Graduate Thesis - Summer 2016
Southern California Institute of Architecture
Dwayne Oyler
Individual Work
The Column, one of the most recognizable archetypal objects, is presented here as a critical benchmark in this ongoing thesis material research. Previously, this material, a combination of iron and epoxy, was experimented on at a safe, manageable scale, that of an object. This scale shift presents a new set of problems, techniques and variables that further emphasize the dynamic language that this material study has uncovered.
Maneuvered Attractions proposes that inherent material qualities and behaviors have the potential for production of particular architectural outcomes at various scales. In this research, iron filings are applied to a series of manipulated magnetic fields that allow for moments of control and freedom. Beginning with a series of experiments as a way of obtaining a more intimate understanding of the material, the project aims to demonstrate aesthetic, textural, and potential scalar qualities. This thesis emphasizes an importance of material and the technique(s) of creation, where the inherent material behaviors guide and inform the manipulation of the magnetic fields to generate a desired result.
