Assignment
The project consists of 4 parts as we work our way from building the foundation to creating a modular model. The key idea of this section is to iterate and reiterate ideas that visibly present themselves from the initial conception all the through to the final product. The basic concept of this assignment from a large scale to a small scale. A final jewelry sized form will be created by utilizing the various ways of connection, wire manipulation, and wire wax techniques.
Final Project
Mixed media: plaster, brass casted jewelry-scale shapes, wood.
Concept: Since I’m a fashion design major, I decided to combine the shapes into a form that resembled a pair of shears. The hand protruding out of the oddly juxtaposed wooden platform asserts a gentle grasp onto my distant career goals. Since the project’s keyword is iteration, I incorporated everything I’ve learned, form the golden ratio to plaster molding, to create a piece that will relayed this idea.
Process
We first began with learning and making our own golden calipers with inexpensive plywood and used dowels to replace expensive screws. The process took a bit of planning because each piece of the caliper had to be the exact measurement for it to be correctly assembled. I ended up making 2 extra prototypes before making the 3rd one that formed the best square.
The next step was to test out the golden calipers by free-drawing various lines and curves that follow the 3 points of the calipers. Using tracing paper, 3 different shapes are mapped out of the sketch and gridded out for scaling purposes.
Moving away from pencil and paper drafts, I created 3 original-sized iterations of my shapes using twisted 18g wire. I decided to twist the wires together because the overall appearance of the shapes might seem more professional. Keeping in mind the spatial dimensions, I was able to create a free standing form utilizing all 3 shapes. Once the the large scale wire sculptures were completed, we moved our focus towards creating wax wire forms that were 1/4″ of the original size.
