Crystal Lamps

Non-featured

Jan 19

Written By jenna frye

Explorations from the Hopkins Extreme Materials Institute (HEMI) artist residency.

a cluster of geometric lighted sculptures hang from the ceiling

Exhibition Date
February 2018 - May 2018

Partners
June Wicks

Disciplines
Mineralogy, Digital Fabrication

Location
Johns Hopkins University

During my time as the HEMI Artist in Residence, I spent the most time with Professor Wicks co-teaching a version of my Epic Fail course with a special topic of Mineralogy. Our idea was to develop hands-on projects that would support the topics in Mineralogy she was covering.

We designed three units:

1) Shapes: Creating custom vinyl masks to make mineral streak tests.

2) Solids: Exploring polyhedral dissection with puzzle cubes.

3) Frameworks: Creating folded foamcore lamps based on 3d symmetry of minerals.

two lighted sculptures in the shape of mineral crystal structures

a light up sculpture in the shape of a mineral crystal structure sits atop a desk

STEM does in fact need STEAM

diagram that shows a flat paper template of a garnet crystal and a drawing of the crystal folded up

The idea of Epic Fail: Mineralogy was to explore the ways that science can be taught through embodied art experiences. We hear so much about bringing STEM to art and design and less about how art is its own embodied way of learning that can aid/challenge any subject exploration.

Students reported that especially in regards to learning 3d symmetry that having to apply their theoretical knowledge to a physical reality challenged what they thought they understood.

Want to learn more about crystal symmetries and fold your own lamps? Check it out here!