Shapeshifting – The art of hand-making surfboards
Suggestions for curriculum related activity
Introduction
This case study examines the practice of surfboard shaping and manufacture within the wider context of surfing as a leisure activity. Issues that are addressed in the case study include:
- Hand made versus mass produced boards
- globalisation of the sport
- machine manufacture
- foam 'blank' industry
- Client interaction during the process
- Customized construction versus 'off-the-shelf' selection
- Shape forming and board construction
- facilities, materials and tools
- the physics of design
- relationship between form, functionality and material properties
- Material choice
- Traditional wood boards
- Polyurethane foam cores / polyester resins and fiberglass skins
- Experimentation with hi tech materials
- Safer options - EPS foam / water based resins
- life cycle issues / sustainable consumption
- Social aspects
- the surfing culture
- globalization
- consumerism
- environmental protection
- changing values
In this Curriculum Links section we first identify curriculum terminology and achievement objective that arise from this case study – see Linking to the Curriculum.
This is followed by comprehensive links to webpages and videos to provide additional contexts which could be explored by senior students to address the above objectives:
