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Vegetable Anatomy
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Contents Introduction 06 MRI Scan 14 Layer Posters 32 VA App 52 3D Prints Art 110 Exhibition 134
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An anatomical visual exploration of six different vegetables. Tomato | Potato | Cucumber | Ginger | Garlic | Onion
I want to introduce vegetables to a new visual world. MRI | Poster | App | 3D Print
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What is vegetable anatomy ?
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A series of design projects representing the structure of six different vegetables.
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The project includes an interactive App, a laser-cut 3D poster series, a website that allows people to play with anatomical images of vegetables, a video that shows the interior structures of vegetables, and a variety of 3D product designs. I hope my project will encourage people to explore the beauty and benefits of vegetables. Interactive technology invites people to enjoy and appreciate data. There are few Apps about vegetables and healthy eating, and those that exist have poor design and functionality. Working as a visual designer, I have had a lot of personal experience with experimental form-making. People rarely consider the complex interior life and structure of vegetables; I hope I have expended the beauty of vegetables to a new visual world.
MRI Experiments Science experience | Image data generated
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Issue I could not get clean and clear scan piece of the onion slices because of the reflection of water which came from the slice itself.
Strategy I printed the onion slices to get clear graphics for the inside structure.
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Design Strategy
Project Title: Onion Slice Print Experience Location: Letterpress Studio MICA Media: Print making process Date: May, 2013
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Slice Line Trace 1. 2. 3. 4.
slice print 4/5 height slice print 3/5 height slice print 2/5 height slice print 1/5 height
Issue I could not get full data through the hand printing process. Need to figure out a way which could help me get the full data both horizontally and vertically.
Strategy I Used the MRI machine to generate data horizontally and vertically.
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Project Title: MRI Experience Location: South Eastern University, China Media: MRI Scan Date: May, 2013
0008,0080 Institution Name: Southeast University, Nanjing 0008,0090 Referring Physician's Name: 0008,1010 Station Name: PharmaScan 7T 0010,0010 Patient's Name: hongweicu 0010,0020 Patient ID: hongweicu 0010,0030 Patient's Birth Date: 0010,0040 Patient's Sex: F 0010,1030 Patient's Weight: 5 0018,0020 Scanning Sequence: RM 0018,0021 Sequence Variant: NONE 0018,0022 Scan Options: 0018,0023 MR Acquisition Type: 2D 0018,0024 Sequence Name: RARE (pvm) 0018,0050 Slice Thickness: 1 0018,0080 Repetition Time: 2500 0018,0081 Echo Time: 36 0018,0083 Number of Averages: 3 0018,0084 Imaging Frequency: 300.3369758 0018,0085 Imaged Nucleus: 1H 0018,0088 Spacing Between Slices: 1 0018,0091 Echo Train Length: 8 0018,0094 Percent Phase Field of View: 100 0018,0095 Pixel Bandwidth: 162.7604167 0018,1020 Software Versions(s): ParaVision Acquisition 5.0pl3\ParaVision 5.0pl3 0018,1030 Protocol Name: TurboRARE-highres(modified) 0018,1310 Acquisition Matrix: 384 0 0 384 0018,1312 Phase Encoding Direction: COL 0018,1314 Flip Angle: 180 0018,5100 Patient Position: HFS 0020,000D Study Instance UID: 2.16.756.5.5.10 0.3611294206.21710.1369669543.2505 0020,000E Series Instance UID: 2.16.756.5.5.10
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MRI provided the data from the slices and the data could be used to generate graphics by javascript. The MRI machine generated data while scanning the object both horizontally and vertically. Then the data could be read by a program called Image J. This helped generate images. It might be crazy that I wished to bring vegetables to a MRI machine, but I felt that the beauty from the science world could be nicely show with the graphic design language. Based on the research, only the MRI 3T machine can scan objects without bones inside. Therefore, founding the machine and getting the vegetables to be scanned became a very important processes in my thesis.
I had no science background, but I wanted to learn. After a long time researching, I found a MRI 3T machine at North-Eastern University which is located in my hometown Nanjing. I felt super excited and also lucky that my dream might come true. But my first application was refused by professor Zang who was in charge of the machine. He said that only the students who took the MRI technology class in North-Eastern University had access to use the machine. I was not a student from his university and I had no background in science. But I didn’t want to give up my idea and I believe even though I had none professional background I still had my passion and determination.
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1 Garlic 2 Potato
3 Tomato 6 Ginger
5 Onion 4 Cucumber
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Cucumber MRI scan 1. the horizontal slice of cucumber 2. the vertical slice of cucumber 3. the vertical slice of cucumber
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Ginger MRI scan 1. the horizontal slice of ginger 2. the vertical slice of ginger 3. the vertical slice of ginger
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Cucumber MRI scan 1. 2. 3. 4.
the horizontal slice of tomato the vertical slice of tomato the horizontal slice of onion the vertical slice of onion
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Onion MRI rendering The diagram shows the 3D rendering of the horizontal and vertical slice crossed based on the MRI data.
Layer Experiments Laser cutting | Paper layering
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Issue The black and white MRI scan looked too scientific, too cold and lost the friendly idea of vegetables.
Strategy Designed in 2D, but built in 3D. To add new dimension.
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Project Title: Paper Layering Experience Location: D-fab Studio MICA Media: Laser cutting and paper layering Date: Oct, 2013
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I began to come up with strategies that could add more emotion to design. I decided to use materials that people were familiar with. The MRI scan results looked very nice. With all the inside details showing up, people can see the beauty inside the vegetables that they have never seen. However, beside the positive feedback, I also got some commons that the black and white MRI scan looked too scientific, too cold and lost the friendly idea from those vegetables. Intend to pursue this friendly emotion. I began to think of other strategies which could add this idea to my design.
Garlic Laser Cut Poster Instead of print out the top info illustration layer, I decide to use laser cutter to engrave the graphics on the paper to add some depth to the top layer.
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I Used a laser cutter to cut out the shape for each layer, and layer the paper series together as the final. Then I got the other 3/4 graphic engraved on the paper layer as a flat graphic. Inspired by the MRI`s layering concepts, I wondered if there would be a way to layer the graphic language together. During that time, I was working on the posters which focused on showing the plant data. I wanted to make the poster layout like the traditional botanical plant drawings so that they can show more emotion. At the same time I could add more dimensional elements as compared with the flat drawing.
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To play with the two and half dimension. I decided to design the info graphic in 2D but built a 3D structure by layering the materials. Just like the MRI, it showed the data differently through each scan. What I did later was created a 3/4 plant illustration which kept a 1/4 part of the vegetable in the 3D perspective, and then separated the graphic of that 1/4 part to different layers. I used the laser cutter to cut out the shapes from each layer, and layer the paper series as the final. Then I got the other 3/4 graphic language engraved by the laser on the first paper layer as a flat graphic. The final layered structure together would look like one single piece but contained the 1/4 3D dimension showed by the layer slices. I felt that the plant data of the vegetables showed by in way is more naturally and would be more friendly to the audience. The 1/4 part 3D dimension invited people to start enjoying the inside structure of the vegetables.
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App Experiments App Design | Motion Design
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Issue People requested something that more accessible so that they can enjoy the beauty which I offered anytime they want.
Strategy I Created a digital App to let the audience explore the new experience.
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Project Title: App Design Location: MICA GD MFA Studio Media: Adobe DPS |, After Effects Date: Feb, 2014
Tomato The tomato is the edible, often red fruit of the plant Solanum lycopersicum, commonly known as a tomato plant.
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Ginger Ginger or ginger root is the rhizome of the plant Zingiber officinale, consumed as a delicacy, medicine, or spice. It lends its name to its genus and family Zingiberaceae.
Garlic Allium sativum, commonly known as garlic, is a species in the onion genus, Allium. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, and rakkyo.
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Potato The potato is a tuberous crop from the perennial nightshade Solanum tuberosum. The word “potato� may refer to the plant itself, in addition to the edible tuber.
Cucumber A widely cultivated plant in the gourd family Cucurbitaceae. It is a creeping vine that bears cylindrical fruits that are used as culinary vegetables.
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Onion The onion, also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is used as a vegetable and is the most widely cultivated species of the genus Allium.
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People told me that they would like to see something more accessible so that they can enjoy the beauty anytime they want. The hand made processes gave me a good sense of showing the data in a more visual way. The posters got a lot of nice feedback when I showed three of them at the Johns Hopkins University. Also, I got some new requests from people that they wanted some thing more accessible so that they can enjoy the beauty anytime they want. I started to think of some formats that could give my project more accessibility. My strategies for this were developing take away products and also creating a digital format to explore the interactive experience I could offer to the audience.
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I wanted to focus on building an interactive experience that is more playful but less informational. I didn’t want to make the App too scientific so people would feel unfamiliar with vegetables. I wanted to offer an experience more about enjoying and appreciating vegetables. Instead of using real vegetable photos, I generated 3D models for the six vegetables in the 3D programs and rendered them with mesh wires around the skin of the vegetables. I built a fun interaction which could allow people to swipe their finger to rotate the 3D vegetable in 360 degrees.
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I would like to share more playful moments from vegetables to my audience through the Vegetable Anatomy App.
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Catalog Page Each vegetable has six subcategories as its content.
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3D Experiments 3D Modeling | 3D Printing
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Issue New feedback that the 3D graphic in the App was very attractive but because they were computer generated, They wanted something physical.
Strategy I Used 3D printing technology to print out the mesh modes of my vegetables.
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Project Title: 3D Printing experiments Location: D-fab Studio MICA Date: Feb, 2014 Media: 3D Printing
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Onion 3D Modeling 1. 2. 3. 4.
front view of the onion top view of the onion inside slices model right view of the onion
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1. Polygons: 8 2. Polygons: 127 3. Polygons: 365 4. Polygons: 3785 5. Polygons: 8964 6. Polygons: 12768
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3D Printing technology made my models real. I was very happy that people enjoyed playing with my App a lot and especially enjoyed seeing those vegetables in a very cool visual way. My last design process was to come up with a way to get people more close to the digital 3D graphics. I got the new feedback that the 3D graphic in the App was very attractive but because they were computer generated, so made people feel far away. It was impossible to create a real 3D object that transformed from a digital model. But, thanks to the 3D printing technology today, I could print out my models from real objects. Instead of printing out normal solid 3D models, I wished to add more mysterious elements so I printed my models with meshed structures.
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Many Thanks To Abbott Miller Annet Couwenberg Ellen Lupton Glen Cummings Jennifer Cole Phillips Ryan Hoover Professor Zang Professor Xiong MICA GD MFA Class of 2014 My Parents All my awesome friends Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) Southeastern University | Nanjing, China
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