2024 - Stanford University
Zoetrope
Delight and excitement can spring from experiencing an unexpected spectacle.
At first glance and from afar, this Zoetrope functions as a lighting fixture. However, upon closer exploration of its intricacies — and with a little spin — it erupts into an animated sequence that tells a story and hopefully inspires a childlike sense of wonder.
MATERIALS
poplar with aluminum hardware and acrylic display pieces
THE CHALLENGE
Design a piece of work that uniquely represents yourself to the Stanford Design Community
“Personal Statements” — A Stanford Master’s Design Gallery
Budget
Timeframe
$300
2 Weeks
Design & Prototyping
I wanted my piece to capture my excitement for animation. I also wanted to probe questions at the core of my research on designing “futuristic” objects through incorporating parametric design.
Historical iterations of the zoetrope that existed as children’s parlor toys inspired me to explore lighting fixture designs that could play on shadow puppetry or stage lighting to create an enthralling experience.
Animation
The story of Sisyphus rolling the boulder up the hill felt relevant to my journey as a designer, and appropriately scoped for the two weeks.
The Zoetrope’s top tier featured acrylic cut outs of the animated walking cycle to illustrate a cyclic journey.
I used studs and threaded balls at different heights to depict the boulder rolling down the hill on the bottom tier.
Fabrication
Designing and using makeshift jigs helped streamline cutting consistently sized, compatible parts.
Assembly
The slats would have benefited from joint reinforcement because the glue (especially in end grain regions) was not always sufficient to secure them.
In future iterations, I would commit more time to prototyping the technical aspects. I had to set aside the shadow elements that didn’t work particularly well, and could have refined the slat spacing to achieve a smoother animation effect.
