ART1200 3D Design: The Chair

For the final project in ART1200, students were to design and build a functional chair constructed primarily of cardboard that was to be based on or created for a character from our favorite film. I have a lot of favorite films, but one character in mind that I find most lovable is The Tramp, none other than Charlie Chaplin. I glued layer after layer of cardboard together with wood glue. Once the layers were dry, I cut them out on a band saw. Since the layers were so think I had to work on it a section at a time and then glue those together. I painted the back of the chair in white for the shirt. The chair back is cushioned with a silky, black bow tie. I painted the base of the chair in black for pants and shoes. I created arm rests resembling the Tramp's cane he liked to carry. I crowned the back of the chair with black felt and black ribbon for his hat. For the seat I made a cushion covered with the same silky, black material as the bow tie.

ART1200 3D Design: Subtractive 3D Design In The Round

This was the second of three projects for the semester in ART1200 at KSU. We were to create an object made of bronze using the lost wax casting method. The object was originally supposed to be something "functional" based on the reflection of an emotion. Other materials could also be used in the piece. We took a lot of time to come up with sketches and preliminary clay models that I think the idea of the object being "functional", like a chain pull or drawer handle, was rather lost, but the sense of emotion came through in everyone's work. This was a very difficult project, because the was the first time any of us had carved wax, "invested" wax in a mold, handled an acetylene torch, or even molten bronze. A few molds were destroyed in the process of casting. Some people tried again and were successful.

I had originally drawn up a design for a bronze figure of a Whirling Dervish to symbolize the emotion of love that draws on peace and tolerance. The Dervish was to be suspended by a chain from a heavy gauge wire that would arc up from a wooden cone that I would have carved designs into and finished. I decided against it when I searched for images of the Whirling Dervish online and found that I wasn't the only one who had the idea of created the same figure in bronze. As a whole, I still like my original design. I may facilitate the idea in another project some time.

I then turned to a "darker" mood in my design when I turned to fear. I've always been a little claustrophobic. I thought about being "trapped" in a no-win situation. It was the song "Trouble" by Coldplay that inspired me. The first time I heard that song was on The Shield, a show on the FX network. On The Shield, Vic is cop who means well, but goes at everything the wrong way. He hurts himself, his friends, and his loved ones. He honestly is a "dirty cop", but you root for him anyway, because you know where his heart is. He just keeps getting himself tangled up in a web of lies and deceit. Although, no where as bad as Vic, I've been tangled in a web, yet I never meant to hurt anyone I loved.