Kati: Final Project and Derive

Up until now, I had planned to build trash sculptures for my final project. My idea was to go to India Point Park and collect trash, transform it into sculptures modeled after famous landmarks (Eiffel Tower, Golden Gate Bridge, Pyramid...), then go back and plant the trash sculptures into the park, forcing people to notice the trash and also transforming it into something they would emotionally interact with. 

However, during our recent forays into woodworking, I decided to do something a little more practical and a little less provocative. A lot of my classes have online reading, but I am terrified of using my laptop at the gym (A hard drive crash and a theft have taught me that they are very costly to fix and replace). In class on Thursday, I built a prototype for a laptop rack for the cardio machines at the gym, then went to the gym after class and tested it out. It securely holds my laptop and fits on all of the machines! I took pictures, but I left my camera in New Hampshire this weekend, so those will take a little while to get posted. For my final project, I would like to update my design so that it can collapse to fit in my backpack, and also to include a cupholder. Additionally, I want to build a few of the rougher versions to leave in the gym so that other people can use them.

Part of me thinks its very funny that my art final is a link between two machines-- it helps people use one machine while they are on the other, and this makes me feel slightly guilty since in general I like to be away from my computer and outside. However, I also think that it helps with efficiency, and I'm really enjoying the problem solving aspects of finding a way to integrate a cupholder and make the device collapsible. 

Something that I noticed while deriving was that I don't like to go to far in one direction from wherever I started. I like to make loops or rays, which aren't very spontaneous shapes. When I wander, I like to find small parks or gardens. Finding Swan Point Cemetery was awesome-- there are actually swans there!-- and I overheard some young folks saying Lovecraft is buried in there (but I did not seek him out).