module 2 journal

VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS STUDENT JOURNAL

NICOLE TAN, ALIX DE LA FUENTE, LINUS QU

MODULE TWO, SYNOPSISDESIGNING AND DEVELOPING A SECOND SKIN


MATERIAL SYSTEM

M2; INSPIRATION FROM THE KITE

Our design will use a similar idea where the bone will be the support system and the skin will be the element that facilitates an action or an effect. The skin and bone concept that we de-velop will draw from the kite and dis-play several combined properties like strength, flexibility, texture and geometry.

The kite is an object that efficiently uses materials making it seem sleek, light-weight and minimalist. Similarly our design will achieve the same effect where the second skin will seem effortless to carry however still display stability and strength.

Kite system explored in Module 1 inspired our brief. Although the kite may seem static, its whole design is based on the idea of allowing move-ment and handling change in the environment. It handles this change through the rela-tionship of the skin and bone system where the wooden rods give rigidity whilst the skin provided the flexibility needed to ‘catch’ the wind.


THE BRIEF

M2; DEVELOPING THE BRIEF

DESIGN CONCEPT: ‘SAYING HELLO’A G E N D A : To create a second skin that reflects the physical and emo-tional changes that occur when ‘saying hello’. This includes the body’s movement when going for a handshake or a hug along-isde the emotional aspect of wanting to impress albeit feel-ing protective of vulnerable areas. The design will also allow for changes in personal space depending on the relationship be-tween the two people involved and will enhance the experi-ence of ‘saying hello’ for both the wearer and the observer.

FOR THE WEARER:

•Showing off their best side

•Provide a sense of security in vulnerable areas.

•Ability to adjust the second skin based on their familiarity with the second individual

•Ability to adjust the second skin based on their emotional state (defensive, friendly or intimate)

•Space to interact with their sur-roundings

FOR THE OBSERVER:

•An indication to the emo-tions of the wearer and hence their personal space boundaries

•A sense of comfort and friendliness when approach-ing the wearer.

DESIRED EFFECTS:

T R A N S F O R M A B I L I T Y

M O V E M E N TT E R R I T O R Y

C O N T E X TThe design will have to take into consideration how the body extends, moves and interacts during the process of saying hello. Through understanding this process, the design will be able to enhance the exten-sions and accomodate the change in personal space.

Transformability is an im-portant factor as it perfect-ly represents the notion of personal space- stability in change. Thus, the design will be able to act as both a solid structure or a moving mechanism to allow for these changes in personal space.

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Interaction and relationship is im-portant in the brief and hence the de-sign will need to be able to clearly de-fine the ‘territory’ for both the wearer and the observer. Furthermore, the design will accomo-date for the move-ment between the two people dur-ing their meeting.

L E C T U R E - L I N K


PERSONAL SPACE

M2; DEFINING PERSONAL SPACE

Sommer’s reading inspired us to explore the con-cept of intimacy and distance which changes over time. That is, the changes in arrival and set-tlement distance within one’s personal space de-pending on the relationship between two people.This notion of change then lead us to explore methods of movement that can be re-enact-ed using the skin and bone system. It was im-portant to incorporate movement of some ele-ments of the second skin to facilitate this change in personal space depending on the exter-nal environment as well as internal emotions.

THREE THEMES OF PER-SONAL SPACE:

•Intimacy and distance (ar-rival and settlement distance)

•Change in personal space depending on relationship

•Visually attractive and ap-pealing objects reduce your personal space and individual distance. They sense of secu-rity, safety and predictability

When saying hello, our per-sonal space on our right hand side is much bigger than our personal space on our left.

DOES NOT EQUALLY EXTEND IN ALL DIRECTIONS.

We are unable to see things happen-ing around our back. This unknown fac-tor from the lack of sight causes us to be protective of spac-es around our back.

Our personal space in front of us is much bigger than the space our back as we only allow our close friends hug us from behind or put their arms around our shoulders

The backbone is another key v u l n e r a b i l i t y .

Social custom of shaking our right hand when we meet someone

The left hand side houses the main vulnerability of our body – the heart.

For most people the right hand is the ‘preferred’ hand with more c o o r d i n a t i o n and strength

SIDE VIEW

TOP VIEW

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IN

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PRECEDENTS

M2; A BLOOMING FLOWER

01_BEAUTY AND CHANGE

Our design concept is about saying hello and hence our second skin is about evok-ing that sense of familiarity and comfort which brings people closer. Thus we used the blooming of a flower as a precedent for our skirt, the sash and the collar of our second skin. The concept of showing off your best side and creating a volume similar to the ar-rangement of the petals to create a volume.


PRECEDENTS

M2; CAGE CRINOLINE

02_CAGE CRINOLINE

Also known as a stiffened petticoat or a rigid skirt, shaped structure of steel used to shape the skirts of women’s dresses and was especial-ly prevalent during the 1800’s. The increasingly wide conical structure was a desired fashion statement of the time however the crinoline fabrics were not stiff enough to support their own weight and would result in a collapsed petticoat sitting above it.

Cage crinolines can be made into various sizes and shapes. Materials needed include hoop steel, twill fabric or ribbon to use as tapes and sewing equipment. The fabric must be cut into strips with pockets sewn in for the steel to be inserted into them. This was a main precedent for the structure of the skirt and the collar. It creates a volumetric skin and bone structure rather than a planar one like the kite.


PRELIMINARY IDEAS 1

M2; F L O W E R

05_CAGE CRINOLINE

E L E V A T I O N ( F R O N T )M O V E M E N T

PLAN OF PETAL ARRANGEMENT

A X O N O M E T R I C

This first prelimi-nary idea explores

movement through the use of hinges

and joints. We explored the flower

precedent however decided a more unconventional approach was

needed.


PRELIMINARY IDEAS 2

M2; F A N

M O V E M E N T

THE UNFOLDING OF A FAN MODELLED ON RHINO

The second idea explored movement through foldng- similar to the fan paper and frame structure. In terms of personal space, we started to recognise the differen-tial role of the left and right hand and the importance of front and back. However, we wanted a design that accomodated personal space in a more fluid and subtle way.


PRECEDENTS

M2; OLAFUR ELLIASON

This is a particularly interesting concept as personal space involves the interac-tion of two ‘players’ and hence our de-sign should accomodate for this instead of simply for the wearer of the second skin

Design to accomodate rela-tionship, the collective experi-ence and the singular experience.

Olafur Elliason created a constructed real-ity that allowed the user to lose their tradi-tional space of orien-tatation and required them to renegotiate social boundaries in a new space where sight was impeded.

03_ THE ROLE OF PLAYERS IN DESIGN

L E C T U R E - L I N K


PRECEDENTS

M2; THE ONION

HUMAN COMMONALITIES

B E H A V I O U R

PERSONAL CHOICES

CORE VALUES

04_LAYERING 05_ENCIRCLING GEOMETRY 06_HUMAN BEHAVIOUR

The physical layering and peeling of the onion was a precedent for our skirt. The layering effect creates depth and density which is a design used in both our skirt and sash.

The encircling geometry of the onion layers was our inspiration to create volume and movement. Moving in an element of our second skin in a circular movement was both fluid and graceful instead of mechani-cal and stiff like a rigid skin and bone system.

The ONION THEORY OF COMMUNICA-TION is another aspect that inspired our design. It explores the notion that as relationships develop, interper-sonal communication moves from relatively shallow to levels of deeper, more intimate communication. This is a process of self-disclosure in stage and our design aims to reflect that.


PRECEDENTS

M2; ROTATION

05_ROTATION

In terms of movement, we explored the idea of the rotat-ing towel rack and how, with a simple alteration of a com-ponent of the overall system, volume can be changed in order to form a new shape. This concept influenced our design through the utilisation of multiple layers that can rotate separately to form various combinations that both increases, and decreases the volume of the skirt.


FINAL DESIGN

M2; LINKS TO BRIEF

The purpose of the collar was to al-low the wearer to show off their best side which we determined was the face. The face convey’s emotion, personality and character which are essential in interpersonal connec-tions and need to be emphasised

The floral sash was our exploration of the concept of ‘differentiated ef-fects’ as mentioned in lecture 4 and is used to provide the sense of pro-tection for the wearer especially near the vulnerable heart. Each petal grows larger and denser as it approaches the heart providiing this sense of protection but not hostility.

The gap that we created in the skirt provides the interface for connection. It provides the observer with an area on the right hand side of the area where they can fit into to shake hands.

As the personal space on the left hand side is significantly larger, the skirt flares out to-wards the left to di-rect observers to the right hand side.

Layering was in-spired by the onion skin and these mov-able layers enable various configura-tions of the skirt de-pending on the re-lationship between the two individuals

The collar extends to-wards the back to block off the shoulders and the back and to encour-age observers to move to the front where ‘say-ing hello’ can occur.


FINAL DESIGN

M2; D I G I T I S A T I O N

01_THE VEST 02_THE SKIRT 03_THE SASH

PERSPECTIVE VIEW (BACK) PERSPECTIVE VIEW (FRONT)


FINAL DESIGN

M2; D I G I T I S A T I O N

E L E V A T I O N

P L A N


FINAL DESIGN

M2; W E A R I N G

The design will incorporate a sleeveless vest and a skirt that can be worn. The layers on the skirt will be movable by hand however the sash and the vest’s collar will remain static. From the diagrams, it is clear that the second skin distinguishes between the four sectors of personal space - front, back, left and right.

The skirt, its layers, the collar and the petal will all incorpo-rate the cage crinoline struc-ture using wire and fabric.


DESIGN EFFECTS

M2; I N T E R A C T I O N

CLOSE FRIENDACQUAINTANCEENEMY

The skirt is designed to be ro-tatable on all four layers. Thus different configurations can be achieved depending on the external environment.The colours of the layers, the vest and the sash will be soft, inviting colours that repre-sent the theme of saying hello. The arrow indicates the direction in which the wearer is looking.

The gap remains on the right hand side however the layers have moved to cover the gap to prevent access to the wearer.

The gap is on the right hand side - in position to facilitate a handshake. The layers are on the left hand side to prevent access to the left of the body.

The gap has moved towards the front of the body- in position to facilitate a hug. The layers have moved to the sides and back.


PROTOTYPING

M2; B O N E

This is the ‘bone’ structure of the main skirt. We attempted to test the cage crinoline structure and its efficiency using wires. Our prototype also experimented with wires of different thicknesses in order to deter-mine which was the optimum thickness for strength but also flexibility and malleability. We also needed to test the joining of the two sections of the skirt to allow for the wearer to put it on as well as determin-ing the ease of movement of the skirt.

Bone structure of the petals. The petals of the skirt used a similar cage crinoline struc-ture. It needed to be con-structed in a way to allow it to be attached to the main skirt


PROTOTYPING

M2; S K I N

Two different effects of skin construction . The construc-tion on the left hand side creates a panelling effect like a fan whereas the construction method of the petal on the right hand side creates a smoother, more ‘puffy’ effect.

Connecting skin and bone:We connected the skin and bone structure using two dif-ferent ways- stapling the skin together to form a pocket (like the kite) and threading the wire through the skin.


PROTOTYPING

M2; E F F E C T S

MAIN SKIRTPETALSGRID STRUCTURE

module 2 journal

Documents

personal space sommers

brief design concept

e c t u r e

intimate space

kite system

i t ym o v e

n s f o r

helloa g e n d