Primary research

Bubble booth

Studio swine’s work is extensive and this is one of them, the name of the exhibition is bubble booth designed by Miami design firm.They promote carbon neutrality, zero waste and reusability, which I really like. Bubble Booth is a flexible inflatable display system that is the first carbon neutral booth at design/Miami.The simple shape and the shape of bubbles make it easy for the audience to understand the meaning and meaning of this work. I like transparent bubbles very much because it is consistent with the theme.

Fresh flower

Client: London Festival of Architecture; Tata Steel

Location: Kensington; Bedford Square; St Pauls; Canary Wharf, London

Status: 2007

Structural Engineer: AKT II; David Dexter Associates

Fabricator: Mike Smith Studio; Millimeter

Budget: £90,000

As each petal unfolds around the central stem, the size of the petals increases, creating an entrance space between the petals that welcomes visitors. In the rain, water droplets follow the curve of the petals and are collected by a flue inside the central stempost.I like this installation because it collects rainwater and allows people to rest, and the bright colours brighten up the mood. I love the color, it will be the focal point of the square and relax the mood.

Reconstruction of scrap

We were asked to go out and find scraps or rubbish to create, the area was cleaned up until I walked into a park, I wanted to pick up something from nature and combine it with rubbish, I ended up finding a rock a piece of tape a leather band, they were all small so it was hard to create anything until I dismembered the tape and I found white crumbs and some clear tape, I organised it. My theme was to protect the environment, the icebergs are melting extremely fast due to global warming caused by man’s massive CO2 emissions and environmental pollution. I thought I might choose a park for the location of my theme and design a meaningful decoration.I started to think about when I started to choose a place, whether I would consider the background story of the place or what iconic buildings are nearby and I could combine my theme with these elements, which would be a good start for me to think about how to add a comfortable work in the right location.

Create a space with the simplest of objects

When I could only use cardboard and paper, there were few forms I could create without using tape, and all I could think of was to destroy as well as rebuild. I folded the paper repeatedly in the form of springs to turn it into a revolving staircase hanging from a piece of cardboard, developing my imagination despite the limited supplies available. It was like giving life to these seemingly useless objects by turning them into something meaningful.At first I didn’t have the confidence to make a three-dimensional building without glue, but I found that it was also a challenge to make a conventional model with unconventional tools that would start us thinking in a different way, which would develop our imagination and hands-on ability.

Sketching Exercise

I sketched some flowers because I wanted to model something about flowers. I use ordinary pens and pencils for sketching. While I was drawing, I started thinking about how to model a three-dimensional flower, and I started imagining what they would look like in three dimensions.

Learn modeling software nomad

I chose to try nomad, and to get up to speed I went to YouTube to watch a series of instructional videos on the tool before modelling. The reason I chose nomad is because it’s relatively easy to learn how to use computer modeling software like maya, which can be operated on the ipad, and I do a lot of drawing on the ipad, so it’s a good opportunity for me to practice modeling software.

Practice nomad for the first time

My first attempt at modelling with nomad, the software, looked rugged in places as the tool required proficiency.Some of the areas that were not modeled properly were easy to wear and the petals were a little heavy, not quite as light as the flowers in real life.

A mind-map about choosing places

I drew a mind-map to help me sort out some parks. I selected 5 parks and investigated the background of each park and the landmark buildings nearby. I found that many famous and large parks often held concerts or exhibitions, while some meaningful small parks were forgotten by people. So I will choose Geraldine Mary Harmsworth Park as my place to create my model.

Photos of the parks

Green Park

Chelsea Embankment Gardens

Hyde Park

St James’s Park

I went to four of the parks I chose over the weekend, and I kept the one closest to my home, and I visited the other four famous parks, and I found that there were a lot of people visiting these parks, and they all had their own characteristics. I think if I set up an art installation in these big parks, it might not attract the attention of tourists. And these big parks were already very famous and didn’t need to be publicized, so I finally went to a park closer to my home.

Geraldine Mary Harmsworth Park

Geraldine Mary Harmsworth Park, a park built next to the Imperial War Museum, is a great area for dogs to play , humans to walk and exercise, allowing  people to breathe fresh air away from the busy city and events .I surveyed the crowd about the people who come to the park, half come to walk their dogs, half come to visit the nearby Imperial War Museum and  some people come to run in the park, so I wanted my work to suggest that the world would be a better place away from war, and at the same time there are no flowers in the park and I wanted to add some flowers to the park that would not fade.

Planning and Design

Christmas Rose

I planned the look of the flower, I decided on the type of flower, I chose the Christmas rose Jesus and Mary, because it symbolizes virtue and peace, which fits my theme very well, this kind of flower is made up of five petals. I modeled the irregular petals and planned the height of the flowers in reality.

I planned the look of the flower, I decided on the type of flower, I chose the Christmas rose Jesus and Mary, because it symbolizes virtue and peace, which fits my theme very well, this kind of flower is made up of five petals. I modeled the irregular petals and planned the height of the flowers in reality.

Planetary model

I planned the outer ring of the planet to be like an umbilical cord around the planet because every planet is a child of nature, and I made the planet bumpy because humans are always in constant war. I want the world to be peaceful and free of war.

Combined models

I combined several flowers into a bouquet, some of the leaves were arranged in a strange way, so I continued to make small adjustments, and the molding was a tricky problem, I had to drag some details to make the bouquet perfect.

I exported the white model and started rendering. At the beginning, I was very attached to the transparent material, because it brought people some pure feeling. However, I found that the root of the flower would penetrate the mold, which affected the ornamental effect, so I will further test different materials to present my works.

Rendering test

I tried a lot of different materials and went back and forth in the park to check the results. At the beginning, I wanted to use transparent materials, but I found that the flowers were easy to pass through the mold to the top of the planet, and the effect was poor, because the background colors of the park were too messy, so I began to doubt my original idea, I began to try different colors and materials, and I found that the metal material was also suitable for my theme this time. Because the cold of metal can echo the ruthlessness of war, I tend to use metal materials. I want to use stainless steel to present the final work, because I like that it can reflect the surrounding environment.

Realisation 

Peace flower 

This is the final modeling effect, I used metal materials to render it. I am very happy with my final result, because the shape and texture are in line with my theme.

Model display

YouTube：https://youtu.be/yH_DJKgQICs

I made a rotating display video of my completed model and uploaded it to YouTube, so that the audience can fully see the appearance of the whole model. I like the model very much, and I changed the material of the model into transparent in order to make it more intuitive for the audience to see.

I used Shapr3D for AR projection to project my model into the real park. I simulated what the finished product would look like if placed in a real park, where the surface would reflect the surrounding environment.

Cost/budget 

When I started to calculate my budget, I felt that I had become a qualified designer, because I started to make money for myself with the things I designed, which was an exciting thing.

I decided to implement my model with 3D printing, which was probably the most convenient and quick way to get my finished product within a week, while still staying within budget.

Customization fee: ￡730

Freight costs: ￡150

Manual handling costs：80

Design cost：974.65（£194.93 p/day）

Total:￡1934.65

Feedback from different groups

Reflections

I showed my work to different groups of students and gave a presentation, and that’s what they said about me on the right Feedback from different groups. They thought my work was complete in general, only some of the details could have been more detailed and more process and renderings could have been included to give them a better understanding of my work. I think what I need to improve on my first project is to try more different places, I always stick to my first choice of position and I think I need to do more experimentation, it will open up more possibilities. I would always be shy to ask some questions, because my first language is not English and my character, but I found that it would waste a lot of time in the tangle of problems, I should seek the teacher to answer my questions at the first time. I should go out to test my work more often, because sometimes I can only find problems in the test. I always stay at home for continuous modeling, so I find many problems later and need to redo each step, which wastes a lot of time for modification. I should write a schedule and write down the things I need to do. I think regular study is a very important habit.

Studio selection

I think my first project belongs to Studio 4, because my outcome is similar to an art installation. I planned the combination of my outcome with a specific site. I brought my idea to a small local park next to a war museum, and I hope to bring some meaning with my art installation. I like works of art that have meaning even if they don’t.