Papers by Jiangmei Wu
Proceedings of Bridges 2017: Mathematical Connections in Art, Music, and Science, 2017
This article describes how I created a collection of lamps made of folded sheets of material usin... more This article describes how I created a collection of lamps made of folded sheets of material using helical triangle tessellations, which are also called Nojima patterns. I started by working with a periodic helical triangle pattern to fold a piece of light art that is shaped in a hexagonal column. I continued by modifying the periodic pattern into a semi-periodic design by adding variations so that the tessellation could be folded into a light art that is shaped in a twisted column. I further developed tessellations that consisted of self-similar helical triangles by using a geometric construction method. These self-similar helical triangles form algorithmic spirals. I folded the tessellation design into a work of light art that is shaped in a conical hexagonal form.
Journal of Interiors: Design/Architecture/Culture, 2017
In design history, the concept of “skin” has been used to refer to the outermost tissue that encl... more In design history, the concept of “skin” has been used to refer to the outermost tissue that encloses a physical body. So, if the concept of “skin” can be understood as a generator of ideas for interiors that lie in between the flexible spaces around the body and the rigid spaces within the building, what new form and context can an interior skin take in adding to the contemporary interiority? Borrowing from the metaphor of “skin” in fashion, interior design, and architecture, Ruga Interior Skin (RIS) explores the ambiguous and conceptual realm connecting the act of wearing, inhabiting, and its relationship between body, form, material, and surface-making of a novel interior semi-structural wall and partition. “Ruga” is the Latin word for making wrinkles, creases, pleats, and folds. RIS is inspired by the use of wrinkling and folding to create flexible frameless topological forms that can be suspended in a way that is similar to a piece of cloth or textile. Both flexible and rigid, RIS draws the connection between the body and the interior surface, placing the dichotomy of permanent versus ephemeral, solid versus light, and material versus digital at the center of the concept.
Journal of Mathematics and the Arts, 2018
This article concerns the artistic and perceptual quality of translucent light transmitted by an ... more This article concerns the artistic and perceptual quality of translucent light transmitted by an origami-inspired paper surface when a light source is placed behind it. It describes my geometric strategies in origami design to create light art through the luminous effect of gradations of light. I first present some historical background and related work on origami-inspired paper light art and origami tessellation designs. Case studies follow, focusing on geometric strategies for helical triangle tessellations, considering specific design requirements for creating functional folded light art.
IDEC Exchange: A Forum for Interior Design Education, 2016
International Journal of the Constructed Environment, 2016
This paper presents the concept and design requirements of an innovative architectural skin that ... more This paper presents the concept and design requirements of an innovative architectural skin that can potentially be deployed instantaneously for temporary architecture and other related applications. " Ruga " is a Latin word for making winkles, creases, and folds, and the word has recently been used by material scientists to describe these various qualities. RAS is inspired by the use of folding, namely, the art of origami, to create complex topological forms from flat thin sheet materials. Focusing specifically on the Yoshimura pattern, the RAS project explores its potential for being an architectural fabric for temporary use. This architectural skin comes from two-dimensional sheet materials that can be prefabricated and assembled off-site and then shipped flat to the site, thus tremendously reducing the required amount of energy and resources in comparison to conventional structures. Once arriving on the site, it can be reconfigured to work for various spatial functions. This paper presents the initial results of this ongoing RAS project by identifying the following: first the design considerations, tools, techniques, methods, and processes for the construction and installation of full scale mock-ups using corrugated cardboard, secondly the design requirements for the actuation system while identifying a number of potential candidates from active and passive systems, and thirdly the self-folding mechanism and related remote microprocessor control system appropriate for this application. The findings of this study show that the design and construction of such topologies are within the purview of currently available technology.
ACM SIGGRAPH 2016 Emerging Technologies (SIGGRAPH ’16), 2016
The International Journal of Designed Objects, 2015
In comparison to other fabrication techniques, folding or bending allows for complex and innovati... more In comparison to other fabrication techniques, folding or bending allows for complex and innovative structures formed with simple and low cost tools at the point of assembly. From flat sheet material, folded designs can be easily deployed into a three-dimensional volume and then can be collapsed back to a two-dimensional flat shape that is much smaller, for ease of shipping and storage. The goal of this paper is to systemically explore practical means of using mathematical and scientific origami in product design in order to seek innovative ways of form finding and making through the materiality of paper folding. Geometric tessellated patterns that can produce flat-foldable and rigid-foldable designs are focused, and variations of these crease patterns are explored to generate a variety of folded designs that can be used toward light sheds. A wide variety of durable conventional paper and technical paper materials that are appropriate for light sheds are compared and tested in terms of their material properties, functionalities and sustainability attributes. In order to investigate such issues, this paper focuses on a case study of a lighting brand, Folded Light Art. Currently technical production processes for cutting sheet materials, as well as traditional hand folding, are used to produce the scale paper models and 1:1 scale prototypes for the works of Folded Light Art. Luminary hardware is fabricated at local sheet metal shops. Potential CNC technologies of cutting, scoring and etching sheet materials are further explored. Though the current focus is on light sheds, this research can be applied to other folded designs that can potentially shift the paradigm in sustainable product design and development.
Teaching Documents by Jiangmei Wu
IDEC Exchange: A Forum for Interior Design Education, 2016
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Papers by Jiangmei Wu
Teaching Documents by Jiangmei Wu