Image by Yoneo Kawabe. Splinter sketch.

Yoneo Kawabe. Splinter chair.

IMAGE 9: Source Nendo. Image by IMAGE 10: Source Nendo. Image by Akihiro Yoshida. Stay-­‐brella sketch.

Akihiro Yoshida. Stay-­‐brella.

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IMAGE 11: Casting experiments with balloons and plaster.

IMAGE 13: 1:2 scale light mould test

IMAGE 15: 1:2 scale light mould closed

IMAGE 1 7: 1:2 scale light shades

IMAGE 12: Experiment of wall leaner ideas with skewers

IMAGE 14: 1:2 scale light mould with silicone and spray putty

IMAGE 16: Cross-­‐section of silicone mould

IMAGE 18: Diagram of the mould structure

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Mould Making and Experimentations

My initial model making and investigations consisted of experimenting with plaster, as the casting process is very similar to using the fly ash resin. I experimented with pouring plaster into balloons and manipulating them to form different shapes. This was a form generation exercise as well as an introduction into casting, of which I had minimal experience.

I had also been modelling some wall leaner/lean-­‐to ideas using skewers. The lean-­‐to is a favourite amongst survivalists, a simple structure that can be erected easily in the wilderness. I was interested in creating a piece of furniture that exhibits the same purity and refinement of a lean-­‐to structure. With its minimal elements, it would utilise the pre-­‐existing structural element of the house [the wall] in order to perform its function. There is also something poetic about the furniture actually forming a physical connection and reliance on the house.

One of the most important exercises was making a fully functioning 1:2 scale mould of my light shade (IMAGE 13,14 and 15). A lot of planning goes into a mould. You need to consider alignment marks, pour holes, material selection and allowances for air to escape. This mould was conceived digitally in Rhino, so testing at scale was essential. There was also much discussion around the material choice for the mould itself. You require a material that is not porous so it will release the part easily and one that is able to give a high level of detail and surface finish. One of the greatest efficiencies in casting is having a part release from a mould with a perfect surface finish. I chose to use MDF for the bulk of the structure as it is relatively inexpensive and can be machined using the facilities I have access to (CNC router, lathe). I then cast a layer of silicone that would make up the male and female pattern of the mould. Although expensive, the silicone would allow for a high level of surface finish as well as allow an easy release of the part, as the silicone can flex and peel out of the mould. By using the MDF [inexpensive] to essentially bulk out the mould, I was able to use minimal silicone [expensive].

The first mould (IMAGE 13) consisted of steps on both the male and female mould parts, which would then have a layer of silicone cast over them to form the shape of the part. Ideally, you would start with a pattern that has a good surface finish, which is an exact copy of the parts that you are trying to cast. You would then simultaneously cast the male and female silicone portions of the mould using the pattern. Due to the design of the part having such a thin wall thickness (5mm) I was unable to produce a pattern to make the mould. Instead I machined an oversize male mould (IMAGE 14) which would then be turned on the lathe to form the shape of the female silicone, then re-­‐machined to form the offset of the part, then machined once more to form the male silicone component.

My first attempt at casting the female silicone failed due to improper mixing of the 2-­‐part silicone mix. This unfortunately left me with only enough silicone for one half of the mould. Because of this, I decided to test another method of release for the male part of the mould, which consisted of coating the mould in sanding

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sealer. This worked well and would release the part satisfactorily, however, it still left the MDF open to small amounts of moisture, which over time, destroyed the mould. I then chose to use an automotive spray putty (IMAGE 14) that was quick drying, completely sealed the mould and released extremely well from the part during the casting process.

I took the completed mould with me to Romsey for testing in collaboration with Don. The first attempt was relatively successful. We were able to produce a 1:2 scale light shade that had a wall thickness of 5mm, my goal was to produce a wall thickness as thin as possible to both reduce material usage and to accentuate the strength and lightweight properties of the material. The internal surface finish had some flaws as there was difficulty releasing the part from the male portion of the mould. The resin shrinks as it dries so it would grip onto the male mould.

With the use of a heat gun, the resin became flexible enough to release from the mould. The outside of the part also had very small nodules that were formed by very small bubbles in the surface of the female silicone mould.

With the aid of an acrylic release agent, we were able to successfully cast a second shade with a perfect internal surface finish. Again the shade stuck onto the male mould, and in the process of trying to release the part, the MDF of the male mould delaminated and split apart. We concluded that the best way forward would be to have a layer of silicone on the male mould so that when the part would shrink, the silicone would be thick enough that the part could not grip the MDF. The silicone would then easily peel off and be able to be reused for the next casting.

Objects: Kettle Stool/Side Table

The Kettle stool/side table was, largely, a material investigation. It was a project that, along with the 1:2 scale light mould, could be tested in Romsey and would allow me to learn the casting process and intricacies of the material. I was also interested in trying to cast something using a pre-­‐existing form, thus reducing the largest cost of the casting process: mould production. I was inspired by my partner’s stainless steel mixing bowls, which would have made perfect moulds apart from their flat bottoms. After much searching, a large steel cooking wok became the mould. This was perfect as it could easily be coated in silicone spray to act as a release agent, and was able to withstand the immense heat of the reaction process that takes place between the resin and the catalyst.

In this casting process, we were also able to test the mixing of short-­‐strand glass fibres into the resin in order to act as reinforcement. We cast three separate stool tops: the first containing approximately 20% fibres, the second containing approximately 10% and the final one containing none. It was interesting to note that the higher the content of fibres, the more bubbles would be trapped in the final cast part. We found that the glass fibres would form a matrix that stops the bubbles from escaping when cast on a vibrating table. This meant that when the tops were sanded flat, you would have large, irregular voids where the air could

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not escape. On the stool top that had no fibres, the bubbles were free to escape; therefore the top had more uniformly sized bubbles that were relatively small.

IMAGE 19: Kettle Stool/Side Table

IMAGE 20: Flat Packable

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Fly Light Range

As previously stated, I wanted to create a light that would form the new gathering space of the home, one that would afford situations of story telling and meaningful contact. The Fly Light was originally conceived as a wall-­‐leaning floor light. This idea came about from thinking about the way the light would create a connection to the home’s [physical] structure, and in doing-­‐so, would create opportunities for human contact and create a connection with home [cognitive].

IMAGE 21: Original render of the leaning light concept

I was also interested in creating a lightweight light shade out of the fly ash resin.

The fact that the material resembles concrete, which is generally a very heavy material, would bring about a certain sense of intrigue and excitement to the user when they discovered how light and thin the shades were.

The light shades formed the majority of my investigations and testing during this project. They allowed me to learn how to cast objects and how much research and development go into mould making. The path that I chose to make my moulds was one of precision and repetition, with a heavy reliance on technology: a process that differed greatly from Don’s traditional mould making techniques.

The original intention for making the mould was to utilise a $1000 3D printing services voucher that I had for the company 3D Systems. Using the 3D printed pattern, I could simultaneously cast the male and female silicone mould parts.

After receiving a $5000 quote to have the shade 3D printed at that size, I decided to change my process for mould making. I was able to use the voucher to print a desk light sized shade for future product development.

The new process for making my moulds consisted of cutting rings of MDF, stack laminating them together and then milling the mould parts using a 3-­‐axis CNC router. The female mould was milled to form the MDF bulk structure to then cast the silicone into. The male mould would be milled three separate times: the first

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to cast the female silicone, again to cast the offset for the part, and finally to cast the male silicone mould (refer to IMAGE 18).

Unfortunately, this process did not go as planned. The hope was to make use of the Universities new robot arm, which could easily mill the mould parts. Instead the light mould was resized to be able to be machined on the 3-­‐axis CNC router.

This process was working satisfactorily until collision issues became very apparent between the router’s spindle and the MDF mould. The size of the mould was pushing the machining limits of the router. Unfortunately the decision was made that there would not be enough clearance to machine the moulds.

Down but not out, I was able to utilise the mould pieces that I had milled so far, and in talks with Don, was able to salvage a mould (IMAGE 22). The new process for the moulds production would consist of Don making a clay pattern that he could then cast a layer of silicone into to form a male silicone mould. It is not necessary for the female mould to be made out of silicone as once cast, the part will shrink inwards and release away from the female mould. The male silicone mould could then be peeled out to produce the cast part.

For future developments, the intention is to utilise the robot arm to produce the original mould I had planned. My belief is that although there is a heavy reliance on technology using this method, the mould itself would be accurate and robust enough to endure hundreds if not thousands of casts.

IMAGE 22: The light shade mould

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IMAGE 23: 3D printed light shade

IMAGE 24: Step inside to accept a lamp holder with no fixing required

Freestanding Shelves

The freestanding shelves make up the ‘ornamental display’ component of my honours project. As humans, we collect and show off those objects most precious to us; this display forms our identity and portrays an image of who we want people to think we are.

The shelves, visually, are very paired back. They have not been designed with the latest fashion trends in mind. This has been very much influenced by Rybczynski who talks about the home being cold, in the sense that they have been designed for aesthetics and trends, and not for psychological comfort and sustainability.

He promotes designing for human behavior and not trends, as behavioral patterns endure much longer than any trends will (1986, p. 217-­‐218).

The shelves have four indents on the top surface that affords for the next shelf to stack on top. The hope is that one will associate the connection between the external radius of the leg and the internal radius of the indent that accepts it.

The intention for these shelves was to cast them from fly ash resin. IMAGE 25 shows a 1:4 scale mould and casting of this concept. Don had talked about the efficiencies in casting the fly ash resin in flat slabs, so my goal was to produce a shelf that could achieve this.

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IMAGE 25: 1:4 scale shelf mould

Due to time constraints, the shelves were CNC routed from MDF as access to this material and technology were available at a relatively low cost. The MDF was sprayed with an acrylic paint to somewhat resemble the look of the resin’s colour palette and give them a more durable finish.

In the future, I would like to continue to develop these shelves and test casting them with a hollow core that would either be filled with resin resistant foam or an X-­‐board system in order to reduce weight and material quantity required whilst maintaining strength and span qualities.

IMAGE 26: Render of freestanding shelves

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Bench Seat

The bench was conceived as an object that would support the ‘relaxing area’ of the home, the place where you can unwind from a long day and engage in moments of self-­‐reflection. It is also a threshold object as it can be used when entering the home (by placing keys and coins in the bowl) or when preparing to leave the home (putting on shoes).

The bench has a similar design language to the freestanding shelves; however, it was intended as more of a one-­‐off piece, whereas the shelves were focused more on production.

The bench seat is asymmetrical, with an upholstered section at one end, affording one or two people to sit. The other end of the bench seat contains an ambiguous bowl shape, similar to the leg indents of the shelves. The intention is that the bowl will be used for items such as keys and coins, or even to hold a pot plant.

IMAGE 27: Bench seat

IMAGE 28: Bench seat’s bowl

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Wall-­‐mounted Shelf

The wall mounted shelf was designed to satisfy both the ‘the key-­‐dumping area’ and the ‘ornamental display’ objects of the home. The design stemmed from the fact that the shelves would be made from fly ash resin. When someone puts a precious object down onto concrete, they do it with the utmost care so as to not damage the object. This activity can be likened to someone placing their most precious things on display in their home, doing it with the utmost conscious thought and care. Because of the similarities between the fly ash resin and concrete, the hope is that the user would have the same reaction as if they were placing their object down onto concrete.

The shelves are double sided; one side, as previously mentioned, with a flat surface for the display of precious objects, the other side a bowl/tray surface.

The second side can act as a threshold item to contain a person’s phone, wallet, keys or anything else that they carry on themselves when leaving the house. The shelf can easily be used on either side with no need for tools, therefore it is unambiguous, has an easy to read mental model to limit confusion, which helps to create enjoyable user experiences.

IMAGE 29: Wall-­‐mounted shelf in both configurations

IMAGE 30: All components

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Conclusion

In the final few weeks of my honours project I ran into complications in casting the light shades. As well as the other issues in making the moulds, my intention was to travel to Romsey for a final time to cast the remaining objects. Due to unforseen circumstances, Don was unable to assist me if I went over. A compromise was reached that I would send the moulds to Romsey and he would continue to cast the shades in his own time.

This, unfortunately, is the issue with experimenting with a material that is in its infancy in development. Don is the only person in Australia currently working with fly ash resin making it difficult to continue development if he is unable to assist me. Through this project I have come to realise that developing a body of work, using a new material or process, can be expected to take longer than 9 months. This project has set up a framework for my investigations to continue into the future, as well as help me to continue to develop an idiosyncratic design process. The development of objects surrounding habitual activities within the home will continue to be relevant well into the future.

Through thinking about the different scenarios of interactions with objects in the home, designers are able to distil what is essential in creating feelings of connection, identity and belonging. The objects within our home are just as important to our being as the space itself. Creating designs that support and encourage positive human behaviour will endure the test of time much more than objects that beckon to any current trends.

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Bibliography:

Cited References

ARIVALAGAN, S. 2014. Mechanical Properties of Fly Ash, RHA and Quarry Dust Addition in Conventional Concrete for Sustainable Construction: A Characteristic Study.

IUP Journal of Structural Engineering, 7, 56.

AUSTRALIA, A. D. A. O. 2009. Australian Experience with Fly Ash in Concrete: Applications and Opportunities.

BACHELARD, G. & JOLAS, M. 1994. The Poetics of Space, Boston : Beacon Press, 1994.

CHOW, K. & HEALEY, M. 2008. Place Attachment and Place Identity: First-­‐year undergraduates making the transition from home to university. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 28, 362-­‐372.

IYER, P. 2013. Pico Iyer: Where is Home? : TED Talks.

MACK, A. 1993. Home : a place in the world, New York : New York University Press, c1993.

NENDO. Concept, 2014, accessed 22nd August 2014, <http://www.nendo.jp/en/concept/> NOBLE, G. 2012. Home Objects. In: SMITH, S. J. (ed.) International Encyclopedia of Housing and Home. San Diego: Elsevier.

PALLASMAA, J. 1994. Identity, Intimacy and Domicile: Notes on the Phenomenology of Home. The Finnish Architectural Review.

RYBCZYNSKI, W. 1986. Home: A Short History of an Idea, Pocket Books.

SCHIFFERSTEIN, H. N. & ZWARTKRUIS-­‐PELGRIM, E. P. 2008. Consumer-­‐product attachment: Measurement and design implications. International Journal of Design, 2, 1-­‐13.

SINGLA, M. & CHAWLA, V. 2010. Mechanical Properties of Epoxy Resin -­‐ Fly Ash Composite. Journal of Minerals and Materials Characterization and Engineering, 9, 199-­‐210.

SMITH, S. G. 1994. The Essential Qualities of a Home. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 14, 31-­‐46.

General References

ANGELOVA, L. 2010. Phenomenology of Home. Master of Architecture, University of South Florida.

BYWATERS, M. 2012. House and Home: An investigation of domestic space in contemporary Australian visual art. The University of Melbourne.

DORST, K. 2006. Under-­‐Standing Design, Gingko PressInc. FUKASAWA, N. 2007. Naoto Fukasawa, Phaidon.

MANZO, L. C. 2003. Beyond House and Haven: toward a revisioning of emotional relationships with places. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 23, 47-­‐61.

MOORE, J. 2000. Placing Home in Context. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 20, 207-­‐ 217.

NORMAN, D. A. 2002. The Design of Everyday Things, Basic Books.

PARSONS, T. 2009. Thinking: Objects: Contemporary Approaches to Product Design, Bloomsbury Academic.

SIXSMITH, J. 1986. The Meaning of Home: An exploratory study of environmental experience. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 6, 281-­‐298.

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THOMPSON, R. 2007. Manufacturing Processes for Design Professionals, Thames & Hudson.

Image References

IMAGE 1: Brain Toad 2007, Typical Rat Rod, Image viewed 1st October 2014, < <http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Typical_Rat_Rod.jpg>

IMAGE 2: Leuinig, M 2014, Soliloquy for Strange Times, Image, viewed 6th October 2014, <http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-­‐ xfcvpAKFfTY/U2iIwTD8arI/AAAAAAAADWU/cHBb_nI3z1g/s1600/StrangeTime s.JPG>

IMAGE 7 & 8: Yoneo, K. 2012, Splinter, viewed on 30th October 2014, <http://www.nendo.jp/en/works/splinter-­‐2/?egenre>

IMAGE 9 & 10: Yoshida, A. 2014, Stay-­‐brella, viewed 30th October 2014, <http://www.nendo.jp/en/works/stay-­‐brella-­‐2/?egenre>

All other photographic material and diagrams were produced by myself

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