first draft design & assembly...

I attempted to materialize the early sketch in the first draft computer design. Three spherical zones are formed by the enclosure of external ribs and cages, intersected together into an ascending treehouse-like structure.

Here is the physical assembly, using laser cut boxboard ribs, blue foam platforms and 3D printed upper and lower cages.

My tutor responded well to my idea but we both decided to take it in a different direction. He thought the above design was an overly polished and perfect eco-retreat, like those splashed on all the magazines, and I agreed. I wanted to actually explore the idea of 'organic,' because organic means natural and real, and those can be extrapolated to mean unpolished and imperfect. What does organic mean?

An uglier version was necessary, a less perfected version... My tutor compared the perfectly round tomatoes found at Coles with the heirloom tomato type:

The Coles tomatoes are commercialised and regulated, genetically and chemically grown to look perfect and appealing. The heirloom tomato is much uglier but is specifically sought after for its taste, due to its natural and untreated growing. Which is more organic, more real? The attractive but synthetic and bland tomato, or the ugly but natural and tasty tomato?