So I just finished a semester long project working with some super talented people on an art installation. The purpose was to create a space over at CSULB in front of the giant (and iconic) blue pyramid.
The idea was to create a smaller structure that can stand on it's own but still parallel some of the same attributes and elements that the pyramid has. What we chose to do was to create a structure that is geometric, stable and uses theory and rules of design to create shape, space and form.
We started with a platonic object (an Octahedron) and began to take it apart and dissect it. We created a modular element that we then repeated and connected in space according to Fibonacci's principle. What we got was a super cool shape that was proportional, stable and easy to build because of it's modularity. We then decided on building using a space frame design, meaning we wanted the structure to have two parts: a skeletal structure and a skin. The idea being that the skeletal system would support the structure and the skin would create the "space" and facade of the object --or a canvas on to which we project images.
We thought about interactivity and input output systems that could take human input (say via touch capacitance, thermal and optical sensors or even data input such as tweets) and use it to project images or drive lighting systems on the art installation.
Thanks to our amazing professor, Heather Barker; we got in contact with a engineering firm called Gossamer that let us use it's proprietary interlocking technology that's based on a reverse thread system. Not only that but they helped us solve the structure and tested it's structural integrity for us. They even rendered out the plans for us --how awesome is that!!!
I will post up work I did and some BTS stuff from our project. Really stoked to see this thing go up. For some more info check out: http://universityartmuseum.tumblr.com/ to follow our progress. The installation should be up early 2014. So come check it out! Also Check out Materials&Applications, they are one of the contributors to this project --you can check out what they are up too over at: http://emanate.org/