The goal of the project was to take a previous product and adapt and modify it for reuse in a different context. Initially, I tried to come up with practical uses for an old reel to reel projector – could it be a table, or perhaps a composting mechanism? But what I really wanted to do was to start a dialogue about peoples attitude towards reusing products. So, what to do with an old film projector…how about make a movie!
I broke down the old projector and reassembled it as a “urine filtration device” to build a movie around. In the narrative, participants are offered a chance to try the water converted from urine right in front of their eyes. Their reactions, ranging from peculiar, to nervous, to humorous, to skeptical were fitting analogies for our attitudes to the reuse of recycled goods.
This project helped me realize that there are a number of design solutions to solve a problem, and that sometimes the obvious one may not be the best choice. It reminds me of the story of how the microwave was invented. The designer, faced with the call to redesign a better toaster chose not to design a new, stylized toaster, but instead asked the question, what is the toaster meant to perform?
Rebecca Hinojosa
STUDIO ART
charcoal on newsprint
Leah Haney
STUDIO ART
intaglio print
Nancy Guevara
DESIGN
While learning that mechanisms found in nature can inspire design, I chose the nautilus shell to explore its most fascinating characteristics and abstract them into a kinetic sculpture.
The nautilus is born with about four chambers in its shell and can develop an average of thirty by adulthood. These chambers, linked by a tube, are filled with varying amounts of water and gas to control its buoyancy. The growth of the chambers and the fact that they are interdependent and interconnected inspired the form and its intent to illustrate the mechanism found in the nautilus shell.
The form is composed of twenty sections that are interdependent. As you turn the circular dowels, each section is revealed until all of them are completely open and form the shape of the shell. The circular dowels help the individual sections move circularly and also represent the tube that connects all the chambers together.
Sophie Turcotte
STUDIO ART
photograph
Chance Marcella Ramirez
STUDIO ART
mixed media
Amanda Smith
STUDIO ART
serigraph
Jennifer Mitchell
STUDIO ART
Bust
glazed raku ceramic
15 x 12 x 14 inches
Ariel Davis
STUDIO ART
oil on paper
Isabella Rodriguez
STUDIO ART
mixed media
JM Longoria III
DESIGN
After scavenging for objects that I could repurpose at the University of Texas at Austin surplus, I chose an exercise bike. From a series of investigations, I came to the conclusion that the exercise bike prevented outdoor activity and isolated a user to a confined, indoor space. Thus, I decided to create a polemic, interactive piece to question perceived needs for extraneous mechanisms. Although it seems the Sodium 2000 dispenses just the right amount of salt, it actually always releases an excessive amount. Like the exercise bike itself, the Sodium 2000 is an elaborate mechanism devised to perform a simple action. In turn, we must also question the absurdity of a stationary bicycle.
Adam Shwarts
STUDIO ART
charcoal on newsprint
Caitlin Gibbs
STUDIO ART
photograph
Brandon Gamm, Carrie Gates, Meagan Greenwalt, and Jennifer Kim
DESIGN
Reuni
North and South Korea are essentially one country that have been unable to reconcile their differences. Reuni argues that through negotiation and compromise, reunification of these previously divided parties can occur.
In negotiation, each party must carefully consider different perspectives and question their own motives and expectations as well. Negotiations may stagnate but as long as each side refuses to give up on a peaceful solution, a deal beneficial to both sides can emerge.
Accordingly, Reuni is a game of cooperation, where players take turns spinning a dial that allows them to strategically create a path for their pawn to move along. All players win or lose by coordinating their paths to link the pawns together, finding a point of compromise in a limited amount of time
Eunice Aguinaldo
STUDIO ART
oil on paper
Anna Gratovich
TWO-DIMENSIONAL FOUNDATIONS
Model Cities
digital print
Kyle Scallon
DIGITAL FOUNDATIONS
screenshot of website
Beth Zimmerman
DRAWING FOUNDATIONS
Faceted Portrait – Claire
pencil on newsprint
Pam Jarvis, Jamie Kerr, and Adria Palinsky
THREE-DIMENSIONAL FOUNDATIONS
wood construction group project
Daniel Shipley
DIGITAL FOUNDATIONS
ficticious Publice Service Announcement
digital video
