LookingOutwards-03

Looking Outwards 3

The Free Universal Construction Kit

by F.A.T. Lab and Sy-Lab

The Free Universal Construction Kit is a set of 3D printable blocks that enable compatibility between ten different popular children’s construction toys. These blocks are not necessarily algorithmically generated, but I think that they are a particularly exciting example of computational fabrication. I think the way that they hijack existing toy systems is brilliant. With a fairly simple set of models this project activates a nearly endless set of new hybrid formal possibilities generated by a network of children at play. I also think it is really interesting how this piece subverts the strictly protected intellectual property of these toy systems. It is super playful, but also opens up an interesting conversation about how intellectual property laws can actually exclude possibilities for creativity rather than supporting it. It also speaks to a radical vision of the future where a robust open source commons combined with publicly accessible digital fabrication technology can provide an alternative means of production to corporate control.

video describing the project

http://fffff.at/free-universal-construction-kit/

LO3 – Computational Fabrication

For this week’s looking outwards blog post, I decided to look into a project from MIT CSAIL on Machine-Knit Garments. The project contributes designed a workflow that allows a user to design a template, then turn that template into a time function such that a knitting machine can turn it into a garment. This approach doesn’t require a user to design complex 3D objects, as the algorithm turns 2D templates into machine code. According to the project team, this is meant to allow for interactive editing of the shape of the garment. I was particularly drawn to this project because I had never heard of CNC knitting machines. I’ve worked with routers and 3D printers before, but computer-controlled knitting machines open up a whole other world of computational fabrication. Additionally, the software the users built allows for user interaction with the design, which I think also has the potential of turning into very interesting pieces of art.

Knit Sketching

Looking Outwardss-03

One of the things I’ve found very interesting is the use of AI in generative art,
whether in the 2D or 3D sense. I recently came across DALL-E a neural network
that was programmed to be able to generate images from user-provided text
captions. These captions could be as arbitrary as possible, used to create 2D or
even 3D images.

Following my curiosity in similar computational programs, I found artist Matteo Rattini, who similarly trained a neural network to create images of contemporary sculptures based on the Instagram algorithm. The sculptures themselves were all very interesting, taking on forms that seemed organic or close to those seen in nature.

One of the most intriguing points of this program was how it related to
current society’s behavioral patterns and trends. Because sculptures were generated based on a user’s Instagram algorithm, what Rattini found was that while Instagram suggestions would initially be wide and diverse they would always eventually reduce down to a very narrow range of things, causing later sculptures to eventually all look the same. In many ways, I find this interesting, in that while creating sculptures the neural network is also subliminally reflecting the ways users interact with social media as well as patterns in current trends.

More about Rattini’s work: https://hyperallergic.com/667011/art-of-ai-matteo-rattini-eerily-real-computer-generated-sculptures/

LO3: Computational Fabrication

For this week’s LO, I will talk about Daniel Widrig’s Instances (2019) – pictured above.

Daniel Widrig is a London based Architect and Designer who uses Digital Outlets to create. He has his own Studio and has designed many Buildings with Architect Zaha Hadid. He has also won many awards for design.

As for Widrig’s Instances, what I like about it is how it looks. The Sculpture/Artwork gives off a very futuristic and almost alien like vibe. However, from what I have seen of Computational Fabrication, that is a common feature.

That is not to say I would not have it in my house. I would.

I guess I admire its compactness and what seems to be the fact that it can be remade quickly? But also, uniqueness in that there should only be one of it.

I have no idea of the algorithms of which the Widrig used to create this work, but my guess is one that is complex but has constraints in the x, y, and z directions.

As for Widrig’s sensibilities, the Sculpture shows off how far into the future his work is.

To end, I like the Sculpture and its practicality. I would like to know how it was made.

Links to Daniel Widrig, this specific work, and his other works (Instances is labeled 158-156).

LO: Computational Fabrication

The work generates a beautiful, intricate arrangements using continuous pattern and motion.

John Edmark’s “Blooms” is a 3D printed kinetic objects that uses mathematical formulas and concepts to create animation effect like spiral patterns. The work uses progressive rotations of the golden ratio, phi (ϕ), to generate interesting designs such as a sunflower or pinecone-like appearances. I really admire how it not only creates a special pattern each time under a strobe light, but also the synchronized “blooming” form under a constant rotational speed is really satisfying to watch. According to Edmark, the generated artwork increases our cognizance of the fine, delicate relationship between reality and consciousness. I found it absolutely fascinating that every time the bloom turns 137.5º, which is the angular version of phi, the sculpture seems to be illuminated. In the final form, Edmark manifests the simplest paramedic systems, but creates a vibrant visual property using pattern, movement, and light exposure.

Reference: http://www.johnedmark.com/phifib/2016/4/28/blooms-strobe-animated-phi-based-sculptures

Looking Outwards 03: Computational Fabrication

Project Title: Wooden Carpet

Year of Creation: 2009

Artists: Elisa Strozyk

The wood pieces are just substantial enough such that the flexible carpet is able to prop itself up.

The project is a wooden textile carpet. I admire how the veneer pieces are assorted in color (light to medium brown) because this adds to the rendering’s depth, and makes the artwork look especially fascinating when contorted and crinkled. I also admire how it combines two of the most common floor coverings as this has me questioning other familiar materials and imagining how these can be hybridized with each other. A critique might be that the artwork would be even more interesting to observe if the pieces used on a single carpet were varying shapes instead of all triangles. The geometric shapes were generated by an algorithm unknown to myself, and then realized in wood-veneer through laser cutter machinery. The creator then bonded the pieces onto fabric. Strozyk’s artistic sensibilities include viewing substances in different ways than they are normally viewed and the “possibility of surprising elements.” The final form transforms wood to appear and be malleable as it can bend and maintain a unique shape unlike a typical carpet rug or wood floor, encouraging the audience to rethink our assumptions about the resources we use and expand our creative bounds.

LO3

Link of the work:http://www.madlab.cc/reverberating-across-the-divide/
Link of the video: https://vimeo.com/75886159

REVERBERATING ACROSS THE DIVIDE is a project by CMU doctorate student Madeline Gannon, 2014. I admire the technology Reverb has that can design ready-to-print wearables around the body: Reverb uses techniques such as computer vision, digital design, and digital fabrication, which translates hand gestures into intricate geometry that can be immediately printed and worn on the body. I admire how delicate and beautiful the end-product is. The creator’s work is divided into 3D scanning, 3D modeling, and 3D printing. I think that the creator’s artistic sensibilities are presented the most in the 3D modeling process. The 3D modeling process is where real design takes place, it is more about how to transform a scanned 3D image into something that suits the customer the best and looking great aesthetically at the same time. The other components I believe, on the other hand, are mainly about the technology where the computing parts take place.

LO: Computational Fabrication

John Edmark’s series of 3D printed sculptures based off of the golden ratio (phi) reflects the intersection of science, nature, and art. The work is often described as creating an optical illusion, the sculpture’s pieces are rotating, but it appears as if it is in bloom like a flower. This relationship can be attributed to the sculpture mimicking phyllotaxis because of its inclusion of the Fibonacci sequence. The art is the result of the sculpture itself as well as the form in which it is communicated, including strobe lights and shutter speed. This inclusion is interesting because some of the sculptures are actually available for purchase, which I think negates the complete automation of the art as a whole. I do love the simplicity of the execution though. The clean, repetitive lines and white material allow the viewer to focus on the shape and motion of the object, rather than the construction itself.

Generative Art

I really like this piece by Sawako & Panagiotis. I found them from the Scripted By Purpose page. https://scriptedbypurpose.wordpress.com/participants/akt/

They are computational design researchers, who tie programming and architecture to generate infrastructure. I picked this image in particular because it looks like something I could try to recreate in p5.js if I spent a good amount of time working on it.

The piece seems like it consists of one string of a manipulated shape being repeated over and over again, similarly to if you were to draw a series of ellipses or rectangles without redrawing the background. I’m sure a lot more went into rendering this image than just that, but those are my initial thoughts. I’m curious about what sort of functions would create the manipulation of the shape? I am not a numbers person, so navigating this type of computational art is a challenge.

I really appreciate the depth and negative space of this piece, and it reminds me of the example work from Prof. Levin’s article, PolyMorph.
Instead of a simply amorphous shape, however, this artist decided to arrange a face using the 3D interconnected units.
My favorite aspect is the use of spaces – despite there being so many small cavities, little distracts the viewer from the facial features.
While I’m not entirely sure the face is human and the uncertainty feels somewhat unsettling, there is also a dichotomous fullness and liveliness to the piece that brings me a sense of wonder, which is what I believe the artist was going for.
There’s a certain mix between realism and abstraction that makes this piece stand out.

https://parametricworld.tumblr.com/post/166976945165/agrieborz-nick-ervinck-source

This piece was among the provided resources from the LO assignment – I found it on Parametric World.