DSDN144 "Time" Final Images

Here are my final images for the DSDN144 Project "Time"

For “En Process” my motivation was to capture the creative processes of an artist while making a composition such that we can identify particular techniques and processes used in the making of a final product, and the change in time over it’s creation – in this case, the graffiti-ing of the walls of my home.

For this concept I chose the art of graffiti because in the making of a graffiti piece there are often many layers in the building up of a finished piece, and often many mistakes that you would not usually see that are shown using this method.  Firstly a time-lapse is set up in front of a bare wall before any painting has been done, and is set to take photos as the piece is progressively finished. Then the photos are superimposed into one composition to effectively capture the artwork “en process”.

These images are an attempt to identify the techniques and the process of the artwork; the darker and fuller colours show where the piece was started, and both the final layers and the mistakes will appear as ghostly transparencies. They are such that the final images are not a snapshot of a final product, but more a hybridised reflection of the initial and final points, and the time and techniques used in between.

Shoot 2 Proposal

The idea behind this project is to capture the creative processes of an artist while making a composition such that we can identify particular techniques and processes used in the making of a final product, and the change in time over it’s creation.

For this concept I want to photograph artwork that has many layers that make up a composition, so that in the final image creates a new and different composition that relates to the final product, but does not exactly mirror it.  Firstly a time-lapse would be set up in front of a bare wall before any painting has been done, and is set to take photos as the piece is progressively finished. Then the photos are superimposed into one composition to effectively capture the artwork “en process”.

These idea is to identify the techniques and the process of the artwork; the darker and fuller colours will hopefully show where the piece was started, and both the final layers and the mistakes will appear as ghostly transparencies. The final images will hopefully not be a snapshot of a final product, but more a hybridised reflection of the initial and final points, and the time and techniques used in between.

Putting Together the Acrylic Model

The time has finally come! And I'm still quite nervous about this.... But it is not the time for shaky hands!

Here are some images for the development of the acrylic model:

 

Here is an image of the slotting method I developed for this model. Each part has a slot in it that slides down a spine and slots into grooves that are notched into the spine, and once all the pieces are in place there is a thin strip of acrylic that slots neatly down through all of the holes left in the slots of all the pieces holding them all in place. I thought it was quite genius if I do say so myself!

 Here I used elastic to tie the two pieces of my model together that mold to each other. I used elastic to begin with because as I heated up the acrylic it would pull both of the pieces together into the right shape.

Once the two pieces were in the right shape I replaced the elastic with nylon fishing wire to complete the aesthetic. I found that I did this a little prematurely as I had to do a little bit more molding with the heat gun, and this ended up melting a bunch of the wire so that I had to start again. It all worked out in the end though!

The Card Model

Here is my sketch model made from the card that was laser cut that I used as practice for putting together the final acrylic model:

I decided on using sewing as a method of attaching my model as it seemed like an elegant way to piece together the two curved parts of my model. That and I could see no other way of doing it, and I can see already that it is going to be quite a challenge to get this to work with the acrylic model as it will have to be constantly heated to get it to the shape that I want.

It's also going to be really handy to have this for when I put the acrylic model together as I can see exactly what shapes to melt each piece into on a 1:1 scale. I'm quite nervous about this, as it feels like I've only got one shot to get it right.

"Grow" FAILURE!

So ah.... I got my model printed FINALLY, and it turns out that my model was just a wee bit thin

So at points the model wasn't even connected to itself. And I was so excited!! The ball inside didn't even print either, so I've fattened up the model and sent it back down to the printer.

Final Laser Cut Files

I've done enough trial and error now to be satisfied with the files that I have now:

I ended up using a slotting and locking method which I developed myself using the two precedents shown a couple of posts ago - I'll hopefully show this method once I get the laser cut sheets back but I'm quite certain they'll work just fine. I'm also only going to use acrylic for my model as I feel it works better considering the model and the words used to shape it, but I will create a duplicate file to be cut from the card so that I can use it as a sketch model and practice for putting the final model together.

My only hope is that I managed to get the tolerances of the laser cutter just right - so much of the slotting and locking method is dependent on the slots and pins to be perfect fits. Fingers crossed!

And plenty of spares! Can never have enough spares. Hoping I won't need those either but you can never be too cautious!

Testing Acrylic

I decided that before going any further with the acrylic I should test it to see just how well it can be moulded using heat:

I used these as a sketch model to test how sharp an edge I could make after heating the acrylic, how well it would keep it's form after being heated, and especially with the spirals I wanted to see how sturdy the pieces would be after heating. The result was actually quite surprising to me, I thought the acrylic would be a really brittle material and might shatter when it was heated - but it was more like rubber, easily moulded and very strong once it was set. I did manage to burn my fingers a whole lot though. Very sore....