Initial drafts

 By far my most successful of the drafts.

 Composition is null in this one, but it was great practice for moving objects, shutter speed, etc.

A slightly less grounded approach, feels as disjointed as I wanted, but I probably won't pursue.

Some experimentation with night and light

Response to Susan Sontag's photography essay

In her essay on photography Susan Sontag seems to contradict herself, or at the very least provide multiple sides of an argument with the tone that each is her personal belief. I had begun to jot down responses to individual points before I had read the whole essay, and ended up finding my own arguments later in her text. Whether this is purposeful or not, Sontag illustrates multiple conceptions of photography, it’s purpose, it’s abilities, and the connotation surrounding it in a short essay. The most important of these, to me at least, were two of the largest conceptions surrounding photography. It is used as evidence, as documentation, an appropriated piece of the world or a time as a (mostly) objective image, but is also always subject to the photographers intent, their own understanding, composition and crop. These contrasting ideas conflict even more today, in a technically advanced society, as photos can be easily taken by anyone, but also reproduced, edited, and pushed further out of context by the same people. Photographs are seen as indisputable evidence, but also tabloidial falsehoods that are as far removed from their true context as any colorfully dictated rumor.

Aside from their inherent validity or congruence to some absolute truth, photographs are probably more important as cultural artifacts that preserve a feeling of a time. Whether any individual photo strives to be as true to a moments reality is moot, as the collective photos from a time period   (obviously after the invention of photographer) give us a view into the subject matter and individuals of a time, as well as the periods photographic styles and trends. This window into time will only become clearer as children grow up as both the subject and users of social media. We have taken to documenting absolutely every aspect of our lives. Photography, whether objective or opinionated is the greatest tool of documentation we have ever created, and we have only just begun to see its effects on social interaction, privacy, and culture as a whole.

Here it is folks: my whistle-tent bandsaw-box

Final construction plan

Making a model

I employed a small scale version of my more efficient gluing technique to a plywood model to experiment with if my shape was feasible, and if my order of cuts would work correctly.

I did run into some issues with plywood chipping, and the thinness of my walls, but those problems would be solved with my final scale and material. Additionally, this model gave me a better idea of what cuts were needed and what sequence they should go in.

Planning construction

I settled on the idea of tent for multiple reasons. Camping was an activity my dad and I shared before, during, and after scouting so it seemed to be a more important theme to address. The tent symbol specifically incorporated the most notable imagery associated with camping with the idea of encapsulating two people. Since I had two objects that were generally person-shaped to design my vessel around, the tent fit very well. From there I needed to plan construction.

With a triangular shape I was bound to waste a lot of wood by cutting from a square so I thought about more efficient gluing strategies to maximize the yield of my boards.

Vessel Ideation

I wanted to reflect the themes and activities that brought me and my dad together, as well as created the whistles. Scouting, camping, and carving were all related aspects, so I focused on the most recognizable symbols for each in my early drawings.

Objects for vessel

My dad and I carved these whistles at a Boy Scout camp when I was ten. It is one of my fondest memories from scouting, and by far the highlight of what was otherwise an awful camp.