Plausible Space

Blurring the Lines Between 2D and 3D Space

Doris Duanmu
MIT SMArchS 2023
Youtian Duan
MDes Tech 2024
Abigail Swallow
MDE 2024
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1 An example of a possible output of our grasshopper components.

Naturally, we understand our world in three dimensions. Translating from two dimensions to three dimensions can be perplexing, confusing, and difficult. As designers we are often asked to translate orthographic views into three-dimensional forms but what happens when this process is less straightforward and more abstract? Is a two-dimensional view really less or does the view provide more too? Oftentimes we think of the two-dimensional view as simpler but in reality, it can provide more depth and comprehensibility. This project is an experiment to understand when certain dimensional views provide more versus less. In this project we use optical illusions as a means of understanding and blurring the lines between two and three dimensions.

Project video
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2 Other orientations we can create.
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3 Our grasshopper definitions.