proto|mondo » headline http://protomondo.com Sat, 22 Oct 2011 08:16:51 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 The Kids are Alrighthttp://protomondo.com/2011/10/19/the-kids-are-alright/ http://protomondo.com/2011/10/19/the-kids-are-alright/#comments Wed, 19 Oct 2011 22:23:43 +0000 Rusty Smith http://protomondo.com/?p=2081 For the last several weeks the Foundation Unit students have been working away on making “forgeries” of the machines of sculptor Arthur Ganson. These machines, similar in many ways to the work of Jean Tinguely and the Eames’ “do Nothing Machines” do just that: nothing. Except that they also do everything simultaneously. Ganson’s machines are magical; they are designed and constructed to produce a visceral, emotional response from the viewer. Ganson has described himself best by saying that “I put my ideas and passions into objects and am always learning how to speak with my hands.” The Foundation students have been doggedly faithful to this ethic, and seem to have really turned a corner this past couple of weeks. While their current machines are admittedly in a herky-jerky state of being (most of them have simply thrashed themselves to death in the course of their design and manufacture) the learning in the class is palpable.  Today we discussed how to shove the project forward, and the students put forward many, many fantastic observations concerning the next step toward the end of the semester. So even though the machines are not (yet) in a perfectly working state, here is a non-comprehensive short list of the themes they have decided to carry forward:

  1. Work as a investment
  2. Who you can count on, and for what
  3. Adaptability and Agility
  4. A “yes, and” approach to collaborative work versus a “yes, but” approach
  5. A broad yet efficient use of resources, whether physical or otherwise
  6. Planning the plan
  7. working alone while simultaneously working together
  8. disengage in order to reengage
  9. Attention to detail
  10. Time management
  11. The success of failing (“Failing forward”)
  12.  Rolling with the punches, or rather, “what to do when Risk Management pays a visit”
  13. Plug and chug: iterative work
  14. Multiple streams of exploration
  15. The art of the Tinker
  16. Material creativity
  17. Anticipation as a motivator
  18. Testing beyond imagination
  19. Documentation: write everything down
  20. Delegation and dependence.

Now that is a pretty good day in studio.

Oh, and if you click on the thumbnail above you will open a gallery of images of the students process and prototype work over the past two weeks. Hopefully soon we will a little more “formal” documentation of the working machines, but I gotta go to France first.

Machine with Wishbone DSC_2299 DSC_2303 DSC_2329 DSC_2336 DSC_2342 DSC_2353 DSC_2363 DSC_2369 DSC_2373 DSC_2376 DSC_2377 DSC_2381 DSC_2382 DSC_2385 DSC_2390 DSC_2392 DSC_2394 DSC_2397 DSC_2400 DSC_2413 DSC_2415 DSC_2417_panorama DSC_2421 DSC_2423 DSC_2426 DSC_2436 DSC_2441 DSC_2446 DSC_2457 DSC_2447_panorama DSC_2634 DSC_2636 DSC_2637 DSC_2638 DSC_2640 DSC_2641 DSC_2642 DSC_2643 DSC_2644_panorama DSC_2647 DSC_2648 DSC_2649 DSC_2650 DSC_2652
by Rusty Smith
]]> For the last several weeks the Foundation Unit students have been working away on making “forgeries” of the machines of sculptor Arthur Ganson. These machines, similar in many ways to the work of Jean Tinguely and the Eames’ “do Nothing Machines” do just that: nothing. Except that they also do everything simultaneously. Ganson’s machines are magical; they are designed and constructed to produce a visceral, emotional response from the viewer. Ganson has described himself best by saying that “I put my ideas and passions into objects and am always learning how to speak with my hands.” The Foundation students have been doggedly faithful to this ethic, and seem to have really turned a corner this past couple of weeks. While their current machines are admittedly in a herky-jerky state of being (most of them have simply thrashed themselves to death in the course of their design and manufacture) the learning in the class is palpable.  Today we discussed how to shove the project forward, and the students put forward many, many fantastic observations concerning the next step toward the end of the semester. So even though the machines are not (yet) in a perfectly working state, here is a non-comprehensive short list of the themes they have decided to carry forward:

  1. Work as a investment
  2. Who you can count on, and for what
  3. Adaptability and Agility
  4. A “yes, and” approach to collaborative work versus a “yes, but” approach
  5. A broad yet efficient use of resources, whether physical or otherwise
  6. Planning the plan
  7. working alone while simultaneously working together
  8. disengage in order to reengage
  9. Attention to detail
  10. Time management
  11. The success of failing (“Failing forward”)
  12.  Rolling with the punches, or rather, “what to do when Risk Management pays a visit”
  13. Plug and chug: iterative work
  14. Multiple streams of exploration
  15. The art of the Tinker
  16. Material creativity
  17. Anticipation as a motivator
  18. Testing beyond imagination
  19. Documentation: write everything down
  20. Delegation and dependence.

Now that is a pretty good day in studio.

Oh, and if you click on the thumbnail above you will open a gallery of images of the students process and prototype work over the past two weeks. Hopefully soon we will a little more “formal” documentation of the working machines, but I gotta go to France first.

Machine with Wishbone DSC_2299 DSC_2303 DSC_2329 DSC_2336 DSC_2342 DSC_2353 DSC_2363 DSC_2369 DSC_2373 DSC_2376 DSC_2377 DSC_2381 DSC_2382 DSC_2385 DSC_2390 DSC_2392 DSC_2394 DSC_2397 DSC_2400 DSC_2413 DSC_2415 DSC_2417_panorama DSC_2421 DSC_2423 DSC_2426 DSC_2436 DSC_2441 DSC_2446 DSC_2457 DSC_2447_panorama DSC_2634 DSC_2636 DSC_2637 DSC_2638 DSC_2640 DSC_2641 DSC_2642 DSC_2643 DSC_2644_panorama DSC_2647 DSC_2648 DSC_2649 DSC_2650 DSC_2652]]> http://protomondo.com/2011/10/19/the-kids-are-alright/feed/ 0