Summing up 2019

My work in this class was centered around two main projects: A tinfoil tree sculpture, and a wire-mobile structure. The former was an up-cycling project, meant to repurpose refuse and raw material as components for an artistic project. The latter was a kinetic sculpture in the vein of the work of Alexander Calder, taking inspiration…

Final Report: Kinetic Sculpture pt. 2

Looking at my initial sketches, I’d say the final sculpture stays true to their intentions, while being a bit more sophisticated than what I had first envisioned. My aesthetic was fairly locked-in based on my components, so it would be difficult to stray from the Chinese New Year look I was aiming for. As far…

Final Report: Kinetic Sculpture pt. 1

With my final project I set out to design a kinetic sculpture in the vein of the works of Alexander Calder. Early in the process, I settled on a Chinese New Year aesthetic, planning to utilize various artifacts associated with the holiday as my ornaments. My initial sketches pushed me towards a hanging mobile structure.…

Final Progress: Kinetic Sculpture

Last week, I had plans to create two mobiles and balance them opposite each other on the structure above. The layout would be similar to the staircase design below. Following the construction timeline I set out, I’ve completed both the mobiles. But I felt this look was a bit lacking. So I began wrapping more…

Kinetic Sculpture Timeline

As of this blog post, I’ve acquired all my materials, outlined the general mechanics of my sculpture, and begun the process of construction. First I drilled into a block of wood and glued a wooden pole as my base. I’ve also wrapped the base with a flexible wire, which will hold the two mobiles I…

20th Century Aesthetics: Kinetic Sculpture

Half of my aesthetic is based on the works of Alexander Calder, who’s use of geometric shapes and thin lines could be classified as modernist. Although he did work in the late 50s – 60s and used color in a way that reminds me of De Stijl. The abstract nature of his sculptures could also…

Kinetic Sculpture Design Review

So far, I’ve acquired the set of materials which will make up the main elements of my sculpture. Note that they’re all hang-able items, which will probably be useful when building the final object, since the overall layout will involve branches, from which the objects will be suspended. I also have two fans and a…

Kinetic Sculpture Constraints

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…

Main Project Inspirations – Kinetic Sculpture

Work by Alexander Calder For my main project I’d like to make a kinetic sculpture, which would move when interacted with, but wouldn’t have much functionality beyond that. I’m not sure of the exact design at this point. I’m sure I’ll end up going through several iterations over the course of the rest of the…

Skills and Aspirations

I’d say my most useful skill is the ability to think creatively and problem-solve. I’m somewhat trained in the traditional areas of engineering, though I’m much more comfortable with more artistic mediums. Visual media especially, is where I find myself most engaged. Though, I also believe I’m a strong writer, or at least, very comfortable…

Tinfoil Insect Trees

Looking at the materials I’d have available to me for the up-cycling project, I decided to use paperclips and tinfoil. After some brainstorming with friends, I landed on insects as the subject-matter; I felt the wiry nature of the paperclips lent themselves well to the construction of limbs. I also felt it best to take…

Insect Inspirations

With this upcycling project I had no specific inspirations, in terms of what motivated me to chose this sculpture topic and style, other than the constraints of the materials I had available to me, and some discussions with friends about what I could do with said materials. However, as I’ve progressed with the construction of…

Tinfoil Insects

Looking at the materials I’d have available to me for the up-cycling project, I decided to use paperclips and tinfoil. After some brainstorming with friends, I landed on insects as the subject-matter; I felt the wiry nature of the paperclips lent themselves well to the construction of limbs. I also felt it best to take…

Dada – Art Against War

Following World War I, artists, reacting to the sheer volume of atrocities brought on by the war, felt it necessary to rebel against all existing standards of art and aesthetic, as a means of reconstruction. They were replacing the values of a society which created WWI in an attempt to pave the way towards a…