The String Theory

Project 2 involved strings, paper, planes, folding and sewing!

We were told to bring vanguard sheet to class to create our medium for the sewing!

When class first started, we were told to draw our patterns on the vanguard, planning and dotting the paper before sewing but I was thinking that it might be easier to just let the sewing happen naturally and randomly.

MODEL 1.0

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How i folded the vanguard sheet, a simple quadrant-like shaped which i stapled the top together
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My strings were made out of the different colours to make it more outstanding
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As you look closer, it is 5 holes of one colour.

My first model had random straight line of holes appearing from the two side angles as well as other angles. First i started with 5 holes for each colour. However, i was told that the density was far too little. This made me abandon this idea altogether as I also realised that it was too hard to sew this pattern to create the tension as well as not allow the thread to ball up or knot up.

MODEL 2.0

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Initial shape of my model- the four corners were cut diagonally and folded up whereas the two flaps are folded down.
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The top view of my model
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When i first started to string together the thread, it resembled a boxing ring

So it was time for study model 2.0! I was playing around with the piece of paper when i decided to try cutting the four corners of the paper and stapling them together to create a kind of flower-like feel. As you can see from the photo, this time i planned the lines and the holes as i realised the natural and random way is not working for me. Also, the holes were not matched to create a very structured pattern, rather it had one side with 5 strings and the other with 2. The model was also rather enclosed so the string were not able to be seen or it was more likely covered up, losing the view of the string up-close. Thus, i realised that it was not working out, but i really liked the folding of the two sides.

MODEL 3.0

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I folded two diagonal end of the papers instead of folding all 4 sides.

In study model 3.0, i decided to make the top less cluttered and enclosed. Thus, i only folded the two diagonal sides and stapled them together. I first drew a line down the triangle and poked holes in the middle of the line. Then i threaded the strings from the top of one side to the bottom of the other side, creating a intersection and eventually giving a twisty and intersecting kind of feel to the model. Liking what i did with this, i decided to use this in my final model. However, the paper was making me frustrated as it was flimsy and the tension of the strings kept becoming loose. Therefore i decided to stop here and continue on Model 3.5!

MODEL 3.5

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Experimental stage with the semicircle-line holes
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I folded the other two diagonal sides and poked wholes that were parallel to the edges
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Newest addition- the sides of the sheet to a V-line towards the middle
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How the string spirals in the bottom layer

This model came out well as i first added in the original idea from model 3.0 although the model is smaller than 3.0 meaning that lesser holes had to be poked. Then i thought of how to fold the other two sides leading me to folding them in the opposite direction creating a layer that allows for viewing 360deg! I was so happy with the outcome! Not wanting repetition, i decided to change the pattern of my lines and holes- i drew my line parallel to the edges rather than in the centre of the triangle.

After doing the two centre areas, i realised that my sides of the top was so empty and that something needed to fill up the space or it will just look plain and empty. Thus, i decided to fill both ends with one side having a V shape holes and the other with a semi-circle! Both sides will be threaded to the edges of the plastic sheet.

I was satisfied with the outcome of it but i realised that the green was not as aesthetically pleasing as it is all a single colour. This would lead me to my final model.

Final Model

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View of top threading as well as the semi-circle threading
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View of bottom threading
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View of V threading
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From one angle including all the patterns
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View of top threading
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View of bottom threading
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Closer view of the colours used to create gradient effect

The final model had more colours- I decided to use the gradient colours as i realised that it would look nice if the strings were of the gradient colours of light blue, darker blue and purple. After i was done with the model, i realised that i had threaded the wrong side for the V and semicircle and i did the semicircle and V shape towards the bottom instead of top, giving a little different composition of the model. Also, the colours were more light as i had expected, giving less vibrancy to my model. The pinkish threading was also done with a thicker string giving different consistency to the whole model.

Conclusion:

This project taught me that it is important to plan beforehand on which lines/shapes you want to do before actually executing the threading. This project also actually requires plenty of patience and precision during the threading in order to attain the correct amount of tension and ensuring that the thread does not knot up.

I got frustrated at the start because my thread kept getting tangled and i had to cut away the whole model because of the tangled area. As no ideas came to me on how i should fold my vanguard sheet, it was hard to start with an initial idea. I was glad that there was a breakthrough with Model 2.0 to start off the skeleton of my model!

Ultimately, I really liked my model as i feel that it can be viewed from all angles and it would feature the different styles of intersecting threads from different angles. Even thought the green one stands out more, i feel that with a light source, my final work would stand out to look prettier than the green model.

 







 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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