How have I changed as a result of this experience?
A very important thing I learned in this assignment was letting go of things that are not working, even if I'm committed to the idea. I'm speaking mainly of the element gold cylinder. The day we chose materials that would work, the piece that most caught my attention was the golden drum and I started to create several possibilities of how I could associate that element so shiny in an interesting composition. But along the way I realized that material properties do not allow many changes soon after a critic in classroom I decided to leave the cylinder and I could open my eyes to other materials. Letting go and change your mind, sometimes it can be very difficult, but I think especially in this case, allowed me to explore more of the other elements.
     What parts of the experience were the most/least valuable and why?
A part of the experience that was more important to me was to understand what the assignment was. At first I was very worried about how to put together all the different pieces that I had and how they would relate. I was very worried that my stuff did not seem to relate very well, but during the process I stopped worrying about it and focused on the physical qualities of the material. Then I started to have fun with the different possibilities that each material offered and I struggled the most to get as far from the expected possible.
     How does what I learned relate to my other courses/co-curricular activities/ or to me as a person?
Actually, considering the physical properties of the materials we choose to work with is totally related to my course (architecture), in construction we are able to use various types of materials and often that choice is made purely for aesthetic reasons but when we begin to understand the properties of materials and meanings the final work becomes much more consistent and meaningful. This assignment for me reinforced this idea.
     What specific skills have I practiced/ do I need to develop to do a better job next time?
I learned a technique that is very simple and surprising: as stiffen fabric. With a mixture of glue and water I dipped the fabric of the dome lamp and got an interesting result, because the fibers of the material hardened making the set a strong structure. When I did this experiment, I did not know exactly what to expect because I did not know how the material would dry then I rode a wooden structure and tissues after diving I cast the material in this structure and let dry. I was extremely pleased to see (three days later) the experiment had worked!