1. Principles and practices¶
Assignment for the week: Plan and sketch a potential final project
When I found out last year that I would be enrolling in Fab Academy 2022, I had a rush of emotions. Nervousness, excitement, more nervousness, fear…it was a little bit of a roller coaster for a while. Still on that ride, by the way!
One thing I have known since then, is a project I wanted to create. I remember having a discussion with my 12-year-old as we were selecting her classes for 7th grade. She was interested in trying the school’s Innovation and Design class, but she already had some predefined notions of it in her mind - and of engineering in general. She is artistic and was curious to how engineering could be incorporated in art, interior design or any other field she chooses. I am determined to show her no matter what she chooses for her future, engineering can play a role in it!
We talked a lot about my idea for my project together. Ever since then, she has been intrigued. She loves clothing, and fashion, music, dance…and TikTok (of course). I presented the idea to her about using the fashion she sees online, and “add engineering to it” to create not only something beautiful, but something that shows how the two worlds can merge to create something even more interesting.
So, my project is to create a reactive dress. My plan is to have it respond to sound, and try to create an equalizer effect in the bottom of the skirt. With the love we both have for dance, I absolutely want it to light up to music. I am still exploring other options for input as well.
Once I decided on an idea, I did a lot of research to see what was already out there. I want to include much of the machinery we have in the lab to create the dress, and can’t wait to get started!
My rough sketch of my dress is below. There is still a lot to plan out, but I believe this is a start in the right direction. I know it will evolve, and in the end it might not even look or do what I have planned right now, but that is also probably to most exciting part of this journey. As I learn more over the next few months, I hope to apply my new knowledge to my design!
