Sound Wave
Title: Sound Wave, a Building STEAM project
Artist: Bland Hoke and Jackson Hole High School's Fab Lab Students
Date: 2015
Medium: Plywood, Felt
Location: Teton County Library
Funding by: Teton County Library Foundation with support from Walton Donor advised Fund of the Community Foundation of Jackson Hole, Center of Wonder C3 grant, Peter and Susan Ordway, and the Newton Family Foundation
“Soundwave” is the final product of a year-long collaboration between the Teton County Library, Jackson Hole Public Art, pARTners, and the Teton County School District through Building STEAM. Building STEAM projects teach students the entire design process. From defining a problem, empathizing with users, ideating solutions and prototyping their ideas to delivering a final project. Led by artist Bland Hoke, students in Jackson Hole High School's Fabrication Lab gained practical experience through the lens of making public art.
During an initial site, FabLab students spoke to stakeholders in the Teen Wing project, a group that included members of the Library and Library Foundation Boards and other library staff members. Students asked a wide-range of questions and presented early designs, many of which were mocked up as cardboard models and tracing paper sketches. With input from these groups, the students identified three primary issues with the space: sound, space and privacy.
In the course of presentations, students interacted with members of the board, identified next steps and demonstrated a high level of professionalism, thanks in part to meetings they had with TMBR Creative Agency and Carney Logan Burke Architects.
In addition to these presentation skills, Building STEAM students gained technical design skills and methods. By working toward a real end product, they methodically explored the use of equipment in the FabLab including 3D printing, laser cutting, milling and 3D scanning, as well as traditional building equipment found in the shop class. They visited the workshop of Robert Palomba, a local carpenter, to watch the pieces get laser cut and to assist with sanding. They also learned how to use a variety of software design programs including Sketch-Up, Illustrator, Autodesk Inventor, and CorelDraw. The entire project was designed and built in Jackson.
Images above by David Swift