PROJECT :: Paper Lampshades :: Part 4

Last night I assembled the paper lampshade and placed a light source within it. Here's a photo.

 

PROJECT :: Paper Lampshades :: Part 3

With the help of AutoCAD and Sketch Up I was able to render the lampshade I had previously laser cut. I created an animation of the model posted below.

Hindsight is 20/20 and I wished I would have pushed my basic Sketch Up skills further by attempting to create this rendering prior to having the panels cut. I'm not so sure I'm happy with the rendered product. Granted, the concept will change drastically once a light source is placed within the lampshade. You live, you learn. And there's always a chance to design it again. And again.

PROJECT :: Paper Lampshades :: Part 2

A lot of progress and little blogging has been done in regards to the paper lampshades project I started some time ago. Most of the design and development in regards to this project has been digital, with minor model building. In my previous post, I showed some earlier ideas and models with the original concept.

 

I have since tweaked the patterning of the lampshade, attempting for something simpler in concept and design, while maintaining the original concept for an organic shape. I created this pattern above using AutoCAD. I built a portion of the lampshade using light-gauge paper and found it was too flimsy to hold itself up in a large format. Thanks to Ana Ramos and Art Center, however, I was able to have this pattern laser cut onto chipboard.

 

I'm pleased with the patterning of the panels. This portion of the project wouldn't have been possible without the laser cutting technology. Here are some pictures below of the initial  development of the lampshade.

The lampshade is large. Perhaps larger than I'd like. The image below has only but a few of the panels attached. I have yet to insert the light source. I'll most likely use several sources being that the cavity within the lampshade is fairly large. More experimenting to follow.

PROJECT :: Installation Wall :: Part 5

The below images are renderings of the paper wall as it would be potentially installed on billboards in the Silver Lake/Sunset Junction area of Los Angeles.

 

After reviewing how they'd appear on billboards, I'm uncertain whether or not I care for the aesthetic. The installation might be too far from the human eye to grasp the scale and the complexity. I am now wondering if it might be better to install the paper wall somewhere closer to eye level.

PROJECT :: Installation Wall :: Part 4

Some developments in dimensioning and other details have been made to the wall. I redrew the wall in AutoCAD and Sketch Up in metric centimeter units of the Fibonacci series.  

I might use printed numbers to convey the Fibonacci relationship within the installation.

Or I might otherwise cut slits to represent the numbers of the Fibonacci series. This method might be slightly more abstract but might also provide an interesting effect with shadows.

I might install it on a concrete masonry wall soon in my parking garage to see how it looks and how difficult it is to set-up before installing it somewhere in LA.

PROJECT :: Installation Wall :: Part 3

I've had some progress with the Fibonacci paper wall. Here are some new images.

Above is a sketch up of the proposed installation paper wall as well as relation to a human scale. Below is the printout that would be required using a large-format printer. The image would be cut and folded appropriately. The length of paper is close to 40', requiring at least that much of installation space.

I still think I will do some adjustments and consider the relationships a little more before finding a location around town, rendering the image onto it, and then, finally, installing.

PROJECT :: Installation Wall :: Part 2

There have been some developments, if only at least mentally, towards this idea I have for an installation wall. As mentioned in a previous post on the subject, I had considered installing it somewhere around town in a guerrilla fashion. At this point, let that be the premise.

 

I created the above mock-up animation of the installation using Sketch Up. The patterning and spacing of the wall is paying homage to the Fibonacci Series and Golden Ratio. I'm still experimenting with the patterning of the undulations and how it will be incorporated into the site location I choose. The animation above is drawn based on the original idea of installing it on a blank, white billboard I saw in my neighborhood that has ample sunshine during the day and is also illuminated at night by lights meant to light the advertisement.

 
The next animation above shows the patterning of shadows that the wall would have if placed on a south facing wall. I am also still experimenting on the idea of having the shadows create more complex patterns that mimic the golden ratio to a greater extent.

 
The motif is perhaps a statement. By installing this somewhere in LA promotes the fostering of nature and beauty as represented by the Golden Ratio, in a city which I feel lacks much of both. The method of installation, like that of a graffiti artist, is an attempt at expression when other more conventional methods of creative expression are stifled, like weeds growing through cracks.

Above are some images of the Golden Ratio and the Fibonacci Series as they occur in nature.