We began the project by first being briefed. Autonomous substrates seems like a complicated statement but after the briefing I understood it means ‘a free substance or layer’. My perspective of the brief is I have to create something that is unconventional and acts in its own way in the form of some kind of substance and structure. To give a narrative to the project we had to pick 3 words as a concept. mine were: Charlie Chaplin, magnify and chaos.
The week started with a 3D workshop. We were guided by Sarah, who is experienced in 3D printing, on how to use Rhino software. Initially the software seems complex and it took me a while to get my head around it. After some practice and many tutorials from Sarah I began to understand the software more. I learnt how to create a shape in 2D and transform it into 3D. I did not print anything in 3D as I think the concept scared me slightly as I had never done it before. For future reference I need to leave my comfort zone and try new things because otherwise I stay limited with my work which is what I found with my sketchbook work. This workshop also consisted of using a 3D pen. I enjoyed the pen experimentation as it was instant 3D modelling instead of creating shops on the computer. The process was a lot more free and I continued to experiment with the pen after the workshop.
The second workshop was all about wearable technology. This was really exciting to participate in as I think wearable technology is a new concept that can be stretched and pushed to create something completely different to what is currently being showcased by traditional designers. The most influential thing I learnt was to design things that are not possible. This is a good way of designing as it gives ambition and can create new inventions. why create something that is already possible? I found all the coding quite confusing, however the slide show containing all the coding and circuits was really helpful and gave great guidance. In my future projects I will aim to use at least one piece of wearable technology. I think interaction in fashion garments and accessories is going to soon become the next big trend.
Dani's Blog 