The Origin

Posted by GUNPOWDERBLUE On March 19, 2008 0 Comment

The ‘Origin’ concept was based on the idea of a modular ‘A’ vehicle that disassembled to form smaller ‘B’ vehicles. It was a very enjoyable project as each person in our team had complimentary skills and we really got the best out of each other – we had the correct balance of design vision, technical/ergonomic understanding, illustration skills, technical drawing skills and digital/physical modelling skills. I particularly enjoyed the development of the technical aesthetic. We all put ideas on the table, then two of us went away and made sketch models that incorporated them. We then met up again, repeating this process until we had several generations of models that evolved into something that was agreed on by the whole team. The final rendition was mine, and I then moved with a different teammate into producing the chavant clay model, which in turn we used to guide the digital modeller.

The name ‘Origin’ relates to DNA, tying in with the idea of the building blocks (of life), and the twist of DNA strands could be interpreted as being represented by the continuous, twisting ‘mobius’ strip that forms most of the extraneous visual structure around the cabin.

Whilst sculpting the clay, we listened to a lot of Vangelis, and Blade Runner (again, with its relation to the creation of life) became a bit of a theme/in-joke. “Do you like our owl?” would become our standard enquiry to each other and bemused visitors. I decided to surprise the team by presenting the final artwork in the style of Syd Mead’s Blade Runner concept art. Of course, with my underlying interest in film and production design, it was a great excuse to do some concept art. The piece is an illustration with an alcohol marker base, then Karisma crayon, further marker ink, and white paint.

You’ll often find ‘hidden’ words and pictures in my drawings. There are 4 angles of the vehicle illustrated in the picture if you look carefully.