project 2 - rationale

Rationale

This design idea came from a random browse on the internet about nature, a caterpillar cocoon shown up and I tried to incorporate the shape and curve into my design, however pattern making for the living beings in nature is very difficult, through many trials I almost given up, I was play around with the shape of a fan-like template I cut out and as I spin it diagonally, it creates a beautiful curve similar to a sea shell, although the form is beautiful but it is unrealistic in terms of lighting design, there were many flaws and difficulties I can not overcome, so I have to forfeit this idea as well.

I made a final large template to try out one last time of the sea shell idea, it failed but i discover as it been curled so many time it starts to sustain the curvey shape, and through a few improvisations, I can to this final form.

I choose 3 different gradient from dark blue to light blue and then dim yellow for the inner layer, I thought it might allow more light sources to penetrate through but because there are very little range or bending at the top of the lamp, the stripes do not open up, even through a trial of sanding the inner and middle layer mildly, thinning the layer doesn’t help at all for the brightness, so I decided  to  cut some stripes off from the inner and middle layers, surprising it turns very dynamic, the positive and negative space the light source creates from the extra space on the layer, displays onto the outer layer yet without losing its original form from the outside, the reason I do not want to cut the outer layer is also because I do not want to lose the original cocoon form.

The joints are really difficult to decide, any foreign material can easily break the form of the lamp or look imperfect, so I decide use the same material as the lamp and make some round arrow head connectors, so by just cut line through the layer and slide the arrow head across it, it can easily stabilize the pieces.

I decide on the cocoon theme is because I think at the time that the life inside of the cocoon is alike to the energy of light, radiating through the layer, ready to shine through.