Fiona Bell

15 posts

Final Part 2: Floral Mobile

April 19, 2020

Final Project Part 2 2020, Student Work

Timeline As seen in Part 1 of this report, I had to go through some early design iterations due to my own indecision and COVID-19. I also wanted to make time for user testing and another round of iteration once my piece was built. This caused my design process to have two main design loops,…

Final Part 1: Floral Mobile

April 14, 2020

Fiona Bell

Final Project Part 1 2020, Student Work

Aesthetic Inspiration For my final project, I drew most of my aesthetic inspiration from the sculptures by Rebecca Louise Law, and the movie, Midsommar. While these seem somewhat opposing (sculptures and a horror flick) both use flowers to convey a story and represent beauty. I was drawn to Law’s work because she really makes it…

Construction Update

April 13, 2020

Fiona Bell

Main Project Construction Update 2020, Student Work

Design Update: Throughout my time in quarantine, I came to the realization that my initial prototyped design of an automaton-mobile hybrid was a bit too ambitious given my current lack of resources (no machine shop). So, I decided to pair down my design and focus on creating a large floor-to-ceiling mobile. Because my new design…

Aesthetic Roots: Floral Mobile

April 6, 2020

Fiona Bell

Student Work, Your Aesthetic Roots 2020

For my final project, I am drawing aesthetic inspiration specifically from the artist, Rebecca Louise Law, and the movie, Midsommar. Real flowers take center stage in Law’s sculptures and in the movie Midsommar. As far as relating these works to modern movements, I would consider this floral aesthetic to be rooted stylistically in the Arts…

Favorite Build Video: Miniature House

March 30, 2020

Fiona Bell

Favorite Youtube design/build videos 2020

One of my closest friends loves to build miniatures and so she got me addicted to watching miniature build videos. I think I am addicted because they are relaxing to watch (somewhat ASMR-y) and once you start a video you quickly get sucked in and have to watch through to the end because there is…

Timeline and Logistics: Floral Automata

March 8, 2020

Fiona Bell

Design Review 2020 Part 2: Timeline and Logistics

COVID-19 Update Despite planning and prototyping a large automaton, the restrictions on the machine shop have encouraged me to focus on something that I can do at my own home, which only has basic hand tools (small hand saw, drill, etc). This means that I am only going to focus on the hanging mobile aspect…

Detailed Plans: Floral Automata

March 7, 2020

Fiona Bell

Design Review 2020 Part 1: Detailed Plans

Aesthetic Inspiration I have drawn aesthetic inspiration specifically from the artist, Rebecca Louise Law, and the movie, Midsommar. For Rebecca Louise Law, I plan to incorporate her ideas of falling flowers. I specifically like it when she uses flowers that have not dried out too much and are still very vibrant. I also like the…

Top 5 Constraints: Automata

March 4, 2020

Fiona Bell

Student Work, Top 5 Constraints 2020

Engineering + Time I want to create an automata-mobile hybrid sculpture. This is going to have a number of engineering challenges. The first will be to create a successful automaton that uses a hand crank to create an up and down motion. The second challenge will be to create that mobiles that hang from the…

Main Project Aesthetics: Minimalist, Rustic, or Childhood

February 25, 2020

Fiona Bell

Main Project Aesthetic 2020: plans and alternatives

I currently have 3 related, yet different ideas all with different aesthetics, and I need help deciding which one to do. The one thing they all have in common is the fact that they are kinetic sculptures that use a crank to create up/down motion (automata). Basic Automata [1] Idea 1) Minimalist wall automata Idea…

Final Project Inspiration: Kinetic Sculpture

February 17, 2020

Fiona Bell

Main Project Inspirations 2020

I am very tempted to make a sculpture out of mycelium, but after the disaster that was my upcycle project, I think it would be safest to avoid relying on it. This being said I think I want to make some sort of kinetic sculpture. I am familiar with kinetic wind sculptures due to my…

Upcycle Final Report: Papier-Mâché Plants

February 11, 2020

Fiona Bell

Upcycle Final Report 2020

Vision My initial vision involved creating a minimalist planter out of mycelium, which is basically the roots of mushrooms. Mycelium is a really fascinating material because it can be grown in any shape, is low cost (easily upcycled), is completely biodegradable, and when it is baked, it becomes very durable. I was familiar with mycelium…

Upcycle Progress: Mycelium

February 3, 2020

Fiona Bell

Upcycle Progress 2020

So far everything has been going well with my mycelium aka I haven’t killed it and I haven’t contaminated it. The following image is a depiction of my planned fabrication process. Mycelium Fabrication Process Unlike the picture above, I already started growing mycelium from store-bought oyster mushrooms. This meant that I could skip step 1…

Aesthetics Game: Shabby Chic Set of Screwdrivers

February 3, 2020

Fiona Bell

Aesthetics Game 2020

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Group Members: Kyle Neubarth and Fiona Bell Object: Set of Screwdrivers https://www.lumberjocks.com/mafe/blog/25939 Aesthetic: Shabby Chic “a style of interior decoration that uses furnishings that are or appear to be pleasantly old and slightly worn.” -google dictionary http://www.home-decor-ideas.com/2017/04/tips-to-take-your-shabby-chic-interior-to-the-next-level.html

Upcycle Inspiration: Mycelium

January 27, 2020

Fiona Bell

Student Work, Upcycle Inspiration 2020

For my upcycle project I decided to focus on mycelium. What is mycelium? Mycelium is the vegetative part of a fungus (aka mushroom roots). Mycelium is a key element of our ecosystem because it helps with decomposition and absorbs nutrients [1]. I learned about mycelium while working as a graduate…

Aesthetic Exploration: Brutalism

January 21, 2020

Fiona Bell

Aesthetic Explorations 2020

Brutalism is an architectural style, characterized by its imposing, geometric appearance. The functionality of the concrete and steel gave brutalist buildings a distinctly utilitarian feel that lent themselves well to institutional uses such as libraries, schools, and public housing [1]. Originating from a post-WWII world, in the 1950s, the brutalist…