Inspiration:
For this sculpture, I focused on my childhood and how my childhood thoughts about love and success don’t match what I’ve come to learn over the years. The structure that spins represents my living room with implied walls, while the metal piece underneath points in the direction of my bedroom, the two places I spent the most time as a kid. The words are all current thoughts that I have about love, success, or both. The engraving on the top is The Island of California, a sixteenth century cartography mistake, representing the misconception that I had as a kid.
How Does It Work:
The mechanics behind the sculpture are pretty simple: two small pulleys are connected by a rubber band. One pulley is connected to the piece, while the other is connected to a crank that spins it.
Intention/Triage:
In the beginning, I had three ideas, including two pieces that emulated books and one that stayed stagnant, but this seemed the most conceptually interesting. I had also originally intended on having a speaker in the sculpture to tell a story along with it, but I decided not to due to money and resizing issues.
Research:
Most of my research had to do with conceptual ideas: layout of my house, deciding what phrases to include, etc., but I also did a little research to figure out what would be the most effective way of making it spin and light up.
Goals:
I think, other than the speaker, the sculpture came out very close to what I had intended after choosing between the initial three ideas. There were no real issues in my plan.
Learn:
I am very excited about the laser cutter and its abilities and ease of use. I really like working with wood and see myself using this in the future.
Rework:
The only rework I did was to eliminate the speaker from the concept, which just meant move the light hole to the center. I also had to recut some slots in the base because I made them to small the first time; again, very simple.
Change:
If I were to do this again, I would probably measure a little better, so that angles were more precise. Also, I would like to see the speaker incorporated.
Parts/Requirements:
2 Pulleys made of laser cut wood
Crank
Base made of plywood and laser cut wood
2 Pairs of nuts and bolts
LED puck light
Welded steel frame to hide light and bolt
2 laser cut wood support pieces
Laser cut wood with living hinges, etching, and text
-Living Hinges from Obrary – http://info.obrary.com/download-living-hinge-swatches
