New design concept:

Due to the various failures in my plans, I have to make alterations to my final design concept.

According to the new design, I have removed the retractable flowy skirt and replaced it with 5 panels of aluminum weaving. I planned to make the aluminum panels curl up to meet the waist by incorporating a set of pulling mechanism to my dress. Also, I have subtracted the number of bulbous flower structure from six to two, which will be placed on both shoulders to create a sense of geometrical symmetry that will echo the orderliness of a warrior armour. At the same time, I am going to use the same means of pulling mechanism to open and close the petals of the two flowers attached to both shoulders.

The kinetic flower (continue):

I refer to a diamond template to create a more geometrical structure which will shut more neatly as compared to the previous structure I made with metal weaves.

To begin, I drew and cut out the template from a cardboard. Then I make creases along the folded line by scoring them on the outside with a penknife. After folding the structure to achieve the diamond form, I used duct tape to tape the open ends and stuck on aluminum sheets to cover the surface of the cardboard to give it a more metallic look. To give it a more finished look, I sprayed a layer of silver paint over the aluminum covered cardboard to cover any areas I did not manage to cover with the aluminum sheets. Next, I attached recycled pink and silver antistatic bag (conductive bag that protects electronic components from electrostatic charges during shipping) to the surface of the structure to add colours and a shiny surface texture to the petals.

Lastly, I connect the ends of the petals with a fishing line to the centre of the structure to allow the structure to be controlled mechanically. When I pull the strings at the centre of the structure, the petals will be pulled towards the vertical axis and be closed shut. In order to prevent the strings from coming apart, I made stoppers with conductive tape (because it is thicker than normal tape) which was the only available source to make stoppers at the point of time.