Slater Mill

Built in 1793, by Samuel Slater, an immigrant from England, Slater Mill was the first successful water powered, cotton spinning mill in North America located on the banks of the Blackstone River at Pawtucket Village. It is generally considered the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution in the United States.



It all starts with the water wheel so we will too. There is a system of dams and gates directing the water towards the wheel, but it takes a surprisingly small amount of water to get the thing moving. The wheel turns and rotates the shaft which provides the power for all the machines in the rooms above. Huge leather belts connect the various spinning gears and allow the operator to change the speeds and direction of the power.


The capabilities of the mill were pretty impressive. They could take a raw cotton bundle and process it all the way through to woven cloth. Below is a video of one of the most technically complicated weaving machines at the mill. It is designed to weave a narrow strip of ribbon with a decorative pattern. The pegged-boards control the movement of the harnesses which determine what color is showing at a particular point in the fabric.



Rhode Island was once the center of textile production in the US. Currently, only a few mills remain. The loss of industry combined with corruption has really hurt the state. It has the highest unemployment rate in the nation.

What is Micaelan Making?

So, it has been a while since I have reported on any projects and perhaps many of you are wondering "What is Micaelan making?" Well, I have a few projects up my sleeve that I will just go ahead and share in one big group.

Instead of working on any completely new projects, I am going back to some of my favorite ones from the past two years and taking them a step further. Specifically, I am looking back at the bent metal chair that tipped over and the ball of leather pieces held together with cord.


Even though I presented the metal chair as a final product, I always felt it was more of a prototype that would inform the final piece. For my thesis exhibition, I will be using this project to demonstrate the development of an idea from a 2D sketch to a series of full-scale, 3D models. I am currently in the process of using what I learned on the first two attempts and building a third "final" piece. I am using a 3D computer modeling software to try and work out some of the details before I commit to a final design and start building. We have a new 3D printer at the school so I can draw the piece on the computer and then use the printer to make a physical model. This technology is often called Rapid Prototyping and people make some pretty amazing things with this technology (see below).


I have been working on redoing the connections on the leather ball that I made in the fall. Originally, all of the leather pieces were held together with colored leather cord. I hadn't anticipated the weight that each cord would have to account for and it has gradually started deteriorating. I am replacing each leather cord with plastic-coated steel cable which should easily be able to handle the weight of the leather pieces. I still love the leather cord though and am working on some new ideas that will allow me to bring it back.



In this sample above I am using the leather cord to create a hinge between the two leather pieces. I was inspired by a visit to Slater Mill and the huge leather belts that power the machines (see subsequent post).

Field Trip

Field Trip! All of the second-years in the department headed to New York City this weekend for a jam-packed schedule of events. One of the main objectives of the trip was to visit shows and exhibitions and to talk with curators in the hopes that we would be able to bring some of that knowledge into the shows we each have to mount in the coming months. We started at the large design museums in the city and worked our way down in size to independent galleries. One of everyone's favorite shows was at a well-established gallery in Chelsea where the Japanese design collective, Nendo, was showing a large grouping of their Cabbage Chair. My favorite thing about this particular show was the number of different ways you could experience the work and the space (see video).



Day two was spent in Brooklyn where there are a ton of young designer/makers living and working. This area is probably the hub of furniture design in the US and there are quite a few RISD connections interspersed among the crowd. We visited with UM Project, a team of two guys who design and build furniture to sell in small batches. They also do interior design projects for stores and restaurants where they design the look and feel and then build the whole thing as well. Apparently, this is really where they make their money. Another interesting Brooklyn stop was at the recently opened VOOS Furniture. They take furniture on consignment from designers in the New York area and sell their work in the showroom at a cut of 65% to 35%. Usually the designer/gallery cut is 50%/50% but they are hoping to keep the prices of the finished goods down by giving the designers a higher cut. It is a great idea and I hope it works! The owner was very nice and eager to work with RISD graduates.