Spatial Modules
Part 1: Exploration + Research
2/3/21
Our first task was to simply explore the various shapes and slots. We were to cut 1 x 1 inch pieces of chipboard, matteboard, or thick cardstock, then arrange every 10–15 shaped pieces into two structures each.
I started this assignment by searching various modular structures that emphasized repetition and shape.
I noticed that several of these, despite maintaining a relatively square and angular shape, varied slightly in slot size and angle length, and some even had folds. I will take these into account in the future.
Next, I did a few basic sketches on the modules I’ll be making, as well as the desired cuts. Given that this is a beginning exploration, I started with the most simple shapes, and attempted to move up from there.
I began with the most basic shape, and kept the square as it is. I had two opposite side slits, and simply slotted them together. I also started with bristol paper for easy maneuvering and testing.
Then, I modified the slot areas of the square, and switched to matte board for a more structured thickness (to be honest, I was scared that I’d be criticized for using bristol instead of the matte/chipboard we were told to use). This time, I experimented with more precise angles and cuts, rather than simply aligning what goes where.
To me, the black square result had a much more unified look, and despite its static behavior, I find comfort in its consistency.
I then experimented with a more rounded shape, and cut various lopsided semi-circles. My intention was to create something softer and more “natural,” and I somehow subconsciously created one that resembled a prickly pear.
To be perfectly honest, I doubt that this creation with please the hidden criteria set, or anyone for that matter, but it was an interesting exploration for rounded and circular shapes that have irregular cuts.
Finally, I tried out a three-cut triangle shape, and focused on quality of cut and repetition. With 45–45–90 triangles, I could create the illusion of squares, but have something appear completely different from another angle.
For the next one, I omitted the square and simply worked with the triangles themselves. I liked this final result the best out of the three, and it oddly resembles a spiked fish to me. Furthermore, I’m interested in how it slightly curves inwards — I’m wondering if it’s possible to implement more of that on such stiff material.
Reflection:
In all honesty, I struggled from the very beginning. I think it was rather difficult starting from such a stiff and thick material right off the bat, and I struggled a lot with visualizing the image as a whole. If possible, I’d like to work with bristol more to create 3D folds, or any bendable material. If possible, I think it’d be interesting to experiment with bristol paper more. Furthermore, my favorite pieces were ones with a hint of movement, so my next challenge I’d like to tackle would be to figure out how to implement dynamism.
I also want to work on creating modules that generate patterns, rather than objects. I noticed that a habit of mine is creating something that resembles a single solid, rather than an entity as a whole.
Part 2: Prototyping
2/9/21 — Form
Backtracking a bit, I bought some chipboard- which was stiff than cereal boxes but more malleable than artboard. I had the intention of curves in mind, but I still hoped to use something stiff and sharp, so I ruled out scoring bristol paper.
For hours, I was stuck on the brainstorming process, unsure of which direction I should take. My mind possessed a mental block that was nearly immovable. My only preference was that I wished to create something “grand,” something dynamic and bold that embodies the concept of an opera house.
I first attempted basic stair-like scraps of bristol, then layered them on top of each other. However, my biggest issue was that I am practically incapable of visualizing any form of vertical structure. As a result, I was helpless to conceptualizing my dream properly. Without adhesives, I was stuck. For the next two hours, I was growing more and more impatient with my lack of structural and architectural knowledge.
Frustrated, I panic-texted Sam my woes, and she suggested a slightly angled cut:
I tested it out with bristol paper and it seemed to yield some mediocre results, so I transitioned to the chipboard to give it a shot. I was thankful that I was finally making some progress, and I finally slipped out of my creative funk.
However, I felt that this was rather cheap, and it didn’t produce much volume. Furthermore, there was a lack of a strong foundation, and it was easy to pick apart.
Because of this, for my second iteration I added a connector at the bottom ,as well as smaller modules on top for added volume.
While I felt better about the angularity of the step-like modules, I still felt that I was tackling this incorrectly. None of the modules are truly interacting; I’m merely just stacking them on top of each other without any connection.
Swallowing the rising emotion of burning out, I decided to modify the previous iteration by focusing on the emphasis of a vertical pillar. This would allow a more natural progression of steps, while adding the volume I so desired alongside the sharpness of the vertical action.
I decided my verb would be “slip,” so that I could focus on the sleekness of the structure. I wanted tilted, dynamic edges that represented spiraling stairs, alongside something powerful.
This iteration was composed of three modules: the three vertical pillars, the two support strips that curve diagonal and inwards, and the numerous stair-like modules that have a similar shape to the pillars, but are angled differently for added effect.
I definitely feel most satisfied with this version, and genuinely feel like I could take this direction in the future. The sharp edges with dynamic curves reminds me of Marvel bases, but the sculpture as a whole has a sense of entity and layering.
I wanted my structure to be something marveled at, yet still tangible. Given it’s stair-like qualities and diagonal slants, it would benefit to have some form of interaction, but only ones that were delicate and relied on the structure itself for strength. I felt that it would be fitting as an art piece to observe in front of a museum, convention, or (my personal favorite) an opera house.
Reflection: I feel a bit more satisfied with this last iteration, but I’d still like to explore more of the diagonal curves. There’s a lot of potential volume acquired with a vertical pillar, and I think it’s a good starting point. Perhaps I could expand it to more of a semi-circle pattern, so that it curves inwards more. Furthermore, I want to work on creating more precise modules for greater structural integrity.
FEEDBACK
Overall, I got many positive reviews from the form, and they admired the amount of mileage I got out of this simple shape. One person described it as “the anticipation of being overwhelmed by a wave after another wave”
Some suggestions:
- Focus on making the different angles appealing to viewers
- Why do you want it to be intimidating? Explain (in great detail) which situation this structure would be used for
- Push the directionality a little further
- Bottom right photo, decreases the radius of the curve and exaggerate so that the top view fans out (make it expand a little)
- Increase the contrast of vertical-ness
- Add models that are smaller at the bottom
- Create enough points of stability
- As you increase the amount of verticalness, there needs to be something at the top so that it’s stable. Try for three pints of support: aka a tripod, and increase the base
- Take advantage of the shadows for color, maybe have two aspects of it depending on the perspective
2/11/21 — Color and Lighting
I decided to stick by my instinctual response of dubbing it as “marvel”
or “intimidate,” as it fit my concept much more. I began by recreating all my pieces from scratch, focusing on precision and accuracy. I took note of my feedback from last class, and made sure to make my slits more angular, and the long strips have a smaller radius so that they’d curve more.
Given that I wanted to create something fantastical, I needed colors to accomodate it. Kyuha suggested that I describe the space that this structure fits into:
A venue, one with class and lightly filtered music, drawing people towards their entrance. Passerby's, dressed in formal attire, stop and marvel at the massive piece in awe of its grandiose display; it’s something both frightfully intimidating and elegant. Sometimes, the snooty and attention-seeking, eager to live amongst monumental experiences, wish to take a photograph, and carefully place themselves near the slanted platforms to maintain proper etiquette and avoid ruffling their quality fabrics. The metallic edges catch the light, enveloping the warmth and magic of the golden hour sheen. From the back, casual glancers would often take notice of the prismatic shadows dancing by the pillars of secrecy. Children would be warned by their parents to refrain from touching the seemingly sharp edges— else they may soil the piece with their grubby hands. However, away from their guardian’s watchful eye, they navigate through the crevices of the steps, surreptitiously stepping around the thin slices of art.
With this, I played around with a few color concepts by digitally drawing on top. I definitely wanted to stick by the thin lines, but the color choice was integral to fitting the theme.
In the end, I settled on two colors: black and gold. I felt that it gives off an elegant, almost Great Gatsby-esque feel of power and history, and would match with the sharp yet curved shapes.
One primary concern I had, however, was the fear of the chipboard warping. Given that it was only 1-ply, I had to avoid as much water-based mediums as possible. I used a black-based gesso (to avoid warping) and a fine metallic gold acrylic.
In order to get the audience to be just as interested in the back as the front, I needed something reflective of the shadows that would catch their attention. Thus, I figured a metallic surface would be more eye-catching than a simple yellow or white.
One thing I noticed was that the gesso and acrylic paint gave the chipboard more structure — it’s easier for the pieces to stand on its own, and each individual module slid into each other without any accidental bending. I found that to be a beneficial coincidence, and I hoped to take it to my advantage.
Compared to my previous structure, this one was significantly more stable and structurally sound. The “tripod” suggestion from the TA’s was incredibly helpful, and the pieces slot together rather easily.
When considering light, I wanted to take advantage of its sharpness and inclination overlap shadows within itself. I wanted something with an intense spotlight, similar to the Las Vegas Bellagio water show. I noticed that when shining a front-facing light, often one that’s overhead, it created a crown shape.
However, shining it from down below creates a more specific silhouette, and I enjoyed being able to see the individual “step” modules. This perspective is also likely more realistic, as this structure is meant to be large and outdoors. Thus, it would be difficult to have a light shining overhead.
I think it’s interesting how the shadows make up images of teeth or a whale skeleton; because of this, I find the front-facing direct light the most fascinating to conjure.
Unfortunately, there were less shadows on the interior than I had hoped. This may be because I set the first strip of modules a little too high, and as a result the overlap was lacking.
Given the limited resources I had access to, there wasn’t a lot of breath I could experiment lighting with. If possible (once I’m at studio or purchase different flashlights so I can do it in my room, I’d like to test out more than one light source and also play around with the cool/warm tones.
Feedback from Q:
- The way it’s assembled together is very simple, like a bunch of knives
- Difficult to perceive it as a structure with intention
- Arrangement of multiple blades in two rows
- Worth connecting the first and second row somewhere so it’s more integrated
- Outline made the structure more aggressive, but there’s a gap between aggressive and staring
- Work on different textures and materials to remind people of blades
- Refine the modules and the way it’s assembled, there’s not a lot of iterations and explorations
Essentially, my piece is much too simple, and barely qualifies as a structure. If I want to move forward, I’d have to remodel some of my modules.
Part 4: Refinement
2/14/21
I scheduled time with Daphne for some extra feedback, and to see her side of my old piece.
Feedback from Daphne:
- It’s not a bad structure in terms of dynamism, but I’m definitely limited
- Too large of a gap in between the two strips
- Try experimenting with only one or two modules, maybe eliminate the long strip?
- The gold accents are nice, but the full body painted ones are a little much. Maybe only paint on one side.
- Try to make it more of a space to interact with
- Grand is a great word to describe your piece, but not suggested for one of your three adjectives, as it’s not specific enough to any certain quality
- Think about scale
2/15/21- Adjectives
I’m backtracking a bit to work on the form of my structure, and eliminated the majority of my modules as a start. I instead took my smallest module, and added an extra slit.
The flexibility of the shape allows the piece to curve inwards the more I add, which is good for layering purposes. I went to office hours with Margot, and she gave some feedback.
Feedback from Margot:
- The extra slit is very helpful! See how much you can work with that
- Can it stand? What will it look like rotated
- Experiment with multiple of these strips to achieve volume
In the end, I came up with two iterations:
This relatively simple, it’s just one pillar attached to the rest, but theoretically I could make multiple somehow (I tried to come up with a module variation but got stuck, so this is where the roadblock hits) People have commented on the curves, and enjoy the parallel structure. However, just like my earlier piece, this one’s greatest vice is that I’m just attaching an extra piece, rather than incorporating it.
Then, I have this one that kind of does an infinite staircase loop, There’s also two modules, but slitting the bigger ones together with the right symmetry could kind of resembles a butterfly? If I go through with something similar to this, then I’d have to make the colors more delicate.
Office Hours with Dani
- Use what you learned from your first module experiment and implement it towards the second
- With the current module (the larger one, it’s more functional than delicate. However, the rest of the structure is decorative and light, which slows down the intensity of the form
- All the planes now show a greater relation to one another,
- Enjoys the contrast with a swirly form
- Use gold as an accent, maybe keep the gold on only one side?
- Keep the aggression, it’s a good contrast to the delicacy of curves
- No need to change color, it fits with the concept you like and gives more of a grand-like sense
Thankfully, Daphne shared similar sentiments, and also suggested that I follow through with the second one:
If I were to go through the staircase-like structure, then I think the best verb to fit for it would be “step.” I planned on increasing the sale of the person more, so that it’s more feasible to walk on it.
This time, I made the larger module mostly black, with few gold accents. I also kept the gold outline on just one side so that it would outline the form better. Furthermore, given that the staircase loops has layered levels, I figured that people walking below/on the ground would like the interior to be more interesting. Thus, I made the bottom a gold, so that they could see their reflection. Technically speaking, this is feasible, as the interior won’t become overly conductive from the daylight sun.
One particularly quality that I like from this piece is that it has multiple dimensionality, and varies based on perspective. Given that this was one of my goals in the beginning, I’m proud of that.
Feedback from other people:
- It’s got a nice contrast between the curves and the angularity. Looks just a little aggressive and scary but I wanna walk on it
- It’s so fancy, like it should be at some big venue
- Looks like a snake? Or some kind of mythical creature
- The gold is really pretty
- ”It reminds me of shiny Rayquaza lol”
I thought about my three adjectives being dynamic, delicate, and imperial. The dynamism and delicacy is created from the form itself, while the imperial grandness stems from the color usage.
Feedback from Q:
- Made a lot of progress in terms of the structure of the piece
- Reminds him of the scale of a reptile
- Intimidating because of the color
- Gold and black creates huge contrast, especially with the white background. Furthermore, with 80% black, makes it look like a dragon
- Modules are a little simple, but instead of changing them add complexity from patterns?
- Shape perceived from the top view with the gold is the same as the shape, it amplifies the aggressive mood with color because the gold is outlining the edge only
- Make a pattern that takes away the viewers attention from the sharp module with different direction and angles
- Ask yourself, “Oh I can go up, I want to walk up and see what’s at the top” What gives them motivation?
- “Rayquaza is cute”
Feedback from Margot and Dani:
- No need to emphasize the sharp edge, it seems more like a blade
- Accent shape that doesn’t connect, but has a whole shape that connects it up
- Make it gold on one side to make it “pop”
- Gold on one side, Black on the other, a third color for pattern purposes
- White, maybe eggshell?
- Choose scene, choose photo, edit it in with a specific perspective
2/17/21- Patterns and Context
I edited on top of my old photo and experimented any potential patterns. Essentially I could take my piece two ways:
- Embrace the aggression. Make it terrifying, make it grand. Walking underneath and around it is still an interaction
- Change the pattern and add a softer tone; round out the edges and make it more inviting to walk on instead
I noticed that with my edited iterations, I had a spectrum from sharp to soft
I briefly thought about using eggshell for the top, but an overwhelming reception advocated for the gold. They argued that it added a sense of royalty, and too many colors would look distracting and gaudy.
Instead, I opted for a happy medium. I have consistently stated the theme of illusory perspectives, and decided to act upon it and take it to the next level. I planned to incorporate rounded spots, similar to the natural reptile, that would deter the eye away from the sharpness of the edges. This contrast would disguise the shape and give it the illusion of invitation.
I felt like a line was too boring, but blotches weren’t rounded enough. Because many people commented on the scale-like skin, and its resemblance to dragons, amphibians, and reptiles, I researched scale patterns of various animals, especially salamanders. I did this because snake patterns were relatively symmetrical and consistent, and I wanted something with more depth.
I thought that my craftsmanship for the last structure was a little shoddy (it’s gone through one too many experimentations) so I dedicated some time remaking them from scratch.
I carefully painted starting from the top, creating blotches from a bird’s-eye-view so that I would have a cohesive image at the top. I would like my structure to be placed near a venue (museum, opera, etc.) or at least someplace where there’s an area of high elevation, so that onlookers could see the unique pattern from the top-down only.
I also added an extra large gold stroke at the top of the larger module, hoping that the interactions would naturally walk towards the brightest area of refraction (which gives more incentive to walk on it). For the bottom, I kept the gold. Thought it was a nice reflective surprise for the lower level walkers :)
From the top, it resembles a snake or cobra. But from the side, it get’s broken up. And even from another side, it looks entirely different as well.
VERB: Ascend
ADJECTIVES: Dynamic, Illusory, regal
My piece now has a slightly softer look, being able to draw away from the angularity, and I think the contrast suits it. As a result, I changed delicate to “illusory,” as I wanted to emphasize the value in a changed perspective, and also because people still gave feedback with comments of it being “powerful.” The “imperial” touch is also slightly lost, as it doesn’t have the sharpness of old jewelry, but with its grand design I simply replaced with with “regal” instead.
Also, I have paper people now!
FINAL PHOTOS
(For Poster Design)
Conclusion
This project was the heaviest one I’ve ever done, and it really, really pushed me to my limits. I think in this project alone, I’ve asked more feedback than nearly half my projects last semester put together.
I went through a fair share of struggles and stagnated reflection, and near the climax of our project journey I honestly thought that I was about to start of the semester with a lackluster project, incapable of improving any further.
I’m the type of person that can handle a fair deal of criticism and negative reinforcement, not because of thick skin (I DEFINITELY don’t have that), but because I’ve been conditioned to it. I won’t snap, but I’ll certainly feel an onslaught of stagnation and helplessness. Because of this, I’ve grown accustomed to playing it safe, and merely improving on one idea that jumps out to me initially.
However, this project made me break through that. It shattered all my expectations midway, and suddenly my “groundbreaking” idea that I usually have near the beginning wasn’t good enough. I had to learn to scrap certain parts that I loved, pick apart the remains, and build something up all over again, which was a long and arduous journey.
Looking back, though, I’m really proud with how far I’ve come with the amount of effort I put in to this project. My biggest fear was that I’d put in all this strength, and only yield meager results that would only confirm my feelings of inadequacy. In moments that felt like burnout, where I shared the same tired mindset as everyone else, I thought “just a little more,” and tried even harder.
Where my prototyping phase was once linear, and I would primarily focus on the iteration process, I instead underwent a significantly higher amount of experiments: sketching, drafting, and digital experimenting. I wrote up the entire context, drew out the environmental plan, and thought of the feasibility, interactivity, and visual technicalities of the design. Overall, I found this project to be one of the most, if not the most, engaging, educational, and integral to my growth as a designer.
