Material Explorations
Each year of my studies, there was a small Explorations class where I experimented with different types of materials and processes. This included metal, plastic, wood and rapid prototyping. In each shop, I was introduced and became familiar with the different uses and properties of each type of material. This was instrumental in my studies as it gave me a well-rounded understanding of material science, and the ideal uses of each through experimentation and failure. Below are a few of the examples of what I was able to design and create.
This was a hood ornament project for the metal shop where I designed, cut, polished and welded together a diamond. The diamond has a threaded hole at the base so it can be attached to a hood.
This was an embroidered tapestry I made on a sewing machine. It depicts the Goddess Nike holding up a pair of Jordan 1's which are floating like balloons. This piece was made conceptually as an ode to Nike the brand as one my favourite brands, but it was also exposing me to the process of embroidery and it's limitations.
This was a small sculpture that was initially carved out of foam, then vacuum-formed. The two vacuum-formed halves where then bonded together, and painted by hand. The concept behind this little guy was to be the physical embodiment of a "sneakerhead"
This was a plastics project where we had to create a 3-dimensional ball maze. I used a router drill to create the channels in a block of high-density foam, then painted it. I sealed the maze into a clear acrylic box, and polished the whole outer box.
This was rapid prototyping project, where the task was to create a functional pencil-sharpener. I drew inspiration from a LeBron Nike shoe box that utilized a drawer-style closure. I felt this was perfect for a pencil-sharpener, that needed to have an internal compartment for the shavings. I quickly drafted the sharpener up in the Rhino modelling software, and then had it 3D printed. The internal compartment was created to house a standard sharpener blade, which I screwed into place. Since the printer material was all one colour, I opted to paint the sharpener to match my renders in Rhino.
This was a wood project where we were tasked to create an analog speaker. I opted to take inspiration from a vintage gramophone speaker, and attached this piece to a modern cube with a phone cut-out.
This shoe was created using a multitude of unconventional materials to recreate an existing shoe. I decided to model a Nike Flyknit Roshe, and I used a combination of foam, wooden dowels, wire, multicoloured yarn, weather stripping, leather scraps and elastics. I now use the shoe as a tiny planter.
