Two-Faced are relics from my ongoing research into 3D printed ceramics and an investigation of competing geometries across the two faces of a material surface. Whereas the majority of analog crafted ceramics are direct offset surfaces with a fairly consistent thickness, this digitally crafted investigation seeks to play with both the interior and exterior facing geometries. Where one face reads as soft and forgiving, its opposing face reads as rigid and defined. This geometric play across the two faces of a material surface yields the deceptive nature of Two-Faced.

This project takes cues from Thomas Jefferson’s geometric definitions for his serpentine walls at the University of Virginia and expands on its potential with new material variation and robotic assembly. Cork was utilized as the material variation to push the geometric envelope. This lightweight and sustainable material permits larger structural cantilevers while still producing a natural color variation across the whole. Every other course is comprised of the same number of bricks except they are rotated 90 degrees to introduce additional porosity and textural difference. Utilizing KukaPRC and a parametrically defined model we were able to test several iterations with the robotic arm.

This project was fabricated via five axis robotic hot-wire foam cutting. KukaPRC and Grasshopper were utilized for both the geometric definitions and production of the stool. Ruled surfaces are defined and rotated around a shared central axis to create the form. This work was produced during Teddy Slowik’s visiting scholar tenure at the University of Porto’s DFL (Digital Fabrication Lab).