Sam Nicastro: Main Project Plans and Inspirations

Main Project Plans and Inspirations

I think that my personal aesthetic draws from many different areas. The most prominent aesthetic that I have always been fond of is that of early cartoons, such as Looney Tunes and Disney. That said, I already used that aesthetic for my upcycle project, so I’ll choose something else that’s similar and from the same time period. Art Deco comes to mind. Much of the simplicity and lighting from these cartoons is also present in Art Deco artwork and architecture. All things in Art Deco look sleek, whether it’s something that moves, like a train or boat, or it’s a building. I’ve always been interested in trains and everything involving them, so I’d like to focus on train-related things for my project.

The above image shows an Art Deco-style poster for the Trans-Australian railway. This image is from Commonwealth Railways and was uploaded to Wikimedia Commons, 1951.

When I was a child, my dad indoctrinated me with all things trains. His favorite train when he was a child was the New York Central J3A Hudson. In the 1930s, several of these locomotives were covered in streamlining that was designed by Henry Dreyfuss, earning them the name “Dreyfuss Hudsons.” These elegantly designed locomotives were a quintessential part of the Art Deco era. Unfortunately, none of these beautiful locomotives survive today, but most modern streamlined trains take some inspiration from them.

My project will be a celebration of the things I love about Art Deco. It will be a small diorama to sit on a shelf, which includes allusions to trains, space, and train stations. I want to use color to make everything look antique but at the same time an exploration of what the future might look like. The Incredibles movies have a similar aesthetic. Instead of Art Deco, these films have a mid-century modern aesthetic, which is also what I would consider to be a past generation’s vision for the future. The project will center around a pendulum with a swinging monorail. The monorail will swing between 2 simple train stations. I will construct it with wood and 3D printed parts.