Dr. Farhana Safa wanted to be more creative when she left her job as an eye surgeon to enroll in the Vehicle Design course at the RCA.
“As a surgeon coming into car design, this project was born from the observation that across both disciplines, the tools we use directly influence the forms we create,” says Dr. Safa. “Could more experimental and intuitive 3D methods used right at the start of the design process prompt us to rethink how we shape a car?”
Her final project is not a concept car designed for any one company but a proposal for a new design tool using liquid metals to help save costs and time when developing a project: “Instead of consciously constructing or building up forms using static design methods, the initial form took shape by sculpting from a single volume; a fluid organic form was teased out by pulling, pushing, and contorting a sphere and this speed form was then worked onto an automotive package showcasing a seamless transition of surface. Details were directly influenced from liquid metal experiments forming channels linking the exterior and interior, displaying an honest material directed design.”
She calls the new design tool “a perfect marriage between clay and digital” methods, as the model can be passed around the studio and the design method provides tactile feedback for the designer.
