HOLLY SAUNDERS

STUDENT NO. 583535 SEMESTER 1/2012 GROUP 7

PETRIFIED WOOD

My Design is based off the process involved in the

Petrification of Wood.

The Key Elements involved in this process

are: Compression, Tetrahedral Environments, Organic

Decay, Carbon Deposits and Permineralisation.

Of those concepts around the process, I

explored different ideas and came up with

different concepts. Many of which were

unsuccessful.

Permineralisation occurs when timber is felled and exposed

to condensation and pressure which builds up mineral

deposits as the organic matter decays. What you are left

with is a gemmed replica of a tree. In the top right hand corner is an image of a stylised

copper wire tree mounted on a piece of petrified wood.

The piece was made by Judy Byington, who sells these

clever sculptures online. It is titled “Petrified Wood-Juniper”

and is available at: http://fineartamerica.com

To the left is an image of a cross section of petrified wood.

You can actually still make out the tree rings where the

sediments have formed over time. This was sourced from:

http://www.rainbowpetrifiedwood.com/

EXPLORING COMPRESSION

In exploring compression as a part of the petrification process I realised the concept was a very vast one to grasp. It was a bit of a challenge for me to narrow it down. Nevertheless, I did and

it was a precursor to my synergetic outcome.

Above is a quick sketch of a stylized arrow representing two forces moving

towards each other to create a sense of compression. Because they are

identical it is intended that they equal each other in force.

To the right you have circles and spirals complimented by the springs below.

I have experimented with circular

structures and cylinders to

strengthen tensile bonds.

I decided that I could elaborate

further on this concept and so I

developed further ideas to

communicate a more abstract

notion of compression, in order to

symbolise one of the major

processes petrified wood

undergoes.

EXPLORING COMPRESSION CONTINUED…

And so, compression rings were implemented into the project alongside other compressive elements. To the left, we see it being combined with a tetrahedron.

Below we see the tetrahedrons as they join together. At this stage they are meant to be an external representation of compression as the pyramids and the concept

of compression tie in unanimously.

The tetrahedrons were meant to overlap each other and strengthen the exterior, like in the example above. Instead when joining the hollow bits up I would run into some design problems getting them to mesh with each other. It would be later on that I would meld them with another concept explored over petrified wood before I came up with a

viable way to tie the compressed tetrahedrons together.

I thoroughly explored the concept of

cylinders, before looking to another

design principal for inspiration.

Compression is also something found

in tetrahedrons.

Instead of cylinders I made the

exterior angular, which allowed me to

still implement compression rings on

top for extra emphasis and aesthetic

appeal.

I also revised and considered the possibility of implementing coils

modeled off the spring examples I presented on the page prior.

To the right you can see strips coiled around concept models which I

was using to explore the concept of compression as my core process.

EXPLORING COMPRESSION CONTINUED…

Pressure was another concept I considered when brain-storming over the concept of

compression. I found this overly difficult to represent however because most things that

represent pressure also represent various other principals as well.

Instead I explored it in the specific form of pinching and then opposing that with depression as

seen with my tetrahedral concept.

Uysal Mehmet Ali - Pinching Earth Here we see a visual representation where compression is found in natural environment.

This statue is clever in how it takes an every day item of artificial design and appears to stretch and distort the ground. This was most useful to me in identifying yet another way to manipulate the project in order

to convey the desired traits and principles. It’s a clever yet only semi-abstract way to convey the concept of connecting something together. I do not endeavor to be this obvious in my design. Information acquired from: http://www.saatchionline.com/mehmetaliuysal

EXPLORING COMPRESSION CONTINUED…

Pixilation is a way of representing digital compression.

The images below were a good example of pixilation in Sculpture.

The artist responsible for this artwork on the top left is unknown to me,

although that doesn’t change the usefulness of this example. Pixels

make up a very large portion of imagery in our digital era and so it’s

not surprising that people would seek to portray art in this way. These

sorts of artworks can be communicated very effectively despite their

large components. Source acquired from:

http://www.jeanniejeannie.com 2011.

In this sculpture designed by Douglas Coupland

that sits outside the Convention Centre in

Vancouver, I see digitalization of non abstract

elements. This work helps me to explore the

concept further and look at implementing

sketched options to further implement

compression in a more abstract way.

Sourced from:

http://www.weheart.co.uk/2010/07/28/digital-

orca-by-douglas-coupland/

EXPLORING COMPRESSION CONTINUED…

To the left is an example of pixilation in architecture. This was

designed by MVRDV and is labeled “The Cloud” after the

pixilated cloud like expansion that only occurs half way up the

towers and connects them.

There is a little controversy over their uncanny resemblance to

the World Trade Centre towers in New York at the point of impact

on 9/11. I believe it’s a very good lesson to learn; that while many

concepts are great to implement there needs to be some

sensitivity and awareness when it comes to designing something

so prominent.

To the right is my attempt to integrate pixilation and aforementioned

triangles to answer my Natural Process.

The greater aspects of it is in the triangular fixtures that sit in each

other and interconnect, and in the ability to expel lots of light from

between them.

Probably the weaker aspects of it is that it only slightly answers decay

and Permineralisation.

EXPLORING COMPRESSION CONTINUED…

Voussoir Cloud - IwamotoScott Architecture (Right)

Arches are another form of compression and provide an

aesthetic solution to bearing substantial loads.

It was based off the Voussoir Bricks that are traditionally used

in compression arches according to

http://www.architectmagazine.com/engineering/voussoir-

cloud.aspx?printerfriendly=true

I plan on trying to implement arches as it just about guarantees structural integrity and

makes the model look good. It will also help me answer the compression aspect of my

model.

EXPLORING TETRAHEDRONS

Tetrahedrons display compressive qualities and have great structural

integrity. They are as important to the process of petrifying wood as

much as compression is.

To the right is the City Council Building in Tempe, Arizona. It not only

adopts the inverted triangular exterior but also has a mass of windows

that let a lot of light in, which is something I will explore later.

Designed by architects Michael and Kemper Goodwin and

completed in 1970/1. Sourced at:

http://www.tempe.gov/historicpres/HE-HistoricEligible/CityHall.html

To the left is My own development on tetrahedrons. I have thought to

implement holes between tiles and create negative space to tie in with

my next concept: Permineralisation and decay. The tetrahedrons were

going to be overlaid on panneling before I decided it was too intricate

and didn’t answer the process properly.

In the bottom right hand corner I

have included another example of

Modern Architecture adopting Inverted Pyramids. This piece is the

Victoria & Albert Museum in Scotland which was conceptualised by

http://www.rex-ny.com/ This building also admits a lot of light and is

designed specifically as a creative hub.

EXPLORING DECAY & PERMINERALISATION

After covering the concepts of Compression and Tetrahedrons, I

moved to the concept of exploring the decay and Permineralisation

that happens to the wood after it falls.

I started to think about all the negative space that I would need to

have in order to make an effective lantern and realised that it ties in

really well with the concept of decay and the way that light reacts

when it hits minerals.

Therefore I opted to explore the different ways I could adapt holes in my work to demonstrate this concept.

In the top right corner is a model lantern by http://www.etruxes.com/architecture/tapered-circles/ which

more or less gives you an idea of how I wanted to incorporate the holes in my paneling. They developed

these holes using the picture below.

What resulted from my research into this

was a lot of experimentation with the way

light plays off models and refracts off gloss

and shiny things.

EXPLORING DECAY & PERMINERALISATION CONTINUED…

From left to right I experimented with refraction to

see if it was feasible. After colouring in the

majority of an A4 page of paper black, I held it

under the light but didn’t get the response I was

after.

I next covered it in craft glue and allowed that to

dry with varying textures.

Before it had completely dried though I held it up

under the light and was able to get refracted

light off the page.

This is what helped me establish that I only

wanted a small portion of light to escape my

lantern.

By this stage I realized that I wanted to

consider refraction as a property of

Permineralisation. Realizing that I wasn’t

going to get the effect I was after by

refracting light down a long cylinder of

paper, I decided to consider how I might

overcome this obstacle.

EXPLORING DECAY & PERMINERALISATION CONTINUED…

I started to experiment with holes and applying

them to paper and plasticine models.

EXPLORING DECAY & PERMINERALISATION CONTINUED…

I started to experiment with different styles to incorporate the concepts together.

From Left to Right, the one on the left explores Compression in angles and layers, Organic Matter in the

tendrils, Permineralisation and decay in the holes scattered about the model. But I wasn’t impressed with

the aesthetics.

The middle model explores decay in compressed layers but doesn’t answer the organic decay as there is

really nothing organic to decay from.

The model on the right explores Tetrahedrons and Decay/Permineralisation but not so much Compression.

EXPLORING THE RADIOISOTOPE OF CARBON

Just when I thought I was getting somewhere I brought my ideas to class and got valuable feedback.

I wasn’t able to establish a sensible working model because I wasn’t considering all of the possibilities

that would give me the most complementary form. That answer lay in the Radioisotope of Carbon.

I decided to implement the graphed image of the radioactive isotope as shown below.

This is what I came up with:

DEFINING THE ABSTRACTION OF PETRIFIED WOOD

Using the abstractions I was able to come up

with from the Radioisotope Graph; I started to

model a new lantern. This first image to the left

was just the beginning…

…I had designed an answer to

compression with arches, from which the

light of the central shaft shines. I had

answered decay with a tongue that

represented the tree sap on the most

organic section of the model while the tail

was amassed in holes of decay. I had

answered the question of the radioisotope

with the paneling on which those holes sat

and I had answered Permineralisation with

the negative space and light that speaks

of the jewels within…

DEFINING THE ABSTRACTION OF PETRIFIED WOOD CONTINUED…

REFERENCES

springs ideas: http://www.masterspring.com/images/compression_springs(bjt042).gif Manganites and Cupite: (researching tetrahedral constructs which gave me an idea for my texture) http://sartbaeva.chem.ox.ac.uk/Research_component.html Inverted pyramids in architecture: http://inhabitat.com/the-victoria-albert-museum-as-a-daylit-inverted-pyramid/va-museum-at-dundee-by-rex-2/?extend=1 also: http://www.rex-ny.com/work/v-a-at-dundee http://www.tempe.gov/historicpres/HE-HistoricEligible/CityHall.html Tension and compression: http://www.mercedes-benz-classic.com/content/classic/mpc/mpc_classic_website/en/mpc_home/mbc/home/museum/impressions.flash.html and http://www.e-architect.co.uk/images/jpgs/stuttgart/mercedes_benz_museum_un131108_3.jpg Coils in structures: http://www.civilengineergroup.com/tension-compression-yin-yang-structural-engineering.html Examples of Petrified Wood: http://www.rainbowpetrifiedwood.com/ For the purposes of emphasizing the negative space in order to show degeneration of organic matter I have opted to introduce holes. These holes harbor the light and allow it to glow through.. this is sort of what I was thinking of. Sort of. http://www.etruxes.com/architecture/tapered-circles/ To explain the radioisotope of Carbon: http://www.yellowtang.org/images/carbon_isotope_b_c_la_784.jpg Pixelation http://www.weheart.co.uk/2010/07/28/digital-orca-by-douglas-coupland/ http://cdnimg.visualizeus.com/thumbs/2b/0d/compression,humour,motivational,poster-2b0ded17843e7401263f6276ebbe5a63_i.jpg http://www.jeanniejeannie.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/pixelpour22.jpg http://inhabitat.com/the-cloud-mvrdvs-luxury-twin-towers-joined-by-a-lush-pixelated-cluster-in-seoul/the-cloud-mvrdv-1/?extend=1