Berk Tarakcioglu
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Max Ernst Homage
My goal was merging my personal 3D illustration concept with Max Ernst's works. Did some sketches, and I chose a pose that suggests a body struggling to emerge from water, almost drowned and tired. This weak, liminal posture became the foundation of my sculpture. Using 3D tools, I translated the sketches into a digital form.
Wake Up: A Zoetrope Exploring Perception and Awakening
I explored two directions.
The first direction was Identity / Time / Transformation and Time / Transformation. This focused on change, progress, memory, and awakening over time.
The second direction was Surrealism / Dreams / Mythology and Dreams / Mythology. This focused on symbolic worlds, illusion, myth, and repeated psychological journeys.
I merged these ideas through The Truman Show and Plato’s Allegory of the Cave. Both references explore when a person begins to question what they see and waking up from a false reality.
This led to the staircase and doorway idea. The stairs showed progress and gradual awareness. The door showed escape, transition, and the possibility of seeing a different reality(enlightenment).
I also researched Sisyphus as part of my wider mythology research. This helped me think about repetition, struggle, and circular journeys. However, the main conceptual direction stayed focused on awakening, perception, and moving out of illusion.
These merged themes affected my decision-making. I chose stairs, doors, circular motion, and repeated figures because they connected to both journey and perception. The project became about moving from a limited understanding toward awareness.
Sketches
I focused more directly on the Allegory of the Cave. I experimented with repeated figures, simplified shapes, and circular motion to represent perception and illusion.
Printing & Experimenting
I explored different forms and references to build a structure that could function within the zoetrope system. The main challenge was preparing the model for fabrication. Many iterations were required to fix issues such as non-manifold geometry and problematic topology. I refined the mesh repeatedly to ensure the model was clean and watertight so that the slicing software could process it correctly. This stage emphasised the importance of technical accuracy in digital modelling for physical production.
Final Outcome
The original proposal focused on a figure climbing stairs toward an open door. This represented a journey from limitation toward awareness. The proposal planned a functional 3D printed zoetrope using PLA filament, kinetic sculpture, animation principles, and optical illusion research.
During development, the project changed through testing. The staircase and door idea stayed important as early concept research. However, practical tests showed that the movement was too complex for a clean loop. I then simplified the final outcome into a pushing action, while keeping the same themes of journey, time, transformation, repetition, and psychological struggle.
This shows how the proposal developed through experimentation, rather than staying fixed.
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