Project Statement
When tasked with a surrealist project, I was on the journey of creating an art piece that is not bounded by its functionality but by its creative potential. My found object is my iPhone, an object intertwined with our daily routines.
At first, I thought of giving my iPhone arms and legs, transforming it into a mini robot. 3D printing its arms/legs with joints so that it can dance around. It felt fun and showed how we see our phones as little companions. Yet, as daily routines often inspire, using Apple Pay sparked a fresh perspective. We commonly refer to this kind of cashless transaction technology as a “Digital Wallet”. Taking a surrealist approach, I decided to literalize this term. The “digital” aspect was represented by the digital tech, iPhone. The “wallet” would be digitally fabricated by a 3D printer.
I designed and 3D printed a wallet that would integrate iPhones into its structure frame. By attaching two iPhones to the elongated edges of the rectangular wallet frame, it turned into a visual representation of the term “Digital Wallet”, integrating the digital and the physical worlds.
In transforming the concept of a “digital wallet” into a physical artwork that incorporates the iPhone, it challenges and redefines our typical association with the phrase. This piece acts as a bridge between the age-old tradition of physical wallet (traditional concepts) with today’s modern tech(modern adaptations). It’s an idea starter, engaging people in observing objects in a fresh dialogue of the union of tradition with present innovations.
Initial Sketches
I picked my phone as the object to create surrealism piece. My first idea was turning my phone into a little robot with arm and and legs. Imaging how my device coming to life with legs popping out and expressing its expression on the screen. My idea was to 3D print the arms/legs and make them with joint so that they can move and pose in different ways. The screen would serve as the face, displaying a range of emotions.
My second thought, also my final thought, was creating a wallet with iPhones, taking off the fabrics off the sides of the wallet and replacing iPhones as the sides.
Inspiration: My apple pay - Digital Wallet --> My phone + Wallet
Drawing inspiration from my daily use of digital payments, I took a literal interpretation of "digital wallet" and created a physical wallet with iPhones. It would be fun a physical representation of a digital concept!
(APPSCHOPPER. (2020). What are the Different Types of Digital Wallets? APPSCHOPPER. Retrieved from https://www.appschopper.com/blog/types-of-digital-wallets/. )
Work In Progress
I decided to design a rectangular frame of wallet, allowing iPhones to seamlessly integrate as the longer edges. To kick things off, I measured the dimensions of my iPhone with caliper. I jotted down these measurements, along with the desired dimensions of the wallet with iPhone dimension/tolerances (~2mm) in a table for my own record. I began my CAD modeling, shown below, and 3D printed it in the makerspace. Regrettably, I forgot to take a picture for the fresh-out-of-printer piece.
At the moment I tried to put my phone into the slot, a problem showed up immediately. I did not take the camera thickness into consideration, which making the thickness of the phone not fitted into the slot. Now, I was at a crossroads: Do I reprint the entire model, eating up another 15 hours, or do I modify the existing piece? Being resourceful, I opted for the latter. I cut the top left corner of inner supporting walls with the size of the iPhone camera in the makerspace. Eventually, the design was back on track!
I found a elegant red leather fabric and dark wooden chain in Marshalls, and I began my fabrication journey! Below has included my progress of putting the fabric on the 3D printed part.
Complete Work
Ta-da!
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