Space Project 1: Taking Something Apart
One thing is always composed of many parts. Only small parts can be made together into a large item. Through this project, I get to know what the items I choose are made up. Basically, I took a calculator apart. This is a small calculator which doesn’t have too many parts inside. The tools I use are screwdrivers and scissors. First, I have to use a small screwdriver to open it up. Starting to take the screws out, I had already seen the inside parts. I used scissors to cut the cords and took the chip out. Lastly, I took over the keys from the keyboard. Inside my calculator, it has a lot of keys, a central chip, two cords, two screws, a technologic board and a technologic plastic paper. After all, I put all of the parts together and took three different pictures of compositions. Those three compositions demonstrate a view of what’s really inside a calculator, and the relationship between space and objects. However, each composition has a different feel on it. From the text I choose “Shop Class As Soulcraft” by Matthew B. Crawford, here are three great quotes relate to this project:
“What ordinary people once made, they buy; and what they once fixed for themselves, they replace entirely or hire an expert to repair, whose expert fix often involves replacing an entire system because some minute component has failed.”
“In this book I would like to speak up for an ideal that is timeless but finds little accommodation today: manual competence, and the stance it entails toward the built, meterial world.”
“This book is concerned less with economics than it is with the experience of making things and fixing things.”
Relating to the this project, it’s just like what author Crawford said “manual competence” is so meaningful and useful to people. The impaotant skills of making and fixing things are needed in our lives. People couldn’t always call someone to help with the issues. What if we try to fix something by ourselves, for example taking something apart which you don’t need it any more, and find out what’s inside that object. Maybe we can reuse them or maybe we can give them to a friend when they lose a part of something inside an object. According to the project and text, there’s a long future inside any objects. It’s rare that we keep them well. We should always try to rise our manual competence.
Here are some pictures I took from different angles before I took the calculator apart:
Tools I used:
Here’s when I tried to use tools like small screwdrivers and scissors to open the inside part of calculator.
You already can see many small parts inside the calculator, like keys, chip, cords and screws.
Video:
Three compositions:
Here’s the list of the component parts:
