Craftmanship
Craftmanship, or my ability to make high quality prototypes using a variety of fabrications techniques and materials, is the most prevalent recurring theme throughout my different works.
I developed my craftmanship by leveraging the attitude required to understand form giving, material selection and finishing (C&A). A deep understanding of fabrication techniques, analogue and digital, was developed through courses, projects, and self-directed learning (T&R).
In my P2 I created a data physicalization that utilized shape change to communicate the qualities of conversation around a dinner table. This project took my base understanding of craftmanship (making the table) and augmented it with considerations about embedding functional systems (T&R), and real time data processing (MD&C). This project taught me how to create and program electronic systems to make intelligent interactive products
TRIBLE virtual interaction being used during demo day
Pen an paper made from coffee chaff - see link for more
For my P3 (report) I explored the qualities of coffee chaff through MDD. It introduced a formative structure into my approach to understanding materials and taught me how to quantify and analyze qualitative properties (MD&C). In this project I was also introduced to analyzing the aesthetic qualities of a material and go into depth on how processing and finishing said material changes its aesthetics (C&A).
Throughout my design education I always felt like my formal knowledge on manufacturing and mechanical properties of materials was underdeveloped. This is why I chose to go on exchange to Georgia Tech and follow courses on these subjects. I developed the attitude required to design for large scale manufacturing (Draft angels, ribbing, gates), and learned different materials ask for different production methods (T&R). An example of the skills I learned was designing for assembly. In these courses I came to realize that I need to develop a true material science background do I want to successfully design interactive materials.
Technical drawings for design for assembly - see link for more
Stress data visualization for digital craftsmanship
In digital craftmanship (report) I learnt to utilize my understanding of aesthetics and combine it with data visualization to define the aesthetic qualities of an artifact (MD&C) (C&A). Digital fabrications methods were combined with programming (Laser engraving and processing) and taught another perspective on embedding meaning into a design.
All the development in this competency accumulated in my FBP (report) where I had to utilize my understanding of fabrication to design molds and programming fixtures for the magnetic silicone (T&R). Additionally, I was able to create a demonstration setup for my soft robots that utilized my competency in craftmanship to aesthetically ground the project and enhance the aesthetic qualities of my programmable structures (C&A).
