Sketches by Frank Gehry

We recently watched a video about the world renown architect Frank Gehry and his chosen methods and style of designing his work. It was a lovely insight and a welcome view to see that as a designer we all scribble and sketch to get started. In this digital world more and more the technology seems to be getting in the way of the creative process allowed by simply cutting, folding, and crumpling paper and other materials to create. Since the technological revolution we are so hell bent on using technology for everything we forget the greatest tool of all is ourselves. This video showed just that. Frank doesn't really like computers he is a paper and pencil kind of person and he believes that to create something great you have to put your hands to it.
     Another thing I really liked was the lost wondering path Frank took to being a world renown person. He didn't like how the architects thought. So he surrounded himself with artists. People who were more free thinking and problem solvers. These are the ones that said to him "Rules? Screw the rules!!" When it comes to a beautiful building if you want to do something extraordinary and original you cant abide by all the rules set forth for the last 300 years. You have to break a few to make a few.

A. Zahner

A. Zahner is a industrial architectural metals manufacturer based in Kansas city Missouri. Zahner makes facades and architectural pieces for the exteriors of buildings around the world. These pieces are on a variety of buildings for a variety of clients. Everyone from government and private businesses to individuals. Basically anyone that wants a more than ordinary finish on a building. The staple materials that Zahner works in are aluminum, stainless steel, bronze, and brass. They use a variety of tools to cut, roll, break, and shape these materials to the specifications set forth by the architect, designer, or artist. Using a industrial break, a multiheaded pin roller, a hydro cutter, and a three axis rottery cutter there is very little that they are unable to do in their facility. Preferring to work in prefinished material Zahner doesn't have to invest a lot of time in finishing their pieces after they have been cut and formed. Upon arrival at the facility I was pleasantly surprised to see the amount of mock ups they do for their clients to see to scale what they are buying.

One object from my kitchen

Now we have to choose an object from our kitchen and explain how it is made. I happen to own a cast iron skillet so that is what I'm going to do this post on.

Cast iron cookware has been around for over 2000 years. Examples of this have been found as early as the Han dynasty circa 206 BC. Cast iron skillets are in fact iron. But more specifically pig iron. Pig iron is iron that is high in carbon and therefore very weak and very brittle. By adding various minerals to the metal during the process a strong durable pan can be made. Cast iron skillets are a use it or lose it kind of cookware. The oils from the food you cook in the skillet impregnate the metal of the pan and form a fine nonstick layer on the pan that also prevents it from rusting away. Most cast iron skillets bought today already have a protective layering on the outside like the one in the picture above. Some of which even have a ceramic enamel on the outside. Cast iron skillets are made by melting down a mixture of scrap iron and new iron in a crucible while adding minerals to purify and strengthen the metal. Once the melted iron reaches the desired temperature and consistency it is poured into a mold made of sand, clay, and other minerals. After the skillet is cast and allowed to cool the molds go onto a shaking belt where the sand mold is shattered away leaving the newly formed pan behind. Next the pan goes through and inspection where all rough edges left by the casting are smoothed away using a variety of grinders. After this the pan goes through a finishing process where the protective coating of choice is applied to the surface of the pan. Here is a video of the process. 

¨https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVCXuQGh_Ms

one object from my bedroom

How its made is an interesting topic. We were assigned to choose one object from our bedroom and research how it is made. I chose my basket lamp.

For the purposes of this post I want to focus on how the body of the lamp is made. This is commonly referred to as a Garrison Basket Lamp. the coils of the body are formed by placing them into a screw press that first takes any were from 4 to 12 rods and first coils them tightly to form a cable shape. Then to create the basket they are uncoiled as they are pressed inward forcing the rods to bend outward and form the coiled basket we see. After this the base and top plate are welded into place holding all the rods in this configuration and then the wiring tube is inserted through the whole apparatus and the wiring of the lamp commences. That is how a Garrison Basket Lamp is made. I like this lamp in particular because it has more of the industrial character that I like.