“EDEN’S EYE” + “MATTR MAKR”
The apothecary of the 22nd century, brought to you today!
The above photo and banner photo on the main page are courtesy of SCAD.
BEGINNINGS
Our team of 11 was tasked to create a full-scale set with props in the back of our building for a prop design elective class, in the space of 19 days.
The team included Ben Chung (myself), Grant Dyer, Cole Fungaroli, Tye Johnson, Tristan Telman, Elijah Terrell, Lissie Vining, Kaitlin Westbrook, Elena Webb, and Tiffany Zhang.
How might we transform an unused area of SCAD’s Gulfstream Center for Design into the world of a space station 100 years in the future?
IMAGINING THE WORLD
After a few brainstorming sessions, our team used the following mission statement to describe the world we were about to create & inform its design:
OCTOBER 2120: The last century has been one of major change for citizens of Earth. We have begun our final reach into the unknown with massive space faring structures capable of sustaining human life in the cold vacuum of space. One of these stations, the ISS Gulfstream, has begun its journey with 5,000 souls aboard to the Alpha Centauri star system. As mankind’s first interstellar colonization effort heads toward its final destination, the citizens of the ISS Gulfstream must make the most of their multi-generational journey.
We used ideas of multicultural blends, genetic modification and biohacking, & mildly dystopian politics to inform our designs.
MY CONTRIBUTION: MATTR MAKR Vending Machine
We began by sketching concepts of products & objects one might see in our new world, & the idea of mine that stood out was a futuristic vending machine. I researched the size, configuration, & contents of present vending machines, then applied those qualities to the future we had envisioned.
Next, with the help of several teammates, I prototyped the machine’s basic shape and size out of wood and Masonite.
Left to right: milling 4” holes from Illustrator template; test fitting plastic paneling; hot gluing acrylic windows; test fitting Christmas lights & gluing PVC pipes to hold items; gluing sandblasted acrylic pieces & Christmas lights into final positions.
Left to right: Bare + spackled MDF / acrylic / wood; greebles and primer applied; masked for color painting; colors painted; masking tape removed & PVC pipes installed.
FINAL CONCEPT
Final prototype with props, vinyl decals, resin cast buttons, kitbashed greebles, found objects, & aerated soda cans. Lit with 300 Christmas lights.
The MATTR MAKR is a government-mandated, 3D printing vending machine that prints food, drink & toys from specially formulated CMYK Anymaterial. Just press the button next to the item you want, scan your fingerprint on the AppsungPay box, & voilá! Your chosen item will materialize before your eyes in under a minute, guaranteed! Pick it up from the correctly-colored dispenser box when it’s done, and you’ll be on your way to a government-approved day!
GALLERY: Vending Machine Items
GALLERY: Dispensers, Fingerprint Scanner, Details
GALLERY: Selected Artifacts by Ben Chung
GALLERY: Eden’s Eye Set
In addition to the vending machine, I participated in general set building & prop fabrication with the rest of the team. We painted the set to match the colors we often see in the Gulfstream Center for Design, then weathered it to give it a sense of age & space station “griminess”. Photos below courtesy of SCAD unless otherwise noted.
Want to talk more about this project? Send me a message & I'll tell you all about it.