Modern Sculptures and Aesthetics Jamie Frankel

Modern art seems to reject conservative methods of expression such as realistic interpretation of a subject instead focusing on experimental techniques and innovative ways to present shapes colors and lines that often comes across a little bit abstract. Modernism is the aesthetic that I will dive into here as it has always perplexed me. I tend to have an association between modern and money, I infer that this stems from the fact that modern homes always seem to be unachievably expensive and modern art almost always…

Final Project Report: Dynamic Infinity Mirror

The Beginning I have always loved the color black. I think it is futuristic, classy, and sleek. If you look around my room or even in my closet, most of my items are black. My computer, keyboard, printer, water bottle, decorations, etc. I just love the modern and sleek look of it. So it made sense for me to fit that into my personal design aesthetic. I think infinity mirrors are an intriguing decoration. They are mesmerizing and mysterious. So I thought I would combine…

Construction Timeline: Dynamic Infinity Mirror

So far I have completed 99% if the coding, electrical, and design work for my project. This week and next I will be doing final revisions on all of my work and starting the manufacturing section of my project. I have most all of the CAD work done and nearly all of my coding done. All that is left is double checking my work and doing the last final touches on all of my effort so far. Either late this week or next I would…

Design Review: Infinity Mirror Prototype

My design finds its inspiration in many of the modern devices we use today. I love the sleek, modern, and futuristic aesthetic. It seems innovative and creative and insinuates a sense of wonder and mystery. I recently received an Amazon echo dot, and loved the aesthetic of it. It is so simple looking yet strikes me and this futuristic and modern device. So I sat down just drawing things that resembled that aesthetic. I started with a sculpture that just included some lights,then some of…

Top 5 Constraints – Infinity Mirror

The Aesthetic: When I started the design process for this, I knew I wanted it to be dark, mysterious, and futuristic looking. The aesthetic was my constraint priority number one. This determined the material, the shape, the color, and the dynamics of the lights. Size: I wanted this to be a desktop sized item. It would be able to fit on the corner of a desk or on a shelf without taking up too much space. Size was also determined by my choice of material…

Main Project Inspirations: Dynamic Infinity Mirror

I recently received an Amazon echo dot, and loved the aesthetic of it. It is so simple looking yet strikes me and this futuristic and modern device. So I sat down just drawing things that resembled that aesthetic. I started with a sculpture that just included some lights, then some of my own echo type devices, then out of nowhere I remembered this really need mirror and light trick. By using a mirror, some two way glass, and some LED’s the effect of an infinitely…

Desk Garden Final Report Part 2

The desk garden is currently a nice addition to my desk. I made it because I like plants and wanted to start keeping some. My desk is a little bare, so the desk garden livens it up. Originally, I thought I would use a square footprint and that the planter would have an overhead watering system. I decided that square wasn’t interesting enough, and the corners would be too sharp. Hexagons are cool, so I decided to make the garden a hexagon. I also originally…

Desk Garden: Minimal Care Required

The Idea So as usual, I’m having difficultly sticking with an idea. Originally, I kind of wanted to build a living computer case. However, I don’t need another computer, and acquiring all the working computer parts I would need is going to be way too expensive for it to be worth it right now. I’m still going to stick with a plant theme, and I’d still like to have some sort of computerized aspect, but on a much smaller scale. I think I’ll make a…

Contemporary Industrial Coaster

As a personal fan of the contemporary industrial aesthetic I wanted to capture it within my upcycling project. I appreciate the simplicity of this aesthetic, but also how it doesn’t sacrifice strength or quality. I wanted something that would be useful in my life, but also add a subtle intricacy that was not immediately evident. I chose to make a common household item, the drink coaster. Source: blogspot.com Source: blogspot.com Source: home-designing.com Examples of contemporary industrial design Not immediately certain of my final design intent, I…

Roadkill: Cycling wall art

Bikes are a wonderful component to living in Boulder, as a capstone to the great infrastructure in the community I’d like to build something to hang my bike on. Something I love most about bikes is their simple mechanical design and ability to rebuild them. I think this behavior epitomizes upcycling and not just the bad play on words. I want to use unused bike parts to create a bike stand that displays the beauty of a bike like a piece at the Louvre. It…

Industrially Influenced Drink Coaster

As a personal fan of the contemporary industrial aesthetic I wanted to capture it within my upcycling process. I appreciate the simplicity of this aesthetic, but also how it doesn’t sacrifice strength or quality. I wanted something that would be useful in my life, but also add a subtle intricacy that was not immediately evident. I chose to make a common household item, the drink coaster. Not immediately certain of my final design intent, I scavenged through the Manufacturing Center and machine shop in the ITLL.…

Apple Design Aesthetic

Under the sometimes manic guidance from Steve Jobs, Apple product designers were able to redefine the tech industry with a sleek aesthetic that has now become the norm within the industry. The aesthetic is characterized by clean lines with the absence of clutter and, more recently, with an outer shell of aluminum. The original inspiration came from Job’s childhood neighborhood that had “modern” 60’s architecture with open floorplans and expansive glass windows. Job’s was later inspired by the work of industrial designers in sleek kitchen…

Modern Rustic Design

  The Modern Rustic aesthetic is my all-time favorite design style. Its warm, natural and inviting, yet also clean and simple. Also know as ‘rustic modern’, this design style became recognized at some point in the 20th century. The earliest book I could find describing this aesthetic was written in 2000 by Ali Hanan: “Modern Rustic: Natural Ideas for a Contemporary Lifestyle”. Hanan describes the style as “a natural, rural lifestyle” ideal for those looking to “improve their quality of life by adopting a country lifestyle.” As the…