iSerendipity

My inspiration form was the jellyfish-like motion. I try to use two fish lines to control the movement of jellyfish. By dragging one fish line to control the turning joints, the jellyfish’s feet would move up and down. At the same time, there is another fish line to carry the whole body. The design of the white shell is to mimic the jellyfish form while hiding the internal construction of the mechanism.

The original inspiration was the movement created from a tornado, but as the project progressed, I found more aesthetic beauty within the simplicity of two single strands of wind moving entwined together. The mechanism employs two different directional movement, including a parabola direction and another back/forth. Thus, the flexible material of the strands together with the motion of the mechanics create a modern reiteration of dancing in the breeze.

Choosing to study the motion of opening and closing in biological systems, I found the pine cone a fascinating structure. In cold, wet conditions it forms a tight, closed geometry, yet in dry heat it opens and expands its scales – the movement between these two extremes are slow and subtle.

In constructing my kinetic structure, I encountered difficulty in making the mechanism work to fully extend and contract the scales due to the shape of the pivoting arms. The created motion resembles a soft breathing movement instead.