Outcome

CLOCK INSPIRED BY THE PATTERNS IN TRADITIONAL CHINESE GARDENS

1. Intention
Because of my personal interest in traditional Chinese gardens and the style of my parents' house, the project is intended to cater to these 2 factors both through design and materials. The clock would...

• Be placed in a modern Chinese style Living room

• Use patterns from traditional Chinese gardens

• Combine the Aesthetic design with nature elements

2. Research+Context

My researches are more concentrated on visual inspirations and practical question, such as...

• Collecting common patterns in traditional Chinese gardens

• Researching plants/flowers that are representative of Chinese culture

• Looking for similar material texture as the materials often used in Chinese garden architecture 

3. Aesthetic Inspiration

Through the researches, I discovered that using repetitive pattern, often squares or circles is a unique technique in crafting windows in the Chinese gardens. Through the windows, people can always observe some pink flowers or green leaves, which is a delicate landscape design approach in the gardens. Wood along with marbles is the most used material for not only the buildings but also other objects in the gardens like pavilions, outdoor seatings and tables, and wall decorations.

4. Design Sketches

Inspired by the plum blossom and window pattern, the sketches tried to combine these two by using different cutting methods and layer differences. In traditional Chinese culture, plum blossom is a metaphor to praise noble, unsullied and modest human qualities. In some cases, the windows in Chinese gardens are designed to form visual layers with the plants in front of or behind them, so this clock is designed to mimic this idea.

5. Process and Procedure

Moving from the design sketches, the modeling process starts with three pieces of the clock. Each of the pieces is a separate layer in the 3D model. In the 2D drawings, according to where the element is going to be cut, engrave or score, the lines will be assigned different colors. The 5th step is a test to see whether the materials work well with the design and if the cutting settings are appropriate.

6. Renderings and Photos

I had 3 difficulties during the whole process. 

1. I planned to combine black acrylic and wood to create different layers, but after cutting the flower, I found it might not go well with acrylic so I switched to using wood for the branch. I wasn't sure how the result would be because the rendering didn't look so good, but luckily, the real object looks much better. 

2. I didn't fully consider the thickness of the clock kit so I cutted out a piece from the branch and assumed the clock kit would fit in. However, the clock kit was thicker than I thought and I should have attached another small piece of wood back on the branch to form a whole case for the clock kit.

3. After cutting each piece, I found if I rotate the branch, the clock would be aesthetically better so I rotated the branch to make it vertical. However, only after I put the clock together, did I find the clock kit has a hanger which requires it to be positioned vertically. In the end, my clock doesn't have a proper hanger...it still looks nice though.