Cong Yu Zhao
Unique Structure
Prompt: This project consists of two parts. The first involves studying artist Tony Smith’s TAU structure and creating a 12 inch TAU structure using a unique material of your choice. The second part is “Create a Unique Structure,” where we first made a paper prototype and then selected a material to create the final version, which tends to be a functional object.
This project explores how light, color, and structure can transform a simple geometric form into something more dynamic and spatial. In the first section, I worked with colored triangular glass pieces to build a TAU structure. I was interested in how light passes through glass and creates shifting hues, so instead of treating color as surface decoration, I used it as something that changes depending on light and viewing angle. Each equilateral triangle is made of 81 small pieces, which creates a dense, almost mosaic-like surface. What makes this structure more flexible is that it can stand on different faces, so it does not have a single fixed orientation. It changes depending on how it is placed, which was important for me because I didn’t want the form to feel static. In the second part, I shifted from flat surfaces to a more volumetric form. I folded Bristol board into polygonal faces and assembled them into a sphere-like structure. This one focuses more on interior space. I added painted patterns on the surface, but kept the inside a deep blue so the internal light becomes more visible. The touch-sensitive light inside activates the piece, and when it is turned on, it projects light outward while also illuminating the interior. The suspended wire allows it to exist slightly off the ground, making it feel less like an object and more like a light-based form in space. Overall, this project is about how material, structure, and light interact, and how a geometric system can become something more atmospheric through small changes.