Grace Huang

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“Fidget Star” - Similar but Different

Form-Giving, Hand Craft, Rapid Prototyping

Through a series of explorations, I designed a final form in pink foam based on a motion expressed in clay.
Duration:
3.5 Weeks

Course:
Products Studio Mini, Fall 2024

Role:
Individual

Materials:
Pink Foam, Gesso Paint, Plaster










Part 1: Clay Forms

Starting with a block of clay, I experimented in interacting with it to produce different forms. Each interaction involved repetitive motions to make impressions in the clay.

Some questions I asked myself to guide my explorations are:

“What different parts of the hand can I use, and what are the different shapes they can create?”

“How many fingers can I use? How does the thumb differ from the other fingers?

“What feelings can the motions kindle? Calmness, playfulness?”




The motion I selected to develop further into was the rotational form. I picked it for its unique pentagonal edges. The form was created by placing my right thumb down the center of the clay. Then, with the ring finger of my left hand, I push the side of clay inwards while using that same force to rotate the shape clockwise. Due to a combination of the frictional forces + speed between the wet clay, my fingers, and the table, a pentagon shape began to form. 


Since the brown clay shrank after drying, I crafted another version with a greater initial size. When it shrank, the size still fits my hand’s original interaction. 





Part 2: Geometric Explorations

The next objective was to express the essence of the motion we chose from the first step through a cylinder, box, and ellipsoid. Transitioning from just clay, we used pink foam to craft the cylinder, foam core to make the box, and clay to make the ellipsoid.

Before diving into fabrication, I analyzed my clay form and motion. Specifically, I considered how I, as a human, interact with it. Am I standing up or sitting down? How are my arms positioned? Are both hands involved in the action? What forces are involved? Am I pushing, pressing - how do I rotate it?
From there, the challenge was to transform a purely organic shape to symmetrical, geometric edges, while maintaining the principle qualities of the original form. 

The Rectangular Prism & Cylinder:

I prompted myself...

“How can I adjust the limited dimensions so that the result still has similar connotations and form language as the original form?”

The primary method I tackled this question with was by examining the dimensions of the parts of my hand that were interacting with the form.




With both the rectangular prism and the cylinder, I iterated through varying widths/diameters and heights. I started out too small, for the most part. I gradually enlarged both objects after several trials and realizing that a wider surface gives the hand some distance between each other to actually operate the rotation.



The Ellipsoid:

To make the rotation as smooth as possible, I decided to make the ellipsoid a perfect circle from the top. Because of the smooth characteristic and weight of dried clay, the ellipsoid was actually able to rotate very well!


Rotating each object with the same hand motions as the original clay





Part 3: Final Design

Finally, drawing inspiration from all the previous explorations, I designed a final form that captured the essence of the original clay model. In addition, we were prompted to mold our final forms according to the adjectives: soft, static, & light.

To address these adjectives, I researched existing forms in nature and the artificial world to give me inspiration. I found soft corals and pentagonal sakura flowers to match the vocabulary I am aiming towards.

Preliminary Sketches


I made a lot of variations in my sketches about the overall silhouette and form language of where the fingers touch the object. I primarily focused on the finger indents on the side, but also the thumb indent in the center. 

Then, I went into the details about the roundness of the form.

I appreciated the convex bottom of the ellipsoid, which really made the form spin. As a result, I hoped to translate that convexity into my final design.
Preliminary Models; Clay -> Foam

Finally, I refined my form through a series of removing and adding sharp or round edges to maintain balance. I softened the transitions between the five points in my form, adding nuance within the concaved surface.


Early prototype -> Final Object