M.A.B.E.L. stands for Mobile Arts Based Engagement Lab, a movable art studio that brings art and education into the community. Promoting engagement and empowerment of neighborhoods through connection and creativity. Daedalus Design and Creative Catalyst worked together for 2 years on the design. Considering how best to serve the people and provide flexibility in the design so that future programming could be incorporated with ease. We achieved this in the trailer with a set of folding tables along one side that were set at different heights so that everyone had access to participate along with a peg board system for displays. On the other side there is a storage wall with a french cleat system to hold all the materials for the programs. This french cleat system provided us with a great amount of flexibility in how to the lab could be arranged to best serve whichever program was being brought out to the public. Along the front of the trailer is additional storage, a work table and open cabinets that function as either more storage or as display cases to provide examples of finished projects and give inspiration. Along with the trailer outfitting there were also pieces designed to travel with MABEL, a teaser panel and the Big Table. The teaser panel mimics the design elements on the interior of the trailer, providing a chalk board with which to provide instruction or provide a surface and prompt for people’s engagement. The Big Table is a set of 3 tables and 6 benches that provide more than just a place to gather around. Like the trailer, the Big Table is needing to be flexible in its use, the tables were built so that they could also be used as platforms and the benches as audience seating for performance art engagements. The Big Table will grow and age with its community, as people spill paint and take markers past the paper they will add a mark to the table, in time the Big Table will become its own community art piece. MABEL was built in Spring of 2020 and its value as a tool for human connection became ever more important. As restrictions started to lift and people started to engage again MABEL could provide that human connection while being a safe space to keep Covid-19 at bay. This project is a beautiful collaboration of community-first design, not only in its function but also through the design and build process.
M.A.B.E.L. stands for Mobile Arts Based Engagement Lab. It was imagined by Jen Gastelum, leader of the Creative Catalyst group at the Mesa Arts Center.
This side of the trailer is lined with folding desks and pegboards for storage and display
This wall features a french cleat system that allowed us to achieve the flexibility we wanted in the space.
These tables serve to not only be tables but are also able to become platforms for performance art during engagements.
This is a staircase I designed and built for a good friend to reach the loft area of their renovated garage/casita. The challenge in design was to reach the height of the loft in a very small footprint and keep the tread length and height comfortable. Using Solidworks to 3D model the staircase I could make sure I kept the staircase within the allotted footprint and calculate material needs. It also was invaluable in the design process allowing the client to see clearly what would be created before spending money on materials.
Intended only to be temporary during construction it was left in place much longer.
There are a couple of youngsters who live here. I wanted to add in a way for them to play. This void under the stairs does not offer much in practical use but certainly could be explored by them and their very active imaginations.
Artie is an art cart inspired by the Paletero carts filled with sweet treats and snacks that walk the neighborhood. Filled with art supplies Artie allows community art engagement to happen on a personal level. Easy to haul and a simple setup allows Artie to popup in tandem with other community engagement. The cart table can be folded out and extended, allowing for more participation and is simple to collapse. This was a project that provided the opportunity to experiment with the creative process and learn new techniques that can be applied on future projects.
I work closely with the client in brainstorming concepts and ideas on paper and in the computer.
The Mesa Prototyping Festival is a partnership with the Mesa Arts Center(MAC), Arizona State University(ASU) and the local community near the MAC campus. Students from the interior design program at ASU worked with elementary students, teachers and parents to design installations that would actively reflect and interact with the community. The project was started in the Spring semester of 2020 and was forced to halt as a result of Covid-19. All the installations were in various stages of completion when quarantine restrictions were put in place. To salvage the project once restrictions were lifting Daedalus Design was asked to figure out how to get 3 of the 6 installations finished and installed for a festival in the Fall of 2021. This required sorting through the jumble that was 6 unfinished projects, assess what pieces belonged to which project, what was left to complete the design, and which could be finished within the time and budget available. It was essentially a giant puzzle and there were instances in which I needed to make design choices for the project and try to keep it in line with the original intent of the design. This was a one-evening only event, all 3 of these installations were to be stripped of usable materials and scrapped. The events success made it so that by the end of that evening I came up with a plan with the event coordinators to re-design one of the pieces so that it could be a mobile art installation and continue to engage with the community.
I practice woodworking on both large and small scales. I love playing board games and creating quality wood boards brings together my skills and passions on a personal level.
6-player side of a Taki board
4-player side of a Taki board
Epoxy and wood Taki board
Colored pencil on wood
Mancala board with found objects used for pieces
While working as an engineer at Stone and Steel I was heavily involved in our special projects. This was a sink design I worked with a client on that was a potential new sink for hairdressers to clean the long hair of their clients efficiently and without clogging up the drain during rinsing. I used 3D modeling to interface with the client and their vision for design and the fabricators who would form the material into the final shape. I also was hands on with the final assembly for the sink, using a CNC router and 3D printer to shape the organic flow of the parts.
Valley of the Sun United Way reached out to Daedalus Design to design and build some garden beds for a senior activity center. The beds are on casters so that they can easily be moved, the height is raised to aid in the care of the gardeners backs. I used Solidworks to model the project, calculate materials and generate drawings for fabrication. Some of the parts for these beds needed to be outsourced for fabrication, clear and concise drawings were very important to prevent material and labor waste.
Scrap Scribble is a new addition to MABEL, it is used to have artists engage with community members through the portal hole. The front side is covered with peg board to be used for displays or artwork. The back is covered with chalk paint, there are embedded inserts in the frame to hold the desk in at different heights depending upon who is using it. Everything is assembled with knobs, no tools are required, and the piece easily folds up for transport and storage.
Using CAD programs is essential for me to envision the “how” in my building process. Working with clients or students who might have difficulty envisioning the design I can be clear in ways that words cannot. It is important to be clear and convey everything necessary to create something, especially when there are multiple people involved in a project. When I have worked as a CAD drafter in which I cannot have direct access to clients it is imperative that the work is clear so that the end result will be successful.
My undergraduate work focused on scenic design and construction. Starting work in the scene shop on campus I learned methods of construction both in wood and metal. Each semester had us put on at least 3 shows, giving me many opportunities to apply my skills and hone them. As a professional I worked in other higher education institutions as a technical director for their theatre departments. As a Technical Director I was responsible for not only creating the shop drawings, procuring materials, and building the sets. I worked closely with students to teach them in safe shop etiquette and methodology for achieving reality of the designs they had on paper.
It took 5 puppeteers to operate the dragon with the lead operating not only head movements, she was also responsible for controlling the mouth and eyes. I used clay to model the head and then built a foam billet to carve out the final shape of the head. Her skin was the same material as the actor’s dress who voiced the dragon.
Daenerys (the dragon) was nominated for an AriZoni Theatre Award of Excellence in Properties Design.
Winner of the 2015 AriZoni Theatre Award of excellence in Scenic Design. This story tells the life of a small town woman coming to New York in 1922 and finding her way in the turn of the century society. The design was inspired by the contemporary art movements of the early 20th century. Looking to artists such as Ferdnand Leger, Wassily Kandinky and Stuart Davis the design is meant to reflect and consider those ideals presented in those movements.
The Performing Arts Center at Mesa Community College finished construction in 2014. The space is designed not only for theatrical performances, it hosts graduations, music performances and more, so the stage is void of a distinct proscenium found in most theatres. I worked closely with the Technical Director of the show to create this proscenium so that it could be used in future.performances.
These desks were an original design of mine that looked to reflect the visual arts coming out during that time period. Many artists were questioning what art is and as such many of their work reflected a sense of connecting to the fundamentals of design. I worked with the primary colors and shapes to find this design.
This story moves through memories of the protagonist during a single event in his life. The design intends to be cerebral, fluid, the triangular patterns of the walls light up to symoblize the firing of neurons. The furniture can transform onstage and all scenic transitions happened with light so that we could try and recreate the feeling of a memory or dream transforming in your mind.
The Mamma Mia set design considered the character Sam the architect and how he might have approached deign as a student growing up in the 60’s and 70’s. I looked to architectural designs in Greece during this time as well as the considerations that might have been in place in the field with regard to modernism, and the Case Study House Program distinguished in Arts and Architecture Magazine to find inspirations.
My early work in professional theatre was as a fabricator. Working with both metal and wood to construct set pieces.
This set was built for travel, using knobs and inserts it can be quickly assembled by two without tools and breaks down small for easy transport.
This set put Sherwood Forest inside an abandoned warehouse that the Robin and his gang played around in.
The Mesa Arts Center hosts community events and classes throughout the year. In 2019 Daedalus Design was asked to provide some grass furniture and light up metal cacti for their 2019 Fall Kickoff event. After the event the cacti were used as inspiration/instruction for their metal working class and the students created their own cacti.
In the Spring of 2020 I remodeled my bathroom from the antiquated original layout. I removed the tub and widened the shower, tiled the shower walls in white subway tiles and used small black hexagon tiles for the floor that crawl over the berm and fade into small white hexagon tiles for the rest of the bathroom floor. Removing the old sink and cabinet and replacing it with a floating double faucet sink, making it easier to clean the floors. Installed a new light fixture, medicine cabinet and storage cabinets on the walls, repainted the room and installed a barn door. By replacing the door from a hinged door to a sliding one I was able to claim additional space not had before in that room.
Daedalus Design has done multiple painting projects for both commercial and residential spaces. Focusing on quality of materials and technique these spaces have been energized in ways they weren’t before.
