First experiments with mesh
Our first attempts at building a cloud by hand, from plastic mesh and zip ties.
We finally got our hands on materials.
The plastic mesh (chicken fencing) is cheap, light and easy to cut and deform. Once deformed, zip ties can be used to hold together the shape. I liked to think of it like applying local constraints to the structure to hold that part in place.
We also tried chaining zip ties together and connecting distant parts of the structure together to apply global constraints on the structure.
Finally, to add rigidity to the structure, we discussed using wooden sticks through the loop of the zip ties, which we later tried, though it was easy enough to just weave the skewer through the holes of the mesh.
It was clear from this little experiment that working with the mesh in this way would be a particular skill we had to develop. It was hard to imagine what the shape of the mesh should be and how to cut it and add zip ties to get that shape just right.
Working with the mesh is reasonably forgiving, as you can cut it multiple times and reapply the zip ties as necessary.