William Rueck ACD MFA Practicum Spring 2012

Clothes make the man make the clothes

My project involved an intensive investigation of a dynamic potentiality that emerges from the confluence of basic geometric forms and the material properties of industrial felt. Pushing the apex of a felt cone or pyramid collapses the form, creating an adjustable ripple effect. Driven by my fascination with these fluid objects, this project coalesced my intertwining interests in geometrical patterns and modularity with my desire to offer others a tactile participatory experience with my work. Much of my time was focused on empirical research; developing an understanding of pattern and material variables that affect the performance of the ripple fold. I researched artists and designers with whom I share interests and formal tendencies; finding relevant viewpoints and examples that help position my own work. This research uncovered significant overlaps between modularity and interactivity, the central pillars of my thinking for this project. This investigation sparked three distinct bodies of work, each emphasizing different aspects of patterning, scale, complexity and material memory. Yet, all these objects are mutable, allowing the planer surfaces to be endlessly re-imagined and reinterpreted into a multitude of forms and patterns. While first and foremost these are interactive sculptural objects, my findings have led me to consider a range of applications for this work, including interior design systems, educational tools, and multi-functional playthings. Long after childhood, many of us retain the urge to exercise our imaginations for pleasure as much as pure practicality. This work is about making wonder.

99 albums

Spring 2012

120 albums

MFA in Applied Craft + Design Thesis Works