AVA GARFINKEL
This project was one that I wanted to do to create a unique and meaningful Christmas gift for my parents. When I asked my dad to describe his interests so that I could find a gift to make for him, he responded with "my family, good essence, and spiritual balance." While not the most helpful response in the world, his response of "spiritual balance" reminded me of zen gardens and how they could act as a grounding activity to do during a busy day. I knew neither of my parents would be interested in a typical zen garden with fake stones and bushes to arrange, so I started exploring different types of zen gardens to see how I could make one with a more tactile experience.
CONCEPT
I started my research by just searching for zen gardens online. While most of them depicted classic zen gardens that used rakes and other tools to arrange the sand, I found a couple unique ones that I wanted to model my design after. These zen gardens depicted simple patterned spheres that could be rolled in the sand to make unique patterns, and I thought this would be the perfect way to achieve the tactile experience I was aiming for. With this inspiration, I began working to bring my vision to life.
Zen garden inspiration
From Amazon
Zen garden inspiration
From Olander Earthworks
PROCESS
The first thing I did to make this idea come to life was settle on the materials I was going to use. I quickly decided that the base of the garden would be made out of wood, since I have experience working with it and it would probably be the easiest material to use. For the spheres, I decided I wanted to use a medium I had never worked with before - concrete. I wanted the spheres to have a good amount of weight to them as well as some natural texture, and concrete seemed like the most accessible way to achieve both of these. Since the spheres would take significantly more time, those are what I started on first.
Once modeled, I 3D printed all the spheres in two halves.
Once the silicone molds were complete, I moved on to pouring concrete into each one. Once all the concrete had cured, I lined up each half of the sphere and adhered them together using cement. Finally, I delicately went in with more cement over where the two halves lined up to hide the seam. This process took a decent amount of trial and error to determine the correct water to concrete ratio, but once figured out all the molds turned out great.
Sphere 1
3D printed spheres halves
In order to make these spheres out of concrete, I decided that I would have to make silicone molds of each sphere and pour concrete into them. I would do each half of the sphere separately, and then put them together and cover the seam with more cement. I did a test of the silicone solution I bought to ensure it would work to create accurate molds of each sphere. Once confirmed, I spent time creating molds of each half of the spheres.
I started the process of making the spheres by modeling them in Fusion 360. I decided I wanted 4 spheres with unique textures to make different patterns in the sand. Below are the models I was able to come up with, all designed considering the patterns they would make in the sand.
Sphere 2
Sphere 3
Sphere 4
Silicone test
All silicone molds
Mold making process
Concrete pouring process
Completed concrete sphere
Cured concrete halves
Seam sealing process
Now that the concrete spheres were complete, I moved on to working on the base for the zen garden. I was able to purchase a wooden circle from a craft store that was about the right size, so all I had to do was hollow out the center to make a place for the sand to go. I started by using a large drill bit to quickly hollow out the majority of the center and set the drill press height to make sure the depth was correct. After this was done, I used both a table router and a hand router to even out the base and make an even boarder along the rim. Finally, I sanded out the edges to give the base a hand-crafted look and feel.
Completed circular base
The final step was to paint everything. I picked neutral earthy colors for each of the concrete spheres and complimentary colors for the bases. Once painted, I poured sand into the center and watched the concrete spheres make patterns in the sand.
PRODUCT
The completed zen garden is a soothing, calming, and tactile experience that my parents can use to help ground themselves throughout the day. Each sphere makes a unique pattern in the sand, and the sound of the concrete across the sand adds to the experience as a whole. My parents loved the gift, and I'm excited to see how the object lives in their home.
