Category: Z023

The theme of my push/pull objects was centered around the Lunar New Year. I wanted to create objects focused on this holiday because the timing was perfect and I wanted to embrace a part of my culture. Similar to my first project, I wanted to start from an easy level, utilizing the foundational and basic knowledge I knew, and gradually increase the difficulty in my work. Overall, my objects are mainly common food that can be found during the Lunar New Year as they all generally represent good luck for the new year.

Object #1

For my first object, I decided to create a dim sum platter with a dumpling inside. As a beginner in sewing, I wanted to start from the basics and build my way up. I wanted to create a piece that utilized basic shapes such as cylinders and spheres. My dim sum platter is essentially made from creating two cylinders that act as a lid and tray. As you look to interact with this object, you can open the lid and see four different-sized dumplings. 

Object #2

Next, similar to my first object, I wanted to continue leveraging basic shapes to create my idea. For my second object, I decided to create grapes. Again, using basic shapes such as spheres and cylinders, I created the different parts of grapes. I made a cylinder to create the stem while creating a bunch of small spheres to form the actual grapes. However, I wanted to elevate this to the next level so I decided to incorporate velcro onto parts of the stem and all of the grapes so that you can take it off and interact with the object. 

Object #3

Lastly, I wanted to really increase the difficulty of the object I was making so I decided to take a basic idea and modify it to incorporate more complex aspects. My third object is an orange that you can peel open and interact with the orange slices inside. For this piece, I wanted to incorporate basic and complex aspects to make it more interactive with the audience. There are five peels and five orange slices that form a full orange which is held together by a vine of leaves. To open and “peel” the orange, you simply unwrap the leaves. 

For our first Inflatables assignment, I viewed this as an opportunity to experiment with creating different inflatable forms, and figuring out how to work with unexpected or unusual results. The materials I used to make these inflatables are colored plastic, tape, and a heat seal to stick certain pieces of plastic together. For my first inflatable, I mostly utilized the same colored plastic and tape, however I gradually used the heat seal more, and incorporated different color schemes to make more unique inflatables.

Inflatable # 1

For my first inflatable, I did not have a clear vision for the way it would take form, and thus decided to attach different shaped pieces of plastic together and see how the plastic would take form. I experimented with the heat sealer slightly, attempting to attach the plastic in certain ways and using the tape to make patterns, as well as to seal areas I was unable to use the heat sealer on. I did find that the tape often came loose, causing frequent holes that were difficult to seal entirely. Thus, this initial inflatable did not inflate well. I also experimented with opposing colors, gravitating towards red and green, with a tape color of purple to complement those colors.

Inflatable # 2

For my second inflatable, I wanted to experiment more with different colors. Specifically, I wanted to make a rainbow inflatable, utilizing every color of the rainbow through the color of the plastic and the color of the tape. Additionally, I was hoping to use the heat sealer more in order to attach as much of the inflatable as I could, in order to prevent the holes I experienced in the previous inflatable. Although I was attempting to make a more cubic shape, I did end up unintentionally heat sealing two large pieces of my inflatable together, which transformed the shape entirely. The end result was a more random shape than I intended, however this experience with the heat sealer helped me learn how to use the tool better, and how to work with an unusual form.

Inflatable #3

For my final inflatable, I wanted to use this as an opportunity to perfect my skills on the heat sealer, and choose a more intentional shape, so I chose to make a “house” shape, with a rectangular base and triangular top. I heat-sealed all of the portions of plastic for the rectangular base, then followed up with maroon tape to act as a border to define the sides. Although I was able to heat-seal most portions of the rectangular form, the triangular form was unable to stay on top of the base I had created, after trying to heat-seal and tape it together. Instead, I focused on my rectangular form, using tape to create patterns on the top and side of the inflatable. Additionally, since I used the heat-seal for the majority of this inflatable, I was able to prevent many holes from being formed.

For this Improvisation Inflatables assignment, I approached this by leveraging what I’ve learned from class so far and experimenting with my creative mind. I mostly utilized plastic bags, and tape, and occasionally leveraged the heat tool to seal pieces of plastic together. Throughout the design and making of the three inflatables, I played around with the different plastic forms from the start and gradually added more shapes to create more and more complex inflatables. I had a similar approach when deciding which colors to use for my inflatables as I specifically chose colors that would match well and go well with the shape of the inflatable. Overall, I’m content with the results of the three inflatables as they demonstrate different levels of experimentation and approaches I took for this assignment.  

Inflatable #1

For my first inflatable, I approached it with an open-minded to really get comfortable with the material. I wanted to use basic shapes I was already comfortable with such as squares to build cubes. Utilizing colors of red and blue plastic, I connected three cubes together with black tape to form a heart shaped object. Naturally, I think this inflatable piece was a good starting point for me in the course and easy enough for me to get started and comfortable with the material since I started out with basic shape forms. This inflatable consists of leveraging basic geometric shapes and connecting multiple pieces together with tape and the heat machine. I was pleased with the results of my first inflatable as it showed my skills in connecting plastic materials to form a simple yet clean design. 

Inflatable #2

Moving onto my second inflatable, I wanted to build off from the first inflatable I experimented with and build on the complexity of the structure and shapes. I decided to approach this inflatable with a similar design to my first one. I created basic shapes such as squares and rectangles to create a simple head-size-shaped inflatable that formed a cube. However, I decided to add more shape elements to the sides of the main cube to create more complexity and advance compared to the first inflatable I created. For instance, the cube has six sides and I utilized four of the six sides by adding different variations of cuboids on each of those sides to make it more complex and abstract. In terms of colors, I decided to use grey, yellow, and purple plastic material as I thought these colors would go well together, and I sealed it all together with black tape for a neutral-tone object. After my initial struggle of creating and connecting multiple cube/cuboid-like inflatable pieces together, I was really happy with the outcome of my second inflatable as it built off the complexity of my first inflatable.

Inflatable #3

For my last inflatable, I really wanted to play around with the shapes and complexity of my creation. Leveraging my experience with previous inflatables, I wanted to continue to build off this. My last inflatable incorporates different elements from the previous two inflatables I created. For instance, I took the simple cube shape design of my first inflatable and the different inflatable shapes from my second inflatable to create a more complex last inflatable. For my last inflatable, I created three shapes and connected all of them to form one cohesive “line” inflatable design. My three shapes included a toroid, a tetrahedron connecting next, and a cube as the end piece. In terms of colors, I approached it in a similar way I did with my previous inflatables by choosing colors that go well together. For example, for the toroid, I used grey plastic colors with maroon tape while for the tetrahedron, I used green plastic and black tape. As for the last shape, the cube, I used purple plastic with orange tape. After connecting these shapes, it created a “line-like” path that led to the cube so when I blew air, people could easily follow the airflow that inflates the object. I specifically chose these colors for these shapes because they placed emphasis on the airpath flow and highlights the end inflation. Overall, I was very pleased with the results of all my inflatables because it demonstrates the gradual increase in complexity of my inflatables, as I slowly incorporated more diverse elements to challenge myself in each design.