Spatial Experiences: Modular Form
Exploration: Basic Modular Principles
I started off exploring how modular pieces could interact and follow simple rules to create more intricate or complex form. Each piece had to be flat and two-dimensional. I initially tried making a circle with six equally spaced notches 60 degrees apart. This gave a much wider range of options when it came to deciding how I wanted them to fit together since I could arrange them both linearly or at an angle. The illustration board I cut them out of was very stiff and held its shape but easy to shape with scissors, which made fabrication fairly easy. However, I realized a thicker medium like cardboard would hold its shape better when linked together as the illustration board structures felt flimsy.
While simple, stringing together the pieces in a linear fashion (attaching opposite notches to each other) gave a very boring form. I tried to then create visually interesting, three-dimensional objects by leveraging the angles on the pieces. Spacing out the intersections to the nearest three notches with one in between any two intersections resulted in a five-sided flower. Connecting it similarly but now with the notches flipped between each connection unraveled this structure into a slowly spiraling linear shape. Nevertheless, the lack of notches pointing vertically made these confined to a single plane.
My second shape was a rectangle with two by one set of notches. Having the notches be at right angles with each other made building along the Z-axis much more intuitive while the multiple notches gave me options when trying to create consistent rules that were interesting.
When I tried lining up the first horizontal notch with the vertical on another, and the second horizontal notch with the second on a third piece, I ended up with this very intricate woven structure. The way it linked together reminded me of basket weaving. The modules themselves could also be locked to go upwards, or linked at right angles to form a cubic shape. My next rule focused on emphasizing these turns, linking the vertical notches on two pieces with the opposite horizontal notches on a third piece. This created a large, open vertical spiral shape. I really liked the way this piece used the right angle to wrap around the center of the volume, and I wanted to further see what rules would better create this wrapping effect.
My third shape was a parallelogram with offset notches at right angles. I tried to take advantage of what I had learned from the first two modules and cut in right angles while using the shape of the module itself, not its intersecting angles, to shape the larger form.
My first piece connected the vertical slot to the horizontal slot on a second piece in a spiral pattern from the first. I liked the way it branched out vertically, but the single spiral lacked very much structural integrity and didn’t connect with the other side.
The next rule was similar to the first, but now used all four notches on the starting piece. Now, because the pieces moved outwards uniformly, they could better interlock with another to close off gaps and create a tighter, more even branching structure. Its vertical, angled supports and flat surfaces reminded me of a picnic table.
Module Development and Refinement
When I was deciding on which module I should make next, I first played with combining the existing modules I had. I tried using the angles on the circle modules to combine with the verticality and length of the rectangular pieces. By keeping all the angles the same and only using the vertical notches on the rectangles, the form rounded out and began looking like this dome shape.
Based on this experiment, I decided that my new module should have a long, straight side on one edge for linking linearly and an angled set of notches on the other. I ended up cutting notches that ran down the base of the quad to keep them in line, and cut notches that ran along the edges on the other sides to give myself options. The two different sets of angles (one in the center, one on the two corners) allowed for various ways of achieving the offset rules with different amounts of spacing.
The first rule I created was linking vertically placed modules with the long offset notches on a horizontal module. This created a loop of 14 modules with notches that faced both vertically and inward.
I then tried extending the form vertically by creating a subsection of a loop that was four pieces long. If I had created another full-size loop, I would start to form a cylinder rather than a dome, so I chose to focus on a segment of the loop and leave part of the dome structure open instead. I joined this piece to the lower loop by creating loop pieces only two modules long that connected to the midpoint notches on the verticals of the horizontal loop structures.
Then, I simply continued this pattern of loops and verticals using the same rules applied to the long offset pair of notches until the dome came to a close. The final verticals didn’t leave any room to insert a loop and came to a sharp point. From a top view, the spiraling modular structure of the dome becomes more apparent.
Next, I created scale figures that would give viewers a sense of scale in the space. The tight angles and open face of the dome reminded me of a lifeboat or a tent, so I wanted the people to fill most of the space to emphasize its tight construction. I made sure that two people could comfortably occupy the space (including when lying down), but three would start to feel crowded.
Modular Iteration Pictures
Using Color, Scale, and Lighting
I started off by creating an initial context moodboard of images that related to the type of structure and experience I wanted my module to have. I pulled elements from blanket forts, dollhouses, existing tent materials, and campfires as inspiration for how I would shape my own space.
- Cozy, comfortable, safety, shelter
- Color: Mid greys, large use of white, orange, and yellows, contrast of greens/blues with whites/oranges
- Lighting: Soft, diffused, warm lights, shadows to fill space
- Scale: Often miniaturized, enclosed spaces, fairly tight, subject feels small
Warm Lighting—Bright & Dim
Cold Lighting—Bright & Dim
Notes:
- Shape is naturally threatening looking
- Iteration should leverage negative form language
- Yellow is unsuccessful at color
- Grey looks darker in lighting, more imposing than orange
- How to use scale to feel claustrophobic, isolating?
- separating entrance from the main chamber, creating suspense
Revised Form
Description: Uncomfortable, forboding, harmful
Action: Avoid, Flee, Escape
Feedback:
- shape reminds them of razor blades
- definitely not somewhere you’d want to be
- tunnel portion seems disconnected, breaks the mood
- hard shadows add to effect
- reminds them of haunted house, but much smaller
- scale of human seems strange, not sure if fits the space
Things to consider:
- use of color @ certain heights
- orange as a spot color
- what does it feel like from eye level?
- smoothing out transition from tunnel to dome → playing around with height, incorporating levels
- explore scale of people in the space
For the final iteration, I helped bridge the gap between the dome structure and the rest of the entrance by filling in some of the pieces to create a transition in both height and color. The closest part of the tunnel only has one vertical piece, but as it approaches the dome, grows to two pieces before reaching the full height of the dome. I made sure to follow the color hierarchy of the existing dome, keeping all the eye level pieces orange and bridging pieces as black. I also shrank the size of the figures even further to make the spiked modules feel more imposing and loom over the viewer. The shadows that fill the space also now drown out the person, rather than being smaller than a human figure.
Final Iteration Pictures
