Friday, March 31, 2017



Project

You will be building a fixed bridge using only foam core, and white glue. Your goal is to build a bridge that can bear as much weight as possible. Try to achieve a balance of strength, and beauty, in the design of your bridge. During the final critique, your projects will be strength-tested. Each bridge must hold a minimum of 50 lbs. You will do your best to achieve a balance of strength, and beauty, in the design of YOUR bridge. !


Specs

Materials- You may only use the  foam core provided in class. You may only use white glue (Elmer's glue). You man not use hot glue, epoxy, or tape. 

Length and Span- Your bridge must be to span EXACTLY 24" (inch). The tables will be secured at exactly 24" apart.  Note: The span is the part of the bridge that is not supported by anything beneath it (like the table, leg, or chair). Keep in mind that there will need to be additional length in order for the ends of the bridge to rest on the table top. Therefore, the bridge has to be longer than 24" (inches).

Width and Height- The bridge must have a minimum width of 8" (inches). We will be placing bags of clay on the TOP MIDDLE of your bridge.

Lastly, the clay needs a solid place to lay. There must be a flat area on the top of the bridge where we can stack bags of clay for the strength test. The bags are approximately 6" (inches) wide. 


Rubric

You will be assessed on the strength of your bridge, craftsmanship, and it's aesthetic qualities.  and name or title. 


Process

1. Sincerely ask yourself the question...  why build a bridge?

 2. Research bridges and bridge building (bridge history). 

3. Design -  make plans/ drawings of "your" bridge.

Written Component

On a single page (typed), answer thesetwo questions: 
1) Why do people/institutions/societies build bridges?
2) Why will you build YOUR bridge

You must think deeper than the obvious answer, which is: to get to the other side. 

Think about the bridge as a metaphor.;
What are you crossing?
How, who, or what, will cross it?
And best of all... why? 

Play with this question or idea... How does the bridge fit aesthetically and conceptually into your selected ideal or place?

This one-page (200-300 words) paper will be due april 7th. 

Your paper must be printed out, and clearly labeled with your name, date, and the title of your bridge.  In addition, it must include the scale of your bridge- Is this life-size, or a model? If it is a model, then now big is the actual bridge you've created this model for?

Note: Be prepared to read your paragraph prior to the physical testing of your bridge. 


Schedule

April 7th
You will be given a few sheets of scrap foam core in class. We will be do some demonstrations in class. Before coming to class (for homework) do an experiment to see what kind of strong structures you can make. Use the things in your house. Don't buy anything. Cardboard boxes, scraps of foam core from Samimy's room, Elmer's glue, etc. 

Bring your research and designs. You must have 3 comprehensive (and different) bridge designs. Bring your experiments and drawings to class on the 19th. The drawings should be done with a ruler and be neatly done in the sketchbook.

IN SHORT, HOMEWORK (Due 19th):
1. 200-300 word paper. 
2. 3 bridge designs (you will need 3 drawings for each design. 9 total.)
3. Your paper needs to be signed by your parent/guardian. In pen. 


Come to class with white glue and a sharp knife & your drawings and experiments. This will be the only studio day. along with your drawings and text/paragraph.

Feb 21st
Final Critique. We will need you to bring a camera (or have a friend) shoot video documentation of your bridge being tested.


Rubric
Craftsmanship 40 pts
Design/Creativity 40pts
Weight Limit 20 pts (For every 25 lbs your bridge holds, you receive 5 pts)
-------------------------------------
Total Possible Points 100

Note: your bridge must hold at least 50 lbs to get a passing grade. 



Research
Below are images and a video of the critique from previous years. Pay attention to both the designs of the bridges, and the set-up of the tables.  This will help you in designing your bridge appropriately. Note: the pieces of wood screwed to the side of the table extend down 1' (foot). You may have part of your bridge rest against this surface to help distribute stress/weight. 


Also below you will find links to short and long video’s about bridges bridge building the history of bridges and bridge as metaphor. Along with a couple of videos on how to work with foam core.  and even a game! 


Building The Golden Gate Bridge 26:35
Great footage from 1930s of the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge in every phase of construction. 



15 World's Most Famous Bridges 4:04
Here are the most famous bridges in the world, Some of these bridges are also regarded as landmarks and even become city icons, like Golden Gate Bridge is icon of San Francisco California.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmVML4J32GY



Bridge 7:53


Five Crazy Bridges for Animals  2:31


Bridge 2:45

Big Bigger Biggest - Bridge 49:39

The Bridge On The River Kwai a must watch! 

Build Bridges 1:08
The Breathing Bridge 5:04

Making: Foam Core Build Demo 3:45

How to cut foam core with an exacto knife.mov 2:07


PBS  Bridge Basics


Bridge Builder GAME!!!

Description
You need to build the bridge to get the creatures to the other side. The bits the creature can walk along are build along the green line. Your bridge needs to be made out of triangles to be effective. Otherwise it will just break. Use the orange fixed anchor points to support your bridge.

Instructions
Build the bridge and press T to test it. Press escape to go back to building it. Click on pieces to delete them. Click on anchor points and press delete to delete those. Use the "reset ball" button to place the ball where it landed last.


Student Examples
Below is a video of the critique from three years ago. Pay attention to both the designs of the bridges, and the set-up of the tables.  This will help you in designing your bridge appropriately. Note: the pieces of wood screwed to the side of the table extend down 1' (foot). You may have part of your bridge rest against this surface to help distribute stress/weight. 



Friday, March 3, 2017

TRASH  BUST

HOME WORK ASSIGNMENT 3/3/17
HOMEWORK  DUE  3/10/17

WORK DAY 3/10...3/17
 armature demo...march 17th.....

PROJET DUE 3/31/17

Print out 3 busts:
Draw your self over the image. 
account for hair, glasses, jewelry, your clothing, 

What would a self portrait bust look like?




WIKI:

bust is a sculpted or cast representation of the upper part of the human figure, depicting a person's head and neck, and a variable portion of the chest and shoulders. The piece is normally supported by a plinth. These forms recreate the likeness of an individual. 


Project Description

Make a collage style bust out of any combination of materials you can put together.Use a combination of materials intended for your trash can along with materials you choose that represent your personality, and interests.  In other words, save the things you would normally discard... these will become your materials. 

REQUIRMENTS:

1.You bust must be a self portrait, 
2. Your bust must be full scale ( the same size a you ) 
3. your bust must stand upright and be mounted on a plinth ( a stand/ base....this is part of the sculpture and can be made out of the same materials as the rest of the project )


Evaluation

You will be graded on your effort as well as your creativity, thoughtfulness, technique, and skill in making the bust : A photo graph of you next to your bust will be taken and posted on the blog. 


Due Date 

Project due March 31st at beginning of class. We will shoot photos during critique. 


Process

1. Gather Materials for Friday, March 17th

Begin by sourcing materials that you would normally throw away. Be sure to clean them. As you take an inventory of your garbage/recycling, think about how the materials can communicate just  by themselves. 
The primary materials you will use are discarded items from your home, things like: milk cartons, packaging, containers, broken household items, old clothes, etc. You do not need to buy anything. 
Please clean and prepare your materials so they are not harmful to you, or cause a potential pest problem. 
 Do not use any materials that will rot, ie. vegetables, or animal by-products. If you do choose to use food-stuff, make sure it is stable, and will not attract pests. An example of something that could be used if clean and stable would be well-washed egg shells.  
2. Make Sketches and play
Start making sketches, and trying out different building techniques. Experiment with different ways to create form and volume. 
4. Construction
Approach the project in a way that makes sense to you, and use building-techniques you've learned from previous projects. Do your best to create volume with the materials you have selected.
All the same design concepts apply to these materials as they would with things you buy in an art store.
Use form, line, color, and context to communicate. The materials you use, and the way you put them together should be enough to communicate your concept. They should show us something new about who you are. 


Further Research

Please research sculpture from other cultures and time periods: Asian, African, American,  Latin American, European, Pacific Islander, Australian Aboriginal, etc, etc.
What did they look like? What materials and building techniques did they use? Why did they make them? How were they used?

 Here are a few links to some contemporary artists using trash or masks/helmets in their work. Please feel free to share any other information or videos with all of us.