LookingOutwards-03 – Page 6 – [OLD FALL 2020] 15-104 • Introduction to Computing for Creative Practice

LO 03 – Computational Fabrication

Zaha Hadid Architects created a gallery that is now displayed as The Winston Gallery in London’s Science Museum. The Handley Page aircraft is placed in the center of the artpiece while a three-dimensional pod structure curves around it. The design of the creation imitates the movement of airflow used throughout aviation industry history. I admire how the piece encapsulates the entire room and draws your eyes up towards the ceiling. I also admire the fact that the context behind this piece is deeply rooted in history and mathematics. Mathematics has allowed for the progression of the society that we know today, solving the world’s biggest problems and allowing us to advance.

Mathemiticians and engineers used mathematical models in wind tunnels to design new aircraft. Similarly, the creators of the artpiece had the actual aircraft. They used it to construct the geometry of the gallery and the airflow that would have followed the aircraft.

The pink arrows depict the movement of air that would have flowed around this aircraft.

The creator’s artistic sensibilities manifest in the final form with a very elegant design. Dame Zaha Hadid, who was known for her use of curves, designed the smooth, curving surfaces and soft contour lines throughout the gallery.

LO – Computational Fabrication

One piece of generative design that has been digitally fabricated is Brazilian architect Guto Requena’s Samba stool. It is a piece of furniture that was created based off traditional Brazilian music. The architects extracted parameters from the songs, such as the bass and treble. From that data they received frequencies that generated the curves, which grew in “real-time following the music.” The data was input into a motorized machine that is controlled by a computer, which sculpted the digital file from a cube of marble. I admire that the architects took music, which to me is a field that seemed disparate from computing, and was able to use innovations from computing to celebrate and share. The stools themselves are also beautiful! While the architect’s design sensibilities weren’t necessarily extremely prevalent, the material choice as well as the concept itself were reflective of Requena’s design personality and background.

LO 3 – Computational Fabrication

The BAC Mono is a British-built, street legal racecar designed to deliver the most pure driving experience possible. The Mono’s secret to fun lies in its weight: at only 1250 pounds, the car behaves like a scalpel, being able to turn precisely and quickly due to having little inertia.

For its 2020 refresh, BAC had to come up with creative methods to shave mass of this already featherweight machine. Partnering with Autodesk, the engineers at BAC used Fusion 360 to generate a lighter wheel. Compared to the outgoing design, this wheel saved 2.6 pounds. While this may not seem like much on paper, removing unsprung weight from the spinning wheels of a car translates tenfold towards performance. In other words, the new design actually saves about 26 pounds per wheel when the car is in motion!

To me, the majority of generative design is very obvious – the algorithms used to generate these designs have a distinct, hollowed out, weblike aesthetic. Although this is pleasing in some applications, they may not look ideal in others. In the case of the BAC Mono, maintaining the general 5 spoke design of the outgoing wheel was a priority. The end result speaks for itself – a wheel that looks virtually unchanged on the surface but is much improved underneath.

LO 3 – Computational Fabrication

Norwegian Wild Reindeer Centre Pavilion (2011) by Snøhetta

The Norwegian Wild Reindeer Centre Pavilion is an observation pavilion that overlooks the Snøhetta mountain in Norway. The rock shaped wooden core represents the surrounding rock that has been eroded due to wind and running water.

In order to generate the form, Snøhetta design team used “digital 3D-models such as MAYA to drive the milling machines, Norwegian shipbuilders in Hardangerfjord created the organic shape from 10 inch square pine timber beams.” After, the wood was assembled in a traditional way – using wood pegs as fasteners. The form resembles Snøhetta’s style of expressionism and visual boldness. Materials include pine tar treated exterior wall and oiled interior wood walls.

The pavilion is a robust yet undisturbed in its form that the building itself “gives visitors an opportunity to reflect and contemplate this vast and rich landscape.” Personally, this aesthetic and design quality is the most admirable in which this company engages the audience with the architecture as well as the landscape in a natural, flowing way.

LO: Computational Fabrication

One project that particularly stands out to me is the generative jigsaw puzzles by Nervous System, a Massachusetts-based design studio. They write specialized programs that imitate processes found in nature. They then use that code to create projects inspired by organic forms. Their recent geode jigsaw puzzle is made out of slices of agate that mimics the natural variations in how geodes form that changes the puzzle’s shape, color, and pattern, making each one uniquely different. The goal of Nervous System was to forge together the artistry of traditional, hand-made jigsaw puzzles with the possibilities of new technology. It is interesting using man-made technology to imitate nature and try to artificially create nature. However, by doing so, it allows us to recognize and closely analyze on how nature works. This could allow us to make advances to technology and create new opportunities that weren’t possible before.

Nervous System: https://n-e-r-v-o-u-s.com/index.php

Looking Outwards – Jason Salavon

By Eamonn Burke

I found myself fascinated and inexplicably compelled to Jason Salavon’s Glassware Still Life. What initially grabbed my attention was how tangible the glass appeared with only manipulated light, and how texturally satisfying it seems. His artistic sensibility certainly came in for this, as well as so elegantly showing how the glasses morph into one another, and create recognizable intermediary glass designs in the process.

On a deeper level, Salavon’s piece attracted me because it’s relatable – unlike many other generative pieces that depict complex and unfamiliar systems. This piece shows how simple objects in our lives are simply variations of one another following a generative “code”. I admire that he was able to dissect one of these everyday systems and show it so clearly.

I know that Salavon used custom software, but I would guess that the basic code involves stretching of parameters bounded by “if ” statements. These dictate when a glass stretches (ex. Height=height+1, If height=x -> width =width+1), by how much, and in what direction, while holding certain other dimensions constant. Again, his sensibility comes in knowing when to change which parameters to create interesting intermediary designs.

Looking Outwards-03

Work: Times Eureka Pavilion
By: NEX Architecture x Marcus Barnett

The Times Eureka Pavilion in London is the stunning result of a collaboration between NEX Architecture and Marcus Barnett for the 2011 Chelsea Flower Show. As it sits in a garden among a lush collection of plants, the pavilion imitates the cellular makeup of these plants: branch-like structures emerge from one another and let light through into the cubic space inside, as if viewers are peering through a microscope at a section of a fibrous stem. To generate this work, the creators used computational genetic algorithms, representing the intricacies of the natural world in a grander, more calculated way. I especially admire the fact that this structure gives back to the space within which it resides–it is said that the roof collects rainwater and lets it back into the soils, and the way the walls are structured disperses natural light both into the interior and exterior. I believe that this is a perfect example of technology and nature living in harmony, complementing one another instead of competing for dominance.

LO-03 Computational Fabrication

Process of creating “Digital Grotesque”

Benjamin Dillenburger and Michael Hansmeyer and their team created “Digital Grotesque” in 2013. They used algorithmically generated geometry and additive manufacturing to create 260 million individually specified surfaces. The final product was 3.2 meters tall and used 11 tons of printed sandstone.

I admire the depth and form of this piece. From a distance the piece looks closed off but the closer you get to it the more details are revealed. Their effective use of perspective draws the viewers in. The artists are able to create an immersive experience of computational art by allowing viewers to walk through the piece itself. I also admire how ornate and aesthetically pleasing the piece is.

Dillenburger and Hansmeyer’s artistic sensibilities are seen in the intricacy of their design. They wanted to highlight how there can be chaos in order which they successfully do by using symmetry and hierarchy to create balance in their detailed design.

Sources
http://benjamin-dillenburger.com/grotto/
https://vimeo.com/74350367

LO 3: Computational Fabrication

Creating the Weather Bracelet, Mitchell Whitelaw used generative design to translate the weather-data of Canberra, Australia into a fascinating jewelry piece. The height of each spike on the bracelet represents its daily maximum temperature, and the height of each spike’s shoulder represents its daily minimum. Generally, data visualization is seen in 2d form–whether it be graphic or motion graphic. However, Whitelaw’s work visualizes data as something physical as well as visual. By portraying data through an object–also known as autographic visualization–Whitelaw’s work is eye-opening and captivating. In addition to its interesting process, the final work, the bracelet itself, is intrinsically beautiful. The uneven spikes and holes provide the bracelet with complexity and a futuristic look, balancing well with its minimalistic white color.

Whitelaw accomplished most of his work by first defining a set of 3D points using beginShape() and vertex() and PVectors. To save the geometry of his object, he also used the SuperCad library to write an obj. file. He then worked in MeshLab and Blender to 3D model his bracelet before printing it out.

By utilizing the power of computation, Whitelaw was able to create a jewelry piece that is scientifically meaningful as well as personally meaningful. While making weather data tangible visually and physically, the bracelet also established a personal relationship with the wearer through the sense of touch. It facilitates an exciting experience as the wearer runs his or her fingers down the bracelet, reminiscing about the memories of different seasons and weather.

Creator: Mitchell Whitelaw

Title: The Weather Bracelet

Year: 2009

Link: http://teemingvoid.blogspot.com/2009/10/weather-bracelet-3d-printed-data.html

Computational Fabrication

I admire Andrew Kudless‘s collaborative idea of nature and the computational form that is shown in the picture of “C_Wall” / 2006. When I look at this picture, I think it is interesting to see how natural wave-like circular patterns are created from the shadow of the sun, coming from the physical sculpture. I feel like the artist generated this work from nature like coral reef/honeycomb/etc something that is repetitive but not artificially but naturally created structural forms. Looking at the final forms(including other works) the Voronoi algorithm that the creator used, is successfully displayed to facilitate the translation of information from simulations and other point-based data. I think the creator created the perfect harmony of nature/man-made physical-forms considering how to express the materialization aspects at the same time.