Project 9: Digital Fabrication

The goal of the exercise is to develop an intent and approach in translating a digital model into a physical one. We were to build upon what we learned from modeling the last project in FormZ.

Project 9 Process:

Instead of heading into FormZ immediately, I took time to sketch out a few ideas on paper. I began by thinking about what made the stair space from my last project interesting. In the source photo, the staircase frames a single space as it seemingly spirals up to it's maximum. In my previous digital model, this negative space became modelled as light as the staircase was reflected in the mirrors. With the space glowing, the stairs began to feel never ending. I took this idea of infinity and applied it to Project 9.

I looked a lot at M.C. Esher drawings to try to make the impossible a reality. If the last project was all about an infinite vertical space, this 3-Dimensional physical model had to be an infinite object in the round. My model simulates a staircase that is never ending. The model flips seamlessly up and down, side to side, to allow someone to trace their way all around the model. Whenever the observer gets to the edge, the model can always be flipped so the person is then standing on a platform or staircase.

When creating the object, I kept in mind a few parameters. If I pushed a staircase up, I had to push one down. Also, I tried not to allow the staircases to run into walls; however, this was the hardest parameter to keep solely because when you flipped it onto a different axis, the walls became floors and vice versa.