The Barrel Wave

After making lots of smaller wire mesh and clay models, it was time to play around with scale. The scale was going to be crucial in terms of the functionality to the design. It also determined WHO used it and how experienced they were. I’m making this object for people with 3 different skill levels, so I had to control certain parts of the design. The obstacle can be approached in 3 different directions according to skill level and according to your mode of transport; skateboard, BMX bike, roller blades and scooter.

My research and design development stages have involved the beach in some way or form. The sand, the water, the lifestyle also. Skateboarding also evolved from surfing in the 1950’s and was called “Sidewalk surfing”. So it was very appropriate to add some surfing FLAVOUR to my design. I was inspired by the barrel surfers went through and so i wanted to incorporate this in to my form design somehow. I want to achieve the same feeling surfers get as they are riding through a “barrel”- a big wave.

I also want it to have that aesthetic of an old drain pipe. Skaters like to find spots that aren’t meant to be skated. That’s what makes it an authentic street skate.  So check these following images and i’ll let the design speak for itself.

Barrel Wave

http://escapetheokiezone.com/uploaded_images/barrel-736497.jpg

Drain Pipe Skate

http://images.google.com.au/imgres?imgurl=http://www.power-skate.com/skate05/images/stories/2006/JoshEvin_FullPipeTransfer.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.power-skate.com/skate05/index.php%3Foption%3Dcom_content%26task%3Dview%26id%3D79%26Itemid%3D45&usg=__jo9-RBXkGNLxcv_Dg74pvXa9wjQ=&h=548&w=670&sz=92&hl=en&start=14&um=1&tbnid=Zut4Wepb0RUk_M:&tbnh=113&tbnw=138&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dfull%2Bpipe%2Bskating%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG%26um%3D1

Air dry clay & wire mesh backing

Boyme Partners – Casting metal

Scale models made by Constantin and Laurene Leon Boym. These were part of The Buildings of Disaster project.

I like the detail of the models and the textures (created intentionally and intentionally.)

Ide like to use a similar casting technique for my second concept. Wave ramp.

Check this link for more Boym &  Constantin photos of models. And to find out what these models are about.

flexi mould not so flexi.

I tried to make another model out of plaster of paris. I made sure I sealed the bottom of the mould completely this time. I poured the plaster into the mould fine and left it for a 2 days to set. The trouble started when I tried to take the Aluminium mould off.

There were 3 problems-

1. The plaster mould wasn’t thick enough. The object im casting needs to be done on a bigger scale (at least 1:2) with a wall thickness of at least 60mm. The walls I made were way too thin. At some points the wall thickness was less than 5mm. A slight knock and it crumbled.
2. The 0.3mm Aluminium wasn’t flexible enough so I had to pull it off with force causing the plaster to crumble.  Aluminium has the strength to hold its self upright, but it’s not flexible enough to fold back on itself like a sheet of paper or fabric. A rubber sheet would be ideal for a mould. See the video below titled “bending concrete”  and you will see what I mean with the flexible mould.
3. Too much water in the plaster. It was slightly soft to touch after 2 days of drying. Maybe the cold weather slowed down the drying process too.

I’m still confident that this process can work but I think it just needs to be done on a larger scale. Stronger materials and thicker walls.

1 minute after being poured

Some parts came out of the mould alright. They were about 10mm thick and had very smooth surfaces. They are the 2 larger chunks you can see below).

The remaining parts are scattered on the lawn.

I had a feeling this wouldn’t work on a small scale from the start. But I had to try anyways. And at least I know what to do if I ever try this on a large scale. I will be making my 1:1 scale prototype out of different materials anyways because it needs to be transportable. Concrete would be great for the street sculpture but it won’t be suitable for the graduate exhibition.