LookingOutwards-03

LO-03: Computational Fabrication

The project I chose for this blog is a KUKA robotic arm parametric cuboid grid fabrication. Posted to the journal for the Institute for advanced architecture of Catalonia, this project utilizes KUKA robotic arm technology to build a wooden grid with variable density out of wooden battens and pins. Modules for the grid can be assembled (cutting, drilling, positioning) entirely by the robot arm. Modules with varying programmed densities can be connected together to complete complex structures. I like this project because of the simplistic method it uses to create structures. By programming the KUKA arm to your own personal parameters, an infinite number of structures can be built and used for the construction of art, architecture, models, etc. As shown in the attached image, the robot arm is able to build grids with complex densities while using a singular building strategy by altering the lengths of the battens and the space between connections.

ROBOTIC FABRICATION – CUBOID GRID
INSTITUTE FOR ADVANCED ARCHITECTURE OF CATALONIA, BARCELONA
MARCH 29, 2016

This is an example of a completed grid.
“Speculating on the final form shows how density can be controlled throughout the structure.”

Looking Outwards 3

I looked at Torolf Saurmann’s Moebius Ring. I chose this piece because I find its intricacy really beautiful. The strange spiral the ring inverts itself on is facilitating to look at and the mesh design it has increases that enjoyment. Because of the mesh design, the ring is somewhat see through. This further complicates of the spiral inverts itself and requires the viewer to focus to understand it. I find it really fun and enjoy the design. The algorithm that generated this work was likely very versatile and I think that comes from the mesh design. Not only does the mesh save material, it also puts the entire project into component parts that were likely much easier to code into larger designs. The Ring is also able to stand up on its own and I wonder if that is a coincidence or something the algorithm makes sure can happen. Saurmann as an artist really likes round and circular shapes, which one can see in his other work. In this piece he doubles down on that by basing his design on a Mobius Strip, a circle that inverts and doubles back on itself. This piece does that multiple times, to the point where its hard to tell where one inversion stops another the next begins.

Torolf Saurmann

LO 03: Computational Fabrication

This is a flower kiosk designed by the British firm Archio. The ripples in the timber facade of this kiosk are demonstrative of the shapes of flower petals when viewed under a microscopic lens. Archio constructed the kiosk by integrating both digital and handmade techniques. The nano details of the petals were scanned through the electron scanning technique. Computer programming would help the transformation of the scanned image into the fabrication of the timber ripples. This project was eye-catching for its visual attractiveness and practicality. The compact and simplistic design of the kiosk seemed to successfully match its usage as a flower shop. Realizing the process to the final design, the gentle curves resonate better with the concept of flowers. The creative process of capturing the interesting form of flower petals to wooden ridges aided by computer programs highlights how the computer can be used to generate both practical and creative outcomes.

https://www.dezeen.com/2014/01/23/undulating-timber-slats-surround-london-flower-kiosk-by-archio-ltd/

Project 3: Dynamic Drawing

The project that I found inspirational is Benjamin Dillenburger’s Numerical Material. This project was created in 2021.

*Numerical Material*. This photo portrays the overall form of the artwork.

*Numerical Material*. This photo potrays the details of the algorithm of how the artwork was created when observed closely.

I admire this project because, the overall shape of the artwork has curves and has circular and soft lines and forms, yet when looked closely, these curves are created my geometric shapes of lines (sticks). While the sticks are white, the curvature of the surface creates positive and negative spaces as well as shadows, and lighter spaces which make the artwork very interesting to observe. The “set of rules” of parametric object are that the multiple sticks are overlapped onto each other to create a curve, and to connect the “curves” in a technical aspect to have the artwork itself hold, there are supporting sticks that overlap between these curves.

Link to Artwork

LO: Computational Fabric

For this week’s blog, I chose the project ‘Glass’ by Mediated Matter Group at MIT Media Lab. I initially came across the MIT Media Lab in the Netflix show called Abstract. This project stood out to me because of the fact that I had no idea about how flexible / versatile glass can be if used with proper technology and algorithms. It was very impressive seeing how the 3D printer’s algorithms layers the melted glass on top of each other in a way that it does not spill over or ruin the design. The versatility that is enabled by the geometrical and optical variation driven by the form, transparency and color variation can manipulate the light emissions and the reflections, making the glass much more complicated than I had thought of.

Link to ‘Glass’ by Mediated Matter Group – https://www.media.mit.edu/projects/g3p/overview/

A particular work that I find inspiring is Untitled by Alexander Ross. To describe the artwork, it looks like a collection of shapes like triangles and squares that are wedged in larger circles all together. It almost looks like skin cells under a microscope. The fact that I can’t exactly pinpoint what it is inspires me as it really does leave it up to the viewer to interpret the collection of shapes and spaces. I am unsure about the algorithms that the author uses, but he uses it well. Alexander Ross’s artistic sensibilities manifest in this piece as he is trying to leave it up to a larger audience. With this mission, it forces the artist to portray their art a very specific way making them use their artistic sensibilities. In conclusion, I really enjoy looking at this piece and the message that it has to offer.

http://alexanderross.work/5k7lvcbhfnc66uxbjpvme1c5zqvet0

Looking Outwards 03: Computational Fabrication

I think it is particularly interesting to link computational and parametric objects to living matter; such as nature or human. After reading professor Levin’s, I was really intrigued by how they digitally visualized a human body with different levers to control the width and length of each body part.

Parametric 3D Form

I was interested in how each feature was correlated and dependent to one another and not completely independent, to make it a more accurate and realistic depiction of the actual human body. I have seen programs like this before, but each input for each body part could be changed completely on its own, allowing me to create a very unrealistic version of myself. I think that using programs like this would very much enhance the human life, in fields like fashion, medication, etc. I interpret this project as more of a scientific and technical approach than an artistically free one, but I think it is very interesting in ways how it can be of help in those various fields. If these kind of dependent parametric objects were created for other existences like animals or plants, I think that it will be a great way to determine and help sustain the natural environment as well.

Looking Outwards-03

Looking at Parametric world, I found myself particularly intrigued by a post by A Fractured Reality: this was a cross section of a mouse intestine has been stained with fluorescent dyes. With the dyes in place, it is easy to see how different parts of the cross section manipulates and comes together to form this complex geometry, creating this sense of parametric design. it was very interesting for me to see how life imitates art, even at the molecular scale. The individual who made this post is a physician who spent 3 years doing research in ophthalmology and 1 year working as a patient care technician.

https://afracturedreality.tumblr.com/post/175618541273/mouse-intestine-cross-section

“Glitch Reality”

What do you think about when you hear the phrase “Glitch Reality”? Does a picture of a future world made out of robots and pixels pop up in your mind? Because for us glitch reality is not a future anymore but rather present, or reality as the name itself implies. British-Colombian artist Matthew Plummer-Fernández constructed a dimension variables sculpture called “Running Trophy” and the algorithms that generated that project were 3D prints software (SLS nylon), die, CNC-carved machining foam and black piano paint. This sculpture isn’t perfect since it contains chipped edges that were caused by the loss of data during the process of digitization and creation. In order to create the trophy, there was needed to be a 3D scanning of a running trophy which helped Plummer-Fernandez obtain all information about the shape of an object which later on was used to scale-up and create a trophy. The bulging shapes and the dents are what inspire me about this project since no human on planet Earth is perfect and this runner has its imperfections due to data loss which makes it flawed yet so humane at the same time. The creator’s artistic sensibilities manifest in the final form by adding life and beauty into the sculpture; many would assume that that nothing beautiful can be made using a 3D software due to chipped edges and simple design however simplicity is an art and the thought that a sculpture like that was made out of algorithm in the 3D software printing is simply unimaginable.

https://www.plummerfernandez.com/works/glitch-reality/

Matthew Plummer-Fernández, Glitch Reality – “Trophy Runner”, 2011

This imagine is of a sculpture from a Glitch Reality project called “Trophy Runner” that was made using a 3D printer software in 2011 by Matthew Plummer-Fernández.

LO: Computational Fabrication

Megumi Igarashi, or Rokudenashiko, which means “good-for-nothing kid,” made waves in the news when she was found guilty of obscenity in 2013 and 2014. This is because of the data distribution of her 3D model, “Pussy Boat,” molded after a scan of her own vagina. The vagina is a common motif in her art, as she tries to normalize the vagina in Japanese society. Many criticized the Japanese government for her arrest because of the hypocrisy, like how the Festival of the Steel Penis is held every year in Kawasaki, filled with phallic-shaped merchandise and food. Her studio was raided by police and they confiscated her more “realistic” art pieces. What’s left of her art is “Manko-chan,” a cute little character that is, well, a vagina. Still, it’s subversive how playful her art is when the conversation around female anatomy is shrouded in shame and stigma. Last year, the Japanese Supreme Court rejected her appeal for the obscenity charge. She will be fined ¥400,000 ($3,740).

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/07/16/national/japan-top-court-rejects-vagina-kayak-artists-obscenity-appeal/

https://www.vice.com/en/article/ae5pvk/in-the-studio-with-japans-controversial-vagina-artist

Japanese artist jailed for vagina boat says outraged, vows legal fight | Reuters.com — Megumi Igarashi with the “Pussy Boat.”

Japanese court rules vagina figurines 'pop art', not obscenity | Reuters — Igarashi and “Manko-chan” figurines.