What I have learned from building a vessel

This project was certainly easier than making a wayfinding project or creating a photo landscape that can display movement in space and time. I find it actually fun to experiment with wood and the band saws, cutting the wood and sanding it was actually my favorite part of the entire project.

What I have learned is that I was correct that architects and builders need to take a lot of time and consideration into their diagrams and materials before they attempt to build anything. I knew that the project wouldn't be finished in a single day, and despite the band saw part being my favorite it was still challenging with how the cuts could ruin the entire project if I wasn't careful enough.

For the strengths of my box, it is a nice and big shape with a sturdy build. The wood was poplar meaning it was soft to cut but still sturdy enough to glue under huge amounts of pressure. The shape is also very recognizable meaning that it wont give the viewer too much difficulty to identify. Its purpose to carry my necklace is also fulfilled since it is big enough to put my necklace in and small enough to let me get it out with ease.

The weaknesses are the way that the box is sanded and the main idea being trashed half way through. The sander made the bottom of the shield not match up correctly and the curves on top seem more straight than curved. And despite my many attempts the wood is still a little rough around the edges not giving it that smooth finish that I wanted. I also had to scrap the idea of having a secret compartment in the box because the middle piece that was originally hollowed out was so badly cut in half that I couldn't even fit it in the box hole.

If there is anything I could have done differently it is definitely having that secret compartment idea. I wish I could have done more than just fixing the pieces that I originally had, I wanted something more but the secret door was so badly employed that I couldn't even use it for scrap pieces without splintering the structure.

Nature and Aesthetics

Apparently creating or building anything these days is determined by how cheap and affordable the material is and what certain technique the builder employs to create that cheap and affordable material. Economy has been a major driving force in the design industry for a very long time and that when we say make things better we actually mean makes things cheaper and more cost effective. The author of this short essay likes to state that the work or structures that we make are no longer works of art. That true art of nature existed back in the days when we had no such techniques to manipulate the material that we had at our disposal. That our ancestors still found ways to create something usable out of like say stone without having to change its density.
Design is all about the process and technique these days rather than just using the raw material to build as nature intended apparently.
And that ones own lack of skill or ineptitude in the design department is their lack of talent in the processing field.

I am an artist, I do not identify as a designer despite what many of my professors think. I do agree that everything is a process, that you cannot achieve a product or structure without following a set of steps and techniques. You cannot just take a block of wood and hope to carve away randomly to create a box. Even my box needed certain measurements and accurate cuts to make it even slightly resemble a box. But what I do not agree on is that some people consider someone "inept" because of that person's lack of talent in the process of building. There is more to creating a vessel or a product than just making numbers and specific manipulations to the materials provided. Someone does not need to be strictly good at building unless they are working in a factory line. I am more about conceptualizing and creating ideas rather than building but that is because I have never really made anything out of anything bigger than a block of clay.

Concept statement for project 3

My box is in the shape of a shield mostly inspired by the legend of Zelda Hylian shield seen in popular media. The idea came to me when my friend told me that she liked the Zelda series as much as I do and since I wanted to do a shield shape I chose a shape that would be easily recognizable for anyone who has played a video game in general.
The contents of the box is a necklace that my friend made for me for my 20th birthday, it is a symbol of our friendship and is a personal treasure of mine despite its plain design. I am very protective of the things that other people make for me especially close friends. The necklace influenced my choice of making a shield box because of my protective nature. It not only serves as a recognizable symbol in popular media, but it also serves as a protective vessel than can house anything precious that my friend or I can fit inside of it. After the project I intend to give this box as a thank you gift to my good friend not only as a present but also to let her know that I will personally protect something she holds dear to her even if I am not physically by her side.

Project 3 Description

We were tasked with a separate task this time around while the other classes were tasked with creating a photo collage. For our third project we were assigned designing and building a wooden box using wood of our choice. We were to sketch out and compare ideas and then choose one concrete idea and use the wood and tools provided in the commons shop to build the box. The box was to be big enough in size to hold an object of significant importance to the artist personally.

And the box must show some understanding of structure and creativity, it cannot be just a rectangle with a smooth finish. The designer in question needs to create a box that defines their object and tells a story that can be seen and read through the object itself and through the concept statement provided. At the end of the project we are to present our object to the class inside the box and show our classmates the creative steps we took to creating the vessel.