Kinetic Sculpture Constraints

5 years ago

The main constraints for my final project fall into two general categories: materials and experience.

Materials:

First and foremost, the objects I which I plan on purchasing this weekend will determine the direction and overall look of my sculpture. As of right now, I’m thinking of using lucky money envelopes one would receive for Chinese new year as a main component, since I already have several.

Second, the material I use for the support structure will place constraints on my design, mostly the arrangement of things. I think I’ll use cheap metal rods, if I can find some, although I’m not very experienced with metalworking at all. Which leads into the next category on constraints.

The third constraint will be my ability to work with the materials in order to create a sculpture. I’m going to start by emulating the work of Alexander Calder.

In the assembly of my artifact, I think my lack of experience will necessitate outside assistance, either from group members or friends, which is a constraint in some sense, since I won’t always be able to work on the project when it’s most convenient for me.
Which brings us to my final constraint: time. Of course, time factors into any undertaking and this project is no different. The biggest difficulties I foresee with regards to time are the initial stages of building, where I’ll need to get acquainted with this kind of assembly and figure out how I want to structure my artifact, and then toward the end, working on the final polishing.