INQUIRY:
I was interested in exploring social-ecological space and materiality,so I chose “social space” as this project’s topic. I always meet my friends in parks, and I thought it is the best public space for me to interact with others. Therefore, I chose park as my social space.
BEGINNING:
I was looking at the process of natural formations of soap-film. The forms would be recreated by nylon forms stretched over wire.
AND researches:
PROCESS:
I abstracted to make the physical form-finding material models into digital models by using Rhino. Then I went to computer lab to print on a 3D printer.
MOREOVER, I started to research the second formations that I wanted to use in the final installation, polyhedron. I used wire and Bristol paper to make the cuboctahedron, which is one kind of polyhedron.
At the begin, I want to choose another kind of polyhedron, a small rhombicuboctahedron, which has more faces. I liked this form. The sample I made by leaves and contour mesh is beautiful. However, If I connected them to form the minimal surface, it will be too complicated. Although I had done much work of this forms, I gave up small rhombicuboctahedrons.
FINAL:
I chose the final main material to make polyhedrons and a minimal surface, and the material I chose must fit on the “park” topic. I chose flag leaves to make my “park” social space.
I picked up the foliage in Washington Square Park, and cut to some small pieces. Then I used a glue gun to glue them on the surfaces of a cuboctahedron I made by contour mesh. I repeated the steps and made eighty cuboctahedrons with leaves on the surfaces. I connected them by wire to form a minimal surface.
I found a place in 2 W 13th street that is highly overlooked and under utilized, and I chose a stair at the top floor of this building to install my project.
REFLECTION:
