This log reflects on a significant and time-consuming phase of practice-led research, focused on correcting the severe functional and aesthetic failures identified in my previous semester’s doll. This work (on the wings and feet) was particularly challenging as “limited references” exist for such beast-like components, forcing me to rely almost entirely on my own iterative problem-solving. My critical diagnosis of the previous doll was that its joints were “unreasonable”: the wings were so “heavy” and “big” that they would “collapse” (塌下去) despite wire supports, a critical failure I identified as stemming from “insufficient internal tension” and a flawed “connection structure.” Aesthetically, they were also “too bulky” (太笨重了), creating a “severe proportional imbalance” (比例很失衡) against the small torso. My solution, which I spent the better part of this month refining, was to completely “re-engineer” these parts—I modified their material “thickness” and internal joint mechanisms to finally achieve stable articulation. This same critical lens was applied to the feet; I identified the original ankle as inflexible and a poor aesthetic “match,” which led to the necessary decision to “completely redo” (全部重做了) the entire joint mechanism for this new version.
chuyun lu‘s 