Foundations Reflection.

As I've already mentioned my enthusiasm for next semester and my growth in designing, I will not mention it again. To date, I feel there is so much I still have to study and retain if I want to become not just a designer, but an effective one as well. This blog will now in turn become a blog for either my Presentation Techniques course, or my Residential one. I am considering creating another blog for fun alone. Happy Holiday's everyone and have a great new year.

Poster: Final

Poster: Pt. 1

For our final assignment, we are to work on 2 11x17 posters showcasing our past projects due tomorrow! I've been tossing up an idea of working with a concept, but I'm also trying to keep this simple. The semester will be done within a few days and I also plan on attending some of the senior capstone projects. I'll be posting 1 more blog of my posters, and a final post to reflect on this semester.

Kiosk: Final

Here is the presentation board and our final kiosk. For our class presentation, we also presented 3 elevation drawings, all 3 study models (the 3rd study model hasn't been mentioned, but it had all our final revisions for the final kiosk, so it looks just like the final kiosk), the larger version of our display (3"-1'-0" plexi glass wall) complete with a little model person to scale, holding a packaged postcard. I enjoyed contributing to this assignment as with our previous assignments. It isn't quite perfect, but I look forward to hone my communication skills.

Kiosk: Part 4

After the crit with Professor Volchansky, she gave us a different way of seeing our kiosk: a more accurate depiction of minimalism. Because of this we are killing off the TV's and agree that another set of pillars where the clear wall would be doesn't have to be necessary.. but the ceiling has to stay in place too! We wrestled with the idea of cutting actual glass, and somehow fibbing with thin plexi glass, but thanks to Richard, we got a nice quarter inch thick plexi glass cut for us in no time. He then took apart our original wooden model and put it all back together again. I have it home with me now and I have been sanding, cleaning, and caulking in, so it looks a little more polished now. Alicia is working on the plans, and I'll be working on a 3rd little study model representing our current final model (this one), and cutting the plexi for the larger display. Richard is getting the clear sheets of paper printed. Yao had his hardwork chucked, taken apart, and painted on, but his postcards look great and we look forward to the packaging.

We are narrowing down our concept and considering the concept of "1", since there is one object in the space, one skylight window, one shadow it creates, a oneness to this space. If we decide on this then our slogan will be changed from "Sent it Home" to "Send One Home". Thinking of the concept now does have it's flaws, perhaps we should have had some kind of idea at the very beginning, but the group and I like where this is going regardless.

Kiosk: Part 3

We had a constructive critique on tuesday about this wooden model, our final kiosk. We are considering taking the drawers out of the wooden cabinets and maybe taking out the display (with the foam cushion) out of the kiosk all together. This way, it be more in tune with our minimalist gallery concept. We also intend on making all the pieces white, with only the floor having some color because of the cork Richard will be laying down. The wall adjacent to the clear wall, will be a solid white wall (no more canvas curtains). The logo will be on the face. Yao will possibly be able to create some light packaging for the postcards as well.

Kiosk: Inspirations.

I have been thinking of some past exhibits I saw at the Hirshorn Museum of Art here in Washington DC. The first photograph is of a light installation by minimalist Dan Flavin. The second photograph is a lighting/photograph installation by artist Guido Van Der Werve. This exhibit was memorable to me. He used light sounds in juxtaposition with the lighting which made the photographs in front of it appear to be glowing, 3- Dimensional. This is making me consider that my group and I use lighting as well through the ceiling roof, since this is now an indoor kiosk, and natural light will not be going into it directly as planned. There was a coldness to this exhibit as well, but a beautiful one. In the room adjacent, there was a large screen showcasing several (long) short videos of a man standing out in the white arctic cold day through night.

Not much related to this assignment, I know. But I thought his usage of white was successful.

The third photograph is Yves Klein's "Le Vide", a rented floor, in a building on a busy street, with nothing in it, intentionally. He also created quirky sized monochromatic blue paintings and at first wasn't considered a credible artist.

"Why produce a work when it's so beautiful simply just to dream it?" - Y. Klein.

I like his crazy little quotes. I think he either sincerely meant this, or sincerely did not mean it.

Kiosk: Part 2

After creating several sketches of the revised kiosk, we settled on the 2nd sketch (2nd photograph). That Sunday, we created the model and added a person to scale and the TV sets.

Kiosk: Logo / Postcards

We've decided that the 4 of us each create 4 postcards each, totaling 16. Richard is doing night life DC, I'm doing "day life" DC, Yao is doing DC and children, and Alicia is doing DC gatherings and special events. The photographs from top to right: DC Arboretum, Botanical Gardens, Natural History Museum, and the Smithsonian Zoo.

Our slogan is "Send it Home."

Kiosk: Part 1

Simple

Minimal

White

Air

Gallery

Reflection

Winter

Cold

The Beauty in coldness

Stillness

= Capturing quiet moments

These are all traits the group and I are trying to embody with this kiosk. Many of us are minimalist-minded as well.

For the 5th assignment in this class, we have been instructed to create a kiosk with a display and register It would represent a place where a person can buy and sell their objects. Think of the tents at Eastern Market! We decided to go with a new object, a postcard. Our kiosk would be a place where you can buy and sell DC postcards.

The Sunday after we were given this assignment, we met up to construct our first models. We started out wanting to make this kiosk collapsable and able to be broken down and put back together, which would be practical in real life. At first, we were going in an organic approach. So we created a fluid like roof and considered working with silkscreen on canvas fabric. At first, we considered to make the display almost like a partition, but you could "push pin" (cringe..) the postcards on the display. During the process of making the models however, we decided o make the displays with storage space, and therefore created cabinet models. We loved the roof idea, but at the end of the next class, we realized it had no real purpose or real intention. We made a new model the next Sunday.

Display: Final

In the end, I decided to add a little hint of color which did bring out the beauty of my landscape idea. I stuck little pillars inside to space out the sheets of board. I wish you could see the lovely layers of color where the brochures are. I may take photos of this display at different angles and share them as well.

Display: Reflection

My goodness, I've seriously jumped around on my idea for this project. First, let me explain again what my display is. For my display, I decided to approach it in artistic way. I created a mountain inspired shelf that holds numerous maps. A map was an object that I chose to work with for the remainder of the semester. We all had to choose an object, and I am happy my object had some meat to it. The layers of "ground" is topographic model-making inspired. Ok, now to explain my display process.

I went from a general display case to a complicated wood structure, to now the one I am working on now, the museum board map shelf. Maybe this shelf isn't quite functional, but I wanted to steer clear from being too literal, and show that I do have design abilities. I have two variations that will be done for tomorrow's class. Pending on how much time I have to complete it (not much between now and then) I will either present this model in full scale, just museum board, or it will be completed in full, with hints of color.

Display: Pt. 4

Experimenting with the bristol, see where it would take me with my sketch in handy.

I furthered this idea, but to a much closer scale, and with tape.

Once I got the idea, I created one of my first final models, with an opening for my VA maps. It wasn't quite to scale though, so..

This is 100% to scale, I also created the two people and the desk it will be laying on, along with a very mini person on the model and drawn plants, you may have a hard time see that in the photo though.

Closer view of final model.

I am currently working on my display, will post photos soon.

Display: Pt. 3

This is long overdue, but thankfully my 3rd idea (this one) can now be posted. I will start off by sharing with you the viewer, my sketches that arrived to my final idea. At the final of my idea, I decided I wanted to create something that I learned from Professor Shertzer's model making class that I took over the summer. I'll be working topographically with the sheets of museum board placed vertically in my display. The foreground of my display is mountain inspired. Kindly view my next post which shows the evolution of my study models. The last photograph is my final study model, to scale.

Display: Inspirations.

Display: Pt. 2

2nd idea in top right corner.

2nd idea, different variations
My wood, today is day 5. Still drying.
Measurements for 2nd idea.

As much as I liked my previous idea, I would like to go with my 2nd idea. I would now like to design a brochure shelf (inspired by the Shenandoah mountains) with a hand-made sign in book and pen. I brought in the first image for Tuesday's class and immediately purchased some wood and gathered material's for Thursday's class. I started working on a layout of measurements for the piece. I then worked on a teenie little model, but at the end of class, I was confused as to how I could scale it down to size. Conclusion: I am just thinking way too hard! Who says I can't use my architectural scale in terms of inches instead of feet?

Since class I was searching and looking pretty desperately for a wood shop and lessons. But in my search, it was strongly recommended to me that I not attempt this curvaceous project without adequate time, know-how and experience. I was so set on wood, but no longer. I'm going to work with museum board and have scrapped another idea (the second idea almost) entirely, and have sketched several variations of the mountain shelf for m.b. For class on tuesday, I will present my revised sketches and create a few models, that's if it's work-in-class day. This should go along more smoothly now.