My thesis project developed from the combination of two goals. I wanted to achieve minimal figuration of space with “exuberant curvature,” or curves with constantly changing radii that suggest complex volumes.The second goal was to explore the partial abstraction of recognizable forms to obscure their legibility, without losing a residual affect.

I developed an abstraction technique that simultaneously generated the desired curvature. I modeled toys (such as rubber ducks) using a 3-D digitizer to trace their specific geometries, and extracted the seam line between intersecting virtual toys. This curve fleetingly conforms to the geometry of the back of a duck or retains an reflection of head to body proportions, creating a vague sense of “duckiness,” without fully revealing the ducks.

Manipulating the resulting curves by modifying the interactions of the input toys produced different effects, which I used to develop areas of enclosed space out of the exuberant curvature.