Cascade
The repeating forms stack easily for packaging and can be arranged in multiple layouts that allow for dynamic play with the wave pattern. The piece allows users to compose their space the same way they could compose a piece of music, making the studio not only function as an instrument, but feel like one as well.
I wanted to take what I knew about songwriting and develop it into an object.
I began by translating musical concepts from music into design language. I thought that this would be an interesting exercise. I also referred to the fine arts for inspiration, specifically looking at artists that had musical backgrounds to see how they had approached the problem.
I had looked at the precedent set by Wasilly Kandinsky, Brian Eno, and Iannis Xenakis, who all blended music and design.
Inspired by their work, I worked on some abstract sketches about how music could be visualized. The idea of the motif became a central point that I began to work off of.
I was drawn to the motif because it balances repetition and variation. An idea that translated naturally into a system where a single form could repeat, shift, and recombine to create different spatial phrases. This idea later became a set of physical rules that guided the form and logic of the project.
Working on developing that space, I realized quickly that a pain point is cable management and acoustics. With instruments, microphones, and everything else all needing to be plugged in and moved around, cables could quickly overwhelm the sense of stability and comfort. Also within a limited space, the acoustics could become harsh and exhausting very quickly.
I sought to address both of these friction points with this project, hoping that it would make creativity flow easier. These became my design parameters going forward.
Interestingly, these issues mirrored musical concerns as well! Too much visual noise disrupted focus the same way sonic noise disrupts a mix, while poor acoustics made collaboration feel tense rather than fluid.
With that information, and my design goals, I made some cardboard prototypes to explore form. I referred back to my abstract sketches and began developing the concept into reality.
The idea was to conceal the cables behind a panel system, while also diffusing the harshest frequencies in a small room. The wave form emerged as a physical translation of the motif. It is continuous, rhythmic, and directional while also serving a practical role by increasing surface complexity for diffusion and creating pockets for cable concealment.
Like musical phrases, the panels are designed to read individually or as part of a larger sequence, allowing installations to feel sparse and rhythmic or dense and harmonic depending on the needs of the space.
To make the prototype I built two jigs, one that was a mold for the bending ply and one that was a router template. I would have loved to do this on a cnc, but didn’t have access to that machinery so I had to make do with what I had access to.
I designed this project to be repeatable and consistent in production, and to have minimal waste. This repeatability was intentional. Not just for efficiency, but as a reflection of the musical system behind the project, where a limited set of elements can generate complex outcomes through repetition and variation.
The concept really came together, where I was able to create a compositional piece that functioned exactly how it needed to in the environment it was designed for. For me, I was able to blend craft, concept, and environment into a beautiful design that I am very excited about.
However, there is still lots of work to do with this project! I would like to refine the rail system and fully develop how it would be installed into a studio space. Refining the rail system is critical, as stability and silence are just as important visually as they are acoustically! Any unwanted movement or noise breaks the sense of calm the system is meant to support.
Overall, Cascade became a way for me to apply musical thinking; motif, rhythm, composition, not just as metaphor, but as a practical framework for designing, fabricating, and inhabiting a creative space.