FLOURISHING FACES

cRITIC

Laia Mogas-Soldevila

TA

Grace Infante

TEAM

Raisy Jrada, Stefan Pelikan, Bowen Feng, Yuhan Zhou

PROJECT STATEMENT

Flourishing Faces demonstrates the theme of growth through varying moire densities,
spatial hierarchies, and glowing “pebbles,” which interactively grow from the central tower.
To depict this sense of growth, the project is firstly organized according to a growing
gradient of varying moire densities. This gradient is fundamentally achieved by layering
materials at different angles, thereby producing varying moire patterns along each face. As
the faces along the central core of the tower move towards the interactive external
“pebbles,” the density of the fabric slowly decreases, consequently orients the viewer’s eye
from the dense core and towards these branching lightweight components embodying
irregular growth. Although varying in size, each “pebble” was initially designed by one
repeated face that is located along the tower at four separate instances. Using a magnetic
connection, these “pebbles” are able to be reconfigured and moved around the structure,
allowing the user to create an entirely new growing structure as the “pebbles” interactively
circulate the core. To tie it all together, the structure is connected by delicate organic joints,
which branch over the underlying structure and continue to facilitate the growth of the living
organism.

In regard to structure and material, the project embraces a double shell structure, in which
the inner shell is “floating” through the use of light-weight MDF. The outer wooden dowel
frame provides structural support for the floating faces and interactive pebble design. Each
of these structures are held in place with differing 3D-printed plastic joinery. While the tower
glows throughout its entire structure, each “pebble” will depict its own unique glow that will
automatically turn on when they connect to the central tower.