Define: System

For our IARC Studio, we were assigned the task of creating a self-sustaining sytem using the entirety of a 2"x4"x18" piece of lumber, without any form of fasteners or glue. In my system, chose to explore the effects of rhythm on form.

Fin.

Alas, the time capsule project has come to a close. It has been a challenging, yet rewarding experience, from which I have gained priceless information about design process. This project, which began at the halfway point of our first semester, required us to explore the challenges of group work, rendering, and even the relationship of materials to construction. With such a large project, we were forced to buckle down and organize our process through Partis, sketch models, scale models, detail models, and finally a full scale model. Never have I found myself so frustrated, but there too I have never felt so accomplished. Each and every student found themselves exceeding what they once believed to be their limits, allowing each of us the opportunity to learn more about our abilities as designers. The final design of my time capsule was to be made of 24 gauge galvanized steel boxes to mimic the exposed duct work of the design studio. It was to include 16 boxes, each of which contained 3 compartments to hold sketches of each student. It was to be located in the lobby of the Studio Arts building, allowing the exposed ducts, signature to the IARC studio, to filter down into other parts of the building. The idea was that the structure would appear to have a domino affect, symbolic of our dependence on collaboration within our first year studio. Though my time capsule offered a plethora of hardships, I am quite pleased with the final product and truly appreciate everything it has taught me.

Orthographic Exploration

Location Location Location

Timely Progress

Things are just now falling into place as I make decisions about the location, construction, and materials of my time capsule. My design focuses on the strong community within first year Interior Architecture and our reliance upon one another. The dynamic structure is composed of 55, 24 gauge galvanized steel boxes, each of which contains the drawings of one first year student. Ideally, each box will be held together using pop rivets and the structure itself will be mounted on the wall, so to appear snaking up towards the ceiling. I have little doubt that my design will take some drastic turns in the near future, and it will be interesting to see where this can go!

Self-Understanding

My studio class was assigned the challenge of creating a free-standing sculpture with eight self-portraits to allow others the opportunity to get a better understanding of us. I chose to make a very abstract sculpture, with emphasis on dynamic form and delicacy. The sculpture is made from metal mesh nailed to a wooden board. I applied a ribbon of plaster to draw attention to the shape of the sculpture, and fastened two metal rods in a curved, "X" shape to further illustrate the dynamic curves. The sculpture, itself, was very fun to design and build, but I had a great deal of trouble creating self-portraits to support it. My fear was that the drawings would take away from the sculpture, or accidentally convey a false statement about myself.

The Metamorphosis Spectrum

This studio project revolved around the metamorphosis of two students' projects, to create three new designs. The final product was intended to form a spectrum, clearly illustrating the movement from one design to the next. The two projects that I was assigned to work with were those of Alexandra Camacho and Arntia Smith.

Alexandra's Egg Environment

Arntia's Memory Container

It all began with ten thumbnail sketches...
From here I chose one sketch that represented a balanced blend of elements from each project, and designed an artifact to demonstrate this metamorphosis. I chose to illustrate the unnatural balance found in Alexandra's project and the interrupted rhythm in Arntia's memory container. In my "balanced" iteration, the pyramid is suspended to add this unnatural feeling, also blocking the view through the Plexiglas cube.


We were then assigned the task of creating two more iterations to complete the spectrum of metamorphosis between the two projects. Each of these artifacts was to resemble more closely a project on either end of the spectrum.


This iteration falls between Alexandra's egg environment and my "balanced" iteration. The pyramid shape is maintained in the outer structure, while the cube is blocking the view through the triangular windows.



This iteration falls between Arntia's memory container and my "balanced" iteration. The cube shapes are carried throughout and the black pyramid obstructs the view of the cubes behind it.

A Container for a Memory...

For this project we were assigned to create a container for a memory. Simple as it may seem, this assignment was quite challenging. I chose to contain my memory of visiting the Albuquerque Hot Air Balloon Fiesta, where I rode in a hot air balloon. Because this is such a special memory, I had trouble convincing myself that I had done the memory justice. My goal was to allow the viewer the opportunity to experience looking up into a hot air balloon. At the balloon fiesta I was surrounded by incredibly bright colors as the balloons took off. The brilliance of these colors increased exponentially upon looking into the vast balloon- the light filtering through to intensify the hues. To allow my viewer this incredible experience, I set out to create an object that could mimic the light filtering through colors of a massive balloon. Through numerous iterations, I experimented with countless shapes and materials, including paper mache and fabric. My more successful materials were Mod Podge, resin, and tissue paper. My final iteration took shape around the glass of an oil lamp with a Styrofoam egg to round it off. I wrapped this shape in saran wrap, used Mod Podge to layer it with tissue paper, and painted several layers of resin over top.

"Inside the Box"

For my Design studio I was assigned the task of creating a container for my pencils, with an emphasis on construction. This pencil box is the ideal place for my sketching tools, as it can either sit expanded on one's desk or latch shut to form a portable box. To create the box, I scored a rectangle of black matte board to fold into a rectangular prism. I created a latch and compartments for a pencil sharpener, erasers, and pencils.

Egg Project

Our first IARC studio project was to create a place for an egg, using only paper, that celebrates one quality of the egg. The folds of this "place for and egg celebrate the grown of the egg as the gift of life.