Shaping Light

During this week I have experimented with four luminaries with there shape, color, and material.

Experiment One.

From last weeks experiments I realized that poster board was a successful material to use  as it was rigid enough to hold shape and still allows some light to pass through it.  So this week I continued to use it in my first two experiments however I backed it with orange poster board as well. In the first experiment I choose to create a wide, long, circular shape.  I found that shape seemed to be the most successful out of the four experiments as it gives in interesting pattern, washes the surfaces nicely, and looks the most elegant.  However as there are large gaps between the pieces the luminaire did have some glare.  In addition when creating this luminaire I thought it could be interesting to have the bottom be movable to create a long shape or a small round shape.  Although I think this might be interesting to explore I would need to first investigate how this can be done.

Experiment Two.

In experiment two I continued to use the long shape and the white poster board with the orange backing, however I had the luminaire taper in at the bottom.  From this experiment I realized that having the tapered bottom might have not been the best idea as it created too small of a circumference to where the pieces became messy looking at the bottom and the light bulb became to hot too fast. Although I do feel that if the circumference was bigger it might not create this problem as much as it did in this experiment.  In addition I also thought it was interesting that by putting the pieces more closer to the light bulb it created more of a dynamic effect with the orange color bouncing on the walls versus experiment one where the color hardly bounced on the walls.

Experiment Three.

In my next experiment instead of using poster board I switched to using Yupo.  As this was my first time using Yupo, I felt that it was a successful material to use for my luminaire as it allowed the light to pass through it, it provided a rigid surface to bend the pieces, and it allowed light to wash and bounce over the surfaces.  The only issue I found was that it did not want to hold the shape as well as the poster board.  However, I feel like using a different thickness of Yupo might allow the luminaire to hold shape better.  In addition I also tried creating more of an organic end condition with the pieces.  As in experiment two, I found that having more of an organic end condition creates a messing and unfinished product.

Experiment Four.

In my final experiment I continued to use Yupo, but instead using a structural piece to tie the ends together, I left the ends to hang freely.  In addition I also used a larger circumference for the luminaire that was more enclosed versus the first three experiments.  In this experiment I liked the gracefulness the piece has with the ends hanging freely, however I do feel that the large circumference of the luminaire gives it the look of a jellyfish.

Next Steps…

As I will be creating my final luminaire this week, I want to continue to build on experiment one and four.  In experiment one I liked the shape of the luminaire and the use of color that is backing the posterboard.  Within experiment four I really liked using the Yupo as it gives the luminaire a more elegant look, in addition to the gracefulness the piece has with the ends hanging freely. My hope moving forward is that I can combine these two experiments to use color with Yupo whether that be by painting the back or using another material to back it and to create a more elegant shape and size for the luminaire.

For this assignment, I wanted to learn something about a local designer.  I had heard Brad Cloepfil of Allied Works Architecture speak and I appreciated the depth of understanding that he attempts to achieve in each project.  So I selected his book Allied Works Architecture / Brad Cloepfil: Occupation, 2011 (ISBN: 9780980024258).  It’s a large monograph and I was able to digest half of it in about 6 hours.  I very much enjoyed his insights into process.  The book is not about process necessarily, but much process can be picked up in it.  The three areas I tried to highlight in the attached presentation were his deep focus on Discerning the Site (physical, political, historical, etc.), his use of Media as a choice making tool to help him Edit what to include, exclude, and amplify.  I reviewed two projects for each of these three areas (Maryhill Overlook and Sun Valley Residence).  Then included a picture of the Clyfford Still Museum for the ceiling’s strength in editing light and shadow, as well as a picture of the Weiden-Kennedy Headquarters for its use of a restrained material palette (concrete and wood).  I moved on to compare another designer I respect for his work and skill in discerning the essence of a project, Renzo Piano.  Piano’s sketch of the California Academy of Sciences may be more about capturing and communicating an inspirational idea than about searching for what to Edit, but nonetheless he uses the Media to discern the essence of the project.  I concluded by looking at some of my sketches from my first quarter as a design student and was able to see an early attempt at discerning the site and how to respond.  It was encouraging to see my early attempt at doing what these successful designers also do.

Inspiration – Cloepfil sm

My work up to this point had been trying to explore solutions to a harsh southern exposure; however, I realized recently that at this time of year the sun is getting high and the southern exposure is becoming very tempered (not penetrating deep into the room).  This week’s exploration pulled the light catching surface much closer to the aperture and used multiple vertical apertures.  I liked the result.  Thinking about how to push it farther I tried to integrate a horizontal texture to the light catching surfaces.  Then, as I was placing the bouncing surface, I stumbled upon a delightful experience moving the screen back and forth as if it was on a track.  I really like the sensation and the control a person would have with a system like this.

To begin with, I further investigated materiality.  Image 1 is a metallic mylar, gold on the exterior side and silver on the interior of the swirl.  It does an amazing job of amplifying the light.  Image 2 did not work as successfully as I had hoped.  It is a blue tinted vellum.  My hope was that it would create the caustic images with a blue tint to them.  Being two opaque, it just blacked out the cone.  The 3rd and 4th images are the same metallic mylar, but with the bold on the inside of the swirl, an the silver on the outside.  The 5th image is of the same clear acetate I had been previously working with.

Upon looking into these material studies, I came to the conclusion that the metallic mylar was most interesting with the gold wrapped on the inside of the cone.  I began to consider its architectural design potential.  The final image is of a larger version of the cone, set a few inches above a light source resting on the ground.  I am excited to further explore this application.

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Carlo Scarpa was an Italian designer born in Venice.  Although Scarpa never sat for his exams, and was never recognized as an architect, his work focused mostly on architecture.  He was very influenced by Japanese architecture and spent much time abroad in Japan, and his Venetian heritage gave him a sensitivity to the idea of place, and an idea of craft that didn’t exist in industrial cities.

His Canova Plaster Cast Gallery in Possagno, Italy was an addition created onto an existing museum to the plaster and terracotta models created by Antonio Canova.  Scarpa introduced natural light directly into the gallery without providing the distractions that come with typical windows.  This bright light visually extend the whiteness of the sculptures to the wall surface.  The light was intended to be dynamic in the space, and intensify contrast.

My first few experiments were with a single sheet of acetate with color applied on.  I was attempting to get it to form a wave, similar to those in my concept studies.  Unfortunately, It wasn’t appearing as dramatic and interesting as I anticipated.  I have also been having difficulty finding lighting fixtures that are focused enough to use.

I like where this last image is going.  I think the caustic images created by the swirl is really interesting, and I think I will push further with this scheme.

This week I went back to the idea of using the tapered pattern panel for my luminaire as I was not entirely happy with first prototype last week.  I did a couple of mock-ups in which my first experiment failed badly, however I had some success in my second mock-up. Although I did find some success in the second prototype, I still need to fine tune it in order to make a beautiful piece.

1. Butcher Paper

In my first experiment I wanted to use a material that had a translucent quality to it, so I decided to use butcher paper.  I found that using butcher paper did not work for my application as getting the pieces to bend like I had in my panel was impossible as the material was way too flimsy. In addition it allowed the light to spread to much, therefore I was not able to get the light to bounce in the way that I had in my panel.

2. Poster Board

In my second experiment I went back to to the material I used for my panels, poster board.  The poster board definitely is more rigid and stable verses the  butcher paper I used in my first experiment.  In addition it gives the effect I want for my luminaire.  Within my experimenting I tried to play with the source of the light whether it come from the top or bottom.  What I found to be more successful was having the light come from the top and having the luminaire sit on a service, which you can see in the third photo.

Next Steps…

In my next steps I want to find a material that is like poster board but better in quality to make my luminaire a beautiful piece.  In addition I found with these experiments that I need to have a defined structure to make the luminaire more solid.

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This video shows a high-powered, 6000k color temperature LED shining directing through the sides of a quarter inch thick acrylic square. The the sides/edges appear to glow brighter than the large faces and also displays an interesting pattern on the wall.

The second part of the video is a projection on the wall coming from the LED shining through a prismatic glass bottle being hand-rotated.

2

These tests show three silicone funnels of varying size being used to cover the LED array and project the “funneled” light onto the wall. Notice how the square projection gets bigger as the funnel gets smaller.

The second part shows the two brightness settings of the LED and their effect on the funneled projection.

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For these tests, I replaced the LED with a basic red laser pointer far less than 5mW of power. I wanted to see how the laser would travel through the acrylic sheet for the first half of the vid. Notice the distorted projection when it goes through the acrylic sheet. Since the sides were cut with a saw blade, many tool marks were left.

For the second half, I pointed the laser through the prismatic glass bottle. This made a very cool light show and demonstrated to be that even the beam from a weak laser could bounce off many facets before finally dissipating.

My next post will feature sketches on how I want to take these findings and construct my final project.

Awirnoff, Louis. Dimensional Color. 2nd ed. New York: W.W. Norton &, 2003. 115-23. Print.

 Within the excerpt Awirnoff explores how the hues of individual colors reflect throughout the day.  The excerpt allowed me to understand how color is reflected and how one can experiment with color.   It inspired me in assignment two to experiment with different colors on curved surfaces.

Hauer, Erwin. Continua: Architectural Screen Walls. New York: Princeton Architectural, 2004. Print.

 Continua contains selected works of Erwin Hauer’s architectural screens and walls.  His work, especially Design 6 has inspired me in the design of my screens as I tried to achieve some of the effects that Hauer received within his screens.  Within my final project I will be deconstructing one of my screens to design a luminaire that I hope will maintain the same effects I received in my screens.

Marietta, Millet. Light Revealing Architecture. Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1996. Print.

Marietta explores light through a range of architecture. Within these spaces she explains the different type of light and how it is been achieved.  I found Marietta exploration through these spaces to really help me to understand the different types of light and how light can transform spaces.  Within my luminaire I hope to achieve a type of light she explains within her book.

Moholy, Nagy. Vision in Motion. Chicago: Paul Theobald. 199-219. Print.

Vision in Motion describes some of the fundamentals of photography and how one may transform a piece by changing its application.  What I found interesting within this excerpt was his quote “…one may paint with light as surely as one can paint with oil and pigment” (199).  The quote made me realize that light can really transform what a user sees.

Steadman, Philip. The Geometry of Enviornment. By Lionel March. RIBA Publications Limited. 56-86. Print.

Steadman described and analyzed how geometry can organize space.  In addition he also explored how geometry can be rotated and flipped to create multiple patterns.  This article was most relevant to my project as it allowed me to explore how I can transform geometry to create an interesting pattern.

Designing with Light “Reflection” pp118-139

What I took from this is the repurposing of light. Rather than light being fixed to just illuminating a space, it can communicate with or tie the environment in with the structure. “Light refracted and/or reflected through water, or other media such as glass. establishes a special mood in the architecture.”

Light Revealing Architecture “Light Revealing Form” pp47-59

This passage got me thinking about the actual substance of light, it being an intangible “architectural material.” Without forms, light is not perceptible, and “conversely, form is not perceptible without light to reveal it” visually. I like the idea of an object being somewhat invisible even in a well-lit space, but then “appearing” when a light is projected solely onto it or into it.

Architectural Lighting Design “2.10 Psychology” p24

This was interesting to read because it talked about the psychology of light and our physiological reactions to it. This is especially important to take into account when choosing the type of lighting for a space. As it points out, if reading is not necessarily going to occur in a room, then reading-appropriate lighting doesn’t need to be installed. Since I’m currently curious about lasers as a light source, this is good to think about.

Take Your Time: Olafur Eliasson “Heliotrope” pp131-142

This chapter was somewhat confusing to me, but what I got out of it was that Olafur ultimately creates these installations to evoke an experience. His goal is not to get any specific reaction out of his viewers since he realizes they are highly unique individuals with differing pasts. He wants his viewers to be left with questions about his work and perhaps trigger a dialogue between them. His Your Black Horizon installation seems like an effective example of this.