TITLE
Floral Clock🌸
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Floral clock is an installation that mimics the flower blossom. There’re twelve different kinds of flowers, each of them represent a natural flower. They form as a clock and open at twelve different times. The clock is based on Linnaeus’s flower clock: the flowers open and close at particular times of the day to accurately indicate the time.
When I saw a time-lapse of flower opening video for the first time, I was deeply impressed and considering to make it real. I first tried with coding for my Nature of Code class and turned out as I expected. Then I thought about making it physical.
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PERSPECTIVE AND CONTEXT
In The Century of Kinesthesia, Guy Brett mentions that Calder once states that:
From the beginning of my abstract work, even when it might not have seemed so, I felt there was no better model for me to choose than the universe … spheres of different sizes, densities, colours and volumes, floating in space, traversing clouds, sprays of water, currents of air, vicosities and odours – of the greatest variety and disparity.”
The universe and nature help art come into being.
I’m also impressed by Shylight created by Studio Drift and how they achieved mimicking the flower blossom, which introduces the audience to a new world with nature and technology.
Several projects from U-Ram Choe also created and displayed his work with the aesthetic choices to show nature forces, which also inspired me of making the flowers.
DEVELOPMENT & TECHNICAL IMPLEMENTATION
1. Outside Petal:
I first tested with different materials, patterns and sizes.
Patterns (from the most flexible to the least flexible):
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Materials:
I tried with 3 cm Wood, 2 cm Wood, 1.5 cm Wood, 1 cm Wood, and 3 cm Acrylic. To make sure that the petal is both supportable and not fragile, I chose the 1.5 cm Wood in the end.
Size:
I printed the pental in 10 cm length, 15 cm length, 20 cm length, and 25 cm length. To make sure that the petal has the best shape(not curl if I place it vertically), I chose the 20 cm length in the end.
2. Motor Box
I made a motor box to hide the motor. Since the range of the petals’ movement is quite big, so in the end, the motor box is 10 cm * 10 cm * 20 cm so that it can contain the motor and the horns.
3. Flower
Material
I tried 3 different fabric: silk-like fabric, organza, hard organza.
Because I want the petals to have the ability to go back to the original position, so the more shapable the fabric can be, the better.
From left to Right: silk-like fabric👎 – organza – hard organza👍
Shapes
To mimic the real flower shape, I studied different petals-making ways.
12 Flowers
4. Build Everything together
1⃣Stick the outside petals on the motor box.
2⃣Attach the thread to the outside petals.
3⃣Put the neon pixel under the first layer of the flower.
4⃣Attach the thread to the flowers’ outside petals.
5⃣Put the flowers on the wood petals.
6⃣Put all the thread into a straw that is in the middle of the flower(low friction).
7⃣Stick the motor to the motor box.
8⃣Tie all the thread on the motor horns.
9⃣Close the box.
🔟Program the motor and light.
My original idea is that the project is hanging on the wall and user can view it as a clock(or on the ceiling face the bottom), but I also find another way to view it by chance. I can place the flower on the ground and face top, so it invites people to come closer and it also conforms to the natural rule. However, I did not find a good way to hide the wire if I put it on the ground, (use a big piece of wood might help but it might also prevent the user to step on it). So in the end, I chose to put them on a whiteboard and put the board against the wall.
PRESENTATION
Presentation/IMA Show: The audience understands the project as a flower blossom, but since I did not finish all the 12 flowers (takes around 12 hours to finish one), it did not like a clock that much. And since I do not have time before the IMA Show to finish it, the flower can open and close but not open and close according to the time.
But they did react as I expected when I show one flower blossom, which is the same as I watched the time-lapse video.
Present Way: I feel like putting all the flower on the same big board might end up minus the effect on each flower. this problem might be solved if I can have 12 flowers shown and let them open one by one according to the time.
The wood pental: might be introduced in a better way. I do like the fact that they make the flower blossom more obvious, maybe painting in them in different colors that are consistent with the flowers?
Light: The light will be more obvious in the total dark place. My original idea is that the light will light up after sunset. I think I still need a better way to present the light during the day time.
CONCLUSION
I did not finish my project completely as I planned, but I learned so so much from this project. Needless to say that the mechanism behind a moving object was so fun to explore and making flowers was like art therapy.
From making mistakes this time, I also learned:
1⃣ALWAYS HAVE PLAN Bs FOR EVERYTHING
Even though I had plan B on many steps during making the flower, such as using alternative material to do the petals, but I did not have a plan B for the final result, which ended up that people did not see my whole project in the end and did not know how it works.
This time I did not spend that much time on having a plan b for the final result, because I did not want to give myself a retreat. However, in the end, I realized, no matter how much you like the idea, you should at least estimate the time appropriately and make the adjustment when necessary.
2⃣TIME MANAGEMENT
We had a time schedule at the very beginning and it was one week before the IMA show I realized I’m a little behind my schedule and might be more and more behind. However, I did not adjust the time or my plan (and did not want to admit it but just want to finish the project), which I should probably do.
3⃣BE ORGANIZED
Since I have too many small stuff this time, like fabric, motor, needle, candle, etc. it’s hard to carry them from one place to another place and be organized at the same time. so I laser cut a box for them and made my life much easier. I think next time the can be with more organized categories.
4⃣DOCUMENT EVERYTHING WHILE MAKING IT
POTENTIALS
After finished the project, for further development, I think I can try to rotate the flower while opening. And for the fabric making the flower, I also saw some videos using ribbon to make the flowers, which might also be a good way to try.
François Truffaut says, ‘At first you want to make a brilliant film, in the end, you just wanna finish it’.I guess it’s the same for installation.
However, when you finish it (in a way), your heart is still full of joy. When you recall everything, it was so fun and worth it.
And there were so many people offered help and I really really appreciate it. I can never finish this project by myself, thank you so much for all of your help:
Eric Parren, Andy, Vicky Chen, Stan Gao, Ava Hu, Sylvia Lee, Cindy Hu, all the fellows helped me with laser cut and all the kind people that put flower-making tutorial videos online.💗