Provacations - The Hammer Museum

The works developed by the Heatherwick Studio proved to be both fascinating and innovative. Many of the works on display have made it clear to me the relationship between art and technology. Where technology blazes the trail of scientific innovation, art inspires and motivates the scientific community to bring imagination to life in new ways.

One piece that emphasizes that point is the bridge of glass, pictured in Figure 1. This artistic piece must rely on materials science engineering, as well as civil engineering in order to be feasible. The brittle nature of glass makes it an inferior material for use in structures, but the artists at the Heatherwick studio made their creation possible. In many ways I am sure the professionals who developed the bridge appreciated the level of detail and knowledge gained when working with such a brittle building material. There is no room for error.

Figure 1: Miniature of glass bridge

This imaginative construction is a constant theme throughout the exhibit. Several structures were on display including designs for parks or entire communities. These designs usually mimicked nature or had a very natural element to them. By replicating nature, the buildings break the mold of traditional structural design. This further pushes structural technology to its limits. The use of carbon nanotubes or other nanotechnology may allow similar structures to be built in the future.

The rotating chairs were the most fun and interactive exhibit. Undoubtedly, much thought was taken into account to design the overall shape of the piece. The piece strived for rotational symmetry while also allowing the user the rotate about without falling over. The geometry of the chair must have been such that it could withstand a significant displacement from a user without its center of mass from extending past the lower rim. This design relied heavily on the mathematics of the design, as well as its artistic value.

Figure 2: Geometrical interior of rotating chairs allows for stability

Another piece on display that related to material learned in this class was the handbag made from a single strip of zipper. Fascinating aspect about these handbags is that the final shape is determined by how the bag is zipped together. Figure 3 displays an image of the exhibit.

Figure 3: Zipper handbag exhibit

In addition, I have included a video that allows for the mathematical mechanism of a similar bag to be more fully understood.

The final piece that I wish to mention also happens to be my favorite. The Olympic torch for the 2012 games in London symbolized the coming together of several different entities into one, larger and more powerful union. This great collective aptly represents the separate nations of our world joining together in the celebration of competition. This same unity is what will drive the artistic and scientific communities to achieve new heights.

Figure 4: Me with pieces from the Olympic torch

Figure 5: My ticket for admittance