File:01 Midterm Presentation SeoyeonLee.pdf
Small Stones In Concrete: A Data Research and Visualization Project
MOTIVATION
The project Concrete began with a simple moment: while collecting small stones in front of my house, I accidentally picked up a piece of concrete, mistaking it for a stone. When I realized that it was not a stone but concrete, I found myself thinking, “It really looks like a stone.” This led me to a series of questions: What makes a stone a stone? Why can this object not be considered a stone? Interestingly, the concrete itself contained many small, real stones. Despite holding so many stones within it, why can this mass not be a stone? As these questions accumulated in my mind, I began this project as an exploration of what fundamentally defines a stone.
EXPERIMENT
To examine the essence of concrete, I visited a Bio Lab and observed concrete under a microscope. Inside, I found countless small stones, and around them, even traces of moss were growing, making it appear as if a small world existed within. Through this process, I became increasingly interested in these small stones. It led me to wonder whether these tiny elements might actually be what supports the concrete itself. In fact, concrete is made by mixing water, cement, and aggregates such as gravel and sand. These small stones, in particular, are essential for giving concrete its strength and durability, preventing it from easily breaking apart. Although they are too small to be clearly recognized without a microscope, the presence of these countless tiny stones ultimately makes the existence of concrete possible.
