Stomata & Sine at the Bata Shoe Museum: Geektropolis Shout-Out

It is great to hear that the Ryerson University [R]ed[U]x Lab has some hype behind it even if we are not famous artists or pampered kids (who all pool in thousands of dollars for their projects that are eerily similar to past RUDAS projects and get bussed into Toronto from cities where there are no cultural events like Nuit Blanche... just saying...).

Let's hope we don't disappoint guys like Geektropolis with the various [R]ed[U]x Lab projects this year!

Stomata: The Membrane Arises

After all the countless man-hours put into the cutting and assembly of the parametrically designed membrane of plastic, today marked the installation of the swaths on site at the Bata Shoe Museum. Despite the complexity, it would seem like the team had everything organized well as the majority was installed relatively quickly.

*The first image is courtesy of Rachel

The Room Within A Room

Architects are stubborn.
Architects are creatures of habit.
Last year the teams faced a challenge in developing the space generously provided by the Bata Shoe Museum but without putting fasteners or marking the existing walls at all. The best option in that case was creating separators and structures offset from the existing building. This year the teams decided to step it up and... undertake a variation on the Room within a Room. This is no small task and though the vast majority of visitors to the installation will hardly take notice of the backdrop of the installation, it is critical in the overall effect.

Pneumatic Tests

Something that really does not come across in the still images of Stomata under construction is the pneumatic investigations Fil, Matt, and the rest of the team are undertaking. Here are a few video clips of the experiments with the inflatable materials, fans, and variable volume settings.

Assembly on the Stomata Membrane

Undoubtedly a Herculean effort - this membrane design and assembly would be near impossible without the support and coordination of our volunteer design assembly team.

Nobody ever asks what Nate does on his breaks...

 

Jon playing to stereotype...

Parametricism, Physical Computing, and Lots of Plastic: Stomata Production

Despite what the final outcome will be of the Stomata Project, it is worth taking a look at some of the digital modeling and parametric workflows that developed the geometry of the installation.

Additionally, it is important to keep in mind the logistics and oversight of the physical computing required to make such installation work responsive.

Though all of the previous two components are critical in developing a strong design, the end result has to be fabricated, and in this case using a great deal of plastic and laser cutting...

Stomata In Progress

As Nuit Blanche is imminent, the Stomata group is readying their installation at the Bata Shoe Museum. Using the array of parametric modelling and fabrication tools, this year's pneumatic installation is quickly starting to shape up.