I sought to create a tensegrity sculpture after finding inspiration in the visual identity of Adobe Lightroom 5 designed by Tolleson. The Californian creatives travelled to a coastal redwood grove with fluorescent tubes and fishing line to build a dynamic light installation. The sculpture evokes the way light transforms perception and influences our visual experience. I wanted to reprise a similar visual effect but I opted to not rely on other objects as support and present it as an independent sculpture, a more feasible approach. I then discovered the realm of tensegrity and the various structures that could be generated from its principles. My teacher recommended the use of glow sticks to create a maquette. Other potential mediums I considered using for the compression members included rigid bamboo poles and aluminum poles. The glow sticks I got hold of ended up being a perfect medium to experiment with and learn the basic techniques as they came packaged with variable tension-compression interfaces and stretch strings. The structural form was defined by the field of light, and I was able to create a photo series out of it.

The maquette tensegrity sculpture assembled with glow sticks.

I was further inspired by wireforms found in furniture design, where a network of long structural wires define primary characteristics of a form, such technique was implemented into the design of the iconic Eames Shell Chair. The wires are often juxtaposed with larger solid form elements to give a floating impression. By utilizing black canvas string I was able to define the tensional system more prominently as opposed to the conventional clear stretch cord which conceals it. This was a significant aspect that distinguished my tensegrity sculpture from a conventional one.

I wanted to work on a larger scale and ended up taking a huge turn in the project by using hardwood dowels rather than light tubes as this was a more practical medium to work with given the changeover. The tensegrity sculpture I have created consists of various forms of three-strut tendules which is the simplest tensegrity sculpture, a basic, versatile and elegant structure. However I experimented with unequal length compression members and variable tensions to obtain more expressive patterns. The base consists of a wider and larger stanced tendules, tapering and shifting to smaller tendules stacked towards the top. The process of creating the tendules was partly systematic and partly experimental, it consisted of six essential steps and became relatively less complex as I further experimented. I first had to fabricate the compression members by cutting the dowels to the desired length and hot glueing on the tension-compression interfaces. I made use of 150 grit sandpaper to smooth out the impurities in the dowels.

Next, I had to construct the weave triangles in sets of three and form the triangle cords with the canvas string. I secured the nylon strings in place with double overhand knots. I then attached the vertical cords to pull up and form the tendules. The final crucial step was forming the tower by placing one tensile on top of another, progressively alternating between left-handed and right-handed tendules. The individual tendules are then fixed to the ones above and below by using additional canvas cords to form stability triangles - this was an adverse process to get the desired form and a supported structure.

I also made use of black paperboard as a tensile surface to contrast the linear elements of the wooden compression members and give a definitive character to the sculpture. The paperboard triangles and folded creases simulate the geometric patterns of a three-way tensegrity. The valley and hills of the folds resemble the tension and compression forces of a tensegrity. I complemented the entire structure with a custom shaped white foam board that contours the protruding shapes and struts of the tensegrity sculpture.

In assembling the sculpture for the first time, I invariably needed to change some of the tension members, remaking them either longer or shorter to achieve the right amount of prestressing and variably distribute the tension in the tendules. Every part depends on every other part, compression and tension members alike, knowing which strings to alter was a matter of experience. After the final adjustments, further changes over time were necessary to create the shapes and look I intended. This was one of the more intellectually ambitious projects of mine, and I found the process frustrating at many times, but in the end I maintained an optimistic attitude. I am pleased with the end result, and the metamorphosis that developed in the conceptualization of the project itself.