Group of 2 | School Assignment | Product Redesign | March 2022 | 4 weeks
___________________________________________
Project Context
Description
In this project, you and your partner will use chess rules, mechanics, and goals as the game system; the focus of this design is to use the system as a potential for a new narrative device. Your goals are to leverage the system and rules, the goals that drives player interactions, and the unique mechanics of each piece to structure a new story drawn from the classic game.
When redesigning pieces for chess, my partner and I, Kyleigh Pugh, followed a nature versus man-made theme focusing on the endangerment of bees. This would result in two opposing sides: one, with a hive of honeybees hanging from a tree with the flowers they pollinate, and the other presenting the man-made dangers that follow them. We utilized the laser cutter for this project and used plywood to tie back into the natural theme and give it an organic texture. The function and symbolism of each chess piece is what led to our decisions when redesigning them, while also keeping in mind the specific movements in chess.
Pawn: Worker Bee
The pawns are expendable in chess; in a hive, the worker bees (females who aren’t able to reproduce) are the most populated and do things like take care of the queen and hive. They are our frontline. Mid-flight, honey is oozing from their comb to create the weighted base and play into the fleeting appreciation of their efforts.
Process
Early tests for making bees using cross lap joints.
