Allyson Patterson & Madeleine Eyre

Student Numbers: 649269 & 587528 Semester 2/2013 Tutorial 9

is a self-reflective aura created by the physical and mental perceptions of an

environment in which only an individual can exist.

PERSONAL SPACEIt is an implied, non-physical, energetic field surrounding an individual.

The Design Brief calls for an innovative design of a second skin; a wearable volume or surface

that accommodates the body. The second skin will explore, measure, and/or negotiate the

boundary of personal space. The design must create a spatial or emotional effect.

M1: IDEATION

Isabelle WenzelFenella Elms Jessica Drenk

“It would be beautiful to dissapear. nowhere to be found. It would be beautiful to be the only one to know you have disspeared” - Elias Canetti

“The mysterious power of thought enables it to produce external, perceptible, phenomenal results by its own inherent energy” - Subba Row

“It is the function of the artist to evoke the experience of surprised recognition: to show the viewer what he knows but does not know that he knows.” - William Burroughs, on Gottfried Helnwein

PRECEDENTS

SYSTEM ANALYSIS: SECTION & PROFILE

Scale 1:1

Front and Back Elevation

Subject: Partition

Produced for DAISO Japan

Materials: White Plastic

Dimensions: 140 mm high x 492 mm longMeasured beginning at bottom left corner.

The object has been cut with scissors into smaller pieces during experimentation. The dimensions of the smaller pieces are shown

in Plan A on Page 3.

Evaluation: The Partition is size adjustable and can be cut to any desired length with scissors to serve the purpose of dividing a designated space into smaller spaces. Its purpose is primarily organizational, as it is commonly used in drawers to arrange items neatly.

It is constructed of 38 individual partitions 140 mm high x 11mm long x 3 mm wide with connectors 11 mm below the top and 70 mm below the bottom. These connectors form a point in the middle of the two individual partitions, to enable scissors to easily cut them.

The edges of the individual partitions are slightly rounded, with otherwise completely flat surfaces.

Abstracted Partition: Based on Miralles: How to layout a croissant (1994)Analysis of profile and section planes through series of intersecting parallel and perpendicular lines. The partition is created through these intersecting parallel and perpendicular places in space.

Reconfiguring Exploration: My partition model utlilized both parallel and perpindicular planes, but I wanted to experiment with only parallel planes that bend in a curvature.

SYSTEM ANALYSIS: SECTION & PROFILE

SYSTEM ANALYSIS: INFLATION

This sketch design mimics that of a stainned glass window, so the view of the body from behind is not obstructed. This design idea stems from a section containting a frame and portal to an inside view of something, just like a window into a building, or skin into body.

SECOND SKIN SKETCHES

M2: DESIGN

The design process is extremely fluid and organic, making it difficult to accurately delineate in a chronological manner. In our process of reconfiguring our models and exploring within our material systems, we utilized the virtual pin board tool of Pinterest to capture our inspirational images as a visual train of thought.

This inflatable art work at the Kowloon Cultural District Art display in Hong Kong was uesd as inspiration for these designs. The use of colour and light creates an auratic feel around the viewers, resembling a form of personal space. In my designs I incorporated its soft contours and free form.

http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2013/04/30/inflatable-art-in-hong-kong/

DESIGN PROCESS

http://pinterest.com/alpats/sizzling-sections-infamous-inflatables/ http://pinterest.com/madeleineeyre/inflatable-art/

SECOND SKIN DEVELOPMENT I

This Second Skin encapsulates the individual’s personal space and enables them to feel like they have a space that is only for them, but allows them to view the external world through lines of vision, as well as allows the external world to view them. The Extrusions will have clear inflatable platic with internal lighting to showcase the internal personal space.

Dora Kelemen

SECOND SKIN DEVELOPMENT II

Shells have influenced my design idea as they provide a shelter for their inhabitant which is an actual part of the organism and which they carry on them at all times for protection, shelter and is also a personal display. The organism can also emerge from the shell when it has been outgrown.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nautilus_Shell.jpg

SECOND SKIN DEVELOPMENT II

I have created a dome hand held kite to enclose the body. It forms a shell from which one can emerge to portray perceptions of personal spcae which is circusmtantial. One is especially susceptible to feelings of discomfort when a person is close behind therefore the back is completely shut of from the outer world to protect the wearer. The front of the object is like a net, and woven together to create an airy aura infront of the person which may make people cautious of coming too close.

Constructing a rough prototype of the shell

model with duct tape and opaque plastic, we

experimented how the movement of the body

affected the Second Skin’s form in relation

to the body. As personal space is dynamic

and evolves with the movement of the

body, so should our Second Skin. Madeleine

tested various body movements, and Allyson

photographed and diagrammed how the

Second Skin prototype moves.

We discovered in our prototype testing that

the design was only able to truly inflate

with excessive forceful movement of the

body. Otherwise it just hung like a cape.

The incorporation of section and profile

allowed straps to encase the body, but

often the inflatable structure would fully

envelop the head and shoulders, disabling

all vision to the external world for the

wearer.

This structure creates a personal space within

a space. Structures within the space push its

parameters outwards, thus creating volume

from internal pressures. Aleksandra states that

“the approach was spontaneous throughout”,

hence fitting in with the surrounding

environment. The fabric is attached to

branches to create abnormalities within its

structure.

In a practical sense, this space works due

to tension in the lyrca creating flat, curved

surfaces. This can reflect the way that a

personal space is prone to abnormalities

depending on the environment, socially

or physically. For this object, a smaller

environmental space would result in a

smaller personal space. It creates for itself; its

own ambience and those inside only need

experience whatever is internal.

Precedent: Aleksandra Kasuba “Cocoon Dwelling” Whiz-Bang City, East Woodstock, NY 1972

PROTOTYPING EXPERIMENTATION I

Constructing a section and profile paper prototype, we were able to experiment in the ways in which the structure could inflate and collapse. Two structures were created: one two strips by seven strips (featured to the left) and one larger piece that was nine strips by four strips. The first structure was much more flexible and was easily able to inflate and collapse; however, the larger structure was more rigid.

These experimentations will be important in our design considerations moving forward.

Precedent: Sulphur-crested Cockatoo This crested bird can raise or lower its crested feathers on demand. Primarily used for communication, the Sulphur-crested Cocatoo raises its feathers as a form of defense on other species that invade its personal space. This physical manipulation of its appeared shape will frighten approaching species to protect the bird. The physical manipulation of its “skin” through movement of its feathers to communicate or display the parrot’s personal space is most applicable to our idea of a Second Skin that evolves depending on the physical and mental state of the wearer. Ideally, we could create a collapsible and inflatable profile/section aspect of our Second Skin.

PROTOTYPING EXPERIMENTATION II

We became interested in the enclosure of the body that expands outwards like ribs.

The support system was constructed using section and profiling to create a scaffold across the shoulders and front of body to which the spine could connect.

EXPERIMENTATION SKETCHES

SUPPORT

The support system wil be lazer cut and made of thin wood sheet. It will rest on the shoulders of the wearer and each piece will slot together.

SPINEThe spine and rib cage was developped on rhino and attaches to the support on previous page through slots.

FRONT SIDE

BACKFRONT

FRONT SIDE

The design represent personal space by giving it a form which relates to the anatomy of the wearer but enlarges it and creates a shell. Its movement shows how flexible this space is and reveals what is within when opening. While the outside it defensive, the inside is sesitive.

SECOND SKIN DEVELOPMENT III

This development explores the idea of personal space as an energetic aura. Section and Profiling are used to keep the elements together, and inflation is used as the individual moves and the fabric trails behind.

SECOND SKIN DEVELOPMENT IV

Using Rhino, we unrolled our chest section and profile structure, and we sent it to the FabLab to laser cut so we could prototype. We used clear Perspex for our material to create the illusion of reflectivity.

We also prototyped the central circle structure to which the spines will attach by section and profile methods.

PROTOTYPING EXPERIMENTATION III

PROTOTYPING EXPERIMENTATION IV

The nut-and-bolt system will allow the back spines to rotate around an axis as it inflates when the wearer moves.

SECOND SKIN DEVELOPMENT V

Developing the design further after prototyping, we decided it would be easier to construct two flat sun-like structures instead of curved ribs. These two sun auras will be connected by our semi-translucent fabric.

The Rhino model cannot achieve the materiality of the fabric, so the actual structure will not be as rigid. Semi-translucent material is shown here.

M3: FABRICATION“Even when making is experimental and open-ended, it observes rules. Craft always involves parameters, imposed by materials, tools, scale and the physical body of the maker. Sometimes in making, things go wrong. An unskilled maker, hitting the limits of their ability, might stop. An expert, though, will find a way through the problem, constantly unfolding new possibilities within the process” Daniel Charny curator of power of mak-ing @ V & A Museum 2012

M3: FABRICATIONThe spikes are representative of the energetic space the mind emits.

The power of this emmission of energy is such that when someone or something enters into this non physical space, its effects are felt. Where attention goes, energy flows. The visual representation of this is similar to a plasma ball and the way it’s spikes of electricity flow towards to exterior of the glass ball it is in. The spikes are representative of the electricity and the light nature of the material will allow it to capture air with movement and allow the fabric to move and recoil as the energy created.

http://www.museumoftheweird.com/news/wp-content/up-loads/2012/05/plasma+ball.jpg

DESIGN PROCESSWe took some time to reflect upon our critique from Module 2 and further develop our Second Skin. Specifically, we followed the critique’s advice to not make our inflatable a solid, and experimented with various fabrics and pleating, crimping, and draping techniques.

This design so far is a way of thinking, inventing and innovating and purely serves the purpose of being able to express and idea of an altered sense of space, which focuses on that which define the personal space. Like Olafur Ellasson’s Weather project at the Tate Modern, 2004. He constructed a scenario where people are no longer familiar with the conventions of everyday by reconnecting people with the sun rise. In our design, we are reconnecting people with their sense of personal space. As this project has developed, new ideas have arisen and have shaped changes in the physical appearance of the design and its creation.

New ideas have not just been in terms of deisgn but also concent. Lambros Malafourit a cognitive archaeologist, in an article from the new scientist, 2013, argues that human intelligence spreads out beyond the skin into culture and the material word. This reflects the purpose of this design, which is to represent the physical manifestation of thoughts on what is personal space. He highlights how human engagement with the material world is what extends and reconnects the brain and the body, breaking with reductionist “internalistic” theories, which would say that the mental realm is separate from the physical realm.

The sense of personal space is physical, it just is not seen. So this project will materialise a new sense that there is a divide and explore ways that objects become cognitive extensions or are incorporated by the body. An example he uses is a blind person with a stick. It is hard to say then where this person’s self beguins as there is a unity with the blind man and the stick because the tactile sensation is projected onto the point of contact with the outside environment through the stick. this shows how the stick or in this case the second skin, can conceptualise minds as continuous and transformative. The material qualities of the design will materialise perceptions of personal space and affecting the senses as well as portraying what defines the personal space.

Image: http://www.0lll.com/architectureexhibitions/?gal=23

REFLECTION ON DESIGN PROCESS

PRECEDENTS

FORTUNY

The Delphos gown is an example of clothing being a second skin. Frortuny’s first purely fashion garment was a ‘Knossos scarf’. These were designed to be able to used in any way an enable freedom of expression of the body and its movement. This oppsed previous fashion conventions which created clothing that imprisoned the body like a rigid shell. So to develop the second skin, it may be reasonable to make changes to the design to make it more flexible and less regid to allow for movement. This can be done by using the pleated technique to create the skin which will be flexible for the wearer. Structurally, some ideas may be taken from Issy Miyake’s design.

Fortuny heat set the fabric to give it more volume. This technique also gives the fabric wrinke resistance and temperature resistance. To do this, we can twist fabric and place it in boiling water. This will create the wrinkles when it is unrolled. Once this is done, the fabric will be more flexible and allow movement and stretching. Paneling tools can be used to create a templete which it cut into the fabric so that it can then be heat set.

ISSEY MIYAKE

Issey Miyake’s pleats are delicate yet hold their structure. More structure as seen in her designs to the right, allows pleats to retain their fluidity while creating a skin/volume which covers the body without attaching to it. This allows movement of the body inside and with the structure of the fabric without altering its shape. The pleats are made using polyester fabric which has been heat set like Fortuny’s dress. However, in order to create the structured fold, the fabric has been heat set in another direction as well to make the fabric come outwards from the body and have an inflatable form.

In our design, we have looked at ways to recreate this.we ironed out prototypes to create the pleats but more experimentation into heat setting needs to be done to make firmer folds in the fabric.

PRECEDENTS

PLEAT PRECEDENTSWe investigated recreating AKIRA’s pleats using polyestester by heat setting it in a twirled spike.

http://barrylornefreedman.com/ http://www.harpersbazaar.com.au/gallery-full.htm?gid=64853

PRECEDENTS

Inspiration from Marcel Duchamp’s Nude Descending a Staircase, No. 2:

Similar to how Duchamp maps the body’s movement in his painting, our inflatable Second Skin will map the body’s movement in how it inflates

PRECEDENTS

PRECEDENTS

Aerodynamics of a Car: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9abjlj0fI4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s74ppXmEcZwhttp://auto.howstuffworks.com/fuel-efficiency/fuel-economy/aerodynamics2.htm

Both of these videos visually portray the aerodynamics of a moving car. We could visually map the aerodynamics of the body to inform the structure and direction of how our Second Skin uses the inflation system.

Aerodynamics of Personal Space: Movement Mapping

Mapping the movement of the body standing still and walking, we allowed the movement of the air to dictate what shape our inflation would take, or how to orient the offset points while using panelling tools in Rhino.

PROTOTYPING EXPERIMENTATION V

In this prototype, thin but dense material which allows air to run though was used. This meant that it did not flow easily or inflate well but was uefull in gaining a sense of pos-sible structures that could be created when heat setting material.

Material is gathered by having two layers, between which wire is held in place by stitch-ing.Pleats are created to make a shell structure. This create a volume around the body but it does not easily inflate with movement.

Some approaches could be taken into consideration to maximise the potential for the use of material and its movement which will inflate the structure. Panelling tools can be used to elaborate on creating pleats and cuves which create the spiral as seen in the front and will give the material more spring and felxibility. In addition, some sails can be created so that the design can capture air.

PROTOTYPING EXPERIMENTATION VI

PROTOTYPING EXPERIMENTATION VII

Lighter and more flexible material was the nsued to catch air and move easily with the wearer. Material is gathered and pleats create a shell. The pleats were aimed to catch air however, this just made the shell heavier, especially with this fabric and the quantity of it that was gathered.

Ironing this or heat setting it may make the fabric more rigid and this setting may they allow it to catch air and move more easiry rather than slumping down.

RESULT: HEAT SETTING + STARCH SPRAY

PROTOTYPING EXPERIMENTATION VIII

PROTOTYPING EXPERIMENTATION IX

Fabric Experimentation

I experimented with weav-ing strips of fabric on the left using the section and profile system.

I cut strips into the fabric to create a sail-effect, and also visually incorporate profile and sectioning.

PROTOTYPING EXPERIMENTATION X

PROTOTYPING EXPERIMENTATION XI

SECOND SKIN DEVELOPMENT VI

Perspective Rhino Model Back Rhino Model

SECOND SKIN DEVELOPMENT VI

We experimented in creating the structure with paper that we desired our inflation system to reach when fully inflated. The rigidity of the paper is only for prototype purposes, and in the model, the wearer will not have to hold it up with her hands.

PROTOTYPING EXPERIMENTATION XII

We used custom panelling tools and offset points to create this structure that mirrors the flow of energy and air from a person’s personal space as he or she moves.

SECOND SKIN DEVELOPMENT VII

We developed a full 1:5 prototype of our Second Skin to make sure we knew how all of the individual pieces would connect in relation to the body

Inflation testing

PROTOTYPING EXPERIMENTATION XIII

Week 9 Prototype

The openings of the front of the infla-tion system incorporate a view of the inner body’s panelling twist piece. These openings act as a section and profile system would, allowing the outsider to see something contained in the frame.

PROTOTYPING EXPERIMENTATION XIII

We created the energy extrusions with plastic and double sided tape to test how they would create the Panelling Tools structure

Heat setting multiple twists on a sheet of fabric, we were able to achieve the pleating design similar to Akira’s; however, for our final design, we definitely need to add more bands to the twists to make them taller and more pronounced.

PROTOTYPING EXPERIMENTATION XIII

SECOND SKIN DEVELOPMENT VIII: FINAL

Our final design for the Second Skin resulted from our previous developments and their critique. The Second Skin incorporates Section and Profiling in the under-structural Perspex shoulder piece, and through the framing of the individual with the open windows at the front. The system inflates with the body’s movement, both physically exploding with the arm movement, and inflating as the body’s energy changes through space. The triangular extrusions represent the body emitting its energy of Personal Space as well as help map its movement.

EXPLODED ISOMETRIC VIEW: ASSEMBLY

This isometric rendering helps indicate how the pieces of our Second Skin paneling all fit together.

obj(91)

obj(67)

obj(69)

obj(80)obj(63)obj(65)

Obj(44)

Obj(28)

ORTHOGRAPHIC REPRESENTATIONS

Top Perspective

RIght Front

UNROLLED RHINO VISUAL

Craftsmanship was essential in our making process of the Second Skin. We heatset our fabric material with many rubber bands in boiling water, and used a sewing machine to construct our panels with a wire running through the one central loop surrounding the body.

We decided to alter the most-back triangular extrusions to the handset material to aid inflation

MAKING

FINAL DESIGN: MAPPING MOVEMENT

FINAL DESIGN: MAPPING MOVEMENT

FINAL DESIGN: MAPPING MOVEMENT

FINAL DESIGN: MAPPING MOVEMENT

APPENDIX

Reading Response: Allyson Patterson

Thomas Heatherwick TED Talk and ‘Abstraction’ & ‘Reduction’ in Lost in Parameter Space?

What would happen if our design ideas sprouted from the seeds of a problem? Through focused inquiry, one seedling may grow into a beautiful, natural, and strong design. English designer Thomas Heatherwick founded the London-based design practice Heatherwick Studio and helped design the Seed Cathedral as the UK pavilion at Expo 2010 in Shanghai using this principle of focused inquiry. Heatherwick was confronted with a problem: with little fund-ing, stand out in the chaos of an expo to represent Britain. Rather than constructing a traditional pavilion that encompassed the en-tire space given, Heatherwick focused on creating an effect that represented the future integration of nature into cities: an atmos-phere of texture. Through trapping 66,000 seeds into acrylic rods, he created an optic to bring light into the focus on the center of the design, allowing the outside environment to be sensed. The effect of an atmosphere of texture allowed the Seed Cathedral to be-come a precious jewel drawing in the public from the larger open external space.

Abstraction is a reduction of the complexity of something as a model containing as little information to describe all properties of an object. Abstraction can take place in shape, material, and detail. We abstracted our bodies utilising 123DCatch to create a mesh. Reduction is the optimal way to transport information with-out altering the content. Not like abstraction in that it is reducing in-formation, reduction efficiently communicates information without redundancies through optimization of descriptions and processes. While the low-level reduction happens within the CAD system itself, designers are focused on higher-level reduction through Normaliza-tion, or eliminating anomalies of redundancies through parametric models, and Refactoring, or cleaning up the model and optimizing descriptions and processes. We used reduction while using NURBS curves in Rhino to digitally model our material systems.

Reading response: Madeleine Eyre

Thomas Heatherwick TED Talk and ‘Abstraction’ & ‘Reduction’ in Lost in Pa-rameter Space?

Architect, Thomas Heatheriwck has created design effects by examining the reasons for his design and by extracting creative ideas from his brief that has enabled him to reach beyond conventional ideas. As discussed in the lecture, design effects create an environment where the viewer is immersed, and can escape the city such as the cinematography in Leister Square in 1800. Thomas’s architecture of the ‘Seed Pavilion’ enabled viewers to be im-mersed in a landscape, which was not directly about the pavilion, but about a concept and by using effects. Firstly, his response to the brief that it was for England to represent itself as an expo on the future of cities. By reflecting on this, the concept of the seed being incorporated arose, thus creating a psy-chological effect as the viewer is then able to see these seeds, which repre-sent future of life in cities. Secondly, he then considers the display of this con-cept and manages to make the most of the opportunities and limitations of the site. The budget meant that his project became a public space with only a small pavilion, thus making it an accessible space to enjoy. More effective however, was his use of light. His innovative use of optic lenses with the seeds inside made use of all light falling on the pavilion and drawing it inwards to light it from within while also enabling people to actually see the seeds, which had been preserved for the future. A striking display was created, looking like a dandelion about to have its seeds blown away in the wind. The impor-tance of these effects is that although they defy the norm and stand out, are still staying true to the brief and concepts explored within the design.

The differences between abstraction and reduction have to do with informa-tion displayed of a design and how. Abstractions show as little information as necessary to describe properties of an object ambiguously to avoid imped-ing on comprehensibility. Thus complexity of a design can also be defined by its simplest description, as only the vital information relevant to construction is needed. It differed from reduction it uses a flexible set of rules to accom-modate every occurring case whereas reduction is about finding the optimal way to transport this information. The description is rewritten without altering content to eliminate redundancies and optimize descriptions and processes. This related to the tasks undertaken in module 1 as ideas on how an object both was formed and functioned needed to be understood. The object was firstly shown in its most simply way, abstraction being the method with which an understanding was gained in its most simple form. To show how it worked, reduction methods were used to show more specifically what the object did, why it did and how but in an optimal way.

http://virtualsacredspace.blogspot.com.au/2010/09/thomas-heatherwicks-seed-cathedral-in.html

APPENDIX

http://virtualsacredspace.blogspot.com.au/2010/09/thomas-heatherwicks-seed-cathedral-in.html

APPENDIX“Architecture in the Digital Age - Design and Manufacturing”Kolarevic - Response by Allyson Patterson

The translation of 3D to 2D and 2D to 3D has been brought about by the evolving technology of the Digital Age. The construction of complex geometries is now made possible by 2D and 3D fabrication techniques. Two-Dimensional Fabrication, such as laser cutters, function only two-dimensionally. Three-dimensional fabrication includes subtractive and additive fabrication. Subtractive Fabrication is the removal of certain designated volumes from a solid by electro-, mechanically-, or chemically reductive technology, and depending on the technology of the machinery, certain axes may be restricted or constrained. Additive Fabrication adds materials together incrementally by layers to form solids.

With this technology, designers entered a “digital avant-garde” and are rethinking surface tectonics such as enabling the skin and structure to become one into a self-supporting enclosure. These surfaces, often created from complex geometries, must be created into developable surfaces by triangulation and unfolding, which we will use in our Second Skin design.

“Digital Fabrications: Architectural and Material Technologies”Lisa Iwamoto

At first, design influenced digital fabrication and construction techniques, but as architects and designers became more fluent in digital fabrication techniques, their designs became influenced by the complex curvilinear forms and complex geometries made possible by digital fabrication. As a medium like any other, digital technology has its natural constraints and benefits. One of the most important benefits is the streamlined process from design to physical conception making. The architect is now an integral part of the construction process.

Through sectioning, tessellating, and folding, digital fabrication brings about endless design and construction possibilities and has highly influenced modern design, including our Second Skin design. Each of these processes enables originally simple geometric forms to be shaped into complex designs. The use of Paneling Tools serves as an excellent example of design being shaped by the possibilities of digital design, and 123D Catch is a spot-on use of modeling digital forms from previously existing structures.

WEEK 7RESPONSE TO READING - Madeleine Eyre

Describe one aspect of the recent shift in the use of digital technology from design to fabrication? How does the fabrication process effect your second skin project?Digital technology has shifted the process of design and process. The ability to model a design to a 1:1 scale means that the gap between representation and building has been made smaller. However, this does not mean that the connec-tion is seamless. Digital technology informs fabrication as much as fabrication informs technology. By using sectioning, we merged relations between forms dig-itally and material physically almost exactly, the shape however, was informed by the shape of the body. The inflation system, is more complex, and must serve its function, which either does or does not work and is not something that can be tested on rhino. What we learn from fabrication, informs the use of technology such as rhino from understanding what is physically viable. Fabrication also in-forms what kind of technology to use as well as materials. Throughout the design process, we have gone between digitization and fabrication at almost every stage. Each step informs the next. Like Gehry, we used the physical models for aesthetics and digital models for “system fit”.

APPENDIX