Steel Competition

Exploration Results

Love your experiments

Love your experiments

Photo of luna and study model

With this study model I was studying how to fabricate an organic shape like a sphere with the waffle technique, this technique allows for the cardboard to hold its shape without any help of glue. The result of this study was successful on how the cardboard holds its shape, unfortunately the guest client (luna) didn’t seem to be so interested in interacting with this model. By putting a treat in the inside of the model, Luna took advantage of the size of the gridded openings and inserted her paws inside to get to the treat. A cavity was later implemented to see if Luna would like to go inside the model, but she wasn’t interested in being inside. With this study in mind I understand that cats may prefer the stacking method used in a previous model, like the Wiggle chair by Frank Gery.

Laugh

Laugh. People visiting the studio often comment on how much we laugh. Since I’ve become aware of this, I use it as a barometer of how comfortably we are expressing ourselves.

Note: Taken from “Incomplete Manifesto for Growth” by Bruce Mau

I leave you with a video of Maru sliding into boxes.

Concept Study

Concept Study

Throughout my investigation on similarities of play in humans and cats, I found a common item…boxes.

Joy ride: Two children playing with a cardboard box on the alley way of a market in Kolkata on Sunday.– PHOTO: Reuters

Maru playing with box

This is Maru the cat and he is well known in the internet for playing with boxes. His owner has post many videos of him playing on her Youtube chanel Mugumogu.

The curiosity of cats is big, especially when it comes to boxes. Cats like to scratch, climb, slide, sleep, and these are a way of play for them.

Listen carefully

Listen carefully

Note from Geri Strecker at my first presentation

List of preposition:

In the book “Horizontal Skyscraper” by Steven Holl Architects, Steven Holl writes about the four types of architecture are under the ground, in the ground, on the ground and over the ground; witch are also the four principal prepositions. Steven Holl Architects developed a correlation matrix using these prepositions, as shown in the image, to develop ideas for a new building.

Matrix study from Steven Holl Architects

In my case, I took the primary relations and developed a gridded form that would indicate the space that prepositions are best represented.

Note: the initial grid is the first development of a massing model, in a front view, for my cat/human playground.

Matrix study for cat/human playground 

Make new words

Make new words

Meaning of the word Koyaanisqatsi

Koyaanisqatsi is a film directed by Godfrey Reggio with music composed by Philip Glass, inspired me to draw these images. The film shows a relationship between natural structures, like mountains, and the way cities are formed. People are shown in clusters, going into a fast pace work and then they slow down to appreciate what is around them. The director also compares the way machine and cities work, and how they are not so different. The meaning of the word Koyaanisqatsi is reflected on this film with no words.

Picture 1

11”x8 ½” Ivory Cardstock, colored with pastels.

Cities

Nature is a calm space, later chaos and darkness come, and machinery turns nature into cities.

Picture 2

11”x8 ½” Cardstock, colored with acrylic and black sharpie.

The skyscraper

A skyscraper reflects clouds moving slowly through the sky, but inside the skyscraper, a machine of people move with purpose.  

Note: I haven’t drawn in a while and this served as a transition to start drawing for this project.

Incomplete Manifesto for Growth

“Incomplete Manifesto for Growth” by Bruce Mau

http://www.brucemaudesign.com/

Some key points I would like to keep in mind for this project from this manifesto:

Make new words.

Expand the lexicon. The new conditions demand a new way of thinking. The thinking demands new forms of expression. The expression generates new conditions.

Listen carefully.

Every collaborator who enters our orbit brings with him or her a world more strange and complex than any we could ever hope to imagine. By listening to the details and the subtlety of their needs, desires, or ambitions, we fold their world onto our own. Neither party will ever be the same.

Love your experiments (as you would an ugly child).

Joy is the engine of growth. Exploit the liberty in casting your work as beautiful experiments, iterations, attempts, trials, and errors. Take the long view and allow yourself the fun of failure every day.

Think with your mind.

Forget technology. Creativity is not device-dependent.

Material exploration & inspiration

• Waffle Structure

METROPOL PARASO By J. MAYER H.

Study Model

Maria:

Organic shapes come alive with a simple grid of planes.

• Folding Structure

yokohama port terminal

Study Model

Maria:

Bending cardboard will allow me to explore the smooth surface of cardboard.

• Stacking Structure

Frank gehry wiggle chair

Study Model

Maria:

Staking makes cardboard a stronger material. The wiggle chair combines curve lines and the ability for cardboard to hold a persons weight.

• Paper Tubes Structure

  

  Shigeru Ban Cardboard Pavilion at Abu Dhabi Art fair 

Study Model

Maria:

When intersecting different size of paper tubes, it leaves a middle small space that could be interesting for a cat.

Final Note: One of my goals with this materials is to avoid using any kind of glue, because cardboard can’t be recycled if there is any toxic glue added to it. Some aspects I would like to keep in mind are: cardboard as a structural material and details in joinery of parts. The structure of this furniture Piece needs to be able to support human and cat forces.

Client Analysis

Make Your Own Cat Toys: Saving the Planet One Cat Toy by Holly Tse 

Maria:

The book Make Your Own Cat Toys: Saving the Planet One Cat Toy at a Time gave me a perspective on how cats play. The author comes up with ideas on how to make an ecofriendly toy with the different play categories for cats: Catch, Chase, Stalk, Wrestle, and Lazy Cat.

 Brazilian cat art 

Maria:

The sculpture shows the elegance in cats’ movements.

Precedent with concept

Kim hyumjoo furniture designer made this stool/ dog house. 

Maria:

This is a great example of what I would like to design with my concept of interaction of human and pet. The stool incorporates a sleeping area for dogs and a place to sit, but I would like to design a space were the human and pet engages in play. In my opinion, this stool doesn't encourage play.

Going back to my definition of play and my main idea, I would like to design a playground that would make a connection with human and pet play.

Note: I am not making a product to be mass produce and be sold in stores; I am making a way of connecting human (sister) and animal (cat) play through space.

Examples of cat Products

Kitties do have the ability to accommodate to human things. Are we humans able to accommodate to cat things? where is the human interaction in this toys? Where is the relationship between the human and the cat?

Site

Maria:

This apartment is full of things that are useful for my sister, and avocado accepts these things as her own…although sometimes no… as you can see in video of kitty knocking things, and is because many of these things are meant for human use only. Just as cat products are meant for cats only.

Material

Maria:

Cat owners are usually concern with the durability of the toys; cats are very curious and love to pull things apart.cardboard can be easily replaced.

Cats play with different textures to scratch in, cardboard is one of the favorite.

Cardboard can be a cheap material and Eco-friendly.

Client

Maria:

Avocado is my sister’s cat is very energetic and like any other cat she loves to jump, run and scratch. At the moment my sister lives in a studio apartment and she doesn't have much space for a regular cat tower. However, in my opinion, avocado takes the very essence of play and sees the entire apartment as a playground.

Concept

Cloud gate in Chicago by Anish Kapoor

Maria:

My architectural conclusion from play and ground: making spaces that connect people and allow for discovery of self and the world.

Ground

Maria:

Ground would be the space that people play and explore. 

Play

Play is manifested at the Holi festival in India.

Festivals like the “Holi” define the true feeling of play.

Definition

Play

verb

1 [no object] engage in activity for enjoyment and recreational purpose.

2 [with object] take part in a sport.

3 [with object] represent (a character) in a theatrical performance or on film.

4 [with object] perform on a musical instrument.

Maria:

What I understand from this definition is that by having the combination of play with an object the experience of play becomes more about the feeling of being part of something.

Playground

Burning man is a type of playground.