Music & 3D Modeling: From James Brown to Architecture

Watch PBS “How James Brown Invented Funk”:

https://www.pbs.org/articles/2019/02/black-history-month-gets-off-to-a-funky-start-with-james-brown

After watching this episode, here is a key takeaway for discussion: JB let the rhythmic pattern drive his singing. How did he use rhythm in his music?

Left: Quilt from Gee’s Bend, Alabama; Right: Music visual of James Brown’s “Cold Sweat”

Scholars such as James A. Snead and Maude Southwell-Wahlman have written about the improvisational nature of black music (i.e., jazz, funk, rhythm & blues) and African-American quilts that, more than any other American visual art, most fully visualize the expressive force of black music.

Watch video clip about the Gee’s Bend quilters: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqhueIb9TnA

Compare and contrast the two images above; how are they alike? How do they represent pattern and rhythm or multiple rhythms?

Have students create their own 2D designs based on a Gee’s Bend-inspired quilt pattern (image files are attached).

Import bitmap (PNG) file into Inkscape; for Image Import Type choose “link” and click “OK”

Click on “Path” and “Trace Bitmap.” Play around with the settings to create a simple graphic

Click “Object” and “ungroup”

Click “File” > “Save As…” and chose “Optimized SVG”

Click “Save”; make sure first four boxes are checked and the rest unchecked

Click “Ok”

Watch the tutorial here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cZk08x_rAI

Sign in to use Tinkercad 3D; click the “Import” button.

Choose the SVG file; you may have to change the dimensions to fit (under 1000mm)

Click the center box and drag upwards with the mouse to extrude (make taller) the flat shape

Click the “Export” button to save the model as an STL file

Click the Import button and open the STL file

Choose a Construction Technique such as “Stacked Slices” or

Choose Material Size, select or enter height and width of the material to be laser cut

Choose Get Plans and choose the “File Type” at the bottom of the center document window (i.e., PDF); click “Export to My Computer”

Open the PDF in Acrobat and choose your laser cutter’s vector settings based on the selected material (i.e., cardboard, foam core)

Laser cut the plan and assemble the physical model using hot glue

Tip: Follow the model guide in the Slicer program to match the numbered parts

African Americans artists such as Olalekan Jeyifous and Xenobia Bailey straddle the boundary between the speculative and the real; making use of simple shapes to create public structures. Jeyifous is a Brooklyn-Based architect/artist who creates architecturally-inspired illustrations and conceptual videos. Bailey’s practice industrializes the visual aesthetic of “Cosmic-Funk,” practiced by African-American homemakers since Emancipation, into utilitarian “Funktional” design.

Watch a short video about Olalekan Jeyifous’ works here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TO3p6xV0laY

Watch a short video about Xenobia Bailey’s latest work here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1Q9wAoCdCk

Read this quote by an architect:

Improvisation was key in the creation of James Brown’s music and traditional African American quilts. The artist/performer responded to what was put down before; they responded to the previous pattern or sequence with a new shape or sound.

As a final step, re-assemble or remix the physical shapes from the previous step to create ‘funktional’ architectural structures or sculptures (see example below). Refer to examples by Olalekan Jeyifous or Xenobia Bailey for reference.