Brittany & Cara: Week 14

Brittany's update

Cara and I are planning on talking later on mid week. It seems like we have both had busy holiday week(s). Its interesting that Cara posted an image of Jennifer Angus as she has been an artist that I have followed for a long time. Admittedly I have been feverishly working on a separate project that involves harvester ants that will ship to Transmediale in Berlin, Germany in 7 days. Cara has been great in answering some basic questions that I have had for the research for this. I have been developing digital 3D Forms to be CNC milled that I have been using as positives for vacuum forming to assemble custom Ant Farms. Each of the farms have a different shape (a primitive, a common set of basic shapes found in 3D modeling software platforms). Each primitive represents a continent and the ants will be able to travel from one farm (continent) to another through a system of tubes. The CNC forms are then vacuum cast / formed (a process I have been teaching myself this week) using plastic and will be joined together using a laser cut center (video of vacuum forming slowed down below).Its a highly experimental piece that takes some inspiration from the artist Yukinori Yanagi who I had posted about in a previous blog. It is interesting to me that Cara discussed the cardboard beetles as I am working on different digital fabrication techniques. I am interested in their laser cut forms and the simple materials that they are made of to represent a complex animal. More soon after we talk this week, but here are some process images of the other project that I am working on 


Test Ant Farm with ants in “ant gel” // a commercial product you can buy at most big box stores 

Conceptualization drawings (I am not a great illustrator) ​

Video of Vacuum Forming ​

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Cara's update

Happy New Year Everyone!
In contrast to last week’s post, I wanted to celebrate some explorations into insects’ wondrous beauty. A breath of fresh air for 2017.
 
Cardboard beetle creations from artist Joop Bource of Assembli:

{These are available on Etsy - I just bought THREE! *.*}

Max Alexander handknits these moths and give them the snuggly look that I often think of when looking at a fluffy specimen.

Its on my lifelist to visit one of these incredible rooms/worlds that Jennifer Angus creates.

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​And finally, large format prints with breath-taking details by photographer Levon Biss:

Feel free to type in to us with your favourite insect #sciart below!