NETWORK

Inquiry: What is the intersection between nature and the human-made?

Title: Network

Dimensions (h x w x l): 8.5 x 5.5 x 5.7 in

Date Completed: March 4, 2022

Idea: An intricate, organic sculpture incorporating Voronoi patterns

Materials: Hot glue, PVC board, acrylic paint

Processes: Extruded hot glue organically for texture, created cellular tessellations for pattern, sculpted surface for form

INSPIRATION

VORONOI PATTERNS IN NATURE

Voronoi patterns show nature's tendency to favor efficiency. Finding the nearest neighbor, shortest path and tightest fit, spokes naturally create cellular tessellations. Examples of this pattern in nature are cells in a leaf, fungal networks, foam bubbles, sponges, honeycombs, heart strings, neural clusters, and even the universe.

The Voronoi pattern is nature's recurring motif. It is clear that some very fundamental geometric and structural properties are at play. Therefore in this piece, I wanted to explore this phenomenon.

PLANNING

Taking inspiration from different instances of Voronoi patterns in nature, this piece exemplifies the beauty of organic growth. The goal was not for a clear subject to be identifiable. The sculpture would be reflective of structures such as spider webs, fungal networks, heart strings, and honey combs at the same time. The piece was to be an abstract amalgamation of organic Voronoi structures.

PROCESS

I started by melting hot glue down into a liquid. I then poured this liquid and sandwiched it between two square pieces of PVC board. After letting it set for a minute, I pulled the two PVC boards apart, creating long wispy strands of hot glue. I did this to create natural fiber formation that I could build my structure around.

I made the two boards a free-standing structure by supporting it with 3 large hot glue rods. Next, I extruded hot glue into organic patterns and webs around the structure. I also used the hot metal tip of the glue gun to sculpt the cylindrical hot glue rods into more natural shapes and to fuse the fibers into more defined formations. To create branching structures, I used cut hot glue rods, which I fused into the existing structure.

Creating webs and interconnecting strands with hot glue in mid air, I followed the rule of making the shortest path to create cellular tessellations. Gradually, the Voronoi structures became more apparent. Once the "sculpting" process was complete, I spray painted the entire sculpture with a white spray paint to act as a base coat for subsequent painting.

Once the paint dried, I cut around the square pieces of to make round edges. This was to help the base boards become more integrated into the piece.

For the painting, I started with a gray and green base coat. I then layered on brown, orange, and ochre paints to add texture and organic colorations. My color scheme inspiration as I painted was anatomical structures, fungi, and tree branches.

EXPERIMENTATION & REVISION

This piece was a more abstract exploration of organic growth. Rather than being inspired by a singular natural phenomenon or organism, I was inspired by a general biological phenomenon.

As I wanted to make the piece as organic as possible, I also experimented with the technique of naturally creating long strands by pulling melted hot glue apart. I think this technique was generally successful, but the way the strands formed was not as I expected. I was going for more fluid thicker strands.

In the fabrication process, I also experimented with extruding hot glue in mid air. This process really helped me because I didn't really have to be too deliberate in trying to make the structure look organic. As I made the webs, organic patterns just naturally emerged. I found this to be very interesting because it was as if the form I was trying to create was what the hot glue wanted to do.

As I continued working using this technique, I imagined hot glue to be the synthetic equivalent of spider webs or plant fibers.

I constantly revised the piece as I went by adding more branches or sculpting the surfaces more until I had a form that I was happy with. I did the same for my paint job as well. As I painted, I layered on different pigments and tried different color combinations.

REFLECTION

I'm glad that I decided to pursue this project because I was able to identify a key constituent of what made organic structures look organic. All of a sudden I noticed the Voronoi structures that I had unknowingly integrated into my former pieces such as Carapace, Webs, and Chrysalis.

I believe what I learned in this project will aid me in creating my future projects as well. Therefore, this piece pulled my pieces together more and improved synthesis.

The art elements this project emphasized most were texture, pattern, and form.

The sculpture encompassed a variety of textures ranging from rough to porous to smooth. Given that hot glue was a very versatile material, it was very easy to create these different textures.

Considering the focus on organic structures, this piece featured prominent Voronoi patterns. The sections of the sculpture with the porous webs would be where pattern is most emphasized.

The form was also emphasized because of the twisting complex branches and gaping organic pores. The elongated fibers of the hot glue guided how I extruded the hot glue and gave the piece a less "fabricated" look.

When viewers see my piece, I hope they take in its grotesque and weird beauty, feeling mesmerized by its intricacy.