Light Form
Briley Bolen
BDS 101, Project 4
Project Brief: Students worked individually to explore light behaves as a material nature, and how it can be formed, presented, and utilized through a designed object. With form, they performed various experiments to explore the nature and essence of both the material (paper) and immaterial (light).
Experiments and Exploration
Our first assignment was to create paper folding experiments using multiple different techniques. I found myself drawn to a specific fold (right) that had accordion-like movement and shape.
Light Mood Board - an exploration of how I perceive light and how I might want to incorporate it into my design
Above and Below: Light observation research of common environments that I interact in
Committing to a Design
After researching my light environments, it was time for me to start committing to a design, and for me to start designing and building a prototype
Above: rough concept sketches of what I wanted to make. My idea was based off of our Christmas tree, and some incorporated elements from the light fixtures within my home
My miniature prototype ended up being the one on the left. It was based on a Christmas tree in shape, while incorporating elements of a snowflake when looked upon from the top down
I also had to choose my light source, which ended up being a bulb that could change easily between warm and cool light. Additionally, I made the decision to mark each panel with mineral oil, which would make it more translucent and allowed me to paint designs in by hand.
Time lapse videos of me painting each panel. I made five 20" x 20" panels out of 1 ply Bristol Paper, and I painted each alternating fold by hand with the mineral oil.
Build Issues
Once I was finished with the painting of the panels, I was ready to build. However, disaster struck in the middle of building, and I had to improvise in order to make the light form work.
My original design called for 5 panels, but I due to it being much bigger than my prototype and of a much thinner ply, it would have have been able to stand upright. Additionally, the mineral oil weakened the folds and actually caused them to rip at the top.
I was also initially frustrated with the mineral oil designs, as they bled and made the swirling patterns less noticeable. However, this later turned into an unforeseen design choice that ended up really adding to the final product. In the end, I was able to salvage the project by using only 3 panels, which allowed it to be able to stand upright.
Final Product
Hero shots of the final product
Close-up detail shots
Reflection
Though I faced many design problems and hardships that required some extra thinking and work around, I am thankful that I was able to walk away with a light form that I am content with. It's not what I originally intended, but I think that's the beauty of it.
This project put me out of my comfort zone with something that I have never done before, and I learned that not everything is going to be perfect all the time, and that there are things that I just won't be good at the first time. It is a good lesson to learn, however hard, and I'd rather learn it here, in college, than in the workforce.
All in all, this was a great class, and I am happy to have a successful wrap on my first semester.
Thanks! -Briley Bolen
