- Training Preparatory Entertainment
- Promotion 2020
Disguise to sublimate, here is an original theme to which the students of Prépa Entertainment in Lyon were subjected. They imagined and created fabulous tricks using simple sheets of polystyrene and cardboard.
The tower has long been a symbol in itself: a protective fortification, a technological feat for engineers, a world record… Reflecting its era and technological progress, this construction has taken on many guises over the centuries. Some of the most famous are the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Empire State Building in New York and the world record holder, the Khalifa Tower in Dubai.
There is also the art of magnifying materials. To erect their monument, the students had to use basic elements whose glamour and aesthetic appeal are not immediately obvious. And yet, imagination and ignoring preconceptions enabled the ugly duckling to be transformed into a sublime swan.
Inspired by this construction, teacher Arnaud Quere asked his Prépa Entertainment students to create their own version of the tower, while hiding the original components.
SUBJECT OF THE EXERCISE
Design and build a tower of your choice using the materials specified. It will be possible to use other elements to complete the creation.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE EXERCISE
- Make a tower in volume,
- Use cardboard and polystyrene,
- Use nails or string only to complete the work,
- The design of the tower is free.
EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVE
This project encourages students to think about an element in 3 dimensions and to model it in real life, starting with a 2D drawing. This enables them to think about their construction techniques in order to materialise their projection.
In this way, they were able to think about a construction that would be credible in the manufacturing process. Working on the model helps them to see what is possible – or not – to do, what weaknesses exist, and what areas need to be optimised, unlike 2D paper, which does not take into account the constraints of the laws of physics.
Finally, work on the colours and textures to finalise the whole and give the illusion of realism in relation to the different materials represented. And in doing so, masking the origin of the materials used to design the tower. A real work of goldsmith combining patience, observation and multiple tests.
TECHNIQUE(S)
Polystyrene & cardboard, paint, nails & string.
