Making Decisions

It is time to make decisions. I have floated around with ideas, concepts, and questions, but now it is time to get some things figured out. Of course, nothing here is permanent, but what I establish will set a hard precedent for my actions in the project.

This week, I have prepared a presentation to be presented before the Honors Committee, a draft of a design inquiry proposal. I am proposing a Creative, artistic inquiry, which is defined as “A report on the inspiration, process, and outcomes of the creative project constructed by the student”

What is this creative project, then? There is a plethora of joints to explore. I propose that I select a series of these joints which are particularly suited to applications in furniture and architecture for
investigation.

I would execute this by building a series of furniture pieces, probably chairs, in which the design of the piece highlights and celebrates the features of the joint, whether it is ease of assembly or deconstruction, strength, aesthetics, or ease of manufacture, in juxtaposition with modern joinery methods. These chairs could be an evolutionary series, where the overall chair remains consistent in form and the joints are the only difference, or entirely novel designs could be formed around the selected joint to begin with.

As far as what joints to focus on, well I’m not sure. That is why I have acquired and begun reading The Art of Japanese Joinery by Kiyosi Seike, and The complete Japanese Joinery, by Hideo Sato, Nasura Nakahara, translated by Kiochi Paul Nii. These books each highlight Japanese woodworking joints in great detail via diagrams, images, and explanations. They delve into technical application and historical context, and provide translations essential for further research.

Next week I hope to return with feedback regarding my proposed method, as well as a preliminary selection of joints around which I will focus further research.