During the Easter weekend in Oxfordshire I took the opportunity to begin some mock up fabric tests.
I tried pinning the fabric straight and then curving it over and across the string structure.
If the framework is angled slightly it will enable us to work with the curved forms as long as any rain water can easily drain off. We don't want to encourage any water accumulation adding unnecessary weight to the form over the three week period.
Sasha has been working on waterproofing the fire retardant fabric and some new design ideas whilst I started to collate some information on the fabrics behaviour in different weather conditions.
I began by creating a string framework between three trees to one hinge point. With the linear structure up I added other lines in-between the three main strands creating a simple web by crossing lines.
This was used to make internal spaces within the main frame.
Using thin cotton I began tying the fabric to the framework to see how it behaved in windy conditions, did it hold it's form and what shapes were created by the wind.
I very quickly realised the fabric would most likely need to be subtly weighted somehow to avoid it wrapping around itself. However, we don't want to make it too heavy as that will impact on the fluidity of the fabric and we don't want anything to distort the shape.
I tried pinning the fabric straight and then curving it over and across the string structure.
If the framework is angled slightly it will enable us to work with the curved forms as long as any rain water can easily drain off. We don't want to encourage any water accumulation adding unnecessary weight to the form over the three week period.
The wind really changed some of my preconceptions, the sound the fabric made as it was moving was interesting.
The element of unpredictability once it's outside is also fascinating as there will be long periods of time we will not be on site to witness the many transformations the weather conditions will naturally have on the overall structure.
Making tweaks to the design we have been discussing ideas based around looking upwards. The space will be immersive from above as opposed to fully immersing the body into the structure.