The Icebox

Youtube Video of The Icebook

(Courtesy: Davy and Kristin McGuire)

I love the idea behind this art instillation. Having the installation present without a projection alone astonishing, however, once the projector overlays video, it becomes an entirely new piece. This is by far one of the most creative uses of projection I have seen. What is great is that the images and installation are 2D yet when the projections play through, the installations have great depth and the illusion of 3 dimensions. Haunted houses and amusement parks should feature most visuals like this as it draws onlookers attention away from reality. Each little set made for this installation features its own background story that can be viewed and interpreted in various ways. I believe that for an art piece this is most important. The audiences perception of the piece should always be a consideration that the artist makes. It is great that the traditional art is given new life with the projector. Overall, I am really impressed with this installation and how it seems like a contemporary take on Wayang Kulit.

3D Printing Project

Spiny Shell (Courtesy: vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net)

Front View of Spiny Shell (Courtesy: Matthew Chang)

Side Profile of Spiny Shell (Courtesy: Matthew Chang)

Of all the projects assigned throughout the semester, the 3D printing project was the most rewarding. With the guideline specified as a cute weapon, my inspiration came from the spiny shell from the Mario video game series. The spiny shell is represented in the first photo while, the second and third are the 3D printed version. It is not the most detailed replica, but considering it was my first time using a 3D printer, it came out well. I was particularly satisfied with the final project, and surprised at how sharp the spikes turned out to be. The program I used to create the model was Tinkercad. It was very user friendly, with many features, community made objects, as well as detailed tutorials. 

Overall, it took 20 hours to design and finish this project then was sent to the staff at The Hive in downtown Tampa for printing. 3D printing has become much more popular in the last few years as the cost of acquiring a printer has become more affordable. With popularity comes more creative projects like this, new ideas, as well as solutions to specific problems. Having the knowledge to use 3D printing interface and the ability to print items will surely be vital in the near future. If given another opportunity or have free time to create more 3D objects I would gladly take that opportunity.

Paper Airplanes & Flight

(Courtesy: Matt Chang)

Tuesday's class involving paper airplanes was a great learning experience. It bridged the gap between 2D material and 3D models. It was curiosity that lead man to reach new heights and discover flight. Pioneers in China around 400 B.C., discovered the earliest form of flight with the invention of the kite (Shaw, 2014). Since this event, many other innovators and inventors went on to create their own flying mechanisms bringing them closer to the modern invention of the airbus. Most notably are Leonardo da Vinci, The Wright Brothers, and Alberto Santos-Dumont (JACO, 2016).

Before class it was each student's responsibility to act as innovators and inventors, using previous paper airplane designs to craft our very own models. There were no restrictions to what a student could craft, leaving creativity as well as imagination unhindered. Personally, it was a far greater outcome without the existence of guidelines or a criterium. As for my model, I searched many sources which had claimed to feature the best design, however, I ended up testing the few that I thought to be promising but reverted to a model that had worked for me in the past. Many of the other  models caught my attention with colorful and rounded designs.

The competition between the class revealed that some had the most creative, shortest, longest, and most aerodynamic designs. I personally liked moving out to the parking garage giving each student the chance to demonstrate how aerodynamic their paper plane was. During this event, it was Joey and Dozer's airplanes that impressed me the most. Their models had been crafted in a way such that the wind carried them a great distance with little to no resistance. My plane on the other hand did not do so well outside despite winning the longest distance indoors. Overall, this was a powerful activity that brought out creativity and competition amongst myself and the other students.

Shaw, Robert J., Dr. "History of Flight." History of Flight. NASA, 12 June 2014. Web. 15 Feb. 2016

JACO Aerospace. "History of Aviation: Aircrafts Through Time. " www.e-aircraftsupply.com. Jaco Aerospace, n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2016.