Material and Object

Material

and Object

Portfolio

Material and Object Conceptually intrepid objects are encapsulated by the materials and forms that have taken form to be presented in this portfolio, they are inspired by the ironies and idiosyncrasies of life and encompass the values of craftsmanship, traditional and modern techniques and the application of innovative technologies.

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SILICONE p.4

o.oo.oo p.6

BIOMATERIAL p.32

Yolkpie p.36

19.0519 p.22

B-err-d p.30

re-re p.40

Sulptrued dinner p.44

STONE p.50

The stone project p.52

Silicone originated from my desire to create through the unexpected moments in everyday environments, Above all else is the fact that experiences of life good or bad both blights and heightens life as it touches it. With this I explore new materials and forms, drifting from fine art into design concepts and back.

This first collection is inspired by my continued interest in native art and experiences and materials from my homeland in particular, evoked by my fathers use of silicone prior to typhoon season to fix gaps in the wall and the rooftop, in an attempt to fight against the yearly 80 mile an hour typhoon winds and prevent disaster from reaching us his family.

SILICONE

The properties of silicone are highly adhesive and flexible, however it is equally temperamental to handle as it does not permit direct contact and is deformed easily when not fully set.

In general, silicone is usually packaged in a tube which can easily be found in majority of hardware stores. Without question there are different types of silicone, but generally, its characteristics are, flexible, highly adhesive, waterproof and stable between -50degree and 250 degree. This has led me to question whether silicone can be used as a building material in the same, if not more innovative method than that of wood and concrete.

In order to control the silicone by hand and achieve the desired outcome, I developed a base unit comprising of a fine mesh form, enabling silicone casting to occur underwater using a permeating method. This process brought about the tactile surface you see on the piece.

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o.oo.oo

sector: space material: silicone

o.oo.oo is a sensory experience space that explores the limitless possibility of silicone, it aims to awaken the human senses through interaction with the tactile texture of the surface. Influenced by the curiosity of the formation of life, biological structures that mimic molecular level growth factors are represented throughout. Interaction with the tactile texture of the surface should enable what is inorganic matter assume and convey lifelike characteristics.Â

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1 ii 20x 15x 100 cm Materials : Silicone, Screen Window

4 Bag 15x 15x 30 cm Materials : Silicone, Woolen

7 Carpet 75x 75 cm Materials : Silicone, Woolen

2 OOO.oo 120x 120x 150cm Materials : Silicone, Thread, Bamboo

5 Bag 15x 15x 30cm Materials : Silicone, Thread, Bamboo

3 Coco 35x 35x 40cm Materials : Silicone, Woolen

6 Hatbag 20 x 17 x 15 cm Materials : Silicone, Woolen

8 Light clutch 40x 20x 15cm Materials :Silicone, Lace, Screen window, Zipper 9 Bag 25x 25x 55cm Materials : Silicone, Mesh

o.oo.oo

The highly noticeable stitching method used for the prototype evoked people’s thinking and ignited discussion about tactility of the material, my method and the physical sense it communicates. This inspired me to continue making in this form and with this method as I continue to explore the various possibilities of texture.

Tactile

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o.oo.oo

Starting from a singular point this piece is formed of a line that is transformed to a flat surface before being used for the main body of the piece.

The process of its construction gives this piece its title Point,Line,Surface,Body I enjoy how this is equally as literal as it is emblematic and symbolising of the process that gave it form.

Structure

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o.oo.oo

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o.oo.oo

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o.oo.oo

The largest container in this body of work is OOO.oo, it’s created at a scale large enough to accommodate people and is a complete embodiment of pointline-face-body.

There are some challenges in making the human scale container. Firstly, compared to small scaled objects, the container requires the massive demand of material, the weight of the overbearing load becomes a critical factor of consideration as it bares effect on whether forming shall occur successfully and the structural integrity as it tests the ability of the components to hold together under the load without breaking or deforming.

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(right) A skeleton bamboo weaving forms the inner structure, which is 20% higher than the of the intended height of the final piece, this was required for it factors in the load bearing requirement of the bamboo and the load it will bare from the silicone and the accompanying net surface spiral. (left) Using a unique forming method - forming under the water gave benefit to higher efficiency, more accurate forming, less silicone being required and it lowered the possibility of a deformed surface texture.

o.oo.oo

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Exploring and extending the possibility of structure in the o.oo.oo, the picture refers to the prototype of combing mesh with fabric lace, creating the distinctive texture.

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o.oo.oo

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19.0519

sector: object material: silicone

A personal loss bore in me questions that required exploring. What can be done when a beloved person, full of youth and extremely close to me and others passes out of the blue? How can those left behind continue to connect with them; Can there be a medium to transfer us from this world to their dimension and can we connect with the after life?

I have come to look at death as just another dimension with sleeping being a way to enter other dimensions.

19.0519

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the movie A Chinese odyssey, pandora box comes to talk about life and death, when talking about how can two best friends meet again after 500 years?What will these sleep dimensions look like, where exactly are they located, what worlds will exist within them and where will our physical form remain once we cross over?  Inspired by this, I explore the connection between human relationships objects and the afterlife.

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19.0519

Some have been known to say sleep is the entry gate to reincarnation. Whether those who say this actually reach another dimension while dreaming is explored by this piece.

ing, but dreaming of a very specific kind: that which expressly involved dreaming about the emotional themes and sentiments of the waking trauma.

Have you ever been through the visitation dreams? Visitation dreams are the experience of our deceased loved ones during a dream and guide us on our path, to let us know how they are and or to ensure us that they are with us, even though they have passed away.

Based on a personal visitation experience, I truly met my deceased friend after the day she passed away. I am wondering can we use the other language to describe this abstract experience?

It was only that content-specific form of dreaming that was able to accomplish clinical remission and offer emotional closure in these patients, allowing them to move forward into a new emotional future, and not be enslaved by a traumatic past.” this REM stage became central to my work, the stage during sleep where dreaming is known as a point of fact.

According to Matthew Walker, professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and now professor of neuroscience and psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, where his research focuses on the impact of sleep.

“Cartwright had shown that it was not enough to have REM sleep, or even generic dreaming, when it comes to resolving our emotional past.

Her patients required REM sleep with dream-

Sensor

The Eye mask catches the dreaming REM stage via an an inertial measurement unit IMU sensor, a device that measures and reports a body’s specific force, angular rate and the orientation of the body, using a combination of accelerometers, gyroscopes, and magnetometers. I used it to focus on the detection eye movement during sleep.

In collaboration with, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, using a smart and innovative sensor- IMU which could detect vector movement.

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19.0519

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B-err-d

sector: object+ sensor material: silicone

During sleep, our senses are dulled, the sense of touch however remains the most highly active.

B-err-d is an experimental interactive textile inspired by our experience of touch during sleep and the process of a body losing consciousness as the senses are dulled. The piece explores possible alternatives to sensory interaction in these states while considering the meridian system.

When we turn to sleep, thebody naturally feels the texture of the quilt and locates itself. Do we ever focus on this haptic experience between body and mattress? This can be seen as a daily interactive game where we slide arms, feet and body below cotton sheets as we adjust the head on pillows. Falling in, we rotate to optimise comfort and seek out the most pleasant position to remain. This is done as the senses slowly dim and neurones switch off the signals that help keep you conscious.

B-err-d uses a modulated gradual dissipated vibration to create a simple, fun work, with intent of facilitating sleep.

Relying on food as a means to facilitate conversation.

I am of the belief that the line between art and food can be blurred.

Historically our towns and cities grew up around markets, which served as our original civic centres. On noticing the abundance of leftovers spread through the streets after market day, I question methods to build awareness to assist in creating a beneficial cycle, assist in the clean up while putting these waste products to use.

Exploring the cycle of life and food i wondered if you have given thought to what the future of the kitchen and the food we prepare in it may be, do you question the beneficial use of leftover? Can we implement beneficial change to our life cycle in relation to waste and leftovers?

With sustenance being fundamental to people’s lives there exists an inseparable relationship between food, daily nutrition, community and culture. My practice begins with recording the daily meals, that reflects people’s living habits and cultural background. The collected ingredients are also due to different eating habits.

A variety of materials, some of which are universal, such as garlic and onions, which are used as a base ingredient in dishes from far east Asia to western Europe.

Each of the collected kitchen wastes has its own unique colour, texture and traits. Take for instance, the onion skin is stewed to produce natural warm deciduous colour. Eggshells provide a hard texture when compacted. These are just two examples of ingredients that can be converted into materials, through colour, texture or strength, can become a medium used for storytelling?

BIOMATERIAL

The process of re-cooking may vary depending on the ingredients. In general, the raw material is first broken down to for mixing and to be re-formed, it is then measured and selected parts are mixed. These are then heated on a stove with the temperature controlled at about 140 degrees. Slow stirring allows the materials to be completely fused together until the water evaporates, using a slow stir also helps avoid air entering the mixture and bubbles being formed during this process. To mould, the material is poured slowly into the mould before being left to set and dry.

The picture on the right shows materials made from the remaining ingredients during this period, each with its own characteristics. There is a thin piece of plastic, some soft and elastic, and some have a special texture. By so doing unique material data has been established through different ingredients, proportions of ingredients and moulding methods.

Forming has always been one of my concerns in material exploration. The challenge of biomaterial lies in the control and unpredictable nature of the materials. Different composition ratios will form different material properties. I therefore have been intrigued to explore the possibility of biomaterial formation through different operations and methods.

Too seek out possible expansion of their uses and understand their limits in full.

Forming

Surface- Body?

There is a challenging in obtaining consistency from the final material because of the different ingredients and base product used. Despite some of the pieces look very similar in their final form they have very different characteristics.

The standard model making method is casting, in this method the material is poured into the mold. Compared with the general molding method, the biomaterial process used is to pour the material into a rotating mold, while ensuring it’s kept at a warm temperature. It is similar to the method used for lacquering which, allows the material to be layered on top of each other as it forms and dries.

The material was also used to produce a fine flat sheet that once dried was transformed into a free standing curved surface.

Drip and Drop The playful idea of drip and drop uses a water balloon as a mould, after forming is completed, the water is released. The water assists in balancing the temperature in between warm material and the balloon skin.Â

Vaccum

My work XYZ which also tests different ways materials behave has been exhibited at The London Science Museum’s chemf2019 show further explores the possibility of biomaterial in art.

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The vacuum experiment is using the steam to soften the biomaterial, then forming. It is hard to control in the process but the outcomes have a relatively organic and natural appearance.

Yolkpie

sector: space material: gelatin, turmeric

This is a material composition of a world, which possess an inseparable relation between nature and environment.

Yolkpie is a work which aims to have a dialogue and examine the ways light and humidity interacts with shapes and space.

Yolkpie

This piece was left to dry naturally, any slight variations in the surrounding temperature and humidity drastically transformed the end result and effected the unique yet beautiful textured surfaces. The method of layering during the casting process has created a material that is thin yet highly robust.

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re-re

sector: object material: gelatin, recycled fabric, arcylic paint

Here I questioned how do fabrics and biomaterials work together? To probe into this I focused on how temperature can play a part between the two core elements, more specifically body temperature. The handle which is made out of a biomaterial has been engineered to gradually fit the shape of user’s hands as it takes shape and naturally forms over time.

re-re

(Process)

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Sculptured dinner sector: object material: apple peel, eggshell, onion, wire, clay

Sculptured Dinner is a puzzle game that uses material to conduct an educational dialogue. It is aimed at parents and children, and the process of asking questions to explore the ingredients and origins of their meals. This is encouraged through interaction, while enabling the concept of utilising leftovers to be acknowledged.

Sculptured dinner

For the project of biomaterial, the dissemination of information to everyone is also of importance to me. I aim to have the piece convey its message without being didactic.

Food is as integral to our nutrition as it is equally to our customs and culture. Participating in the discussion between the players not only increases the child’s understanding and observation of food, but also builds an awareness of the material is in the application.

By processing and grinding down collected daily food waste the remaining food becomes a natural resource and a material to be used in the forming of new objects. A material that once converted into its new form can continue to show the shadow of its former self, evoking thought on the original food it once was, the nature of versatility and its various applications.

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The Stone Project is an inspiration of the landscape of Taiwan, the island of my birth. A geologically active island with a rugged mountainous landscape that comprises of some two hundred peaks exceeding 9,840 ft.

STONE

The Stone Project explores the naturally occurring solid mass that is rock and its harmony with life and lifestyle.

The rugged landscape of Taiwan, about two thirds its landmass and abundant natural landscape is due to the island being situated along the convergent boundary between the Eurasian Plate and the Philippine Sea Plate. The Stone Project pays homage by inquiring into the tectonic setting of Taiwan and posing it with raw yet delicate Intention.Â

The stone project

(Process)

Studios

(Stone)

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The stone project

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I-Fan Chen is a graduate of the Royal College of Art’s Textiles programme.

Through the narrative perspective of material properties and possibilities, she specialises in the design of daily objects and sculptures of distinctive yet unique texture.

Contact https://www.jellyjj.com lllifanchen@gmail.com