Exquisite Object

Mini Golf - Junk Yard Boys

2010-03-02T08:48:00.003-05:00

Ashley Barnett - Topographical Map

2010-03-02T08:14:00.005-05:00

The goal of this assignment was to create a three dimensional system based off a two dimensional system. I decided to go about recreating my chosen topographical map using individually made paper tubes encased in a cardboard frame, a unique approach. Unfortunately, though I had numerous ideas for improvement, none were executed. Regardless, in my opinion, the completed product is acceptable though perhaps not stellar.

Erin Hall, Topo Map

2010-03-02T06:51:00.004-05:00

For the topographical map project, my main idea was to use a thicker medium than paper, but I decided with the time constraints that I should go with my second plan. This was to create a tiny booklet sewn together with a topographical map inside said book. I achieved this after cutting a 5 in by 5 in square out of the inside of the book itself. This is my end result of the Topographical map project...

Mini Golf elephant

2010-03-01T23:52:00.002-05:00

Topographic Map

2010-03-01T22:28:00.000-05:00

To be honest, I thought that this project was pretty interesting; taking a two-dimensional system and translating it into a three-dimensional system is a fascinating process. However, looking back on it now, I didn't really realize just how fascinating or how much potential there could be in the whole process – to be honest, my understanding of the project's potential was pretty limited. Many of the assignments that have been provided in this class have interested me, but I never seem to realize the full potential of each project until I see the work of my fellow classmates. Instead, I simply focus on finishing the project rather than exploring the myriad possibilities. The result? A disappointing one. Looking at the rest of class's work, I feel pretty meager and insignificant. Sure, I could tout that I measured accurately and reproduced an accurate 2:1 translation of my topographical map, and that I tried to explore color to visually "pop" each layer, but then what of my materials or my presentation? Bland, uninteresting, and probably lacking in nearly every aspect. Taking this to heart, I hope to improve with the future Foundations projects that I will encounter.

Mini Golf - Office

2010-03-01T19:46:00.004-05:00

Our theme for the mini golf project was "Office". We lined the course with cardboard painted to resemble an office hallway. The part where the hole was, was lined with graphs and other office-y looking papers. We used office supplies like staplers, phones, cds, and a printer as obstacles. Our main obstacle was a spinning revolving door, but that broke fairly quickly, so we replaced it with a phone which was much more stable. Finally, we scattered shredded and crumpled paper on the sides for a messy look. Our par was 4.

Topo Map - Kayla

2010-03-01T16:52:00.002-05:00

The map I chose was for a waterpark..

maurice topo

2010-03-01T08:14:00.003-05:00

My topographical map was a topographic map of adirondack mountains i decided to try to make a mapquest webpage

Meghan Roach - Mini Golf

2010-03-01T07:36:00.005-05:00

For the mini golf project, my group was me, Hallie, Lauren, and Andrea. We decided to do something simple but functional. Our theme was "F" for Foundations, using the teacher's faces as obstacles and with a par 4. We used a teeter totter as our mechanical device in the beginning, and our design was in the shape of an "F". We also used colored duct tape to snazz up the project a little bit. I really liked this project, I would have never thought of myself making a mini golf hole, but I'm proud of it :)

Meghan Roach - Topographical Map

2010-03-01T07:32:00.002-05:00

For my topographical project, I decided to use cardboard. It's probably the most generic material but I liked the way it came out. I think the map is somewhere in Vermont, but I wish I picked someplace I knew like the Adirondacks. I'm pretty sure I'll do something like this on my own on a smaller scale and frame it :)

Mini-Golf; Casino

2010-02-28T23:54:00.004-05:00

We developed our idea on using gravity for a mechanical device and controlling a persons interaction with the golf course.

After setting up a plan for our casino themed golf course we divided up to get all the jobs done.

the process of building and painting went smoothly. And we came up with further details are we put the golf course together.

The only bumps along the way were the wooden dowel breaking, which what allowed the ball to drop out of the slot machine.

However we overcame that with the new solution of placing the dowel lower.

I found this a stressful but fun assignment.

And I was impressed by how ours and everybody else's turned out.

Snow Bridge

2010-02-28T23:46:00.002-05:00

I found this project difficult due to the time restraints.

For my group and I had a solid plan.

We created molds for giant ice cubes to create an arch , however, the molds did not freeze all the way though and by trial and error we came up with a plan that would work.

Instead of using water to make ice we used water as a glue to keep the snow packed together.

And we made smaller bricks of snow still using the molds.

Our finished piece we thought about the positive and negative space of the bricks, because essentially we were creating a wall.

perhaps the title of our piece should be "Hole in the Wall"

Topographical map- Kait

2010-02-28T23:26:00.003-05:00

While researching for maps I decided to pick a location that I knew little about. I had the intension of researching about my place and incorporate in into my art work.

I selected Lesotho, Africa.

the Information that I used was about their homes that are dome shaped and that their income was primarily diamonds.

However,

My map turned out to be a precipitation map.

Instead of going with the theme of Earth I stretched my piece into a water theme.

I found the part of the map that was outlined to be diamond shaped and because household and income are closely related I decided to place a dome (house) on a square platform (diamond income) with a blue light on the inside of the dome.

I used the lines on the map to create light airy forms that went around the dome on different levels.

The pieces were differed from one and other with stitching

I was not very please with the outcome, i had it pictured differently.

But I found some parts of it beautiful, like when the blue light shone though the delicate blanket stitching.

Topographical Map Lauren Gilson

2010-02-28T23:24:00.003-05:00

I decided I would go about this assignment using paper. I was very interested in the system used to illustrate the differentiating heights, and wanted to highlight this interesting layer breakdown. I realized through the beginning steps of making the paper map model that I wanted to involve lighting. I felt that the use of light really accentuated the layers, and at the same time made the map come a bit more alive. Each layer of the map is a sheet of paper with little five sheet spacers in between them, executing the fifty meters to one millimeter ratio. The structure supporting the map that houses the light source isn't ideal, but it is made up of things just from my room, and now to me, I find it interesting how what working with just the things directly accessible turned out.

The Ruins

2010-02-28T23:02:00.003-05:00

Nicole, Ashley, Peter, Michelle, and my self created the bridge that follows. Originally our design involved a trough for a foundation for us to work off of. After some more in depth research we realize revision was necessary, so during the first day we had begun creating building blocks once playing around with those we started stacking forming out bridge. The blocks displayed as a ruins theme like collapsing columns, so we then sprayed the bridge down stiffening for the following morning. The next morning after testing the durability for a little bit we were confident with out solum ruins.

High Resolution topo map.

2010-02-28T22:33:00.003-05:00

So I created my topographical map out of a post-it pad using a mat knife. I initially had bought some sheet metal with plans to make it out of that but after playing around with the metal, I wasn't getting as precise to the map as I wanted as well as not giving it the popping lifted effect I needed. So I then started cutting up post it pads playing around with them. My section of the map had both above sea level and below to i made the surrounding boarder of the post it my meeting point for the two. I am happy with the final aside from some minor craftsmen errors.

Topo Project - Chris Lange

2010-02-28T21:55:00.004-05:00

I used index cards of various colors for my topo map project. Initially I thought I might use newspaper, but I felt it was too flimsy, and would provide neither a sturdy surface, nor a tactilely satisfying end product. Rather than attempt to emulate a thermally coded map, or a color coded elevation map, I just wanted to use the colors to differentiate between layers so that the viewer would not be forced to rely entirely on shadow and light to see the slight differences in height.

My map also had the virtue of having features other than just landscape on it, and so I drew in the power lines and scratched in small hatch marks to represent the railroad that ran around the map. Overall, I wanted to have an element of touch to the piece, so that it wouldn't be purely visual. Each of the different colors of index card have slightly different textures, as do the indented areas of where the ink has been added, as well as the "tracks".

Rather than display water as negative space within a square frame, I cut the cardboard into an irregular shape, resulting in a less conventional overall construction.

Topo Map

2010-02-28T21:53:00.004-05:00

Yay Maps :)

Photo Credit : Jon Meritt :)

This is the map I started out with.
It is a 5X5 inch square of the Adirondacks.

This is how I started.
I mixed several colors of play dough.
Then I rolled it out over cardboard and newspaper.

I decided to cut the lakes out of the first layer to expose the newspaper.
I felt that was necessary because when i was little i was never allowed to play with play dough on the kitchen table.
My mom used to lay down newspaper for me to play on so that I wouldn't make a mess.

Then I cut out the shapes of the different levels of elevation and laid them out.

After laying out the final pieces I covered each elevation with a different mixture of play dough.
After I finished I tried covering it with saran wrap to keep it from cracking.
I failed at that part.
The next morning it was almost in pieces.
So I had to rework all of the layers and wet everything down to stop it from crumbling.

The End :)

Mini Golf

2010-02-28T21:34:00.003-05:00

Our last project. The news to us was a bundle of excitement, and anticipation. We were given turf, and told that our last assignment was to construct a mini golf course. Each group would have their own hole, and it had to have a theme, a bend and a mechanical piece for the golf ball. I was in a group with Kait, Garrett, and Derek. We spent most of Monday brainstorming on what we would construct for this project. We went through many themes, ideas, and laughs until we finally decided on a casino themed project. Once we had our theme, we had to overcome the obstacle of what we would make for our hole. A slot machine came into mind, and I suggested that we should have our project interactive with the viewer, or in this case, the player. We wanted to have the ball go into the slot machine, as if it were a coin, have the player pull the trigger, and the ball comes out the other end. We also wanted to gain the "theme" to its fullest extent, and make some more themed items, such as a roulette table, we wanted to use it so that if you hit the ball around the hole, it would spin, and eventually go into the hole. We began construction the very next day. We got plywood, and nails and took to the wood-shop to construct this massive machine. We started to prime, and paint the objects. Through our journey, we did encounter some technical difficulties. With our large slot machine, our mechanics behind making the ball come out the other end were rather difficult and time consuming. Our dowel, which held the mechanics together broke once we had the machine work. Due to the snow day, the wood-shop was closed, so we were forced to make due, and find a new way to make the machine work. After all the painting, and decorating, we began to put together our display. We pieced together the hole and added the turf to our wood constructed miniature golf hole. The final result and event I really enjoyed. I enjoyed watching everyone play all the holes at our "mini golf course" and I really enjoyed our end product. I think a lot of effort and time went into it to make it well constructed, and aesthetically pleasing.

Ice Bridge: Buckley, Greenfield, Lange, Leisk, & Spencer

2010-02-28T20:14:00.004-05:00

Return of the Snow Dragon

topo map

2010-02-28T20:09:00.002-05:00

Although everyone was creating 3d topographical maps, I wanted this map to be more like a sculpture than a map. I liked the way that the lines felt more like art than science, and I wanted the viewer to feel that as well. I used cardboard for the substructure, then covered it in paper mache and painted it white to help the viewer to see it as a new way to look at maps- as 2d representations of a 3d sculpture.

Topo Map- Katie Wong

2010-02-28T19:54:00.003-05:00

For my map I used paper from Repo. I cut the paper in to circles and traced my map onto it. i then proceeded to carve out my map. I left the edges of my map raw because I felt that went along with the look of the paper and the twine I used to bound and hang my map.

Topography: Lake George

2010-02-28T19:09:00.005-05:00

I chose the area around the southern portion of Lake George to reproduce. I thought this region was interesting because of the sharply declining land forms on either side of the lake. I used wood as the medium for my representation because I thought it would make an interesting connection between the lines of the topography map and the rings of the tree. Unfortunately, due to the way the the splinters, it was impossible for me to carve on the horizontal side of the wood with the rings. The rings are still visible on the sides of the carving though. I decided to portray the land as it would actually appear rather than just portraying the map and its lines. I have been to this region many times so that made it easier for me to visualize. I also wanted to convey a sense of nature since it is a rural area; I used the natural material and since the bottom is not sealed it smells like a forest.

Derek Rosenberry, "Topographic sculpture"

2010-02-28T19:08:00.000-05:00

Monsters attack the city golf course!!!

2010-02-28T18:39:00.009-05:00

The group for this final project consisted of Emily ,Chris , Jon and I we decided our theme should be Godzilla including some other random monsters. First we began to build a road that would have an angle change and at the end of the course would be curves. Then we decided to raise the road off the ground to make it a little more interesting . The materials used were mostly hot glue and cardboard. We all worked real hard to buff out the small kinks we had in our project but most importantly everyone had fun.

Topographical Map

2010-02-28T17:27:00.004-05:00

We were asked to bring in a topographical map, and make a three dimensional replica of it. Curiously, I wondered how I could approach this assignment. Because unlike the other assignments where I was limited with materials, this task had potential for unusual resources. As I observed my map, I discovered that it was a mountain, and it had varying shapes and sizes, but mostly it had the curves and rigidness that comes with the mountain ranges in Colorado. I wanted to keep my scale moderately small, and I knew that I wanted to add some sort of texture. I knew that I wanted my presentation also to be clean. I got black mat board, and decided that hot glue would give me the "topographical" feel to the piece, as well as allowing me to manipulate it in different ways. I knew that the hot glue would be clear, so I wanted to give it some texture, so I applied newspaper to the bottom of the sculpture. Then, in many many layers of hot glue, I slowly piled the hot glue on top of one another till eventually it made a topographical map. My end product the glue had this yellowish tint to it, yet hung on the wall, the tint gave it a perfect combination so you could see the multiple layers.

Topographic map

2010-02-28T17:20:00.004-05:00

China Golf Hole

2010-02-28T17:16:00.014-05:00

Objects

2010-02-28T17:16:00.003-05:00

Topographic Map

2010-02-28T16:11:00.006-05:00

[First two images photographed by Jonathan Merritt.]

Golf Course!

2010-02-28T15:43:00.003-05:00

Topography Map

2010-02-28T15:10:00.006-05:00

For my topography map project, I decided to use the paper that we were supposed to collect, and just attach it to cardboard. It took like 20 hours alone for me to map out all of the contour lines, as I chose to make a grid and do them exact, by measuring them all out. I then measured out all of the contour lines heights, and ended up going to such a small scale that I was measuring millimeters. I attached the paper to the gridded contour lines with hot glue.

For the finish, I was originally going to paint all of it in primary colors and draw child like figures on it, since all of my paper had worksheets from a fourth grade classroom, I figured I could go with an elementary school theme. I ended up going black and white last minute though.

My topography map representation turned out to be 20 inches by 20 inches.

Cami Leisk-topo map

2010-02-28T13:29:00.003-05:00

Chris Rezk - Topographical Map

2010-02-28T13:25:00.003-05:00

I constructed my topographical map out of layered paper, a rather common method. Personally, I found this project to be the most difficult of any we were assigned thus far. There were so many different factors to take into consideration, so many seperate lines that had to be properly traced and translated without error that I became overwhelmed very early on.

However, I was fairly pleased with the results although it could have been cleaner.

Luke Voytas-Topographic Map

2010-02-28T13:16:00.001-05:00

Pasta Topographical Map

2010-02-28T12:09:00.003-05:00

Courtney Chapin Topographical Map

2010-02-27T23:41:00.002-05:00

Garrett Borden Topo

2010-02-26T23:28:00.002-05:00

When we received the assignment I really wanted to be creative with it. In eighth grade I had to do the same project but was required to use cardboard. I felt like that was the obvious solution for this project, so I wanted to think out of the box and do something unexpected. I figured I would recreate the land out of just that, land. I initially wanted to use dirt, but I found that was difficult to acquire. I decided potting soil would be an acceptable substitute. I needed something with sides, and a reasonable size so that I could transport it easily. When I bought the potting soil, I also bought a tupperware container. It was clear so thought it would be interesting to put it inside of that so you could see it through the sides. I found it was too difficult to work vertically onto the piece so I decided to use the lid of the tupperware container. The shallow sides kept the dirt in, and it was the right size. It also did not look cheap, and didn't appear to take away from the topographical map.

According to my calculations, the proportions meant that each layer of the map I was constructing should have been a half centimeter. I started by constructing the map layer by layer, each layer being a half cm and in the corresponding shape. I used my hands and spoons to do this. I got to about the eighth layer when I found that the lines of the topographical map were too close together to do this reasonably, so then I mounded the dirt on itself until it was the proper height in all the areas then I carved it away and pressed it, using a spray bottle to make it more malleable. This was very tedious and the potting soil was very fragile. After a lot of patience I got all of the details, perfectly measured, translated in the mounds of dirt, including the 5cm deep canyon, 10cm high mountains, and 8.5 cm ridge along with all of the other features. I thought the piece was fragile, since when it was when I was working on it, but when I went to destroy it, I had to work pretty hard to break it.

Michelle Topographic Map

2010-02-26T20:19:00.003-05:00

I lost the my original topographic map, but had created a larger, color coded version of the same map the same size a my three dimensional version.

Ben Hoagland - 20x and Plasticine Project

2010-02-26T10:52:00.004-05:00

Topographical map (Kristen Spratford)

2010-02-26T10:21:00.006-05:00

I really enjoyed this project. I did not do as well as I wanted on my past project's presentation so I really wanted to impress with the topographical map. I thought the blocks with paper under the actual map would show the ground under the map. It was almost like a chunk of the Earth was being taken out of the ground where my map was. It came out very interesting and I was very proud of it. I used phone books as the main material because it adds texture to the piece and made it more aesthetically pleasing. The scale for this piece is each page equals a meter. The first 12 layers are all 20 pieces of paper (20 meters), while the top 4 sections are 50 pieces of paper (50 meters). The blocks being glass made the presentation that much more unique because the audience could see each layer (or piece of paper) as it was raising to the map. If I could do it all over I would sort all the papers in the blocks by color to show the different elements in the earth. Overall I was really happy with how it turned out.

Ben Hoagland - Topographic Project

2010-02-26T10:11:00.004-05:00

Andrea Keim, Paper Topo Maps

2010-02-26T09:25:00.002-05:00

images courtesy of John Merritt

Surreal 3-D Topo Map

2010-02-26T01:22:00.003-05:00

Peter's TopoMap from Matches

2010-02-25T16:09:00.006-05:00

After introducing 2,200 Match sticks and a wad of plasticine to eachother, I had my 3D map.

Hallie's Topographical

2010-02-25T14:38:00.002-05:00

Topographical Cady

2010-02-25T13:12:00.002-05:00

Topographical (Nate)

2010-02-25T10:52:00.006-05:00

Lego Maniac!

So, I really wanted to try a crazy, new, fun appoarch. I did so by

constructing my map out of LEGOS! Now I knew the contour lines weren't gonna be exact given that it would be cube like, but still wanted a "new" approach. (from those made out of cardboard, paper and really defined contour lines) Anyway I started by sorting the legos by color and ones that had that "cubed" effect. I thought all was going good, thought I had enough material and stuff, then got to that point of making the most of, and rebuilt some parts of the map. Still wasnt enough so I sacraficed some of my legos (and fingers) and cut some up!

Now that the piece is done, and we/I have reflected upon it, I realize that yeah it wasn't probably the best/sutible material for this project and may not have represented my map well, but I feel it was presented well, and the appoarch was cool!

Final Cmap

2010-02-23T00:52:00.001-05:00

As previously announced, your completed Cmap research project will be due at your final critique. It should be uploaded to our class folder on the Cmap Tools server. The folder is located in IHMC Public Cmaps (2) and is called "Alfred Systems A Block." (The folders are arranged alphabetically.)

To get started uploading, go to the help index: file:///Applications/IHMC%20CmapTools/help/index.html
Once you're on this page, click on where it says "Copy a Cmap to Places" (about 10th from last on the left side).
There you'll find step-by-step uploading instructions. (You can skip the first two steps, since the folder has already been created.)

After you've uploaded your folder, you should double-check to make sure that your Cmap is functional. Remember that your time slot for your final critique is the last opportunity to submit materials.

Rube Goldberg Miniature Golf

2010-02-22T23:51:00.001-05:00

Rube Goldberg Miniature Golf

Each group is to create one hole using whatever materials they choose/find and the astroturf provided.
Each hole must have a theme and contain at least:
1 incline
1 mechanical obstacle
1 turn

Additionally, each group must make four (4) putters, provide 12 golf balls, determine par,
and make a sign declaring the name and par for their hole.

Installation will begin at 15:00 in Davis Gym on Sat., Feb. 27. Presentation and play will be from
18:00 to 21:00.

Final Critique

2010-02-22T23:31:00.001-05:00

Our Final Critique for A Block Systems will be March 1st & 2nd. A sign-up sheet will be posted this Tuesday.

For your critique please bring your completed CMAP research project, documentation of your projects, and any extra credit work. This is your only opportunity to submit these materials.

Bucket built Snow Bridge (uploaded photos and post by Peter)

2010-02-22T03:07:00.007-05:00

Our group's goal was to build an ice bridge using 9 frozen blocks, one being a keystone. We spent a lot of time talking about it and drawing dimensions for our ice mold but the idea wasn't solid. We were skeptical about such massive pieces freezing in such a short amount of time, so when we all got together monday we decided to make building blocks, and experiment. We did so and the end result was not only aesthetically pleasing but also functional. The group members where, Nicole, Michelle, Ashley, Kyle, and Myself (Peter). We had a fun time working together and we were able to take part in something that I feel we all now have a lot of pride in. Pictures will be up within the day.

Peter's: A Compass in three Stages.

2010-02-22T02:54:00.004-05:00

I built a compass for my 20x project.

First it was steel, glass, and brass.

IMG_0598.jpg‎ (30 KB‎)

Then it was plasticine.

IMG_0596.jpg‎ (19 KB‎)

Finally it was masonite, terra cotta, and plywood.

IMG_0604.jpg‎ (41 KB‎)

Snow Bridge

2010-02-20T20:03:00.006-05:00

Our initial objection was to create this massive bridge sculpture composed out of snow, or the products of snow. It had to have a three foot open aired span at the bottom, and it had to be three feet tall. We chose our groups, and I was with Ben, Beth, Rebecca, Kate and Myself. As a group, we started to brainstorm the potential ways we could make this sculpture fit the measurement requirements, as well as being able to hold one hundred pounds. We thought, that the best possible way to accomplish this task, was by using a byproduct of snow, ice. We knew that the water would definitely freeze in Alfred, but we just needed a certain method for freezing the ice in order to make it sturdy enough to hold up the weight, and eventually make a bridge. Our thoughts for making this was to create molds using Masonite. We decided that using the arch planning, we could hold large blocks of ice, knowing that the arch was the strongest way to support weight. In our proposal, we decided on five large molds of ice that would be shaped into a circular archway, that would be carved as a floral theme. After some calculations, we discovered that if we created only five blocks of ice, they would each be well over three hundred pounds. So, we decided that seven blocks would be a better method, and might be easier to manage. On Sunday, we started construction of the Masonite blocks that would eventually be our molds. We knew that if we used Masonite, that we had to preserve it, because the water would destroy and warp the molds. So, we thought that petroleum would be the cheapest, and easiest solution to apply to the Masonite to preserve it. We spent the entire day planning, and working in the wood shop to create these unique molds. At first, we were going to use hot glue to hold the pieces together, however, we came across a much more efficient process, duct tape. We taped the edges and then sealed the corners with hot glue. After we did this, we took to the petroleum jelly on the inside walls of the Masonite. Then we began the manual labor. Taking a mixture of the fresh, light snow, and buckets from the nearby stream, we started to make a slushy mixture in the hopes that it would freeze overnight. Much to our surprise, we found that the next morning, the blocks were still in a similar state in which we left them in. We dumped the water out, and had to resort to a new plan. We thought that by adding water to densely packed snow, you could probably get the same effect as if you you were to use ice. Then, using a new process, we took lots of snow, and gradually added water to it, to make blocks. We determined that our original plan was a good and sturdy structure, so we stuck to that design. Laying out our bricks, mid-way we found out that it would simply not be possible to make an archway. So we started building on either side, and we would lay a piece of ice across the top. Again, we went to the wood shop to make another mold, this time, one that would be thin enough to freeze, but thick enough to withstand the hundred pound weight limit. We filled the mold with another slushy mixture, this time with more water, and then we called it a day. Tuesday morning, we found yet again that our mold had not frozen. In frustration, we went back to the drawing board. We decided that we would have to improvise our bridge. We kept adding blocks to either side in hopes that eventually the two would meet. However, we ran into more technical difficulties when we found out that our bridge might not actually withstand its own weight. We started to shift the blocks in a diagonal, and make a keystone for the arch. Our end product wasn't at all what we had pictured it to look like. It wasn't nearly as pristine as we had hoped for, yet through all of our planning, and attempts, and struggles with freezing temperatures, in the end we were content. The real test came, when we were to put weight on top of our tall bridge. We definitely did not know the outcome of our work. We decided to risk Ben's life, and have him walk across the top. He actually successfully made it across the top! Even though our planning was not as we expected, we still made the height and weight requirements for the assignment.

Gift Bow Representation

2010-02-19T10:00:00.008-05:00

For my twenty times larger object I decided to use notebook paper to mimic the ridged lines on the original object. Unfortunately, the cardboard structure worked wonderfully but was very visible under the paper. Despite that, i was really pleased with the way it turned out, both the large and small objects actually looked like a present bow.

For my Plasticine object I reduced the size of the original bow in half. The bow was challenging but I really enjoyed working on it. Because there were so many separate pieces to measure, I decided the best way to have a final project that was proportional would be to start with a block of plasticine that had the correct height and width then i could simply focus on achieving the right shape rather than further worrying about measurements.

Snow Bridge

2010-02-18T11:25:00.007-05:00

We were originally going to make blocks out of the snow and stack them up in this circular arch pattern, but when we got to the site, we figured it would take too long. We decided to make a big mound of snow and pack it tightly so it would freeze overnight, and then carve out a circle in the middle. The circle was 2ft in diameter. We then made stairs on both sides and carved out a brick pattern to make it look like we made the bricks.

The final product looked the same as our original plan, but was made differently. It held over 100lbs and many people walked over it.

Snow Bridge

2010-02-17T20:49:00.007-05:00

Our group started this project with very different ideas in mind. One of our ideas was to create a Roman inspired bridge with blocks. But we soon realizes that we would need to first makes molds and have a lot of them. Our other idea which we then ended up using was to create a natural looking bridge and and then carve into it a troll holding it up. We felt that a natural bridge would be best because we were making it out of a natural material, snow. We started of building p snow and pouring water onto them so it could freeze into ice overnight. As part of out bridge we wanted to create to two arches. We laid garbage cans in between the three columns we started to make and piled the snow on top of them. Our method was piling snow and pouring water one after the other. The top of our bridge where one would walk, we wanted to make like a balance beam. Since we were going with a natural theme, we figure in nature if a bridge was to form it would not necessarily be the safest to walk across. When out bridge's shape was completed, Evan began to design a face on to it, we were unable to make the hands that held it up due to time and the chance that we would not be able to pull it off. In the end out bridge came out in a way that all of us were happy with. Luke walked across it with ease and we feel it was visually pleasing.

Much Love,

Katie, Luke, Chris, Evan and Laura

The Snow Bridge

2010-02-17T16:03:00.007-05:00

For our bridge, we went with the typical arch idea and decided that our best bet would be to make molds over the week in order to freeze the blocks for our bridge. We packed snow and water into the blocks, hoping they would freeze overnight, but we had no luck. Onto the next idea.. On Monday during class we decided just to pack more snow in the molds and put a little bit of water in them, instead of the other way around. This idea worked. We filled the molds halfway and then started stacking them in an Egyptian like fashion. By the end of the class period, we decided that we needed to build another mold, this time a troth, as we were going to fill it with ice and use it for the top piece of the arch, as support and a connecting piece. We headed back out to the field and 6 Monday night and finished the basic structure of the bridge. Our plan was to let the troth of water freeze over night and during class on Tuesday, we would spend our time making the bridge look presentable and asthetically pleasing.

Tuesday morning we got to class to discover the troth full of water did not freeze as well as we had hoped. Yet again, we quickly had to come up with a new plan. We started building smaller blocks from our molds and decided that was our only hope to complete the bridge, even if it didn't hold the weight, we knew the bridge would look good. As the morning went on, the opening of the bridge started to slant, we liked the idea of making it look asymmetrical, so we went with it. By 10:00 a.m., on Tuesday, we finished our bridge. We added the final keystone and covered it all in ice, hoping that it would be able to hold the 100 pound minimum.

At 10:30, we started critique, our bridge felt strong, although it didn't look strong. It did look nice though, and unique. Finally it was our turn to be critiqued...and to everyone's surprise, Ben climbed on it and it held him!

Snow Bridge

2010-02-16T14:19:00.004-05:00

Initially our group wanted to make a series of pointed arches out of bricks of hardened snow. We planned to make the bricks out of a bucket mold and then carve the bricks down to the size and shape we needed them to be. When we got to class on Monday we realized we were a team member short, so we had to work our hardest and see how much work we could get done. In class we got 7 bricks, 2 keystones, and 3 bases all constructed. With the crew we had we were not able to make enough bricks to make the extra arches, so we decided we would settle for one really good arch instead of rushing 3. We left the bricks to solidify, since they were still quite slushy. We returned Monday night and constructed the arch out of the hardened bricks. We used the stakes as supports and used a slushy snow mortar to pack in between the bricks to help them join to each other. We finished constructing the arch, brick by brick, and used them all because one was dropped during the process. Luckily we planned ahead and had constructed an extra just in case this had happened. One of the keystones ended up not solidifying successfully and the other did not fit properly so we had to carve the actual keystone out of the backup base we had made using one of the tubs. We left for the night with the structure still supported with the stakes (Picture 1). We came in on Tuesday morning and removed the supports (Picture 2). The arch was very sturdy and had a nice minimalistic feel, but the pointed arch concept was not going to become a reality because of the thinness of the keystone. We spent the rest of Tuesday attempting to pack snow on the sides to give it a smoother and cleaner feel. The snow was fluffy and very difficult to pack though, so we had quite a problem doing this. We ended up making a slush mixture and packing it on the sides. We used a ruler to carve this to a good curve and we used knives to even out the bricks on the inside in to a smooth arch. We finished our snow bridge and cleaned off the two bases and tried to remove all the dirt we could. We were satisfied with our bridge and liked the simplistic and elegant feel of our arch (Pictures 3 and 4).

Meghan Roach - Snow Bridge

2010-02-16T13:26:00.007-05:00

In my group there was me, Hallie, Andrea, Lauren, and Nate. We all came up with a lot of ideas for our proposal including a "mouth bridge". There was even one that involved snowmen but we didn't even show it because of the fear of shame. But we ended up choosing the idea of an organic structure, made very rounded and smooth, almost like an Dr. Seuss theme. Our original sketch of the bridge was 9 ft in length, and about 5 ft high. We ended up with probably 4 1/2 ft high, and a lot more than 9 ft in length. We thought the best way to approach the project was to make an immense mound of snow, use slush, drizzle it in water, and let it sit over night. We added stairs on each end to make it easier to get on top. We even had some little kids test it out for us on Monday afternoon. After we had a solid form, we all dug into the snow to make the arches. Our bridge ended up holding 13 people! :D And it could probably hold more, but I'd like it to last for a while.

BIG OBJECT

2010-02-14T23:54:00.004-05:00

my small object was a cottage like house that I had to expand in every way , i decided to use insulation sheets and hot glue because I fIgured it was easy to manipulate

Erin Hall, Object-small faucet

2010-02-14T23:12:00.004-05:00

My object was the small faucet like structure. I decided that I would utilize plastic water bottles to build the majority of the structure, (and liked the 'message' that the plastic water bottles represented). I had quite a difficult time obtaining the said plastic bottles, obtained mostly through 'dumpster diving' and asking around. It is incredible how many bottles are thrown away in the trash. The rest of the 'faucet' was created through objects donated by REPO. I had difficulty with attaching the top red piece to the rest of the structure, because it was too heavy to just hot glue. Eventually it came together and I was relieved to finally be finished.

Michelle Sandwich Box

2010-02-14T22:56:00.005-05:00

Barbie.

2010-02-14T20:37:00.009-05:00

Here is my project.
It Starts from the bottom and works its way up.
Enjoy :)

Last but not least, this is the sad, sad, destruction of Barbie.
I'm not going to lie, I wanted to keep her.

They look so small in comparison.

This is the completed product.

In the end I chose to cover my barbie with typical ads of "skinny and beautiful" woman.
I also chose to accentuate her hips and her breasts and make them larger.
Seeing as that is the "perfect girl" figure.

At first I placed this piece of paper on my barbie without even noticing it.
My friend quickly pointed it out and we laughed a lot.
Then I decided it actually went along very well with the "theme" of my whole project.
So I kept it there. :)

Almost there...

With 8 foot legs and a 4 foot torso this process took a while.

Next step: Paper mache.

Needless to say I was happy to be done with the chicken wire part.

So this is me loving on Barbie.

So then we had to take our objects and blow them up 20x's the size.
So I figured chicken wire and paper mache would be the best way to do this.

Yay its done!

Its not finished yet but pretty close.

This is the start of a very messy project.
We had to create a perfect replica of our objects out of plasticine.

So ten minutes... and this is the object I found.
A headless barbie doll.

Overall I loved this project.
I hit a few rough patches but it seemed to work out.
I had a lot of fun working with new materials and figuring everything out.

Topography Project

2010-02-14T18:13:00.003-05:00

The parameters of the assignment are that: you must translate the area outlined on your map in three dimensions. The scale is up to you. We'll be looking for accuracy, creative use of materials, attention to detail, and presentation.

Finally, keep in mind the feedback that you received on your last project, both from your classmates and instructors. The goal of critique is artistic growth!

I hope you had a nice weekend, and are looking forward to working in the snow tomorrow!

Giant Cooler- Nicole Ramos

2010-02-13T09:55:00.004-05:00

Napkin holder Andrea Keim

2010-02-12T19:22:00.006-05:00

ok here are the 5 stages of this wonderful project.. the original, the plasticine mini, partially finished HUMUNGO, finished HUMUNGO and partially destroyed HUMUNGO.. as you can see it is a napkin holder that i found outside of repo.. its rather rusty (mainly inside) because it had been sitting out in the elements since the dining hall has changed over to their new plastic dispensers. i thought it would be fitting to make a napkin holder covered in napkins so i did, the brown napkins that cover the sides and top are from the dining hall (they say saving the environment one napkin at a time which i found ironic because if they really wanted to save the world we would be using napkins that we could wash or no napkins at all) and the napkins that cover the other two faces and the rivets are from foxes pizza den in town. both napkins are more than just something to wipe your mouth on they are advertisements for a company just like the new napkin holders in the dining halls, each side of them has a place for the dining hall to advertise anything they want to.

Lauren Rotary Phone

2010-02-12T17:29:00.004-05:00

For this assignment I covered a cardboard model with fabric - a drop cloth and an old blanket I use at repo. There was definitely some structural and technical errors, but I do like the effect of the fabric. (smoke and mirrors)

Unfortunately I sat on my plasticine replica in the process and then later it was stepped on, breaking in half.

Ashley Barnett - Thing-A-Ma-Jig

2010-02-11T17:56:00.007-05:00

Scaled Pipe, Camille Leisk

2010-02-11T13:42:00.002-05:00

2010-02-11T12:39:00.003-05:00

The hard part about this project was trying to make something a perfect representation of something else using found materials. I think my object was one of the easier objects to put together because of its simple shape. I was lucky enough to find a close color that matched the original object.

Glass Insulator

2010-02-10T16:56:00.004-05:00

I choose this sweet glass insulator. Boy is it sweet.

The plasticine replica is below.

I used paper mache for the large version to mimic those sensual curves.

Derek Rosenberry, corinthian lamp post base.

2010-02-10T14:20:00.002-05:00

The Box

2010-02-10T13:24:00.005-05:00

When I went down to document my boxes they had been taken apart to be recycled already.

heres my plasticine replica though.

Object - Kayla

2010-02-10T00:50:00.004-05:00

For my object, I chose this small wheel thing. I made a model of it out of plasticine.

Then we had to enlarge this object 20 times. I used random materials that I had lying around like masking tape and cardboard. I also found a 40 oz which seemed to be just the right size.

Power Drill (Garrett Borden)

2010-02-09T22:58:00.005-05:00

My object was a power drill. It had smooth and rounded edges. This was fairly simple to replicate with the plasticine but I found was quite a task which I struggled to accomplish with the cardboard. I ran in to a lot of issues with my large scale object such as inadequate spray paint technique and my inability to manipulate the cardboard in to forming the angles I desired. A presentation mistake also crippled my large scale object. I did however like the trigger and drill bit finishes on it. The power drill was a challenge, and I had a difficult time meeting it when it came to the large scale.

The Curling Iron

2010-02-09T22:31:00.004-05:00

My object was a curling iron found in REPO. I felt this whole project was pretty difficult for me. When we were asked to make the small scale of our objects out of Plasticine I looked at this as a challenge. Than we were told to make it 20x which I honestly thought I would not be able to do. I used cardboard, red and silver spray paint, tinfoil, hot glue, and duct tape to make my large scale replica.

Coffee Cup

2010-02-09T22:08:00.008-05:00

I reached for the recently used coffee cup in the garbage bin.

Initially, when I saw this object, I thought it would be ideal for creating any type of sculpture... however much to my dismay, I learned that a seemlingly simple object, could be the most difficult to create. Honestly, I did face many challenges in recreating this object using modeling clay. A coffee cup is not perfectly cylindrical, it curves inward at an angle. There are multiple rings around the lid of the cup as well that caused structural dilemmas. Despite all of these issues, I managed to create a coffee cup replica that was 1.8 times the size of the original.

When we were given the new assignment to take our sculpture and make it twenty times the size of the coffee cup model. I struggled to find a material that would make a 5 foot tall coffee cup, and make it 3 feet wide. I decided that my best available option was cardboard. Therefore, I took to the dumpster. When I went into the dumpster I found this enormous box. I took it apart and started to see how to manipulate the material so that it would make the shape I needed. I found out that if I made small slits throughout the cardboard then it would bend in a manner that would give me a similar form. I finished making the sculpture, and I originally had planned it to be solid cardboard, without any paint. However, to make it recognizable, I decided to roughly paint the outside of the coffee cup to match the original.

After it was all said and done, and it came time to take down our projects... I decided that now it would be a good opportunity to crawl inside....

Magnification

2010-02-09T20:30:00.004-05:00

Original

Magnified (20x)

Perfect Object x20 - Spray Paint Can

2010-02-09T20:20:00.003-05:00

I Found this project extremely challenging. I don't have that much experience with sculpture, therefore, the way I approached the project was more conceptual than technical.

I started off with the thought process of how the spray paint can works. And as my thoughts developed the sculpture became more and more abstract resulting in the importance of detail and reason for everything I choose to do.

I created the spray paint can with the objective of a playful feel by:

color choice (pink & yellow)
patterns (stripes & wire thickness)
off centered bottom
spirals
uneven & messy wires.
A light, airy ball floating in space

The attributes listed above are conscious decisions based on childhood themes.

I exposed and created faults because nothing I remember about childhood was clean or exact.

For example I used hot glue on every other wire, the hot glue did not have any purpose other then an aesthetic purpose, the staples were the stability of the sculpture. Although the staples were exposed for the same reason as the glue.

The sculpture was not intimidating, kind of like a child.

Motion:

the cardboard pieces sticking vertically out of the base is the paint inside were designed to look like paint tipping. Thats why the metal is on the outside of the cardboard, the metal is the can, paint wouldn't be on the outside of the can.

The ball is in motion complementing the cardboard paint and utilizing the positive and negative space.

Overall:

The project was a success for me.

Because most of my projects turn out strange but this one resulted in looking happy, playful, and inviting.

But after the critique it became less important to me, I was more excited about how controversial my project was for the class.

I appreciate how much everyone had to say.

SCulptor Project- Katie Wong

2010-02-09T18:31:00.002-05:00

Courtney Chapin

2010-02-09T17:05:00.002-05:00

original

plasticine

20x's the plasticine
wire
random metal
tires
fabric
cardboard

Dowel

2010-02-09T15:27:00.007-05:00

My object was a weird dowel/bedpost thing from the wood shop. (16" long)

Then I replicated it a quarter of the size with plasticine. (4" long)
[This is the first prototype, the one I turned in got squished.]

Then I replicated it 20 times the size of the small copy. (80" long)

Nate Wilson -antler-

2010-02-09T13:26:00.011-05:00

-Deer Antler-

To this project there were basicly 3 stages of one object. Mine was a deer antler. I scaled it down as you can see by the "clay" molding. Then we had to enlarge it x20. My enlarged sculture's dementions were 85'x62' and roughly 3ft tall. It was made out of chicken wire and a type of leather clothe. The wire being the frame of the antler and the clothe was the outside to represent the "bone."

banana

2010-02-08T22:59:00.004-05:00

My object was a banana. I wanted to capture the texture that is felt on a real banana, because even though it looks smooth, surfaces are not always as they appear. The prominent sagging and overall lumpiness was also part of the "rottingness" that the original object went through, even in the short period that I had it.

Chris Rezk - Vacuum Cleaner Head

2010-02-08T22:31:00.004-05:00

Turtle

2010-02-08T20:17:00.007-05:00

For my object, I chose a decorative turtle I had gotten in Mexico. This was definitley much harder than it had first seemed. I made a 1:1 ratio plasticine model of it but the real problem was the 20x size turtle. I used cardboard for the basic structure and then paper mache'd paper towels over it.

2010-02-08T19:14:00.002-05:00

So my object was a little kid's suitcase. I personally thought this project was a little time consuming but overall I liked the whole process. If you need more pictures (I know the first couple aren't the best quality) just email me. I didn't have time to go back to the studio today and document them again.

The Snow Bridge

2010-02-08T15:18:00.000-05:00

This assignment is to work in teams of 4 or 5 to build a bridge of snow.
The bridge must have a span of 3 feet and a height under the bridge of 3 feet.
The bridge can only be composed of snow and water, no additional materials are allowed.
The bridge must be able to support 100 lbs.
The bridge must have a theme and visual appeal.
The bridge will not be spanning a stream or other natural feature.
Each team must put together a proposal that they will make to the class.

Meghan Roach - Dog

2010-02-08T13:34:00.007-05:00

I made a dog out of chicken wire and sheer fabric. It was definitely not the easiest task I've had to do. So I think I would have picked a different object had I known what I would be using it for, preferably something squarish...I did not have fun cutting and burning my hands with chicken wire and hot glue, but it was definitely an experience.

20x

2010-02-02T08:53:00.000-05:00

For this assignment, each student must take the plasticine "perfect" model and magnify it 20 times. All measurements must be in proportion and representational.
Materials can be anything that suits the students theme and desired presentation.

Final Project Date!

2010-02-01T18:38:00.002-05:00

Hey Y'all,

Our final project presentation date is Sat. Feb. 27 (02/27/10), from 18:00-21:00. Setup will begin at 15:00.

Attendance is mandatory. For those of you who normally have obligations during this time slot, this should be sufficient notice to ensure your presence. (Besides that, it'll be fun. Promise.)

Monumental Objects

2010-02-01T16:12:00.012-05:00

Submission Guidelines

2010-01-27T13:32:00.001-05:00

Hello All,

Below are some guidelines to follow when submitting documents and images to us in the future:

1. Save documents in .rtf (rich text format) - This allows for easy viewing across platforms and programs.

2. File names should include your last name, and be named sequentially - ex. - Smith01.jpg, Smith02.jpg or Smithwriteup2.rtf. (You should also title your clip drive using your name.)

3. Documents should use 12pt. Times (or New Roman), and be double-spaced with 1" margins.

Feel free to email me if you have any questions.

Have a nice weekend,

Important Stuff

2010-01-26T12:41:00.002-05:00

In an effort to be more explicit in our instruction, here are some things that we've discussed lately:

- Pour for Haiti - Alfred Foundry - Sat. 2.6.10, 14:00-20:00

- Media Performance in Holmes Auditorium - 1.26.10 @ 19:30
- written response due to me via email Sun. 1.31 by 23:59.
(anything after this time will not be considered)
- 1/2 page, double-spaced Word.doc attachment,
art history caliber document

- Blog edits - final edits, image and video postings due by Sun. 1.31 by 23:59.
(anything after this time will not be considered)
- text should be to same level as response documents
- make sure that all of your name stamps on your posts have your proper name on them
(not a nickname or some exaggerated form of your name)
* all of the above are considered in evaluation of your project

- Images - full-resolution images from Exquisite Object should be emailed to me by Sun. 1.31 by 23:59

-CMAP - bring your CMAP to class on Monday (either on your laptop, clip drive, cd). Ensure that the file contains the resource folder. If the folder is not there, the file will not work! It is your responsibility to have an operable file. No excuses.
- Blair will be meeting with you individually to check your progress (He will send guidelines.)

-Perfect Object - due in the beginning of class Mon. Feb. 1
- bring object that you replicated
- provide key (ratio)
* remember that accuracy of measurement is critical in evaluation of your object

- Building Materials - Mon. Feb. 1 - Bring collected building materials to class: light materials to build big!
ex. - cardboard, chicken wire, paper, glue, masonite

- Paper - remember to continue to collect used office paper. Newspaper and advertisements are also ok.

Peter's balance bike: 10 a.m. -12 Sunday

2010-01-25T13:30:00.005-05:00

Peter's balance bike:10 a.m. -12 Sunday

2010-01-25T13:25:00.004-05:00

Peter's balance bike: 10 A.M. -12 Sunday

2010-01-25T13:21:00.006-05:00

Perfect Object- The Rules

2010-01-25T10:36:00.003-05:00

1) Find a three dimensional object that you can carry.

2) Restricted Objects- Cell Phone, iPod, Chapstick, Pen, Pencil, Keys, Books, Lighter, Currency, Wallet, Glasses, Watch, Nothing that accompanied you to class today.

3) No two students may have the same object.

4) Students have 10 minutes to retrieve and have objects approved by the faculty. First come, first serve.

5) Create a PERFECT representation of an object in plasticine.

6) The representation must be no larger than 4"x 3"x 3"

Exquisite Object Project 10pm-12pm Sunday January 24th, 2010

2010-01-25T07:03:00.004-05:00

The Task?

: I wanted to bring completion to the Exquisite Object Project.

Video 1

Installation Piece

The bike had been torn, ripped, and thrown. The pieces scattered across the ground. The bike was merely a memory, a moment, an afterthought. I decided to remind people that among the piles of rubble, there once was a bike. So I gathered the pieces, and attempted to put the puzzle pieces back in place. This is a sped up collection of my process in creating this piece.

I wanted to use my prior footage, as a part of an installation piece, where the viewer feels as though they are riding the bicycle through time, watching my project come to a completion, from start to finish.