Project Description
To be able to physically inhabit the hypercube in the 4th Dimension and experience the Tesseract motion, we have conceptualized an installation that allows the occupant to visualize and walk through the deconstructed frames of the tesseracts rotations. The structure of the helix provides the veritcal and horizontal rotations, while the installation itself adds the remaining four rotations. As the user passes through the first threshold, the motion sensor tiggers the sequence of each cube lighting up and illustrates the motion of the six frames.
Concept
The starting point for this project was our research and exploration of platonic solids and projections. As we were looking into platonic solids, we realized that these solids were embedded within each other and that we could play with the idea of projection to bring attention to multiple volumes within one volume. This then lead us to look into the fourth dimension, adding the concept of time to the idea of volumes within volumes. After an extensive research of the 4D shapes, we decided to go with the HYPERCUBE, which in motion becomes a tesseract.
Initial Design Studies
Preliminary Design
In our initial Preliminary Design, we saught to create an installation composed of a singular Tesseract. This Tesseract was made up of a skeletal structure of acrrylic rods, connected by ball-joints and contained LED strips within the rods. These rods would light up in a sequence pattern, that would allow patrons to highlight the 8 volumetric cubes which make up the Tesserect. By filling the void with fog and using projections from above, the installation would further the experience by effectively filling the voids in the skeleton structure and capture each of the 8 volumetric cubes.
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Fog Study with Model
Site
Realizing that our intial Preliminary Design did not effectively procure the user's ability to exprience the Tesseract, we began to search for a new space which could aid us in creating this experience. This location was found in the Gates-Hillman Center along the central Helix. The Helix, with its central, highly visible location, also allows us to take use of its multidirectional rotational axes. The length of the ramp also allowed us to play with locations along the helix, and how these different locations could then be used to foster different experience in regard to density and time.
Detail Studies
While our scheme sought to explore the options for a complete picture of what could be, our work in how to create a viable mock-up was hinged upon the details. These detail studies proved to become the bulk of our process, as we ran into various problems: ranging from tubing materials to joinery studies. Initally wanting to use acrylic tubing, we realized that because of the structural and cost issues we would have to seek out new materials. This brought us to our solution of steel tubing, which also allowed us to begin experimenting in how we could perferate or slice the tubes in a manner that would still convey our ideals for our project. Joinery would also prove to be a highly vigorous component, as we would discover. From our preliminary basic joint studies, we began to explore how length and girth would impact the joints. We also discovered the slight limitations with the current 3D printers we have at our disposal. The plastic was printed from only one direction, which left the inner-joints vulnerable to cracking as the forces pulled against the grain of the print. This propelled us to look into other means of joinery, which resulted in our using of welding for our final mock-up.
Light study with Arduino and motion sensor
Design
Our Final Design Iteration saw the development of four main sections. Each section containes varing amounts of frames (6-4-3-1), reflecting different densities of scale that allow users to understand the Tesseract not only in amounts of frames, but through varing periods of time. As a user passes through the initial threshold, they pass through a motion detector, which then triggers a light sequence of the frames (each turning on and then fading off before the next frame lights).
Experience
Seeking to exploit the highly visible nature of the site, the installation looks to create two experiential qualities: one from within and then another from afar. From within, users are given the opportunity to experience the Tesseracts rotations, engaged from the inside and understanding the ebb and flow of the Hypercube. From afar, patrons are attracted to the abstration of the installation, intrigued by the soliloquy of sequenced light, which from afar change as the angle of view changes.
Making of.....
In the creation of our mock-up, we discoved various failures of our design, forcing us to think of new materials, new means of joinery and the seeking out of aid from various fields. This process became one to completely sumberge ourselves into the making of our installation and begining to understand the complexities that come from undertaking the completetion of a full-scale mock-up. We were able to create relationships with various departments both to help fund our mock-up and help guide us in areas where our skills were lacking in experience. This gave way towards innovative solutions in how to fabricate joinery to the creation of a unique jig to cut slits through the steel tubing. This process aided in our growth as designers (working to solve problems as they arose) and translators (finding ways to communicate our ideas with engineers, fabricators and administrators). Giving us a greater understanding of the complexity of our industry, which, we as architecture students may fail to comprehend, as we scheme behind our monitors.
What Comes Next
While our final mock-up resulted in only one frame, we are seeking to continue exploring our propsal and growing it into one that may be considered to become a permanent solution to the need of attracting more people to the Helix. It is our hope that with the greater amount of time to work, experiment and expand upon our intial design, that we can create an installation that breaks free of its current static nature and instead invigorates the Helix and captivates students of all majors to want to explore beyond their designated major by becoming a living, interactive installation.