History of Place Installation

As mentioned before I conducted my research on the history of the art school. I decided to concentrate on my findings from the Architecture building on central campus. The Bentley Historical Library Image bank provided photos of drawing classes and the architecture building from back in the day. I used these photos as inspiration for my drip paintings. 

The four smaller murals depict the beginings of the art program, while the final mural, comprised of 3 window panels, recalls the current space as it mimics the A&D sign across the hall. 

During the Day....

 At night....

From the other side... 

Final Plant Housing

My zinnias are about 7-8 in tall, perhaps taller. The bottom leaves turned yellow and fell off.  The internet tells me that that's normal though. Another mystery I was trying to solve is these tiny, almost microscopic, white worms. I don't even notice they're there until I pour water on them. It's possible they were in the early  stages of being larvae. Regardless, I stopped watering them as much as I did before, to decrease the standing water and that seems to have taken care of the problem. Today I transported my plants to a different container, and put sponge material on the bottom layer below the soil to see if that helps the root/soil circulation.

After the class visit from Carry Dickison I felt more comfortable with the idea of using found objects.
For my final plant housing: I sawed an old styrofoam cooler to make the base;
Cut and sanded wood slabs to form a frame upon which the clear greenhouse could sit; Sewed together the material to form the greenhouse; and added a front door that can be velcroed shut.

 sawing styrofoam was definitely not my smartest idea, at least not at my own apartment. Clean up was pretty difficult.

 Working on the project.... this detail at the top reveals my original plan.

History of Place

 For my place outside I chose to study the accumulation of discarded art projects that reside in the wooded area behind the art school. From the Bentley Historical online archives I learned of the history of the art program at U of M.

Emil Lorch taught the first "art" class within the College of Architecture in 1906. In 1926 program in decorative arts was held in the College of Engineering and Architecture. Art was considered a discipline moving between these two schools until it was departmentalized in 1954 under the College of Architecture and Design. The post WWII boom in students led to doubling in size of the art faculty between 1954 and 1960. It follows too that the BFA and MFA programs were established in 1959. Program in Biological and Medical Illustration was added in 1964. Later areas of concentration expanded to encompass painting, printmaking, sculpture, photography, ceramics, weaving and fabric design, jewelry and metalwork. Due to a steadily increasing student population the demand for physical space prompted a new building to be constructed on North campus that would house both the Architecture and Art programs. In 1974 the department of art became the School of Art and it, along with the College of Architecture, moved to its new home on North Campus. In 1982 during the financial crisis the School of Art was one of three university programs to be reevaluated for continuation or discontinuation. All schools were continued and the School of Art's budget was cut by 18%. In 1996 we became the School of Art and Design to more accurately reflect the content and nature of our studies.
Though I was unable to look at the actual photographs yet, the Bentley Library apparently has records of Pablo Picasso paying a visit in the 1990's! Also during the financial crisis and reevaluation in 1982 the students held a protest.

My next step is to ask the sculpture studio coordinator about the origins of the sculptures out back. I've found a common theme of heads and rusted objects. I would like to explore something that could intermesh with the natural environment while still calling attention to the strange discarded objects. I almost want to rearrange them, or at least take that handkerchief off of that scarecrow. It's so unpleasant! I also might consider using a different space that's still within the art school so that I could express thankfulness toward the Architecture school for fostering our birth.

Update: Plant Houzing

After a week at Lonny's greenhouse my plants are doing beautifully.

However, they are still smaller than I anticipated. I guess I hadn't been watering them enough, so maybe more water will allow more growth in these coming months. I've been wondering how to factor this in my permanent housing design. Originally I anticipated that the plants would grow to be around 3 ft, but from the rate they're growing at I don't see that happening any time soon. This makes me question if my greenhouse design can be shorter.

Another consideration i have in the new housing design is the incorporation of butterflies. They're relatively inexpensive, about $2 each, and I think they would add an interesting element to the greenhouse. This would mean incorporating insect nets and plenty of air circulation in the housing, while also trapping heat. 

Materials

For the clear greenhouse cage I already have the clear plastic material, somewhat like the material in a shower curtain. I would like to use whatever material I already have, but I am worried that this plastic would appear unfinished. I've considered solving this problem through constructing some type of wire cage or piping that would slide into a sewn structure in the material. Another option would be either glass or plastic. Acrylic sheet that can be cut with the lazer cutter would be ideal because of the time saved and  precision through using the cutter. 

I've made a rough drawing on Rhino to illustrate a possible form my terrarium might take. 

Perspective View

Top View

Top, Perspective, Front, Right Views

I haven't figured out how to render everything I intend in my design on Rhino. I'd like to include a door through which I can water the plants. The top part would also be removable so the plant housing could be used in the summer too when the weather gets warm. I would also create a mechanism with an insect screen at the top if I were to include the butterflies in my design. I have yet to talk to Jan Henrik about my design but I plan on consulting him before I pursue it fully. I'm also not sold on this design yet and am exploring using recycled material. 

Process Playlist

1.     Finding inspiration: Macy Gray- Beauty in the World

2.     Research: U2- I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For

3.     Stuck looking for inspiration for part 2: The White Stripes-Wasting My Time

4.     Making three iterations: The Who- Fiddle About

5.     Revelation: Neil Young- Old Man; look in your eyes/run around the same old town…old man take a look at my life/I’m a lot like you

6.     Cranking it out: Portugal. The Man-Work All Day

7.     Extention: The New Pornographers- The Laws have Changed

8.     More time to work: The Lumineers- Slow it Down

9.     Putting the pieces together: The Rolling Stones- You Can’t Always Get What You Want

10. Revising over spring break: Credence Clearwater Revival-Travelin’ Band

Petozkey Ztones

For the recent project on natural phenomena or patterns, I decided to study natural symmetry. This lead me to examine the hexagonal patterns formed by Petoskey Stones. Please excuse the photos for now as I am traveling. The piece will be photographed in better lighting.

Zymmetry

Anica Presley

CFC III: Nature

Jessica Frelinghuysen

31 January 2013

Natural Patterns: Symmetry

Symmetry in the general sense refers to proportion and repetition. The term is used by many different professions and areas of study, each with their own specific understanding of its meaning. Biological symmetry refers to the various naturally occurring patterns found in everything from molecules, plants and animals, to the universe as a whole. Humans were fascinated by symmetry long before some of these discoveries were made. Artists, architects, and designers study and manipulate symmetry’s visual implications. However, all human fascination with the subject comes from what can be observed around us. Thus, leading to do in a study of symmetry is to go back to the source, nature. Classification of symmetries varies across the board. However, they can be classified into two groups: point and space. Point groups have one unique point that differs from all others and remains unchanged. Symmetries in the point group include radial and mirror or bi-lateral. Space groups tend to have a repeating shape or pattern within a designated space. This includes wallpaper and stripe pattern symmetries. The most commonly discussed are point groups. Thus, I will begin by explaining the two aforementioned space groups and follow up with point groups.

            Wallpaper symmetry appears more in math than it does in nature. However, a naturally occurring example would be beehives. In wallpaper symmetry a shape or pattern tessellates a plane from a given point or region in a finite amount of space forming wallpaper pieces. There are four different types of symmetries: translations, rotations, reflections, and glide reflections. Translation symmetry involves moving a figure by a vector, or length and direction. Rotational symmetry is the result of rotating a figure about a point. Reflection symmetry is a mirror image produced across an axis that is the same as the original figure but spatially reversed. Glide refection is a combination of translation of a figure that is mirrored across a line. These four groups combine to form seventeen distinct symmetry groups, also known as wallpaper and plane crystallographic groups.

            Stripe pattern symmetry also combines types of symmetries to make up seven patterns. Each pattern has either one or more of the following symmetries: translation(T), horizontal mirror(H), vertical mirror(V), rotational(R), and glide reflection(G). The seven types are T, TR, TV, TG, TRVG, TGH, TRGHV. A naturally occurring example of stripe pattern symmetry is footprints. Human footprints have TG symmetry, while animals on all fours tend to have THG symmetry in their tracks. Trees and snakes are another example of stripe pattern symmetry.

            Radial symmetry is rotational symmetry about a fixed point, the center. There are two forms of radial symmetry; cycle and dihedral. Cyclic is simple rotation a given number of times about the center point. Dihedral refers to both rotations and reflections, with mirrors occurring at each rotation. Examples of radial symmetry are starfish, jellyfish, daisies, and the universe. Things that have radial symmetry tend to be more sedentary, at least when compared to bilateral symmetry.

            Bilateral symmetry is a reflection across a single axis, also commonly known as mirror symmetry. Natural examples of this are orchids, tigers, ants, horses, and elephants. Bilateral symmetry lends and thus is replicated form in vehicles and transit. In animals, bilateral symmetry is demonstrative of forward movement, while in insects like beetles, spiders, and dragonflies it is a sign of forward and back as well as side-to-side movement.

            Each classification has its own purpose and reveals different information about the foundations of life. Wallpaper symmetry tends to show up in packing of particle as well as packaging of products. Stripe pattern symmetry demonstrates growth or journey of an object. Radial symmetry is the essence of our creation as the universe is a rapidly expanding radiation from the center, or what is known as the big bang. Bilateral symmetry is perhaps the most replicated because of its aesthetic nuances and physical implications in movement. The study of symmetry is applicable to virtually anything, and reveals a startling yet enticing magic about the order of the universe.

Works Cited:

Hargittai, István, and Magdolna Hargittai. Symmetry: a Unifying Concept. Bolinas, Calif.: Shelter Publications , 1994.

Senechal, Marjorie, and George M. Fleck. Patterns of Symmetry. Amherst: University of Massachusetts, 1977. Print.

"Symmetry in Nature." Symmetry in Nature. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2013.

Woodger, Joseph Henry. Biological Principles, a Critical Study. London: Routledge & K. Paul, 1948.

Images:

Burlew, Rusty. Fermenting-honey.jpeg. Digital image. Honey Bee Suite. Honey Bee Suite, 25 July 2010. Web. 27 Jan. 2013.

Chap, Chiswick. Tiger-berlin-5 Symmetry. Digital image. File:Tiger-berlin-5 Symmetry.jpg. En.wikipedia.org, 25 Oct. 2012. Web. 27 Jan. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tiger-berlin-5_symmetry.jpg>.

Coral Snake. Digital image. The Art of Manliness Guide to Snakes Part 1: Know Thine Enemy. Art of Manliness, 14 July 2008. Web. 27 Jan. 2013.

MwRsoHS.jpeg. Digital image. Bright Petals. RGB Stock, 26 June 2010. Web. 27 Jan. 2013.

Zketches

Sketches for my permanent housing structure

Conztruction

Assembled my temporary housing out of plastic material I found at ace hardware, the corrugated cardboard we received in class, hot glue, duct tape, and tin foil. I also purchase a lamp on a clamp and a "plant light". For the time being they are still germinating, but I am able to use the greenhouse space for MAXIMUM INSULATION.

 Assembling the plant holder....

Greenhouse...