Ideas for Documentation as Photography

Concept Statements:
Houses: To capture a grouping of old antique homes within the Lawrence community, during the night, day, and (hopefully) with the changing seasons approaching us!

Houses Two: To capture many different Victorian houses in the Lawrence community and piece them together in a way that is clean and refined and looks like the ideal Victorian Home with bits and pieces from different images and locations.

The Final Result

My final product turned out better than I expected. It was a long process, but in the end worth every hour spent. This was a great experience and I am glad I was given the challenge of doing something I had never gotten to do before, woodworking!

What I learned:

Over the course of this project I definitely learned a lot. I learned not only how to operate the bancd saw, but also a belt sander. I feel as if I learned the proper ways to use these tools and the safety that goes along with using them. I learned all about the steps that goes into making something out of wood, even a vessel this small. One thing I wish I would have done differently would just be to allot more time to sanding! Sanding takes so incredibly long, which I did not realize! However I ended up finishing the project anyway and it looks great--but I wish I would have considered that more from the get go. This has definitely been my favorite project thus far.

{the nature and aesthetics of design}

This article was quite a fascinating read. David Pye  poses the argument that humans perform an immense number of every-day actions which are not necessary. For example, he notes how many tools are made with better-than-needed workmanship. I liked that he touched about keeping the hand of the designer involved through out the process of creating something. He notes there is something very deep about workmanship. Workmanship is design. He acknowledges many different approaches to how to complete a task, but urges the reader to not solely rely on the luxuries of modern times. With such advanced machinery and tools it is easy for the hand of the designer to be lost within the creation process. 

Farther into the article, the reader goes on to gain more insight on aesthetics, beauty, and value. Pye argues that design appreciation is beauty appreciation. He also questions whether aesthetics truly do matter, and if they can make someone happy or unhappy. He argues that while beds reduce cold, ploughs reduce hunger, and toothbrushes reduce toothache, such devices do not, of themselves, hold the capability of producing happiness. He argues that just because something is nice to look upon, does not mean the whole design lies upon that feeling. He is placing more emphasis on functionality than beauty, and in my opinion I found that to be very interesting. This was an overall interesting read, and it opened my eyes as a student going through design school to not get caught up in the modern way of doing things, but to remember that even though everything may be nicely done on fancy equipment or futuristic computer software, to not forget to see the art behind what I am creating.

My Work in PROGRESS

Refined Ideas

Idea One:

My first model was constructed with the idea in mind of not only holding my jewelry inside the lid of the container, but also having an open slot on the outside to hold my wristlet, which I carry at all times!

Idea Two:

This idea is what sparked my final model--a simplistic geometric shape that can hold exactly what it needs to in the smallest way possible.

Idea Three:

This idea, on bottom left, came to mind when I got the thought for something that swivels. I liked this idea, but so many people have already created something that is exactly like this, that I ended up thinking it lacked interest, so I voted against it.

{TYPES OF WOOD}

Right off the bat when we were assigned this project, I became somewhat over-interested in all the possibilities of wood to choose from, research, and experiment with. Wood was a brand new medium for me so I loved the fact of finding something funky and different. After having done some research, I decided I wanted to construct my box out of zebra wood and purpleheart wood. I made some calls and pulled a few strings, and sure enough I obtained some exotic woods to build my project with!

Brainstorming

To begin the brainstorming process, I started sketching anything that came to mind. Pictured right is my quick sketches of some ideas I thought of. I thought of things from very geometric to extremely ornate designs. As I thought of what this box would be used for, I pictured the space it would be placed in. It will hold my jewelry and be placed in my room. My room is tiny, so it could not be a big vessel that takes up a lot of space. I wanted to be as small as possible--just big enough to hold what it is supposed to.The items the space of my room are all also quite simplistic and geometric, so I decided for my box to fit in well within this space, it should adhere to those guidelines as well. Now that I had my “guidelines” for myself to make my project, I thought more about how it should look. I wanted simple and geometric, but also dividers inside to separate every piece of jewelry from one another in the most beautiful, simplistic way possible. With this in mind, I started making my first prototype models.

Outside Research & Findings

I was going into this project pretty blind, so i decided to research and read about how other people have made their band saw boxes in the past. Pictured left is an image I found that is simple and to the point about cutting away the pieces of the container. I discovered a lot of cool examples of layered wood, organic shapes, clean sanding...everything I needed to keep in mind when conducting my project. Researching other people’s strategies and overlooking their ideas got my mind thinking even more into how I wanted my own personal design to look.

Statement of Purpose - Band Saw Box

My band saw box was created to serve the purpose of holding and containing items  that I use in my everyday life that are very sentimental and important to me, my jewelry.

Constructing a Vessel

For our second project in BDS 102 this semester, myself, as well as the rest of my class, was given the task to create a lidded, wooden box using a bandsaw. A bandsaw is an endless saw, consisting of a steel band with a serrated edge running over wheels. We not only just had to create some sort of a “box”, but we also had to create this vessel to hold and contain something that is menaingful or sentimental to us.  This box (or vessel) was to be within the wood sections of 8x5”, no more no less. With that said, the objects I had to choose from were all very small. While my mind was spinning of all the possible ideas to choose from, my class headed to the Common Shop for our first lecture on how to go about this project, and the safety involved with using these tools. I learned a lot in a little amount of time about how to go about the process of woodworking, and all the time, work, and effort that goes into it.