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Reclaimed Plastic Elephant

BRIEF

Research and select an endangered or extinct animal from a part of the world. Use found and reclaimed packaging—plastic containers you’ve collected —to create your animal while considering shape, size, proportions, volume, behavior, movement, repetition of pattern and texture, etc. Represent your animal’s essence through abstract forms.

SKILLS

Research 
Idea Sketching
3D Prototyping

TIMELINE

SUMMARY

3 weeks

This Asian elephant 3D product is made from reclaimed plastics and packaging material such as lotion bottles, milk cartons, and various containers, manipulated by cutting, and pin fastening. Through multiple attempts at building, I designed a way to mimic the movements of the elephant through flapping ears and an elongating trunk, emphasizing the character of the elephant's behavior.

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Process

The first step was researching and sketching from watching videos of the Asian elephant's walk and analyzing the trunk movement
 

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Breaking down the elephant's head into basic structures. Idea sketches for how to use different parts of plastic found at Creative Reuse and Construction Junction. Idea for using plastic bottles and cutting slits to see how it affects the movement of the trunk.​

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Model 1 and 2 with notes  after peer critique​

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Using more opaque white plastics and milk jugs to communicate the elephant's form

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More elephant form and movement studies

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Using Aveeno lotion, shampoo bottles, and air refreshener nozzles for more accurate formation of the elephant's trunk and head

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