The Critter Cube Community Project’s Beginning.
For 2011, and hopefully longer, the GJCAE Community Present will be the Critter Cube Stories. Teacher and creator, Ian Sands, is beginning to construct 30 Critter Cubes and Critter stories to be displayed in Wake Forest, N.C. The Critter Cubes are cubes with colored graphics that can be turned over and with each turn a new story begins. The project is intended to be interactive with the community and encourage verbal and written expression using the stories created by the arrangement of the cubes. The Graham Johnson Cultural Arts Endowment has financed the first 4 Critter Cube Stories and in 2011 plans to encourage further development of the project throughout the surrounds of Wake Forest.
Below is a pictorial of the beginning quest to identify the most suitable way to create this project. Ian shows the progression of Critter Cube design.
Here is the latest test pilot Critter Cube. This cube is 2’x2’x2′ and constructed out of lightweight plywood. The cube is light enough for an adult to move but still heavy enough to withstand strong winds or theft minded villains.
The nice people at Lowe’s Home improvement sliced the plywood into 2’x2′ pieces. All I needed to do was nail the boards together.
Next, I gave the box a good coating of white paint.
The concept behind Critter Cube is that 6 cubes would stack together to form a story. I.e. one box would have 6 different heads, another box would have 6 different bodies. Since this box is for demo purposes, I painted one of each of the 6 box illustrations on the 6 sides of this single box…. Confused? 🙂
Finally, I gave Critter Cube some much needed color. I’m really happy with Critter Cube. My only concern is that it might be a little too heavy to move easily. I’ll weigh it tomorrow. At any rate, this cube came out much better than the fiberglass boxes I tried earlier and less expensive to manufacture.
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1 Comments, Yay!:
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Bob Johnson, Peddler said…
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Ian, do you think the "scraping" that will occur when the cubes are being turned over, around etc. will scratch the surface and destroy the art?
Just a fyi that another thought is may be too heavy for a business to take in and out daily so is it possible to put a rod in one set, ex. up 3 cubes and then the cubes rotate for scenes yet the bottom where the rod is attached is on heavy base?? Just thinking out loud on the project.
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