3D Modeling
Project 1: Blobjects
Tissue in a Cube Box
2018
When correlating the Blobject prompt with daily life, I realized that one of the most recognizable objects comprised of a cube and an irregular shape would be an opened tissue box. This was the perfect Blobject that would be recognizable to the general public.
The Tissue Box idea stems from my appreciation of everyday objects or items that may seem mundane at first glance. Without mindful observation, small luxuries such as the tissue box are usually overlooked. In this case, a lightly modified box allows users to easily grab a single tissue without inadvertently grabbing multiple. As easy and straightforward the tissue box is, this and other inventions alike all had to be patented before being mass produced and sold commercially worldwide. What other systems seem simple by nature and ease life in modern society yet have a level of oddity and foolishness to deny its existence?
Because we would be working with a cube, I decided to keep that shape for the tissue box. This made me curious about the inner workings of a cubic tissue box, for both cubic and rectangular boxes had the same sized tissues. The typical rectangular box would have the tissues folded and laid flat in its container. For the smaller, more compact design, the tissues would not be able to lay flat due to the shortened width of the box. But if the creases made by the folds in the tissue were the same for both designs, how were the tissues packed in the cubic box?
After many failed attempts at Google searching, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I gently ripped open the side of a tissue box and discovered the tissue's true form. I was transfixed by the disarranged bend of the tissue and captivated by the asymmetrical innard that is tissue which then resides in a symmetrically structured form.
With my design for the project, my goal is to remind the audience of the simple pleasures of mundane inventions but also shed light on the unnecessity that lies within all of these "luxury items."
I started modeling the box first. By using a cube, a slightly smaller cube, and the boolean tool, I was able to mold the basic shape fairly quickly. I then used boolean again but with an oval to carve out the hole at the top. The same method was also used to create the plastic layer with a slit for the tissue to emerge. The outgoing tissue and the tissue connected to the outgoing tissue are both landscape planes that I manipulated in the sculpting mode. I primarily used the grab, smooth, knife, and pull tools to work the shape of the tissue. The slightly lopsided structure of the tissue suggests to the viewer that someone has grabbed one of the tissues not long ago. The roll of tissues resting at the bottom of the box was a challenge to begin modeling. There were a few approaches to construct the roll, but the method I ended up using was creating splines and extruding them. I also added a cloth simulator to give the tissue a bit of volume so as not to display them as unnaturally thin.
All of the materials in the render, excluding the white areas and the transparent plastic, are loaded roalty-free images. I chose to give the exterior of the box a Victorian sewing pattern because I felt as though it resembled the "universal tissue box." This notion prompted me to think about how certain patterns and materials have a psychological hold of our knowledge of the physical world. A brown cardstock material was used for the interior because the design is only printed on the outside of the box. I wanted a bright, simple atmosphere, so I then decided on a light hardwood flooring as opposed to a dark hardwood flooring to complete the look.
As I was modeling this tissue box, I realized that this was indeed a three-dimentional sculpture. That statement may seem unecessary, but consider this object as a tangible work in a gallery setting as displayed in the renders. For instance, if the viewer approached this tissue box from the sides with walls, they may think it's just a regular tissue box. However, if the viewer were to continue walking around the work, a new element — the jumbled interior of the tissue box — would be revealed. The expoure of the chaotic insides in contrast to its exterior would be disorienting and may suggest the existence other systems in which a mess is masked by a put-together facade.
These are pictures of the physical product. I constructed it by hand using cardboard, cardstock, plastic, wire mesh, gesso, paint, and three types of glue. I thought this was going to be a simple task, but after my first three hours of working, I realized just how much I underestimated it. This took me many days to complete, with most of the time dedicated to painting and waiting for layers of gesso to dry.
The cardboard and the cardstock required very specific measurements to achieve a clean look. It was towards the end of the project, however, that I discovered that the cardstock on the vertical sides of the box was about a millimeter short. I had forgotten to account for the addition of the final top side. The plastic covering on the top side got a bit dirty, most likely from gluing. The plastic is glued to the cardboard with spray adhesive, the tissue is held in place with super glue and regular white wet glue, and the box and cardstock are held together with regular white glue.
To achieve a more realistic look, I applied a bit of yellow to the last layer of gesso so the tissue is not a stark white color.
Fool's Gold (Idea)
Thinking about minerals led me to the idea sketched directly above. This depicts a hand lightly holding a cubic object. After an initial search for cuboid minerals, I became fascinated by the idea of pyrite, otherwise known as "fool's gold."
This idea was also somewhat informed by my correlation of pyrite and gold to California's history. In 1849, a man by the name of James W. Marshall found gold at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. This event, in short, started what we call the California Gold Rush which then accelerated the process of the state's admission into the Union. The act of unexpectantly finding gold was, however, only part of the concept behind my design.
In nature, illusions by appearance are commonly found, whether they be the camouflage of certain animals or mineral look-alike such as pyrite is to gold. In modern society, "knock-offs" are an example of false imitations of an original, more valuable object. These copies and their facades are not to be trusted, which is another reason for the position of the hand. The cube being held by two out of the five fingers suggests a light grip, communicating the dubiety the holder has.
This idea of false replication is taken another step further because the cube is not even fool's gold, but wood coated with a golden-colored paint. The hand is 3D-printed, serving as a reference to the ever-impending notion of AI robots modeled to look like human beings, bringing up the discussion of whether robots will ever evolve to become sentient or stay as mere copies of the Homo sapien.