Well, that was a very quick week. The first project - wearable architecture - has been put to bed, for better or for worse. Our next project, a.k.a draw the Cathedral, starts next week. There really isn’t anything else to report.
Told you it was quick.
Well, our first project - bodyscapes_a, a.k.a “wearable architecture” is drawing to a close. We had our ‘formative review’ (’crit’) yesterday, which was a new experience for me at least. We all pinned our work up on allocated wall spaces - posters, photos, spatial notations - and then funnelled into the crit room to present our films & digital copies of our work, receiving verbal feedback from the 5 tutors.
Even though these were group presentations, it was a long day. However, seeing what everyone else had gotten up to was very interesting, and it was good to see classmates/colleagues/friends receive positive feedback from the tutors. I certainly also felt a sense of relief, as now we know what bits and pieces we need to finalise or refine prior to portfolio submission.
Things that I wish to work on next week include:
Create a new film - this one was very rough and ready, a bit too jerky. I’ll scrap the tripod (kept sticking whilst trying to pan) next time and just hold the camera. Also, ensure this time we actually have a soundtrack, and a good one at that.
Nail down why we chose the shell - what it does in relation to the infra-ordinary.
Explain the significance of the geometry of the shell, as well as the use of materials.
Modify the geometry to it is a little more comfortable for Niccolò to wear. Also, cut a hole so he can be an actual turtle!
Today I’m heading to Brighton for a training day. Getting back in touch with those activist roots. We’ll see if this proves fruitful…
Just a quick update.
We hit some snags, but the team being as awesome as they are have figured their way around them. Issues have included:
bits not fitting together
awkward cutting angles
seemingly impossible cutting angles
joining issues - wood splitting being the most common
overconfident plans (my bad) - we couldn’t fit Niccolò in the shell at first - the rear frame was too low
All being well we’ll be taking it out for testing tomorrow, and do our observational research as well.
Well, this was a busy, trying, stressful, “headdesk” inducing week.
But hugs were had all round by the end of Thursday. Why? We came up with our (almost) final model/concept, received Rob’s approval, and also cleared things up with Rob re: the way the group was working.
The organic shape is out - we all agreed it was too much like a box (as in, the thing male cricket players wear for “comfort”). We returned to Mohammed’s idea (which we originally discarded after a poo-pooing, turns out there was a misunderstanding), of an irregularly faceted shape. Niccolò & Mohammed played with that concept some more - coming up with the stick model, althought there were disagreements about the best course of action, we got there in the end.
With the model in hand, on the Friday I started a technical drawing of it, incorporating a suggestion from Rob (the tutor, if that wasn’t clear) regarding the influence of posture/the human body - that is, affecting a curve or somesuch at an appropriate point. Due to the nature of the change, and the fact that the model had broken by that stage, the final drawing is not identical. It is however the way foward.
I then resorted to graph paper to gather and plot the 3-dimensional co-ordinates of each of the nodes (the points at which the timbers meet) in order to work out exactly how long these pieces of timber will need to be cut. I love using formulas in Excel. Here, have some formula porn:
=(SUM((VLOOKUP(F3,$A$3:$D$20,2,FALSE)-VLOOKUP(G3,$A$3:$D$20,2,FALSE))^2,(VLOOKUP(F3,$A$3:$D$20,3,FALSE)-VLOOKUP(G3,$A$3:$D$20,3,FALSE))^2,(VLOOKUP(F3,$A$3:$D$20,4,FALSE)-VLOOKUP(G3,$A$3:$D$20,4,FALSE))^2))^0.5
Uhuh.
On Monday we have our Architectural Technologies lecture, and I hope to be able to get all of this cut at least on Tuesday. That leaves us Wednesday & Thursday for assembly, Friday & the weekend for Testing. I can’t even remember which “week” this is anymore. It may be week 4, maybe not.
Till next time *waves*.
So, we’re currently looking into the idea of creating a ‘shell’ that will provide the wearer solace whilst disrupting the circulation of people around it. However, we’ve got a few issues with this idea:
How do we get the wearer to experience this disruption given that by wearing this shell, they are completely isolated?
Is this isolation even what we’re hoping to achieve - let alone within the scope of the brief. Bare in mind that the brief wishes to amplify the mundane & disrupt the everyday - both for the wearer and those around it.
I did however just have a brainwave (good or bad, time will tell) - what could this shell represent? Homelessness, dispondency, dispossession. Or at least, that is the theory.
Creation of this shell is going to be an interesting experience - I was struggling to come up with maquettes, let alone scale models that would represent the structure.
In the meantime, I’ve done more reading around Yakisugi House & Terunobu Fujimori, for the Cultural Context case study. Some interesting tidbits - Fujimori started as an Architectural Historian, and recevied his first commission to design a museum in his home town of Chino City. Fujimori is also fascinated with prehistoric caves - their form as well as the practicalities of how ancient humans lived. This has informed many of his designs - including Yakisugi House (literal translation - ‘Burnt Cedar’ House).
Ok.
I’ve struggled to settle into this course for multiple reasons. Worse than during Foundation year. But hey, life happens.
So, where are we? We are in the 3rd week of the course, and 2nd week (Phase_002) of Bodyscapes_a, a.k.a “Wearable Architecture”. What is our goal for this week? Finish off research work from last week - our group’s focus is still that of Circulation & Portals, and how the public interact with, and experience, said portals and circulations. The group’s current idea focuses on a mobile arch, combined with negating the wearer’s sight whilst amplifying and focusing the audiatory sensation of people traversing portals.
Along with this project, we have a case study of a house as part of the Cultural Context brief - mine is “Yakisugi House” by Terunobu Fujimori; and we also have the continuing Architectural Technology lectures (btw, lecturer is awesome - just don’t be late).