Psyche Beaded

Year: 2023-2024
Artist: Danielle Gu
University: University Of Texas At Austin
Major: Business And Art History
Title: Psyche Beaded
Tags: Spacecraft
Genre: Glass beads, copper wire, wood
Category: physical 3D
Current Location: Unsure
Description: My project is a beaded sculpture of the Psyche spacecraft, mounted on top of a hollow wooden block. In creating this project, I wanted to challenge myself to create a sculpture out of a new medium. I have worked with beads in the past, especially in jewelry, but I knew that sculpture and 3D forms would provide a different challenge.

As I began this sculpture, I started with the 3D cube in the center, which contains the thrusters, sun sensor, X-Band High Gain antenna, and more on the real spacecraft. I used a peyote stitch technique and created two halves of the cube that I later stitched together. Then, I created two solar arrays out of chrome and silver bugle beads that I attached through the middle of the cube, creating the spacecraft. Finally, I placed the spacecraft on a wire prong on top of the wooden cube, completing the sculpture! Throughout the process, I also consulted several diagrams of the spacecraft to build accurate proportions into the final product.
Artwork Link: https://psyche.asu.edu/gallery/psyche-beaded/