Completed: April 2023
Professor: Alex Li
This project speculates as to how the material properties of a found object inform the processes related to it. Machine Diptych is an attempt to create a machine that reimagines the material natural of the found object as well as the methods of production it entails.
The found object is a chair leg, likely made from oak wood, with a taper on two sides and connections via wooden dowels. Three dowels are broken; one remains in tact. A fragment of upholstery is attached to the chair leg via nails, placed randomly. The item is believed to be handmade.
The physical construction is a machine for casting the chair leg and dowels as one object. The objective is to produce more legs through an “additive” process rather than a “subtractive” one, eliminating the wasted wood produced by its conventional construction. The end goal is to produce a stool that is supported by interchangeable legs made from a variety of materials.
In the final development of the project, the chair leg is produced in three iterations; the low resolution, medium resolution, and high resolution chair leg are completed using different materials, cast in a foam mold. The legs use opposing pieces from the complete chair leg, reducing the amount of wood needed to produce the same volume. The materials explored are sawdust, cement, and a mixture of the two substances.
Point cloud and V-Ray renderings were created to deconstruct the material properties of the object. Textures, colors, and connection details as well as the environment of origin all define the assembly- and disassembly- of the broken chair leg.
Renderings using V-Ray.
Photogrammetry using Houdini and Rhino 3D.
Casting Mold.
How to cast a chair leg:
