john mcmahon: Family Portrait

Throughout this class I plan to put into action my working thesis topic: Family Portrait. The Family Portrait series is inspired by the idea of creation and procreation, sexuality and asexuality. The way a family is created from two people, polar opposites, the male and the female. The idea/concept represents the father, and the material is the matter, representing the mother. The creations have a conception timeline, and their aesthetic and physical evolution depends on various defined circumstances. The use of the 3D scanner will introduce characteristics of one of the parents; visually reflecting some of the identity traits of a species.This will form one part of the equation. The other half is an unconfined set of variables, which will be combined and filtered through Grasshopper to produce a pivotal stage in the evolution of a design. At this stage, a decision will be made to either output immediately or continue digital modification through more traditional 3D computer modeling.
The potential areas to be explored and focused on are Lighting, Adornment, Shelters and Seating. The objects I am interested to scan in are a turkey leg (half eaten, chewed up), pasta structures, fibers, brushes, hair, curtains, draperies, meshes, carpets, pillows, cushions, ice, and various raw and cooked foods. This class will be an experimental laboratory, as well as a work place for the conceptual evolution and application process of the Family Portrait lineage of furniture and objects.
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