Bridges Conference Helsinki, 2022 – Phillip C. Reiner x Stefano Arrighi

Sea Stellation is a speculative study of polyhedral deformation under pressure, developed in the Advanced Geometries Department with Stefano Arrighi. The work takes a rhombic triacontahedron stellation and deforms it as it might collapse under deep ocean pressure. The result is a geometric visualization of a late stage of pressure-induced collapse. The deformation was modeled so that the polyhedral structure remains readable while suggesting the action of uniform pressure. The investigation used finite-element or analogous methods to relate pressure field to vertex displacement and to choose a single snapshot for fabrication.

Research:
A rhombic triacontahedron stellation was used as the initial geometry. Pressure was applied conceptually (e.g. uniform or radial); vertex positions were updated according to a deformation model. The study compared different deformation rules and chose one that preserved recognisable polyhedral structure while suggesting collapse. The final form was 3D printed in plaster for the 2022 Bridges Conference.