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30/11 Designer Maker and  Postgraduate Design shows

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30/11 Designer Maker and  Postgraduate Design shows

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I visited the graduation exhibition of the 22-23 designer maker students, and other majors were also on display. I recorded some designs related to my research direction, such as lamps, and some designs related to visual effects and material properties.

Among them, Paper Ghosts explores the perceived value of paper as an ephemeral material that serves no purpose once classified as waste. The visual ingenuity caught my attention, and the theme also mentioned about sustainable development or waste utilization.

At the same time, I also visited other professional works such as graphic design communication. While studying their graphic design and layout, I noticed that the craftsmanship of some cards is very beautiful and reflective, as well as the scattering of light on the prism, which can be used as inspiration for my design.

In addition, I also visited the Tate Museum next door. Some of the modern designs are very record-breaking. For example, in Mary Martin's work Spiral (1963), she created this wall sculpture from wooden blocks cut in half diagonally. She then fixed each half-cube with reflective stainless steel plates.

The material is Plastic laminate and stainless steel on wood, coupled with the wonderful combination of cutting and reorganization, we will have different experiences from different angles. The light reflection made of metal can also be used in the design of my lighting design.

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28/11 Embracing Chance: Happy Accidents in Practice

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28/11 Embracing Chance: Happy Accidents in Practice

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The symposium mainly focus on how creatives can harness and leverage happy accidents (‘Chance’) to enhance their work and generate positive outcomes. A great range of design practitioners and makers coming in to speak to us and it's really useful.

Some people are designer makers, and some are engaged in jewelry design.

In Alex Monroe's jewelry design, I can see very subtle forms that resemble nature. The works of designer maker Stefano Santilli express a concept of recycling and re-creation, which allows me to see the sustainable development and waste utilization in design.

My favorite is the work of the studio of designer maker Sarah van Gameren, they all have such exquisite ingenuity. For example, the botanical prints on vases are similar to the indigo dyeing as I know, and the collection of different people’s handprints on vases all make me feel the external space in the design, or the interaction between people and the design.

When I research Olafur Eliasson’s works on light and space, I can also see his position of “audience” in his works. Sarah’s work presents this interactive form on a “product”. At the same time, such works give me a feeling that each piece is unique, and it is easy to attract users from a product design perspective.

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About furniture design

-not like paintings see the front and back of furniture

-Success for furniture: Design/ manufacture/ marketing

-It is very rare that we know the designer of the furniture but the company that designed it.

When sketching, I should not only focus on the appearance of the design, but more on asking questions, exploring materials, uses, techniques, and how they resonate with my own projects. Why does this design attract me?

For example, when I observe a breakfast bouquet, I first recorded its materials and understand the designer's design concept. At the same time, I want to connect it with the theme of my own lamps. For example, can this seemingly complicated stacking method be used as a reference for some forms? Because this form is actually very suitable for light reflection. In addition, the design looks like a complete part from the whole, but it is actually composed of many cups. Can I also adopt this method of integrating groups into one in my design?

It is a very useful practical activity and one day is not enough to understand all the content. Not only in the fields related to the direction I am interested in, I can also find a lot of inspiration and surprises in other areas, which are worth visiting carefully.

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Individual work about my object in the library

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Individual work about my object in the library

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The main work is to raise more practical issues that need to be considered based on the research topic:

About the whole project

Light Distribution and Brightness.

Conservation of Energy.

The Appearance of the Space and Luminaires.

The Appearance of Color.

Lighting Control and Flexibility.

Cost of Implementation.

Detailed design in progress

Base: Think carefully about the details of the base: How to install the LED light bar Specific size

What material is used for Frame?

How to install LED lights? Where exactly is it installed?

Do lights installed inside reflect poorly? Would the strength mounted externally be too dazzling?

Next steps

Ask "Why are you interested in the object?"

Increased consideration of conventions, cultural norms, and differences in object form during research

Ask about the material of the item: its origin, before it was made, during its making, after years of use

Material research to explore the reflection effects of light on different materials

Metal material comparison experiment

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The theme of the whole-day contextual research workshop was about plastics, and we were randomly divided into groups for group work.

Our group investigated the whole process of plastic production and classified plastics according to their hardness. As for the more detailed division of labor under the group, we mainly conducted research on the history of plastic manufacturing. The main areas of focus in the research include the initial raw materials for plastic manufacturing, the entire production process, and finally the different methods of plastic moulding.

We mainly researched by borrowing books from the library and reading literature on web pages such as Google Scholar, plus my undergraduate studies involved plastic moulding. Finally, used miro board to organize and group them for a short summary report.

In the one-day contextual research workshop, I was able to see how other students conducted background research. Depending on the specific research topic, I think I can add more specific cases to enrich my research, instead of just covering theory.

Reflection of my own project：

By summarizing the day's experience, I can explore points about my own project, such as: What are the different types of lamps, and what are their respective advantages and disadvantages?

How practical is my lamp, do I need to mass produce it or just individual production?

Is the reflection of light on different materials an entry point for my design or a stunning design point?

Another part that needs to be weighed is the proportion of research on each part. For example, for the lighting design I made, whether the historical background of the lighting should be used as a supplement, and more focus should be placed on analyzing the specific design work?

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Discuss criteria in context of quantity and quality

-Who for

Students, teachers and all of the people who work under the system

-What for

When teachers or students need to evaluate the results of assignments, criteria can become a reference or example.

-Why need

Principle or standard to judge something or decide something

Step-by-step guidance

-How to use

Evaluate where you are against each item and make improvements to your project

identify weaknesses of yourself

In order to get a good result and achieve my goal, I need to constantly summarize the learning process and think about what I have gained through this process. (In fact, what I am writing now is such a process) and plan for the future, thinking about what I want to develop next. I should also think about the strengths and weaknesses of each point based on future needs.

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I went to the ceramics studio many times in November, mainly to communicate my ideas with two tutors and studied whether they could be realized. I did encounter many problems in this process. For example, the finished product needs to be modeled first to intuitively understand the specific shape. If possible, it needs to be 3D printed and then laminate. The final product cannot be too thin to prevent damage. I also found some shortcomings in the accuracy of my model design.

It is indeed a challenge for me who has never been exposed to ceramics during my undergraduate studies, but I hope I can have a start so that I can broaden the possibilities in future designs.

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In the Museum of Science and History, there are many very historical exhibits about time, space, arithmetic, science, universe, etc., many of which contain many exquisite small parts. I mainly studied the ingenious construction of some objects. Most objects adopt the characteristics of axial symmetry and central symmetry. Circles are the most commonly used patterns.

There are as many as three levels of classification according to different types of items in the Pitt Rivers Museum. I first had a detailed look at the direction of my research. I realized that the common lighting design actually serves its function. For example, when there was no electricity in the past, people used candles as a way of lighting. When designing lighting fixtures, the protection of candle flames, the treatment of wax oil, etc. are basically considered.

Then I also visited other types of exhibition areas one by one. There were a large number of objects on display in the museum, and I also recorded some of the ingenuity in form or details.

You can actually gain a lot of unexpected inspiration by observing works that are completely different from my field of interest, just like the David Usborne collection we referenced in our object to object project.

As a digression, I was surprised to find that my tutor or the tour guide during the museum tour would not hesitate to talk about the collections that were obtained through improper behavior, which made me respect them very much. Due to various reasons, most of the items in the museum cannot be effectively returned, but I always think that when they are collected by places like museums, they are also well protected.This is much better than some collections being damaged by the tedious passage of time.

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From David Usborne's collection I chose two objects with beautiful forms that can change form through some actions.

For fruit pickers, the tops of two wooden strips are fixed with nails, and the other ends are connected to elastic metal pieces. Through the expansion and contraction of the metal piece, an action of grabbing the fruit is performed.

The shape of this collection is very clever, which reminds me of shapes such as pear, petal, bell, waterdrop, coat hanger, fish, egg cup, jellyfish, etc. At the same time, the metal sheet material he used is also a good direction.

Another piece of the collection is the salad basket, which is also an adjustable two-layer metal wire mesh. When opened, it forms an ellipsoid. When closed, it can be held by two handles to form a hollow sphere.

Very clever morphological changes, and I noticed that when the morphological changes occur, because the surfaces are hollow, different silhouettes will be produced when they intersect with each other. This serves as an inspiration for me to create.

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MATTER, a group exhibition curated by artist Jo Dennis.

The works in this exhibition demonstrate a particular focus on materiality. In each case, the selection, manipulation or transformation of materials produces specific meaning, extending their narrative as well as formal potential. Including painting, installation, and sculpture, the works bring into dialogue a broad range of media from glass, clay, wood, and cement, to felt, fabrics, plaster, straw, found objects, pigment, and paint.

By visiting the works of different artists, I felt the different applications and understandings of materials by different people. It is amazing how one connects different materials to the environment, where matter is simultaneously embodied through performance and perceived through explicit contact with surfaces and structures.

Some works have a strong visual impact, some work hard on meaning, and some use recycled materials to reflect environmental protection values.

As for my own works, my entry point and the surprising points of the works are very worth thinking about.

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Reflection about David Usborne Collection

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Reflection about David Usborne Collection

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Objectivity

In this book, David questions the difference between artists and collectors.

Artworks always try to please, attract, or challenge and irritate the viewer in their own way. David's point is that they are for use, not for appreciating their aesthetic qualities. We are free to appreciate them in any way we choose.

(But the design is not necessarily for use. Is this limited to practical design?)

Criterion for the selection of these objects: that each is suggestive of some natural form

In order to enjoy them fully the viewers needs to search their memory for images of faces, figures, animals or plants for which they stand as metaphors.（metaphor）

The exercise of “seeing as” is significant.

What determines the shape and the material of the tool used is the substance or material to which it is applied.

Therefore, in our design, it is very important to appropriately choose design materials to express our ideas. For example, I want to choose wood as my design element. Is wood a necessary element or an entry point for my design? Why did I choose this material and what can this material bring to my design? Design should not be about choosing a material just because it interests me. Application scenarios are very important.

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The first lesson of research method mainly provides an overall introduction to research, including the definition of research and research resource methods. And what are qualitative and quantitative research respectively, and how to conduct related research.

For research, it does not mean that we are situated in a certain field that we want to investigate, but it is about having the ability to summarize and collect information.

Research Design: Look/ Learn/ Ask/ Make/ Test

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Project Proposal development and writing25/10

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Project Proposal development and writing25/10

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Seniors Nol share his own experiences

1. when you study

-work on enquiry

-think about your further / How it help your career part

-when doing a project: After title - context - set aims and goals step by step

2. How important of project proposal

-All fundings / gallerys etc. - understand what they need

-try to explain your project to EVERYONE (parents, clients) rather than just your tutors or designers.

-speak in a manner

Approach to everything

Exhibition

London

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铁树银花（Iron Tree silver flower）

A Chinese idiom used to describe the splendor of fireworks.

Bionic design of trees which was inspired by seeing the sunlight shining through the leaves into the room outside the window.

Metal reflects light very strongly.
This work uses wire as the backbone and foil sheets as the leaves. In the middle, there is only one light bulb, which can also reflect dazzling light through the tin foil.

I flexibly take into account the refractive properties of light when designing, and have always wanted to use reflective materials to make a lamp.

Foil is very soft and easy to break, this model is for styling purposes only. In true 1:1 ratio production, hard metal materials need to be used to make the leaves, and wood can be used as the backbone.

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Jellyfish lamp

Bionic works made with reference to the shape of jellyfish

It's a stuck unfinished product. It is shaped with wire and an elastic rope is pulled inside (using to turn lights on and off). There was supposed to be a thin, flowing membrane on the outside to simulate the shell of a jellyfish, and an elastic traction rope allowed it to float up and down.
Stuck on film selection.
I might consider modifying the elastic part because the wire is too tight and the shell isn't as fluffy.

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"Egg"

The inspiration came from the rose vase made of rose petals that I saw in the book material+: creative products which is very eye-catching.

A skeleton made of wire is covered with a very thin layer of textured paper, and the egg shell fragments are glued to the outermost layer.
The basic idea of ​​the design is to use broken eggshells to shape its original intact appearance. The fragments can also express lighting very well. This can be a waste utilization, but more often it leads to question lamp’s contents, and question material origin and application.

Not perfect work: How to shape a sphere or ellipsoid out of paper has always been a problem. This work is not so much an egg shape as it is a shape covered by four "petals". This is an issue that requires careful consideration if I want to develop it in depth.

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These three are works of clay. Clay allows me to style quickly and is very easy to shape before it dries.

During this production process, I freed up my mind and just gave myself some keywords to shape the lamps.

For example, coral, bone, openwork (center piece).

In these three works I tried process oriented instead of object oriented. This method does cause instability in the model results to a certain extent, but it allows more freedom in shaping. I think it is a very useful method when looking for inspiration.

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In these two designs, my idea is to use cardboard to shape the simplest lamp shape considering some geometric structures.

The first shape only used one piece of paper, which I discovered through constant experimentation.
I think this shape is very clever. In actual production, I can try to use different materials to create this simple shape. This look can be developed.

In these two works, I think more about how to combine light with materials. Because the paper is not very hard, you need to consider the specific size of the lampshade.

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I divided my ten works into six parts for a reflective review.
The theme I chose is creative lamp design,
The reason why I choose this topic is that I‘m interested in furniture design, among which lamp design is very amazing because light comes in many rich forms to explore.

In these two designs, I used cushioning paper materials from parcel packaging. I found that even if they are the same material, different forms have different effects when the light shines on their surfaces.

Lotus leaf

For the first one, I referred to the shape of a lotus leaf when shaping it. The material is a grid-like surface, and yellow light will have a magical metallic effect when it shines on it.

Stone

The second one used the wrinkled and hard cushioning paper in the parcel box. I kept folding it to create a lot of wrinkles and carved regular holes on the surface. Surprisingly there is a very beautiful rock effect when the light hits it. Cotton thread is used to gather the bottom, and no glue is used to maintain its softer surface and uniform texture.
During the production process, the size of the bulb was misjudged and the hole on the top was modified, resulting in a discordant shadow under the light.

Many factors need to be fully considered in future production.

These two are my reuse of discarded materials in daily life. It can also be seen that the material that is obviously just paper, but has become visually confusing after being processed.

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Dismantling
Design with minimal use of materials
Utilize recycled materials
Mortise and tenon structure
Some ingenious connecting structures or mechanisms

Reflection: Actually, we talked about two topics, how to choose?
Suppose I want to incorporate Japanese educational toys into my design, how do I set up the scenario? The design needs to find its highlights, rather than just incorporating some interesting things into it

Further: Study some connection structures or mechanisms sent by the teacher
Try to choose a direction to go in and just start making
also practice English

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What I don’t want to make: I don’t want to just make graphic designs such as posters or paintings; I don’t want to make packaging designs
At least it is to produce a set of product designs on different themes, but to what extent is it practical? Still need to think. How much artistic thought do I want to put into my product?

Initial thoughts diverge:

It is difficult for any product to be made entirely of one material.

A very simple pen, it also consists of a metal pen body, a plastic pen cap, a plastic refill, a metal spring, and even a plastic label on the outside. However, many of these materials are actually completely separated during recycling.
A very portable folding plastic stool that also has rubber non-slip bases on its four corners.
For a pair of ordinary leather boots, the body part may be genuine leather or artificial leather, the sole may be rubber sole or plastic sole, and there will be a lot of metal materials in the zipper lock part, some are decorative and some are practical.
Not to mention electronic products, their components are extremely complex, and recycling also requires quite professional organizations to carry out
One of the most common plastic bottles now, the bottle body and cap are recycled separately.
A pair of glasses, glass lenses, plastic, metal, mixed resin

The problem now is that many people and many countries have not developed a complete concept of recycling this kind of stuff.

Many businesses, as manufacturers, blindly improve the comfort of products and reduce product costs, and the products they manufacture are composed of a mess of materials. Difficult to separate and recycle.

Manufacturing and recycling are disconnected.

As consumers, many people do not care about the final destination and recycling of items when purchasing.

There is also a disconnect between purchasing and recycling.

Not sure about the form of design
1. Irony: Using a material that is not a category at first sight to form a very ordinary item.
2. Reflection: There are some materials that are completely unnecessary to use. How to simplify the complex ones?
3. Further manufacturing: Considering the function of the product, some things are indeed irreplaceable. How to let people know that these two materials should be separated into different trash cans for recycling.

What I want to know:
1. What materials does a product specifically consist of? Why do some products use so many materials? What are their respective functions? How are different materials recycled?
For example, a plastic bottle: how to recycle the lid, the bottle body, and the plastic label.
2. Find some products that are very simple but still fully functional.

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Another work is from Jingyao. I believe everyone will be amazed by this mental tree experiment which is a very clever combination of chemical patterns and wearable accessories.
But I'm also very concerned about the shelf life of the piece or any other works. When displaying works, we need to think about how long the work can be displayed, or further, whether it is just to show a moment of beauty or ideas, or whether it can be produced and owned by more people in the future. I take this very seriously.

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Among the sharings by other students, there are indeed many works that I think are eye-catching. For example, the paper ceramic works from Naiwen, paper and ceramics are cleverly blended together. I think first of all, this is a very interesting form which breaks from the inherent thinking. I really like this kind of design that breaks people’s stereotypes, and I will try to use this kind of thinking more in my own designs.

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My classmates come from very different fields, and everyone has many wonderful works. I feel that we are all using our own ideas to create them.
The field I studied was Industrial Design (Technology with Design), and usually I felt that I was doing some very practical, not so artistic designs. I also want to open a studio of my own with my friends after accumulating a certain amount of experience. But actually through Monday’s introduction I found that everyone wants to open their own studio, and in fact this is very difficult for us. How to balance "the design to express one's own ideas" and "the design for better income" is what I feel confused now.

After communicating with my classmates, I decided to boldly make some designs to express my own ideas while studying designer maker, because since ual provides such a platform, I think I can cherish it and try it.