​120B | P5 | ELEMENTS OF ENCLOSURE

It's been a crazy semester. Get outside. Get some fresh air. Go fly a kite, ...of your own design and making, of course.

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PROJECT OVERVIEW

No doubt by now students have discovered that as we design, we are always employing systems which might yield new form.

This project will expand on student's understanding of surface (enclosure) and structure which supports surface.

Students will explore, and examine the concept of enclosure especially, and demonstrate through active perform-ability, relationships between solid massing and void or positive/negative space as core principles in design.

This project employs a system with variations to solve multiple problems of enclosure, in a performance verifiable outcome. It also continues the exploration of ordering principles previously explored, and reveals spatial principles of different types—designing from the inside out and outside in, simultaneously.

The Elements of Enclosure will create and define limits and boundaries of form. In some cases we've found those boundaries do not always need to be fixed. They may be transitional.

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THE ELEMENTS OF ENCLOSURE

The elements we use in design begin with extruding point (node) to become line (struts, rods, columns). Line extrudes again to produce plane, surface, skin. Extruding a third time, we discover volume, body. Bodies which move through space we define as time. Such action may be described as performance, an act of movement in time and space, with or without a specific narrative intent. Thus, all our production are performative bodies.

Performance is an exceptional measure of design. It either works, or it doesn't. Subjectivity—feelings, opinions, fantasies, are largely irrelevant factors if the performance fails.

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WHAT DO YOU WANT LAFORTE?

In this assignment, students will design a set of simple forms assembled in repetition to create a cellular kite.

Cellular kites are a three-dimensional style of kites that include a wide variety of box kites, snowflakes and stars. The many variants include the Hargrave, the triangular box kite with wings and the Cody, a full box with upturned wings. Some cellular kites are elaborate in their cell structures and sometimes have wings, fins and/or vanes. A number of cellular kites flown together on a line have the strength to lift heavy payloads. (American Kite Fliers Association).

 

The project is inspired by a simple physics problem; overcoming gravity using air. Simple, right? Like everything, there are a few constraints.

1. Your kite MUST be a CELLULAR kite design. Not the more simple Box design. A Cellular Kite uses a system of repeated shapes, modules, that result in a (much) larger structure.

Using a system constructed of line, plane, and volume, define three sequential and connected volumes of space.

• Volume 1 - 25% open,
• Volume 2 - 50% open, and
• Volume 3 - 75% open

All 3 spaces will need to be unified in one complete assemblage, a cellular kite model.

There is no rule as to how these volumes interact, overlap, or intersect.

2. Surface-to-Weight is a real and critical factor. Without enough surface area, your object will not overcome it's own weight. Factors you cannot control are wind velocity, however, it is HIGHLY recommended you go to a very large open space or the beach to gain maximum wind opportunity.

 

In computer space, we might say everything is theoretical, there are very few consequences to a "bad" design, in that space. In the physical world, we have real constraints to address, and overcome often. This assignment takes students from their theoretical vision, to validate through actualization.

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DEVELOP YOUR UNIQUE SYSTEM

Develop a system which will guide you in your decision-making. Don't over-think this. How you arrange your planes, lines (strips), and "carve" negative spaces in relationship to your overall volume will be based on your system’s rules. You can base your rule-system on any number of things. Some students will find using a model such as a game of chess or a piece of music (synesthesia) helpful in establishing a system. Others may want to work from a pattern and then decide how the variables interact to become their rule set.

You will apply your system to a minimum of three 12” cubic sections seamlessly combined into a 36” (minimum) construction (cellular kite).

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MATERIALS

This is by no means a limited list, but just to put some ideas out there.

Use LIGHT WEIGHT MATERIALS! "Every gram counts", as they say in sports. When you add every thing up, it all matters.

• Tracepaper. White or Yellow
• Newspaper / Newsprint (available from art stores)
• Balsa or Bass Wood Sticks
• Lightweight Hollow Plastic Rods, such as straws. Note, I would prefer to avoid use of plastics, but they are light, durable, and relatively strong.
• Bamboo Sticks
• Glue. Simple white glue, Elmers, Tacky, etc.
  use as little as possible to keep the weight down
• Kite (or similar) string and a handle to wrap your string around

​FAIL FORWARD, IMPROVE ON YOUR INITIAL ASSUMPTIONS

DESIGN. TEST. MODIFY. IMPROVE. RE-ITERATE. FAIL FORWARD.

Work on a small scale prototype first. Test this, make adjustments as necessary, then scale larger for a final version.

Be prepared to adjust where your string is attached. It will not fly if it's in the wrong place. The wind will "tell you" where it needs to be. Listen to the wind.

Those who remain "stuck" on their aesthetic result, but which does not fly, will fail in the assignment. Make changes, adjustments, as necessary to get your design to fly.

Commonly Observed Failures

Use of too heavy of material.

Not enough surface area for the scale and/or weight of the design

Prioritizing "pretty" rather than functional

Accessorizing unnecessarily by adding on weight such as "tails" or streamers. Add these on after you've achieved flight and determine you have more than enough lift to carry more weight.

​REFERENCES AND INSPIRATION

Cellular Kites

American Kite Fliers Association

Fluid Dynamics in Design

Whale tubercles

Lawrence Hargrave

Wright Brothers

​DELIVERABLES (PRESENTATION)

Your "final" is a prototype, a working prototype.

You will validate your design by testing it, ie. flying it, and documenting your flight or fly-ability.

Submit your documentation to your assigned Dropbox.com folder.

Documentation

• Photos of your object including detail views, taken in a somewhat neutral background environment. At the beach (sand); an open park (grass); etc.
• Include photos of your study model, and process.
• Video is highly encouraged
• BONUS. Design a mount that can carry a Go Pro or other video capture device. Be mindful that at the beach, there is sand, you'll want your device well protected from sand damaging your device. Share video and/or photos taken from the kite's perspective. Your kite will need to be considerably successful to lift this added weight.

 

Have a great Summer break. See you in the Fall!