In this exercise I will examine the size, shape and materiality of the belly basket and then I will remake it several times, using different materials. The idea is to use Frank Gehry’s idea of playing through modelling by remaking an object using other materials and will try to communicate this effectively.
On my first attempt, I used coloured paper and envelopes. I did find this tricky as the pieces are A4 shape but I used sellotape to stick the pieces together in a fan style, I put this together really quickly which I wouldn’t normally do, but it actually felt really good to just have a stab at getting a rough shape and not worrying about whether it was perfectly formed or not. Very liberating!
My second attempt I used a round seagrass table mat as the base and white paper for the sides and handles. I sellotaped these together, even though it is not the exact size of the belly basket it gives a rough idea of what I’m trying to communicate. I’m realising that you can create a model fairly quickly with simple materials and it can look roughly like the object you’ve observed.
Thirdly, I found an egg box and cut the base to a rough circle shape. I ripped the box lid into strips to use as the sides and the remainder of card left as the strips for the handles. It was so good to use my hands and just tear the materials apart rather than use scissors, it felt so much more creative in a strange way. I then used a stapler to attach the pieces together rather than sellotape as I knew this would work better as the egg box is a thicker, rougher material and sellotape doesn’t adhere as well as a staple.
On reflection of this exercise, at the very beginning when I read the brief, I honestly didn’t know whether I would be able to basically throw some models together using simple materials and make them look anything like the belly basket, but I proved myself wrong. Ok, they don’t resemble the belly basket with the exact materials but I’m realising that you can create a model of your design from quickly drawn sketches and that you can then build on that basis and remake until you are happy with the end result. Again, another interesting exercise that has personally taught me more than I expected it to. I have stepped out of my comfort zone in as much as finishing up with models that are far from perfect and realising that this is ok.
my Interior Design Journey 