Final Group Project_Gravity Tiles (Process)

Image Group - Laser Cut Tests

We laser cut a number of gradient (some image gradient) tests in chipboard, mylar, and bristol. Using a similar technique for pouring over like we did with the wire mesh, we tested all the different pieces with rockite. We found that the smaller apertures and thick yet still viscous rockite mix worked the best. Each, however, creates a similar bumpy texture as the rockite drips and hardens.

hanging I

today we experimented with different ways of creating form through hanging. we kept our ideas of density and porosity in mind but were mainly focusing on technique. we used a wire mesh screen and followed through with a few actions: adding dry Rockite powder layers and spraying water on top, releasing already-mixed Rockite over the mesh in a pattern, creating three dimensional forms with the mesh and pouring the Rockite mixture on top. next time we are going to use the grasshopper geometry we've been working on to inspire experiments more focused on creating form through our ideas of density, porosity and aggregation. kind of opposite of what we did today, we will be using an image to inform the pour.

chain mail

for our group project, i wanted to see if i could make concrete chain mail and hang it. because of a poor Quikrete mixture (which i have never cast with before) and little cooperation fromy my milled foam mold, the pieces of the chain kept breaking. in the end the chain mail was not possible also because of the thickness of the pieces relative to their size.

here is a youtube video on how chain mail pieces link together: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mI6zqS1SuSg&feature=related

materials: Quikrete mixture, blue foam, vaseline

formless III

this test takes the formless studies into three dimensions. by getting the Rockite mixture to the right consistency, and layering strips while it is still wet, a three-dimensional structure takes form. the view of the bottom of the cast reminds me of lincoln logs. concrete lincoln logs.

materials:Rockite mixture, Ziploc bags

formless II

after doing the formless test, i wanted to see the effects of releasing the Rockite mixture into a liquid. i thought that by releasing the mixture and stirring the liquid i would achieve some sort of dynamic form. however the mixture very quickly sank to the bottom in clumps--i found it interesting that the properties of the oil kept the (very liquid) Rockite mixture from becoming a singular plane. i would still be interested in trying this again if i could find a more dense liquid and somehow make the concrete mixture less dense--allowing a bit of buoyancy.

this "oil formwork" also creates a strange, and perhaps unsettling effect...

materials: Rockite mixture, canola oil

formless

this experiment was based on my desire to discover concrete form through means other than traditional formwork. i cut one corner of a Ziploc bag and filled it with a Rockite mixture. using the Ziploc as a pastry bags of sorts, i tested out different mixture consistencies. the Rockite dried a lot faster than i wanted and so i had to use multiple bags.

the first photo shows an attempt where the concrete mixture was too fluid and not able to hold its form, the second shows a thicker and more effective consistency. the disadvantage to using a flat surface beneath is that the concrete forms automatically have a flat base. in the future i would like to experiment with releasing the mixtures over more spatially complex objects.

materials: Ziploc baggies, Rockite (differing consistencies), flat surface

half pipe

this is my first ever concrete cast. i made a half cylinder shaped form using acrylic and bass wood pieces, held together and sealed by hot glue. after pouring in a Rockite mixture, i placed the interior formwork piece (composed of shaped clay surrounded by duct tape)--displacing the concrete around it.

the end result was a half pipe shape which on the outer surface took on the smoothness of the acrylic, and on the inner surface took its rougher texture from the duct tape.

materials: 1/8" basswood, flexible acrylic, clay, duct tape, hot glue, vaseline, Rockite (pancake batter consistency)