Luminaire (PHASE III)

Finally, after going through a very long process of trial and error the final phase of the luminaire project has been completed. In this phase was the light fixture itself. Through this fixture we had to capture the original light phenomenon that we found in PHASE I. My phenomenon was light shinning through the doors on the Weatherspoon Art Museum and reflecting everything that was above the floor into the floor. This caused the illusion of two "identical" worlds. Although there were slight variations between them. In our luminaires we were to capture the essence of what was going on in the phenomenon without actually recreating the event in literal terms. This proved to be the most trying of the three phases due to the fact that it is the first time that we had to design something from an original inspiration.

Beginning this phase was a trial in itself. I had the phenomenon, but designing a light pattern that would get my idea across was not an easy task. In the beginning I did a lot of thinking of what kind of materials to use because I was not ready to take on the actual light task. My first idea was to use metal because I felt that it was a reflective material and that would help me get my idea across very easily. The idea was to melt down metal sheets and mold them into a bowl. After this the light would be placed in the back and would shine around it. However the bowl would not be seen in the dark so the reflective quality would be nonexistent, and the light effect would not tell the my story in any way, shape, or form.

Next I moved on to exploration of paper to use in my design. I started by using thick poster board to create my shape and I still wanted to incorporate something reflective so I came to the decision to use metallic spray paints on the sides of it. Also, in order to get the light to shine through I created a cut out on one of the sides and covered it with trash paper so that the light bulb would not be showing. Through more thought I decided to change this 3 sided figure into a four sided one and make cut outs on two opposite sides. However, after looking at the creation and thinking more on my light effect I decided to completely scratch that idea before I wasted anymore time on something that did not speak to me.

After that failure I decided to take time to actually think about the light effect that I wanted to achieve, and once I figured this out I began to design a figure around it that would allow that effect to come across nicely.

I came to the conclusion that wood was definitely the way to go. I started by using 1/8 in thick pieces of wood to cut a figure with a square front and that would be in the shape of a rectangular prism. However, before I ever finished cutting the pieces I realized something very important. Piecing wood together that was so thin and flimsy would not work out very well in my favor. Therefore I was off to get thicker wood and come up with new dimensions for my design.

My new dimensions elongated the shape and gave the light more room to dim before it escaped to what our eyes can see. It also left the sides open, which was in the previous design as well, and added a central cut out, which was not.Once I had everything planned, getting it cut out was quick and painless. But next came to obstacle of deciding if I wanted to keep it plain or add some color to it. I decided color was the best decision. More specifically, stain. I went with a mahogany stain because it was very elegant in the light, but would disappear when light was no longer present. When staining the wood I decided to use lacquer over the stain because it leaves a glossy finish and makes that layer of the wood highly durable. I chose to use two different color lights in order to accentuate the change in between the two worlds I was trying to get across, and instead of using a mirror in front of a central cut out I chose to go with a piece of vellum. This allowed the inside of the luminaire to be hidden and also allowed for a central area to show the change from one color to the other. Vellum was also placed on the the sides to cover up the bulbs so that it would not be blinding to look at from any angle.

Next I had to come up with a way to cover the part of the vellum that was attached to the wood with Elmer's glue because it was not very attractive. Electric tape was used for this because it was black and would flow with the mahogany stain of the wood. I added this black around the inside of the central cutout as well in order give it more repetition so that it did not appear as something I just did.

Finally I added two legs to the bottom that elevated it the slightly off the surface to give even more stability and also give it the idea that it was floating, which made it more intriguing.

FINAL LUMINAIRE

Fixture

Light

Critique Visit

Today was the last day of class for the first semester, and our assignment was to sit in on another years critique. I was assigned to sit in on the fourth years. Their assignment was a group assignment. The class of 16 students came together and worked on design renovations for the Vance Chavis Life Long Learning Library, which is located on Lee Street in Greensboro, NC.  They divided themselves into groups and each group was responsible for a specific part of the library; and inside of the group each student had different things to work on designing for detail. The room that I found the most interesting was the Children's Center. I found it interesting because of the fact that they were able to satisfy many different learning styles and successfully capture the wants of a vast age group (3-14yrs). The space that was designed is very open and in a safe location near the adult center and away from the exits. There is an exit to a nearby outdoor are however, but it must be operated by an adult in order for the children to go on to it. It contains adjustable stacks, televisions, computers, and a reading nook with 3' diameter openings in order for the children to sit in and read in a more private setting.

Power tools?! . . . YES. (PHASE II)

My journey with power tools was an interesting, and at times, trying exploration.  The original excitement mixed with fear of not mastering the technique, and the idea of finally getting to use wood mixed with uncertainty of what to do with it. I knew that I wanted to get on it right away and begin exploring everything I could and come up with something that would be very successful for me. As soon as it was possible I got it together and began this quest for harmony with my 18" piece of 2 x 4.

As you can imagine I did not have the prettiest of starts. I had an idea of my jointing techniques and I wanted to get it down and let the wood decide where it wanted to take me.  I started off using the bandsaw, and it was okay at helping my cut the wood into the smaller pieces that are displayed above, but when it came to getting it as exact as I wanted it, it would not have happened in the time given. I decided to work with in anyway, and during the time that I practiced on this machine I came to realize that I wanted to make something that I would be able to use as time went on. This fact led me to go out and get another 2 x 4 so that I could have a number of 18" pieces and GO TO WORK.

On my next piece of 2 x 4 I was still unsure of what I wanted to do with the project, but I was 100% sure that I wanted to use tongue and groove joints, so I decided to work on that and get it down pact. This is when I discovered the table saw. It made cutting the grooves, as well as the tongues very simple, and all I had to do was decide the level that I heights that I wanted it at and push it across the saw. However, the pieces were not as perfect as they could be, and because I was doing it mostly by eye it was hard to determine the exact locations of my grooves, which made it hard to decide where to put the tongues. Although they did not line up the way that I had hoped, the fit together very nicely, and made a few heavy duty beverage coasters.

After the last 2 x 4 and all of my uncertainty of location, I discovered something that made life wonderful. MEASUREMENTS! Yes I said it, measurements. By using the measurements on the table saw and planing the wood down so that it was even all around I was able to accentuate the beauty of the cuts. I played around a lot with this, and during this play time I came up with an idea of what I wanted to do.

I decided to create an organizer that I could use at my desk as a place for my water bottle, pencils and erasers, ruler and scale, and of course, my cell phone. The pieces above were pieces of my first attempt at this organizer. While I was creating it I learned more about the wood, and support, and midway I realized that  I needed to simplify my cuts in order to have a better supported system.

In order to achieve this simplification I adjusted a few measurements to ass extra support room to the sides, and removed one of the slots that were set to have a the possibility of moving the wall that would allow everything to be contained. By doing this, everything became much more supported. It also resulted in much less complications. The end result is an organizer that can be placed in more than one way and holds itself together very nicely.