Erik Skooglund

10 posts

Floating Coffee Table : Final Report

April 29, 2021

Post 10: Final Report 2021 Part 1: What, Post 11: Final Report 2021 Part 2: How, Student Work, zv 2021

For my project, I built a ‘tensegrity’ base for a coffee table. A ‘tensegrity’ design is a tension-based structure that creates a sort of floating illusion. These designs operate on the principle of opposing tension to create stability. A lot of the designs that I have seen out there seem to be very wobbly and/or…

Floating Table : Specifications and Constraints

April 8, 2021

Erik Skooglund

Post 9: Top 5 constraints, top 5 specifications

Rendering of final design At this point I have finalized my design and all of the dimensions, and now I am starting the process of cutting out my metal pieces. It is important at this stage to make sure I have some key constraints and specifications outlined so that I end up with a functional…

Floating Coffee Table – Design Preview

March 30, 2021

Erik Skooglund

Post 8: Design Preview Report, Student Work

As mentioned in previous posts, I will be building a coffee table base using the principle of tensegrity. Short for ‘tensional integrity’, tensegrity is a structural principle based on suspending isolated rigid bodies within a network of tensile members. This technique, popularized in the mid twentieth century, has found its way into art, bridge design,…

Main Project Aesthetics – Plans and Alternatives

March 18, 2021

Erik Skooglund

Post 7: Main project aesthetics – plans and alternatives

For my final project, I am going to build a ‘floating’ tensegrity coffee table base. The aesthetics that I am aiming to demonstrate are industrial and minimalist. This will be accomplished by using tube steel / steel cables and sticking to a very straight-forward form. Besides these two, the overall aesthetic revolves around the…

Personal Aesthetics : Rough to Refined

March 11, 2021

Erik Skooglund

Post 6: My Personal Aesthetic 2021

I would say that my personal aesthetic tastes have been developed mostly through my woodworking experiences. I have been doing some form of woodworking since high school, and for the past two years I have worked as a builder for Boulder Furniture Arts, a custom furniture shop here in town. Much of our standard furniture…

Semester Main Project : Tensegrity base

March 4, 2021

Erik Skooglund

Post 5: Main project plans and inspirations

For my main semester project, I am going to be building a ‘tensegrity’ base for a coffee table. A ‘tensegrity’ design is a tension-based structure that creates a sort of floating illusion. These designs operate on the principle of opposing tension to create stability. A lot of the designs that I have seen out there…

Upcycle Spatula

February 26, 2021

Erik Skooglund

Post 4: Upcycle Final Report

Completing this upcycle project has definitely been a fun and interesting experience. It is always fulfilling to use low value materials to create something valuable and/or useful. I don’t mean to detract in any way from the value of creating pure art, but I personally find the upcycle process especially fulfilling when one produces…

Upcycle Spatula Progress

February 11, 2021

Erik Skooglund

Post 3: Upcycle progress

Since the last post, I have come up with a set design for my upcycle spatula. I have also finalized my plan for actually building and finishing the spatula. I have not gotten to the building process yet, but I plan to get started in the coming week. For now, I will just describe my…

Upcycle Spatula

February 3, 2021

Erik Skooglund

Post 2: Upcycle Aesthetic

For my upcycle project, I will be making a metal spatula with a wooden handle. The materials that I will be using are a scrap piece of steel and a block of oak wood. The primary aesthetic of the spatula will minimalism. The minimalist aesthetic will mostly apply to the design of the spatula’s form.…

Minimalism

January 28, 2021

Erik Skooglund

Post 1: Aesthetics Explorations 2021

It can be hard to nail down a precise definition of Minimalism in today’s cultural landscape. The term has come to have meaning in many different aspects of human activity and creation. Minimalist principles have influenced the way we approach art, literature, architecture, design, even our very lifestyles themselves. However, most usages of minimalist theory…