Design Experiments Freestanding

Overview

In the first lesson of Flat to Freestanding, students investigate how flat and recycled materials can become stable, three-dimensional forms without glue. They use rapid prototyping to explore joining methods, balance, mass and negative space, while drawing respectfully on structural ideas from local architecture, whakairo and contemporary Māori and Pasifika forms without copying sacred designs.

Learning intentions

Students will:

• investigate how folds, tabs, slots and interlocking joins create strength
• generate and test several sculptural possibilities
• use maquettes to solve problems of balance, mass and negative space
• communicate design decisions through labelled sketches, annotations and discussion
• work safely, sustainably and respectfully with materials and cultural references

Success criteria

• I can produce at least three labelled structural experiments.
• I can explain how each joining method changes stability or visual impact.
• I can test and revise a small maquette, selecting one workable direction.
• I can document what I learned from success and failure using sketches and annotations.

Curriculum links

• Visual Arts — Developing Practical Knowledge: explore materials, processes, techniques and structural properties through making.
• Visual Arts — Developing Ideas: generate, test, refine and evaluate visual ideas through iterative design.
• Visual Arts — Communicating and Interpreting: use form, silhouette, mass and negative space to communicate intentions.
• Visual Arts — Understanding the Arts in Context: connect structural ideas to local, Māori and Pasifika visual and built environments with attribution and respect.

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Introduce the challenge. Teacher opens with the challenge and success-criteria slides, explaining that students must transform flat or recycled materials into a freestanding sculpture without glue; students sketch one initial structural idea and identify a possible stability problem.

Establish the constraints: use recyclable materials where possible, no adhesives, make rather than copy, and improve ideas through testing. Introduce the success criteria and vocabulary: freestanding, maquette, prototype, structure, stability, balance, mass, negative space, tab, slot, fold, interlocking join, tension, compression, silhouette, craftsmanship and iteration.

2. 5–12 min · Observe and model. Teacher shows examples of stable and unstable forms using the stable-versus-unstable examples, then models a quick card-fold test, including a tab, slot and interlocking cut. Students predict which form will stand, observe the teacher gently tapping each test, and explain the evidence for their prediction.

Ask: “Where is the centre of mass?” and “What makes this joint stronger or weaker?” Emphasise that a prototype is a test, not a finished artwork.

3. 12–20 min · Discuss respectful inspiration. Teacher uses the local structures and respectful inspiration slides to prompt discussion of local buildings, bridges, woven structures, whakairo and contemporary Māori and Pasifika architecture. Students identify visible ideas such as repetition, rhythm, layering, strong silhouettes, balance and negative space, then record one structural idea they could investigate rather than copy.

Make clear that students should research and attribute sources, avoid copying sacred or protected designs, and respond to structural principles respectfully. Ask: “How could negative space guide the viewer’s eye?” and “How can inspiration be acknowledged without reproducing a design?”

4. 20–40 min · Make three structural experiments. Teacher demonstrates the rapid-experiment process using the prototype instructions and joining-method diagrams, distributes the structural experiments design sheet, and circulates with the observation checklist. Students work individually or in pairs to make three small tests from card or paper.

Each experiment must use a labelled joining method and deliberately alter one feature, such as the width of a slot, the direction of a fold, the amount of mass or the size of negative space. Students test each prototype by gently tapping the table, then record what happened and what they would change. Prompt with: “What happens when a slot is too wide?” and “What have you learned from failure?”

5. 40–50 min · Build and stress-test a maquette. Teacher asks students to select the most promising experiment, combine or revise parts where useful, and model safe stress-testing. Students build a small maquette without glue, checking its base, centre of mass, silhouette and open spaces; they gently tap the table and make at least one revision.

Reinforce safety: carry scissors point-down, cut away from the body on mats, fold or cap wire ends, use hole punches carefully, contain scraps and walk safely. Confer with students using: “What is making this lean?” and “Where could tension or compression improve the structure?”

6. 50–57 min · Document and share. Teacher returns to the documentation and peer-explanation slides and prompts students to photograph or sketch their three tests and maquette. Students complete the worksheet annotations, explaining one successful and one unsuccessful test, then share their selected direction with a partner using evidence from testing.

7. 57–60 min · Exit reflection. Teacher displays the final prompt on the reflection slide. Students respond on the bottom of the worksheet: “Which structural discovery will influence your final sculpture, and what will you change next time?” Collect sheets and prototypes for the next lesson.

Resources

• the complete design-experiments slide deck
• the structural experiments design sheet
• Recycled card and paper
• Paper tubes, thin cardboard, wire and string
• Scissors, rulers, pencils and erasers
• Hole punches and cutting mats
• Shared reference images of local structures and respectful Māori and Pasifika contexts
• Camera or tablet for photographing prototypes
• Scrap trays or collection boxes

Assessment

• Use an observation checklist during making to assess safe tool use, purposeful experimentation and respectful collaboration.
• Check for three labelled prototypes, clear identification of joining methods, evidence of testing, and an annotated maquette design sheet.
• Listen for verbal explanations of one successful and one unsuccessful test; use the exit reflection to identify each student’s next design decision.

Differentiation

• Provide pre-drawn nets, tab-and-slot templates, thicker card, worked examples and vocabulary cards with simple definitions and visual cues.
• Offer peer pairing, teacher conferencing and sentence starters: “This joint is stronger because…”, “The form became less stable when…” and “I will revise…”.
• Allow students with fine-motor or processing needs to use larger materials, pre-cut components, adapted scissors, extra planning time or a photographed verbal explanation.
• Challenge confident students to combine two joining systems, test asymmetrical balance and complete a timed redesign, while still documenting the evidence for their decisions.