PROJECT 1: Surface Design / Mosaic

 

Due: October 11, 11:59 pm:

Week 1 // Due Sept 26, 8am: 

• Tune in. Search for / notice in your surroundings, surface patterns or ornamentation that you are drawn to, photograph the items, and if possible bring physical objects to class. These can be floor or wall tiles, quilts, couch or textile patterns, as well as references from artists you love or places you have been. Consider the compilation of these patterns in unison. 
• Create a blog post with 5 examples of surface patterns. Tell us what you find interesting about them, why you were drawn to them. 

Week 2 // Due Oct 2, 11:59 pm: 

• Think, Plan, Sketch: Create a 'mood board' of your project that you wish to develop. Working with the themes pointed out from your pattern selections (tonality, style, what you found interesting about the patterns you collected).
  
  Your mood board will include: 
• Precedent work / references you are inspired by
• Physical sketch of your idea. You may begin to draw layers of how your project may be portrayed on trace paper. Consider if your entire project will be laser cut, or if it will be a hybrid. Consider you may cut various smaller items, and overlap layers in order to create a 3 dimensional art piece. Or how else you might convey a 3D object from the 2 dimensional workflow of laser cutting (origami, sculpting onto a laser cut item etc.)
• Select the materiality/colour/gradients you think would best represent the project. These can be images of materials you have at home or wish to acquire or have worked with in the past. Consider texture, colour, the overlap and harmony of materials). Your project can be a hybrid of materiality, please consider a portion must be laser cut, and the material should be laser tolerable. Available materials to laser cut may include various birch wood sheets, clear acrylic, black acrylic, fabric, cardstock, foam, or even paper. It is up to you to select the most appropriate material for the development of your work. 
  
  
• Digital: In Rhino develop the materiality you have chosen and begin to model the 3D representation of some of your project. 
  
  
• Draw: Create a sample laser cut file with at least two layers (cut and engrave) of how you might begin to approach the development of your project. 
  
  
• Create a blog post of the above explaining your project. 

Week 3 // Due Oct 11, 11:59 pm: 

• Develop: Draw your working files and model your project using the 2D and 3D tools at your disposal. 
• Digital: Create proper laser cut file ready for review. 
• Meet: If you have not done so yet, make a meeting with myself to discuss your project plan, materials, 3D file and sample of  your laser cut file. I can also help to develop any of the above should you seek assistance!
• Make an appointment with the Thing Tank lab. Suggestion to make 2 appointments: the first for sampling material and prototyping, edit your model if need be, then a second appointment to cut the full project. Tip: create your booking as soon as possible in case you need more time than anticipated! 
• Materials: Purchase selected materials, and create a laser cut file to fit your material bed. Don't forget to nest the cut lines to make maximum use of the material. 
• Fabricate! Laser cut your prototypes / projects. Feel free to explore and play with a variety of materials when laser cutting. 
• Draw: create a diagram, using make 2D and Rhino drawing layouts, of your laser cut files to explain to a stranger the process of your project. For example you can use the 'scene silhouette' option for cut lines, and 'hidden lines' and/or 'hatch' to represent engraving areas.   
• Presentation / Reflection: Create a blog post of your project fabrication stage. Show all your work! Take clear (high quality) photographs of your progress, any tests or samples cut, as well as your final work. What did you learn? What was difficult? What would you do differently next time?
  
  

This entire project can be delivered in a series of blog posts (three or four) updated weekly showcasing the process, progress and reasoning of your work, in the end there will be one compiled blog post highlighting the main stages of the project as well as its results.