W e were asked to create a full-scale deployable ‘habitation’ for one person, that exists in two states, one being stasis, the other motion. Only two materials were permitted for use, one as a structural element (no larger than would be found in a 2x3x8 piece of wood) and the other a membrane element. I defined habitation as a that which gives one a sense of protection, whether from the elements, or predators, or of personal space. I decided then that I would focus on protection from nature, as I felt doing so included many of the other aspects we seek shelter from. With the assignment requiring the habitation to be portable and deployable, I sought to use materials that were very light and easy to compress, and held their form, thus rattan and nylon, not to mention economical (being on a student budget). I first drew up the tent form, and then went about determining how I could compress it, while making it portable. The ideal situation was a jacket form, as it was easily portable, moved with the body, and also suited my definition of habitation; shelter from nature. Completed, it is possible, as the photos show, to change from one state to the other without removing oneself from the habitation. I named my habitation as the Todepole Tentecote after the middle english terms for tadpole and tent/coat. The ‘tadpole’ is a reference to habitation resembling the many states a tadpole enters from tadpole to frog (i.e. body with tail, body with tail and legs, body with tail legs and arms, body loses tail).
Materials list: Rattan, nylon, (2 zippers, snaps, clip belt)
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ON SITE review 5
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