assignment 5

obserbridge
Originally uploaded by taylorone.

Observation Tower composed of Platonic Solids

The recommended materials for these assignments also presented challenges. All of the examples from previous years were made from impractical shapes that were easy to construct as a model, but posed no concrete use otherwise. The issues of accessibility were a constant concern of mine, as was sustainability. This prevented me from making a cardboard or construction paper assembly of colorful shapes. All cardboard used in the project were found on campus. Using it in the most effective way to create strenghts, and preserve construction material, was difficult to plan, but simpler in the end.

Assignment 4

orange
Originally uploaded by taylorone.

Compacted Spheres

For this assignment we were either given marbles or encouraged to go to an art store and buy Styrofoam balls. I didn’t want to use either as a material, and as I arrived late to the class I was unable to join a group. This left me some time to ponder the assignment on my own. Outside of my room I found an inedible nut tree that had been decimated by squirrels, leaving round little balls with small holes in them. I thought these holes might make them easier to join together, but that was not the case. After struggling to make a simple connection with only 5 spheres, I decided that these were not the best materials for the job. Then I thought about how triangles and spheres were some of the most common shapes found in nature. We had an abundance of oranges and those seem to stack easily and support themselves, so I used oranges to make more elaborate polygons without anything but a basket foundation to support them.

Asignment 3

100_0730
Originally uploaded by taylorone.

Regular Tensegrity

Tensegrity can exist in a vast array circumstances and shapes, but unless all lengths are equal it is considered irregular. To make a project that was equal I found 3 bike tires and a stainless steel double u frame. I wrapped the tires around the frame 4 times with 1 tire on each of the 3 sides. The result is a small ottoman that can also be used as a lightweight, portable seat. This design is one of my favorites and might inspire a new line of furniture.