3M Commission - Sophie Wright

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Ways in which I can determine the geometric contours of a human face, using only lines and vertices. 

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Cost and Process

After being selected to go forward with my idea, it is now time that I calculate the cost for my proposed pieces. 

The way in which I will construct the deer heads, will be using 14mm sheets of perspex cut to shape using a laser cutter. I will make the shapes accurate by 3D mapping a human head before folding it out to flatten it onto a 2D plane. It may be beneficial for me to experiment with the shape using paper or cardboard to get a feel of how it will properly look. I will also do the same thing with the antlers, 3D map them and 'unfold' them to fit them onto the 2D perspex. I will need to sand down the edges of the perspex to ensure that the adjacent sides will slot together. When all of the pieces are cut it will be time for me to glue the dichroic film onto the perspex to create the ever-changing colour effects. This will be something that can be done in the 3M building, as this is their own product and they have the machinery to properly fit the film to the perspex. I have requested a quote for this, but 3M are yet to get back to me. I will be using the colours Blaze (a shift between warm tones of cyan/blue/magenta and red/gold), Chill (a shift between cool tones of blue/magenta/yellow and gold/blue), and a mixture of both for the central deer head. 

I will be creating 3x deer heads, so I will require 6x perspex sheets, which I can buy in Queen Street Studios for £14 each. The laser cutting is free, although I have added some extra sheets incase I underestimate the amount I need or if I make a mistake. I will also be able to conduct some tests with them to see whether the colours look good together. Once assembled, I can talk to Martin the technician about how to properly fit the sculptures onto the wall of the 3M building. He said that he will be able to help me once the sculpture has been completed, but after much research I have found that the best way to mount the heads would be using monkey hooks; two under the head and one under each antler. These will be about £6 for a pack of 30 from Amazon. I may find that I need more hooks to support the pieces. 

So far this amounts to £84 for the perspex, and £6 for the monkey hooks; giving me £100 to work with before the cost of the dichroic film application. 

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Here is a screenshot from my final presentation, which I will be submitting to the 3M panel. Featured within this Powerpoint is a brief summary of the subject matter, methodology and the proposed outcome, as well as a visual summary of my most recent work. 

I must prepare an elevator pitch in order to get my ideas across within 2 minutes. The following is along the line of what I intend to say:

Innovation is evolution. It's  growth - a natural process. As soon as I got this brief, my mind instantly went to 'new ways of seeing (or) thinking'; because the way I see it, a change of perspective is a catalyst to new solutions and new ideas. 

So to reinforce this visually, I explored light phenomena and crystallography - which aligns with what I learnt from the talk a few weeks ago. My proposed idea is a set of three crystalline deer/human skulls. Here, the idea of a bloodsport trophy is substituted for a kind of spiritual guidance, as I believe our world wouldn't be in so much turmoil if we rekindled our connection with nature. The deer is a symbol of the forest and the ecosystem it supports, whereas the human is a symbol of higher intellect and consciousness. 

These will be constructed using about 150 equilateral triangles made from perspex and adhesed with 3M's own dichroic film. Going back to the idea of light phenomena, coloured light will be painted around the room as well as shifting the hue of the sculpture relative to the viewer. I have used cellophane on the maquettes to demonstrate this. 

This 3D maquette supports the mounted deer idea, whereas the flatter version can be displayed on any wall within the 3M building, branching out into a fractalized crystal cavern as the tetrahedra get smaller and smaller with each branch.

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These are the maquettes I will be taking into the presentation to illustrate the dichroic nature of the materials I intend to use if commissioned. The cellophane I have been exploring is a substitute for the 3M dichroic film which will be adhesed together in small equilateral triangles. 

The above aren't wholly the deer-human heads, but instead a completely 3D and flattened 3D antlers. The 3D version is for more of a sculptural purpose, whereas the flattened 3D model makes it bode better with the wall surface. 

As I have been exploring a translation between 2D and 3D sculpture, it might be better to provide artwork suitable for the rest of the building. The flat 3D piece could be really nice branching all over the walls and trailing off, as fractals. The dichroic perspex would still have an effect as the viewer passed the artwork, as well as there being coloured light along the walls as the light source changes. 

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Here is a collection of my most recent work, which I will feature in my final presentation. I have included various maquettes, studies of polyhedra, studies of cellophane structures, A3 artwork and boards of my previous work leading up to this. 

From this accumulation of work, I will select which idea to take forwards, or even fuse some ideas together to create something new. 

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Here is a video of the 3M dichroic film products being tested. This will give me a better idea as to how the colours will turn out and interact with each other if chosen as my final proposal.

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Plexiglas is a much more viable option for the material of my final design. In the above image by Pitaya Design, The dichroic treatment of the Plexiglas chair supplies the ambient floors and also walls with unique lighting effects dependent on the incoming light and surfaces on which the particular refracted light is thrown.

Plexiglas, or Poly(methyl methacrylate) is a transparent thermoplastic, often used as a lightweight or shatter-resistant alternative to glass. Chemically it is a synthetic polymer and has many names such as acrylic glass, Acrylite, Lucite and Perspex. Plexiglas is an economical alternative to polycarbonate when extreme strength is not necessary.  It is often preferred because of its moderate properties, easy handling and processing, and low cost. Modified Plexiglas can achieve high scratch and impact resistance.

Plexiglas can be made dichroic by coating the polymer in a metallic film. The coating process is completed in a vacuum deposition chamber by vaporizing quartz and metal oxides with an electron beam gun and condensing micro thin layers on the surface of the glass in the form of a crystal structure. This ties in greatly and enhances the significance of the materials I am using. 

After further research I found that 3M have actually patented their own dichroic film available for adhesive onto plastics and metals! What better way than to showcase my art in the material made and manufactured by the company I am collaborating with?! Although, this being the case, I may have to transform my artwork into something that exceeds their expectations greatly, as they will have already created some amazing pieces with their product. 

The below link leads to an explanation of all relevant information surrounding the 3M dichroic film and adhesive product:

http://multimedia.3m.com/mws/mediawebserver?mwsId=SSSSSuH8gc7nZxtU582UMY_9evUqe17zHvTSevTSeSSSSSS—&fn=3M+Dichroic+Glass+and+Plastic+Fi

Also, considering many halogen bulbs are used with a dichroic filter, it may be beneficial to use one of these to illuminate the Plexiglas sculptures if situated in an area without much natural light. I’m unsure as to whether the multiusage of dichroic materials would have effect on one another, but it could be interesting to observe the coloured light combinations. Also, halogen bulbs would reduce the heating of illuminated objects, since less infrared radiation would be present in the light beam. 

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There are many ways in which I could create a structure with interesting optical effects. I have been investigating into using cellophane, a birefringent material, whereas in my last project I explored the use of iridescent materials, such as oil spills and the nacre of certain shells. There are also dichroic materials, which split the light into an array of colours. Objects like dichroic glass are made using layers of metallic paint to create a prism, causing the light to vibrate in different frequencies of the spectrum. The second meaning of dichroism refers to a material in which the light is polarized at varying states, causing the absorption to fluctuate, and so varying colours are reflected back to us. This can be observed in the crystal tourmaline, as the strength in the dichroic effect varies greatly when exposed to different polarizations of light. This is also called pleochroism. 

It may be beneficial for me to use a material such as dichroic glass, as I can create light patterns using glass edges with varying degrees of metallic coating to channel different colours. I can then overlap these edges to mix the coloured light and create sculptures glowing with colour. I must remember to bear in mind that the colour will change depending on the direction in which the viewer is looking at the glass. 

John Blazy is an artist who patented his own colour-changing architectural glass, called Dichrolam. Dichrolam is a  glass and plastic composite used for decorative surfacing, window glazing and as a general lighting diffractor. The structure uses dichroic layering which is bonded to the glass using clear adhesive resin. According to Blazy’s website, ‘these custom constructions exhibit transmissive and/or reflective colour-changing characteristics’. Some of Blazy’s materials are able to be texturally embossed, so the dichroic colour is displayed as a wave. All constructions of Dichrolam create colour from the interference principles of thin film physics, so they do not have any pigments or dyes, and will not fade in colour over time or heat loads up to 240°F.

Dichrolam is available in laminated glass plate form, and possible in plastics in vertical, horizontal, and flooring grades.  It is recommended for interior, as well as most exterior general glazing applications as well as lighting diffractors / louvers, light sculpture, curtain walls, decorative tiles or whenever a visually dynamic, full spectrum colour shifting appearance is a desirable part of the design concept, whether backlighting or using for opaque surfacing.

Available in lengths up to 144 inches x 52” wide and cut to specified size lists Colors are “Red” and “Green” for all flat, and textured Dichrolam glass except for Black Sea and Red Burl (set colors). Color spec is based on reflection color at perpendicular viewing with dark background, so transmitted color is always complimentary (opposite) to reflected color – all the way through the color shift. - Reflection color for “Red” at right angle viewing will be copper / red shifting through yellow / gold and into green at skew angles, and transmission color will be aqua blue/green, shifting through deep blue, then magenta at skewed angle viewing. - Reflection color for “Green” at right angle viewing will be yellow green shifting into deep blue at skew angles, and transmission color will be navy blue / purple, shifting into magenta, then through orange, then yellow at skewed angle viewing. - Caribbean backing has a white, opaque backing, and exhibits the teal and coral colors of the Caribbean. - Black Sea Dichrolam has a black, opaque backing and shows blue, green, violet and “veining” of copper and yellow streaks. - Red Burl is similar to Black Sea but with copper red and green reflections with dark and sometimes purple “veining” and streaking . All costs are by custom quote only, although it is roughly 50% of the cost of common dichroic glass. Call authorized representative. My next step is to build or sketch an idea of the shape, colour and size of my sculpture before calling or emailing the supplier to get a quote on the price. Considering the company is based in America, I feel that this option will be an expensive one, although if I am considered for the finalisation of the commission I’m sure 3M will be able to fund this. Other enquiries about the limitations, maintenance, application and installation can be found on Blazy’s website:

http://www.johnblazydesigns.com/default2.asp?active_page_id=138

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Here are some digital visualizations of the mounted deer heads I mentioned previously. The heads above are arranged using a dodecahedral structure, which I may now be reconsidering as I don’t much like how these look. Saying that, these are quite unrepresentative of what they would look like if made, considering the dichroic glass filters enable the colours to change when walking past or viewed from a different angle. Is it possible that the dichroic filters would define the dodecahedral forms more or less with the intensity of the sun. This is an aspect of the artwork that I really like; the fact that the work is temporary and constantly changes - evolves. Although, this does make it much harder for me to convey my ideas, as I can't afford or locally locate the proper materials. It may be beneficial for me to create a wire maquette in order to communicate better what I am seeing here, using cellophane as a similar birefringent material. This way I can experiment with the tetrahedral structure as well.

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In terms of final pieces, I decided to draw up some ideas, infusing components of all I’ve explored throughout this project. The main idea that I’m drawn to consists of a series of large sculptures of the deer entity’s head; constructed using a multitude of glass or perspex tetrahedrons or dodecahedrons (yet to be decided). I think this would be a great piece to mount onto wall space, such as within the offices of the building. The bland areas could use some kind of coloured display, which could be achieved using a dichroic material. This is something for me to research into. I’m considering a set of three in a variation of colours, kind of mounted to the wall in a faux taxidermy fashion. The symbolysis behind this idea stems from the hunting of these beautiful creatures and the trophy of head from the blood sport. The carcass here is substituted by the presence of the deer entity; suggesting that humans can be guided to a more wholesome and naturally-enriched life.  The crystalline structure of the deer-man hybrid represents the fundamental building blocks to our existence (as explored earlier in my work) and of course the deer itself is a symbol of the bridge between human intellect and a connectedness with nature.

I also had the idea to create a large purple flower of life lattice as a canvas to then highlight the deer figure in gold. I feel that this would be a sleek, stylish way to conclude my work, although the inclusion of light phenomena that I have been striving for would be hard to achieve due to the solely 2-D form. Maybe I could display a large sheet of dichroic glass sandwiched between two Flower of Life lattices with the golden deer etched on top? 

Other ideas consist of a 2D/3D sculpture based on the Penrose Triangle (in a similar way to my most recent wooden maquettes), a crystalline infinity symbol/mobius strip and a large sculpture of the deer entity protruding from within a mobius strip to reach the crystals on the other side (a symbol of striving for excellence).

I would like to do some digital mock-ups to see if I can visualise these ideas better, seeing as materials are expensive and hard to locate.

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Here are some more digital drawings with more of a focus on the sacred geometry aspect. I really love how infinitely intricate the patterns can be, and seemingly spiritual in a socio-historical context. The inclusion of the infinity symbol is very significant to me. I felt that, as I found it deep within a fractal I created, it is a preemptive suggestion that all these shapes are nature's ingredients. It is a symbol of eternity - perhaps not for us as individuals, but the cycle of life, and the ecosystem in which every corner of the plant and animal kingdom must adhere to for the planet to be self-sufficient. 

This can be reflected through the ethos of 3M, as I learnt when visiting the building a few weeks ago. In order to survive economically, the business must use different departments to help businesses grow. This idea of helping everybody along nourishes the environment and creates a striving business that can facilitate the means to aid other businesses. 

Above I experimented with ancient patterns such as the Flower of Life, the Fruit of Life (Metatron's Cube) and the Peano Curve. These components of sacred geometry are not only used in religious architecture, but are notable fractals. The Peano curve can be recognized in nature as the small intestine or the surface of the brain. The Flower of Life is often seen in the polleny centre of many flowers and structures of plants. The Fruit of Life is an accumulation of the five platonic solids and the Flower of Life lattice. I would like to delve deeper and discover more symbolic lattices, but my project is coming to an end and there are fundamental decisions I must make to move forwards.

[kidmograph]

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After much thought based on the decisions I will have to make about the project, I came across this gif by Kidmograph. It features a large rotating crystal with an imprint of a human figure inside; creating an optical illusion due to the refraction of light. This kind of sculptural work would be good to consider, as it encompasses all the vital elements that have made up my body of work - birefringence and light phenomena, geometry and crystallography, and the presence of a significant figure.

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The above images are examples of impossible objects. These consist of a two-dimensional figure which is instantly and subconsciously interpreted by the visual system as representing a projection of a three-dimensional object. In most cases the impossibility becomes apparent after viewing the figure for a few seconds. However, the initial impression of a 3D object remains even after it has been contradicted. The intriguing nature of impossible objects occurs because of our natural desire to interpret 2-D drawings as 3 dimensional objects. The images are essentially optical illusions. 

On top is pictured the Blivet, otherwise known as the devil's tuning fork which appears to have three cylindrical prongs at one end which then mysteriously transform into two rectangular prongs at the other end. The next image is called the Impossible Cube, which was invented by M.C. Escher. Viewed from a certain angle, this cube appears to defy the laws of geometry. This is a example of forced perspective, a technique that manipulates human visual perception to employ an optical illusion.The Klein Bottle and Möbius strip are more of non-orientable surfaces than impossible objects. Whereas a Möbius strip is a surface with a boundary - such as left and right, a Klein bottle has no boundary. The two images are essentially 3-D versions of the infinity symbol, which has been present during the fabrication of my fractals and therefore in my artwork. The final image is the Penrose triangle. It appears to be a solid object, made of three straight beams of square cross-section which meet pairwise at right angles at the vertices of the triangle they form.

Similar to the concept of sacred geometry, imagery that is conceptually infinite like impossible objects are used in religious and sacred sites throughout Europe. Symbols such as the Ouroboros, the tail-devouring snake and the Three Hares, which chase each other perpetually.  

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Sacred geometry is the geometry used in the planning and construction of religious structures such as churches, temples, mosques, religious monuments, altars, tabernacles and the creation of religious art. In sacred geometry, symbolic and sacred meanings are ascribed to certain geometric shapes and certain geometric proportions. The study  has its roots in nature and the mathematical principles at work therein. Many forms observed in nature can be related to geometry, for example, the chambered nautilus grows at a constant rate and so its shell forms a logarithmic spiral to accommodate that growth without changing shape. Also, honeybees construct hexagonal cells to hold their honey. These and other correspondences are seen by believers in sacred geometry to be further proof of the cosmic significance of geometric forms. Besides this, some beliefs entail that the significance of sacred geometry started with the consumption of psychedelic substances in these ancient societies, as fractalized imagery that make up these forms are a popular hallucination and occur in ancient monuments that were erected way before mathematic principles were discovered. Geometric ratios, and geometric figures were often employed in the design of Egyptian, ancient Indian, Greek and Roman architecture. Medieval European cathedrals also incorporated symbolic geometry. Indian and Himalayan spiritual communities often constructed temples and fortifications on design plans of mandala and yantra. Many of the sacred geometry principles of the human body and of ancient architecture have been compiled into the Vitruvian Man drawing by Leonardo da Vinci, itself based on the much older writings of the roman architect Vitruvius.

The Flower of Life is considered to provide deep spiritual meaning and forms of enlightenment to those who have studied it as sacred geometry, which is pictured above; along with similar images of cell division and our universe.

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These digital drawings I did using a combination of lemon-soaked negatives, geometric drawings, polyhedra and sacred geometry. The bottom image features a linear stellated dodecahedron inspired by the stacked maquette I constructed from several paper versions. I used it to reinforce the mathematical approach I had taken during the course of this project to link it with the more metaphysical approach I am working towards. I think the symmetry works well here, as it does in the top images, featuring Metatron's Cube. Metatron's Cube is a name for a geometric figure composed of 13 equal circles with lines from the center of each circle extending out to the centers of the other 12 circles. This figure is also known as the Fruit of Life. 

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Seeing as I had reservations about my most recent traditional work, I decided to do some graphic work based on the visual I had created of a human deer. As aforementioned, this is a symbol of a higher being, that sees beyond human flaws (i.e. money, greed, power) and exists through the connection with our natural world and the human mind. 

I have tweaked the design of the entity as I said I would do and incorporated some images I was going to use for my negotiated project on altered states of consciousness. These images I produced using a lemon-soaked film in an analogue camera. The results were hazy and dream-like, and I deemed them appropriate for these visuals in the same way I came up with my first idea - as a new perception can create new ideas and solutions, thus leading to innovation. For me, dreams are a way in which new ideas are born within, which was the idea behind this shoot. I used a variety of geometric shapes to manipulate the lemon-soaked photos as a background to the entity. I have been playing around with the 2-D form of the circle for the first time, as I am starting to get interested in the idea of everlasting shapes and fractals. On the last image I used the Seed of Life, which is formed from seven circles being placed with sixfold symmetry, forming a pattern of circles and lenses, which act as a basic component of the Flower of Life's design (the Flower of Life being a prominent figure in sacred geometry) which I will study at a later date.

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Here is another maquette which I formed from the ideas sketched previously. The idea was to translate my work from 3-D to 2-D based on the birefringent maquette I prepared for a presentation a few weeks ago. I used my triangulated images from the very beginning of my project to help visualise the fleeting colours created by the material of which the structure is made. I will explore these ideas at a later date. I really like how this came out; it may be beneficial for me to try other ways in which I can ‘2-Dize’ may work - maybe painting onto wooden surfaces and slotting the pieces together as I did above?