Second Shift is an exploration into the idea of sustainable innovation through the use and subversion of preexisting materials. These types of materials were used to invent a solution to the time-consuming, analogue technique of stippling. Inspired by homemade tattoo machines, the resulting machine was jerry-rigged using various secondhand components such as a marker tube, roofing nails, and a tablespoon. This machine was then integrated into the development of a large scale, ink illustration. The values reflected in the illustration stem from concerns regarding environmental exploitation that results from Man’s constant harvesting and manufacturing of new materials and resources. The use of this machine in the illustration is merely one example of how the repurposing of preexisting materials can benefit the development toward a more sustainable future.
The following video was displayed alongside the final illustration and stippling machine during the Ohio University Graphic Design thesis exhibition, Wobble. The primary function of the video was to educate the viewer about the construction and implementation of the machine in the analogue illustration process.