Laser Cutter Settings

For my convenience/quick reference:

Boxboard: Colour--TH(mm)--Power(%)--Speed(%)--PPi

• Red--1.2mm--100--30--500
• Red--1.7mm--100--30--500
• Red--2.4mm--100--15--500

• Blue--~~mm--50--100--500

Acrylic: Colour--TH(mm)--Preset-Boost

• Red--1.5mm--Plastic>Acrylic>Cast Acrylic--+10%
• Red--3.0mm--Plastic>Acrylic>Cast Acrylic--+10%
• 100--8.6--1000 (manual control)

Assignment 3 - Photo Series - Part 4 - Animated GIFs and Videos

Touch Screen Demonstration.

Use your finger to control the colours to display

Sound Activation Demonstration

Blinks in sync with music and sound

Demonstration of colours

Model Orbit

Mimicry of the Sun

 Wall shadow play.

Very interesting silhouettes were created so I decided to take multiple pictures of it as I orbited my light source around the model.
Perhaps one day these silhouettes will inform a design!

Assignment 3 - Photo Series - Part 3 - Realism

Assignment 3 - Photo Series - Part 2 - Mood

Assignment 3 - Photo Series - Part 1 - Angular Drama

Assignment 3 - Photo Series

The posts to follow are a series of pictures with a recurring theme.

1. Angular Drama - with a focus on the angles present in the model.
2. Mood - referencing back to colour psychology and how specific colours influence how a view feels.
3. Realism - set of photographs using light, dark and shadow to blur the lines between the model and reality.
4. Animated - GIF images and Videos

Assignment 3 - Part 3 (The Supermodel)

Preface:

http://anthonyho-arch7112.blogspot.com.au/2013/11/assignment-3-test.html

Ever since participating in a summer elective in Japan two years ago, I've developed an appreciation for metabolist architecture, in particular the "artificial ground" and "mega structure" variety. As Moss is quite the city dweller, I thought it'd be interesting to not only explore the limitations of materials and construction techniques but also my own interest without compromise to the studio's objectives.

Represent:

• The interlocking slices that forms of the top part of Moss' residence was inspired by the dress she wore to the 2011 Fashion Awards. The reference to the fish net is also an allusion to how she has been represented throughout her modelling career - the fish nets being a fundamentally female item and often "sexified". Moss is an object of desire. Women want to be her and men want to be with her.
• The contoured elevated courtyard references her slim figure (slim line illuminated acrylic slices) but also her party lifestyle. Even the location (the centre of an intersection) is a reference to this, meaning to say she is the centre of attention and everyone's attention is focused on her.
• The gates that adorn the entry to the precinct emphasise the feeling of exclusiveness and privelege while maintaining a perfectly contradictory conversation with itself. Visitors are so close, yet so far. Visitors will have direct and quite public access to the intersection but how will they reach the party floors, let alone Moss' residence.
• The Perimeter buildings make a comment on how Moss is always on show for the whole world to talk about her, even if she is having a personal/private moment such as relaxing in home or having a private party. Her residence is in the centre of the city surrounded by tabloid offices, modelling agencies, photography studios, etc as if to broadcast around the clock.
• The text (as mentioned in the Preface) comments on how a model can choose to hide behind publications (eg: photoshopping a slimmer figure, biased articles, etc) and be completely milked just by being seen.
• The box/finger joins being a direct allusion to the zipper in fashion inspired quite funnily by this article. http://nymag.com/thecut/2012/06/kate-moss-occasionally-forgets-to-do-her-zipper.html
• It is interesting to note the article starts off by jokingly commenting on how "rare" interviews are with Moss.
• If I really were to build Moss' house, I'd gift her this model and have it placed right before her front door so everytime she looks at it before she walks out the door, she knows to double check her zipper. This should probably be in the "do" section :P
• The context/perimeter buildings have been chosen specifically for their historical facade to provide quite an opposing backdrop to Moss' house, if anything to emphasise Moss' youth (still attractive at the age of 39 when most women are hitting the mid life crisis) and fashion forward sense, being the muse for a number of designers/magazines.
• The bridges that connect each of the party floors in the office towers are optical illusions and make two references.
1. Ribs (human anatomy): Moss is a model known for her size zero fashion and persistently denies being anorexic.
2. Hair: I find Moss' hair one of her most attractive features because the soft curvacious lines juxtaspose the rather hard angular lines (eg: cheek bones). It is because of this duality conversation that emphasises the other extremity even more.
• Therefore, when you're looking at the bridges front on, you see straight lines (ribs) and at an angle, (wavy hair)
• Quite similarly, the theme of duality is seen (as mentioned above) in the way the older buildings are contrasted with Moss' futuristic home that seems to have been grafted onto the existing city and allowed to permeate the built fabric.
• 

Do:

• Function as a bedside lamp or a coffee table ornament when I've a Kate Moss Rave on in my lounge room.
• Push limitations of materials and construction techniques
• Investigate techniques in speeding up construction (eg: box/finger joins as a default join)
• Use of architectural technology/construction in a model scale 
• Use of trusses for structural stability - succesful!
• Trusses on the mid floors that form the party space for Moss are structurally feasible (three layers of 2.4mm boxboard cut impossibly thin but relying on its lateral dimensions for structural integrity
• Am able to cantilever bridges from these trusses. Uses the 90 degree return of the touching truss to achieve this.
• Explore metabolist architecture
• Testing ground for Arduino and basic electronics.