My reverse engineering project is an industrial aesthetic of two aluminum brackets scrapped from the Precision Laser Diagnostics Laboratory at CU Boulder. Below are images of the brackets being used and a 3D model of the design concept to give a good understanding of the project feel free to look at my previous posts to get a better understanding of the project at large.

Image of physical brackets being used as the upcycled material

Image of 3D model of the design concept

The inverse aesthetic of this project would be a nature aesthetic because the natural opposition to industrialism and industrial design is natural design. When it comes to these opposites it is quite common to implement some natural aspects into an industrial design like having plants and greenery inside of an industrial landscape to give a focal point of contrast in the overall profile of the artifact. Below is an amazing example of this combination of the two aesthetics together:

credit of image from: https://nazmiyalantiquerugs.com/blog/what-is-nature-centric-biophilic-interior-design/

Adding this green into the aesthetic really makes a strong attention-grabbing pull and it actually reminds me of why parks and green space in large cities are so appealing to its residents. With this concept, I started to think about how I could incorporate the natural aesthetic into my personal project and make it feel more natural than industrial. In order to first embrace this aesthetic I would wrap my fiber cords that are holding the floating bracket up with a vine-like material. Below is an example of what this wrapping look would be able to look like:

image sourced from: https://www.amazon.com/WINGOFFLY-Organizer-System-Management-2Leaves/dp/B07SQ25HRN

I believe this change will quickly start to move my project aesthetic look away from industrial and towards a natural aesthetic. A second change that I would make to my upcycling project to cement my aesthetic to being natural is I would rust the aluminum from my project artificially to go away from it look like a newly made piece of metal. This change would give the understanding that the material has been taken over by nature and make the project feel as if the green is growing out of a piece that has been given to nature.

This thought experiment has been very fun to think about just how it would be possible to transform the aesthetic and in return the meaning of the artifact just by making a few key changes to the project.