Pathway Week 5: Three R's Introduction

My object for the Three R's project was a Potty. Upon receiving my object I was a little nervous as the shape of the thing isn't something you can adapt and play with. I spent a long time trying to figure it out and play with the silhouette of the shape to see if I could create something new but I didn't manage to find anything new. I needed a different approach.

I used my experience from the 'Fixtures & Fittings' project and chose an element from the object to focus on. In this case it was the shape of the bowl. This technique is definitely something I need to use more as it really works at making you look at the finer details. 

I find this shape very intriguing. My first thoughts are some sort of walkway or doorway. The part at the bottom almost resembles some sort of ramp, that could be developed into some stairs that take your through or from the circular doorway. These are just initial ideas but they are ideas nonetheless and I am definitely pleased at this point. 

My recreation of the shape using cardboard and tape. I did this to better understand the shape I was working with and also I find looking at things in 3 Dimensions helps you more than just studying a drawing. 

        

With that, I have used the prototype to create it in Google Sketchup. For me, this is a very successful render. Usually when I am using Sketchup I tend to work with rectangles and anything straight really, so working with circles was something very new and interesting. Despite that I found it fairly easy, after a few trial and errors, to create the shape I needed to work with. The accuracy of the render compared to the model I made with cardboard and even compared to the tracing of the bowl is pretty good. They are all similar in shape and they are all genuine improvements on the last. I have transitioned from a shape from an object and slowly but surely refined it to create something new. Although it is new it still resembles the original shape. 

My research into Richard Serra's Fulcrum in Liverpool Street really put things into perspective. My design had led me on a path that made me realise that my final outcome won't be something I would typically want to create. When designing something it is usually instinct to want to create something like a bridge or a building, generally its something useful and functional. However, upon studying my current progress with my design I feel like I may finally create something sculptural.