On 21/3/2025, last Friday, our team held a workshop to begin constructing the interactive breathing installation. Here’s our progress and creative problem-solving.
1. Plastic Flowers
Can, Ruolin and Ashley heated manipulation transformed rigid plastic into surprisingly lifelike flora. They cut bottles into large sheets, then into petal-sized pieces. Then they carefully melted the plastic with heat to curl the edges into organic petal and stamen shapes. Finally the pieces into delicate, sculptural flowers.
I filmed the process in a short stop-motion video.
2. Resin Lungs
Li tried to make lung shapes out of resin. She softened the resin with hot water and a heat gun to mold its organic shape. But it was tricky because the resin hardened too fast, making detailed sculpting difficult, and our heat gun stopped working. We ended up with some interesting resin pieces we might still use.
3. Wire Branches
Xinyi Bent and twisted iron wire into branching stems based on 3D model references. She added small lights at the bottom that will glow in the final installation, suggesting the vital energy of breath moving through a system.
4. Documentation & Support
My role included photographing, and videoing the process while assisting wherever needed – whether helping adjust a stubborn petal shape, preparing materials, or troubleshooting our equipment challenges. The photographs I took capture not just our progress but the collaborative spirit of the day, where every challenge was met with inventive problem-solving.
We haven’t finished everything yet, but we made good progress. Next week we’ll complete the lungs, put all the parts together, and connect them to our digital system. I’m excited to see how it will all come together!
