STWIGALICIOUS

When this project was first introduced to us, I had the same apathetic opinion about it as I did with the leaf project. On the up-side, I was happy that we weren't as tied down by rules that we had been before.

At first, I wanted to integrate my photography into this project, somehow, some way. I also wanted to incorporate a vase-like structure in which both my photos and the stwigs would be displayed. When I proposed this project to an instructor, it was bluntly turned down. So I headed back to the drawing board.

I still wanted to integrate my photography into my project somehow, so I can up with the idea of creating a "picture frame" for my stwigs. When I built the first prototype, I didn't feel that my idea was being represented well; it seemed too simple. I was stuck at this point...

I was later inspired by something I saw by one of the fourth year students. They were integrated bookshelves into their created reading space that were basically rectangles that got more narrow at the bottom.  This inspired me to come up with a design that was basically two triangles that shared a common middle base.

My first prototype that used this new design took everything away from the twigs. It was green, had a backdrop, and was just too big. I knew before I went into critique that I was going to take away the backdrop, but keep the same basic form.

I tried out many materials to create this form (foam board, bristol paper, poster board) and none of these wanted to hold the shape (this was without the stwigs). I finally tried out using matte board, and it worked out well. It held the straight angles and lines that were my ideal structure.

When I began constructing this structure and integrating the sticks, I encountered a few problems. My sticks were continuously breaking because the matte board was so thick and trying to urge the sticks through the pre-cut holes was not working out well. I also realized that this structure was going to be hell to try and reproduce again; it also took away from the angular structure of all the twigs.

At this point, I felt like I was at a loss. I had a crap load of matte board left over, and my stwigs were just laying on my bed. I began to contemplate how I could show off the stwigs for all their angular beauty... and that's how I came up with the final design.

I built a very simple 14X3 base out of the matte board and measured out where I wanted each twig to be placed. Once I had all the sticks in place, I didn't like how the bottom of the sticks could be seen underneath this base. This is when I cut out two pieces to be the "front" and "back" of the base structure. When I had it laying flat on the desk, the twigs wouldn't stand the way I wanted them to. So I focused on the sticks and let the base work around them. When I got the sticks back into the position I wanted them to, I had failed to realize I created a structure that was basically floating. I thought this added to the overall composition, so I left it that way.

I knew it was simple, and it almost seemed too simple. The "back" side has also shifted overnight and dried at an angle which led the "back" side to only float half of the way. I was disappointed that this had happened.


I wish I could have stuck with my "Z" shape, but I felt good about my simplistic creation in the end. I felt that it showed off my sticks the way the needed to be presented.