Unconventional Aesthetics for an Abstract Geometric Rock

I enjoy experimenting with various aesthetics and pushing the limits of what is practical as a designer and craftsman. Therefore, when I set myself the job of making an abstract geometric rock for a lithophane, my head began to buzz with ideas. I was intrigued to consider, though, “What if I went in a totally…
Read More

Exploring the Possibilities: Wildly Different Aesthetics for a Magical Heartbeat Tree

Although my original intention was to make a tree that was influenced by a wonderful fantasy world, I also came up with two alternate styles that I think would be as alluring. Steampunk AestheticFuturistic AestheticSteampunk AestheticA design with steampunk influences is the first aesthetic I investigated. I imagined the tree’s branches, wires, and pipes to…
Read More

Upcycle Inspiration: Upcycled Fashion

The inspiration for my up-cycle project is up-cycled fashion which has gained popularity in the fashion industry. The fashion industry is notorious for being wasteful and unsustainable. Fast fashion is a term used for the process of creating cheap trendy clothes and and distributing them quickly so they are readily available to consumers. Fast fashion…
Read More

Aesthetic Exploration: Kitsch

                      Kitsch is the German word for trash and is often used to describe cheap, meaningless forms of pop culture/commercial culture. Kitsch, also known as cheesiness or tackiness, and appeals to popular or uncultivated taste because the forms are often garish or overly sentimental, simply…
Read More

Aesthetic Exploration: Product Design Sketches

Sketching by hand is not lost in today’s digital age. The ability to sketch by hand allows designers to quickly put ideas onto paper, make changes, and flesh out concepts. Hurricane Lantern sketches by Mike Serafin Early stages of design sketching often looks like this. Many simple images on one page. Often in a side…
Read More

Aesthetic Variations Compared to 20th Century Designs: Bed Stand

Hello my dearest readers, In my previous blog post I mentioned that I wish to pursue a food aesthetic with my bed stand – well, today I am going to explore some more possible aesthetic avenues for my bed stand. I know you all loved the pizza aesthetic as much as I did but it…
Read More

From Fists and Steel to Jungle Bicycle Part 2

I initially set out to make a café racer style bicycle, using among other things the Joe Lewis Detroit fist as my inspiration. After spending quite a bit of time in my friend’s shop trying to perfect my welding skills, I bailed on this idea. I did not feel confident enough welding the thin walled…
Read More

A Living Room 3D Printer: Final Design Report

  Introduction Additive manufacturing very well may be the future of making “things” and the advancement of 3D printers will revolutionize the way that everyday people get parts and products for use in their homes. The most common type of 3D printing on the consumer market currently is Fusion Deposition Modeling (FDM), which basically melts…
Read More

From Fists and Steel to Jungle Bicycle Part 1

Introduction The project has left me with a beautiful bamboo jungle bicycle I will ride into my next guerrilla warfare endeavor. The following will explain my process and eventually in good time I’ll reveal what it all means. To quickly recap: disappointed in my welding skills I switched from making a steel cafe racer bicycle to…
Read More

Turning Old Bicycle Parts into a Clock

I have always wanted to make artwork, useful or not, out of old or broken parts from bikes. I’m not quite sure why but I really like the look of rotors, cassettes, hubs, wheels and cranks; probably more than complete bikes or beautiful frames. There seems to be so much effort put into their design (although…
Read More

Telefoni Bianchi (Italian ‘White Telephone’ Films of the 1930’s)

In the 1930’s, a white telephone was a luxury item and a symbol of opulence. This visual status symbol indicated great wealth and represents an era of Italian filmmaking focused on the glamorous lives of those who could afford such an ostentatious technology1. The aesthetic of these films revolved around lush settings and grand, splendid worlds in…
Read More

Androgynous

http://setuptheupset.com/blogs/uncvrd/25735364-10-androgynous-moments-that-changed-fashion-forever Androgyny was identified first by plato as a combination of the two sexes. His myth tell the story of three sexes; male, female, and male-female respectively from the sun, earth, and the moon. The synthesis of the two sexes gives the male and female characteristics of style, music, expression, sexual experience, and appearance in…
Read More

An Architect’s Aesthetic

An architect has their own aesthetics, not just their buildings. These aesthetics generally reflect an architect’s attitude and desire to stand out from everyone else. The idea of an architect’s style of clothing probably originated sometime around Le Corbusier (1930’s) who is seen wearing the iconic black, round-framed “Harry Potter” glasses. He was known as “the…
Read More

02 History of Aesthetics

Today: admin stuff; ITLL and Idea Forge tour and workshop info. Then the History of Aesthetics, including the all-encompassing Hertzberg Theory of Art. Then we started a Tour of Aesthetics, to be continued on Friday. Many students wanted to see the rest of the Dance Vines 2015 video. 02 Definition of Aesthetics Lecture notes pdf.
Read More