Hanging Protostructure
hypothetical hanging structure from the minto house staircase inspired by mesh relaxtion, and fabricated using elastic woven knit
role: material researcher, fabricator, conceptual researcher
timeframe: 2 weeksinspiration
As I was learning how to use kangaroo, I became interested in mesh relaxation and collapsable nets. Particularly using woven material and canvas to try and create a self supporting structure.
We were given a
I also was inspired by the natural shape of the jellyfish and it’s flexible nature of movement depending on current.
process
The project went through 3 phases of development:1) Individual group development of final concept
2)Development around jellyfish basepoint
3)Development around single woven cylindrical structure with multiple rings and color changes
4) Development around weaving fabric around a metal cage
phase 1: jellyfish
![technical drawing]()
![zoom out persepctive view]()
![render of structure omitting first floor]()
phase 2: jellyfish basepoint
building off from the initial jellyfish base idea, we created an algorithmn that would stretch rings to a certain diameter, and ultimately involve color changes at different ring connection points
fabrication development
intial development involved experimentation with lycra and elastic woven yarn
working with Ksenia Arkphov, Hazel Niell and Caroline Chan, we developed a system of fabrication and surface division:
1) Machine knit elastic yarn
2) Elastic yarn strips are overlocked together to form a large cylinder
3)Yarn is pulled through rings to create different diameters
results
Ultimately, this project failed. While I got the hang of weaving, lack of studio accessibility and short timeframe with material acquisition lead our group to ditch the project and work with the material I created in a different way.
redevelopment effort
timeframe: approx 1 weekRedeveloping the logic yet again, we came up with a box focused logic.
new logic
process
final result
No built final structure due to lack of time.