Materials and motion

10 Aug 2019

My recent site visit inspired me to create an engaging kinetic (or mechanical?) installation on the green patch between the unnamed road coming from Brick Lane, and the tunnel leading to the Nomadic Community Gardens. I realized that despite a number of children visiting the area, the swing pole was inaccessible and dangerous for them. The spring seat in the corner opposite the Peddle street is an engaging swing for kids as well. I want to create something with a height suitable for use by children (not necessarily a children’s installation).

Some design criteria that come to mind:

• Pole Swing – too high for kids, dangerous
• Multiple functions? (Jacobs Ladder exercise)
• Inspired by context of individual expression, promoting individual expression, liable to be changes, painted over, broken down or removed
• Engagement – allow the person to define the function suitable to them

Butterflies

• Symbolize nature, direct towards the garden inside (from the hectic concrete life in the city)
• Wings – flapping motion – could be utilized for function and engagement
• Attract kids?
• Overly conventional aesthetic connotations?

• 

• 

Range of Motion:

• 

• 

• 

Prototype 1

Laser cut holographic Acrylic with hinges:

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Prototype 2:

Clear acrylic + Binder clip

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Prototype 3:

• 

• 

• 

Prototype 4:

Mirror Acrylic + Beaded string (constraint)

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Thoughts

The hinges seem like a good set of hardware for the desired motion. However, they lack a constraint to stop the wings at desired positions. The beaded string suggests some kind of ‘clicking’ adjustment that I’d like to explore further.

With regards to the material and aesthetics of the wings, I don’t like the conventionally ‘fairy tale-like’ or girly connotations of the holographic acrylic. The clear acrylic seems like a better option, and I can imagine artists painting their ‘versions’ of a butterfly on it over time. Overall, acrylic is an expensive material to use for the scale I’m looking at. Moreover, it doesn’t respond to the organic beauty of the site and the Nomadic gardens beyond.