MR. FLOPPY

BEHAVIOURAL MATTER

MArch DMArch Design Research Lab - AADRL

London/UK | 2013

Research

The aim of this project was to design a lighting installation able to transform over time through the use of passive and active actuation. In order to provide unique movement and lighting effects we analyzed material behavior through the organization of matter and energy within supple membranes. We developed fabrication strategies that harness energy transfer for generative design by utilizing principles such as pre-tensioned surfaces. Our focus was to analyze thermodynamic states of rich poly-scalar materials, in particular silicone. As a result, we created a single-object installation, which can be duplicated in order to organize space. The natural behavioral characteristic of silicone was utilized to produce a surface which was stretched and held in a permanent and pre-tensioned state by an integrated primary frame.