Feb 21, 2023, 12:00PM to 1:50PM
Welcome! The main objectives for today are to introduce the hand-operated mechanism kit, then experiment in pairs with moving textiles via simple mechanisms.
Hand-Cranked Mechanism
The technical focus of the next assignment is to use simple human-operated mechanisms to activate a textile sculpture. Today we’ll explore a kit of parts designed to combine in several ways to make handwheels, pulleys, and reciprocating cranks. The kit includes a set of standard components such as dowel pins, clevis pins, screws and eyebolts. It also includes custom laser-cut plywood parts which can be fitted together using a combination of wooden dowel pins and screws. We will be using pegboard as the foundation onto which to assemble simple machines.
The technical objective is a system compatible with assembly and experimentation using only a few hand tools. The aesthetic objective is a design language emphasizing handcraft in harmony with the aesthetics of textile craft. Students will be free to use the kit parts or to design or customize their own.
(TBD: links to documentation on kit parts)
Assignment
The next assignment is Assignment 4: Action at a Distance in which you will make a site-specific kinetic textile sculpture activated by simple hand-activated mechanisms. There are several intermediate due dates leading up to a final review after Spring Break on Thursday March 16.