Duration
Spring ‘19 (4 weeks)

Skills
Rapid prototyping, 3-D Modeling, 3-D Printing, Vacuum Forming, Laser Cutting

Overview
As a young kid, I’ve always had great fun with samara seeds. I stuck their sticky ends to my face, dropped them from places high up, and watched them spin down naturally from spots on maple trees far above my head. In particular, the motion to which samara seeds spin fascinated me most -- a natural propeller of sorts, they evolved to be the way they are so that they can essentially fly and ride with the wind to spread seed.

For this project, I decided to explore samara seeds through the lens of scale relativity, and how that influences materiality and motion.

Research

Observing the holistic life of a samara seen - from seed growth, to formation, to disperation.
Understanding the unique path of a samara seed fall.

Modeling Sketches

Laser Cut pieces 

Prototyping Explorations

Small Scale
Good Ol’ tinkering with wires, plastics, tinfoils, 3-D Printed (PLA and Resin) 

Mid Scale
More Good Ol’ tinkering with clay, tin foil, tracing paper, 3-D Printed (PLA), and vaccuum forming (big fail, but big fun) 

Big Scale
Laser Cutting Galore! 

Floor POV (right into the dumpster - how convenient.) 

My POV