design studio I
dreaming softly
A distorted entity that depicts patterns of the ocean waves.
Our goal is to bring serene and dreamy imagination to the space.
My partner and I were inspired by the movement of a jellyfish. We wanted to create an entity that resembled the jellyfish body and supported the idea of dreamy imagination. This aquatic invertebrate may scare people away because of its stinging trait, however, they have one of the most calming physical appearances compared to other aquatic animals.
Why does this sea creature bring a calming presence?
Jellyfish are invertebrates meaning they have no backbones to support their body; that’s why they have been bobbing around the ocean for over 650 million years. They swim by contracting and relaxing their muscles around the bell (hood) where their muscles open and close, drawing in water and then forcing it out to push themselves forward, creating a soft and slow movement.
Illustrations
(draft) jellyfish installation illustration
the making process
Part One: Base Structure & Moulding Process
After building the polyhedron by using brass tubes and wires to construct the base structure of our making process, we placed the acrylic sheet over the brass polyhedron and used heat guns to distort the plastic to mould it into our desired form shown in the images below.
first base structure
small plexi sheet for the jellyfish's gastrovascular cavity (interior body)
heat gun moulding process (close up)
jellyfish's epidermis (outermost skin) construction
heat gun moulding process
moulding close up
moulding close up
75% completion
structure overview
Part Two: Piercing and Tentacle Installation
The finished outer shell is a transparent structure and lacks colour. By exploring different stain selections, we chose a pigmented powder to spread around the interior shell (gastric cavity) to bring some colour to the final product. We worked with light pink and gold to create a pearl effect.
Iridescent blush and gold pigment powder.
Part Three: Piercing and Tentacle Installation
After moulding the plexiglass into our desired shape, we used an awl pick to pierce small holes through the structure. The beaded strands will fit through the pierced openings and will have a knot at each end to secure their position.
Final Images
Evening perspective with camera flash.
Perspective View
Daytime view from bottom perspective.
Daytime perspective.
aly x dreaming softly
Fashion x Interior Design
Photographer: Sunny & Lulin
Styling: Lulin
Designer: Lulin
Model: Aly