digital design experiment: revit
DESCRIPTION
A week long project experimenting in Revit with a kinetic sculpture. My inspiration came from a sea anemone and how it moves through the water via influence of current or creature.TRANSCRIPT
ACoralReefshowslifeandbreathwithouthavingaface.Itisarigidstructurewithnocontrolofthemovementofitstentacles.ThepathofcurrentsintheGreatBarrierReefinthePacificOceanvarygreatly.Theycauseaneverchangingandconstantmovementonthefloor.Thecreaturestendtoberesponsivebutnotconscioustothelifearoundthem;similartophototropism.SeaAnemonesbecomeavolumetric,habitablespacewithlotsofmovementandahometosome. WhenfirstanalyzingthepathofthecurrentsInoticedthedifferent,yetadjacent,pathsfirst.Iappliedthesetotheoverarchingsculpture,thepath.Thenmovementwasaddedthrougha3-Dfactorafterstudyingwhathappenstothetentaclesundertheconditionsofdifferentpressuresofwatermovement.Theresultwasafluidshapethatvisitorscouldmoveunderandlookatfromabove. Assomebodymovesunderthestructureandthenoutintotheopenspaceacompressandreleasefeelingoccurs;theindividualtentaclestookonthislifeformalso.Whenabitmapwasappliedtothesculpturecoveredintentaclesthepathofthecurrentbecamecompressedasit“moves”overthehumanandisthenreleasedintotheopenasitmovesupthewall.Likewise,thetentaclesarepackedcloselytogetherandfollowthecurrentovertheobstacleandthenmovefreelyandgrowtallerwiththereleasefromthepressureofthecurrent.Thedensityofthetentaclesdecreaseasthesculpturemovesfromrighttoleftandupthewall. Thebasicstructureofatentaclewascreatedfromaspline.Itfollowstherulethatifthesculptureisthinanddenselypackedthenthetentacleisclosetoitsbaseandshort.Ifitisopenandwidethenthetentacleisstandingtall,longandangledouttothesidetoindicatefreemovement. Thewholespaceisaphysicalexperiencewheresomebodycanfeelasiftheirmovementthroughthespaceandaninvisiblecurrentiswhat’scausingthetentaclestomovehowtheyare.Thestructureandmaterialsofthetentaclearemeanttobelightandfluidtocreatemovementeventhroughanon-movingsculpture.Likeafishisdrawntotheanemoneforprotection,avisitorisdrawntothesculpturetoexperiencemovementthroughthespaceandinteractwithit.
KineticSculptureMuseum:SeaAnemone
MajorcurrentpathsovertheGreatBarrierReef
Highlightedcurrents SculptureformbasedoffofcurrentsandaSeaAnemone’sreactiontothem
StudyofhowaSeaAnemone’stentaclesmoveunderwaterindifferentconditions
Puncturesinframesothatneighboringstructurescanbeattachedeasily.
L-shapedtabonthebackoftheframescrewsintothe“tentacle”form.Thissecuresittotheframeandcanbeplacedonanyplaceofthemetalframe.
Lightgaugealuminummetalframe.TheinvertedL-shapeallowstheframetoappearlessbulkywhileprotectingagainstwarp.
“Tentacles”arecreatedoutofclearacrylictubesandshapedintoaspline.Theycanthenbelitupattheendsothattheoverallstructurecomestolife.
Asolidmetalrodsupportstheend(ormiddledependingonthelength)oftheacrylicshapeandhelpsitkeepitsshape.
Compression&Release:Asthestructuremovesacrossthespacethe“tentacles”growlonger,lifthigher,anddevelopmoreofafree-flowingangle.Thedensitydecreasesasthestructuregetswider,similartoaseaanemoneincalmwater.
BitMap
PlanoftentaclesonflatBitMap
Elevationofrowoftentacles
Plan1/8”=1’-0”
SectionN
SectionW SectionE
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Perspective