Puzzle Forms

Since the getting making series I have been interested in using slotting and puzzle like techniques to create objects that can be built and adjusted by the user. I like the idea of the object being able to be adapted, fiddled with and offer a soothing and distraction for the hands. As part of the sensory workshops on touch I was drawn to explore this notion in a few different ways shown below. I enjoyed these test and definitely want to develop these puzzle like connections in my final project. At the bottom you can also see where the shapes began to connnect to one another - I wandered how I might make a universal connecting shape/ slot etc in my final design to allow for this in a more refined way.

Peg and board - I made this piece based off the shape of water shown above. I love the way it flows round when turned, and how the different size and shaped layer help create a sturdy stand once it settles down. The peg could be moved to any hole, but the more you use one hole the looser it get, This wear and tear is something to bare in mind if I want to include puzzle like/ moving parts to my objects. I used reclaimed peg board, but it could be made from sheet metal and the pegs and holes be a bespoke shape to add to the sculpture of the piece.

Dowel and Peg puzzle - I’ve always love Buckminster Fuller tensile shapes, and although they are a bit more difficult to create than the sculpture I made, I based this sculptural piece on the floating angular shapes tensegrity creates. The pegs can be pieced together in any arrangement and once together each can be twisted to create many different ways to be. I loved this piece sculpturally, and to begin to insert function I used a left over yogurt pot to imagine how it might interact with a pot or vessel. I’ve been drawn to combining my making with existing plastic objects - making use of waste whilst utilising the properties of plastic that my existing making pallet doesn’t cover ie being waterproof.

Slotting rocking vessel - This piece in a way was a development of the pink recentre bowl I made earlier in the term. I wanted to test creating a rounded bottomed vessel shape using slotting / Jigsaw techniques. I like this piece if i squint, but making something quite exact using a scroll saw / by hand was quite difficult, so as much as I find cutting out in this way quite soothing, enjoyable and intuitive, when i consider this approach to build again I will definitely be using CNC/ lazer cutting.

connecting the puzzle shapes with a ‘universal’ peg