20 February 2020
During our editorial meeting, Francesca and I discussed the possibility of collaborating on the further development of our respective realize projects. Francesca had proposed a branching light fixture in her community food library, suspended above a branching meal table. I wondered if I could plate and crystallize one of the branching structures, since they represented the concept of growth and had organic forms. We decided that I would plate the light fixture, which Francesca made out of twisted steel wire.
Francesca’s steel wire tree plated with copper and lightly coated with sawdust for absorptive precipitation of salt crystals
I left the tree to crystallize in my room, but it didn’t crystallize sitting in the small space devoid of sunlight. So I had to bring it to school to let it crystallize on my desk next to the window (Sorry about the smell everyone).
I saw this sculptural installation at a food hall and wondered if my interpretation of a tree could be less literal and more abstract than this. After reflecting on the narratives and stories my materials had been playing out over the last 2 projects, I envisioned ‘Identitree’, a light fixture made of branching and interconnected DNA structures, instead of single DNA coils.
Identitree concept
Inferring that the DNA coil was basically a ladder shape twisted into a helical structure, I drew some opened out ladders in different lengths, speculating their twisted forms as connected spirals.
Final Outcome – Development
I developed a test object by drawing out the opened out DNA coil using PLA filament and my Aerb 3D pen. After detaching the relief drawing from the acetate base, I twisted the ladder into a coiling helix by submerging and manipulating it in hot water. (I had observed while electroplating my first plastic drawing that the PLA plastic warped in hot copper sulphate solution, and hence thought this was an easy way to bring my plastic drawings into the 3rd dimension).
Drawing and hot water moulding individual plastic ladders
Trying out branching drawings to achieve branching DNA structures after spiral moulding
Coating my plastic DNA coils with Graphite paint to allow conduction and electroplating
Electroplating my DNA branches in my makeshift electroforming tub (the solution is copper sulphate and appears green due to reuse and saturation over my last few projects). I used power banks to allow slow current for electroforming.
Planning the positioning of mini LED lights for a working light fixture
Planning and detailing of the workings of the light fixture – suspensioin mechanism, suspension aesthetics, positions of lights, need for conical elements for aesthetics
Planning and assembly – lights and components
Allowing crystallization and corrosive colouration of the DNA structure by suspending in a vinegar and salt solution.
Could this ‘installation’ transcend scale and occupy the human body? In my SOI pitch and revised SOI pitch, I was confused as to whether my installation could be spatial, or an adornment for the body.. I think the scale of this object allows me to experiment with both the space and the body as potential sites for the installation..
design factory 