​I started this project with a 4' x 6' piece of half inch plywood. Turning an almost 2D material into a 3D form was one of the intellectually challenging tasks I have ever undertaken.

What I created was a roughly 1' x 1' x 1' hollow form that echoes the bell shape of a lily with the sharp edges of a viking helmet. It was displayed wrapped around two trees to discuss interconnectivity and transformation even after the wood had been cut. It explores how something that is dead can be made alive through beauty and craftsmanship.

​My first inspirations came from the beautiful, soft, bell shape of the lily. Then, I explored different ways to incorporate tension into my piece because it is fascinating how a small piece of fishing wire or twine can seemingly cause a form to defy gravity.
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Much of this was inspired by the work of Robby Cuthbert. He makes stunning pieces of furniture and sculptures that hold themselves together utilizing only tension. 

​A trap that I have too often fallen into is being rigid in my process. I like to sketch every single step of the way and then make my moves once I have calculated for a week or so. While this has value, it lacks in flexibility. There is merit in encountering stumbling blocks along the way and problem solving around them.
In this situation, I wanted to fashion a hollow cube out of 1 inch pieces of wood, suspend my lily piece to it, and then suspend the cube to a 4 foot pedestal. I didn't account for the weakness of the cube structure due to its composition of only 1 inch strips of wood. I had to scrap the idea but it ended up being beneficial because I gained more freedom to explore the lily structure itself and focus on the meaning of the piece rather than the details of the construction.

​Now that I had freedom to explore the shape itself, I had to mathematically consider how to create my desired shape using slope equations and a whole lot of geometry. I had to brush off quite a few layers of dust that had accumulated over these equations but I eventually had the numbers I needed to actually start woodworking.

​This shape was constructed out of 18 layers of 1/2 inch plywood. Each piece was cut using a scroll saw and then attached to the layer underneath with nails and wood glue. To create holes for the fishing wire to go through, 5 pieces in the middle were sent through a table saw to create perforations. Once it was dry, the bulk of the shape was sanded using a belt sander and a Dremel. Then, ascending grits of sandpaper gave the shape a smooth finish. And finally, a wood stain was applied and it was displayed outside of the school of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning at the University of Cincinnati.