Annotations
Week 1
Citation:
Li, A. (n.d.). How to encounter a Puddle. Retrieved from https://volume-1.org/Triple-Canopy-How-to-Encounter-a-Puddle
Keywords:
Puddle, Accumulation, Residue
Summary:
“What began as impulsive photography shifted towards more intentional documentation”
Li noticed a recurring deposit of green liquid on her daily path commute, this color would regularly change day to day. For Li’s documentation she came up with 10 notes about the characteristics and peculiarities of the urban puddle and these were; puddles are documents, puddle are not neutral, water takes on any parent source, puddles represent transitional states, puddles reproduce the environment around them, puddles are playful, puddles thrive where infrastructure fails, puddles are biotic containers for precarious ecosystems, puddles are equivocal and finally puddles don’t exist in isolation.
Assess:
When the author said, “a puddle of mysterious liquids that varied in color from day to day.” It is common for filthy liquids to develop on an alleyway or sidewalk (commonly unpopulated streets), as streets like these get neglected compared to main streets/roads. As to the puddle varying in color also shows that it remained there for quite a while and got mixed with other liquid substances to display weird colors such as an oil.
Reflection:
It’s interesting for me that there’s more to know about the origins, characteristics and peculiarities of the urban puddles. After reading the text I just realized that when I see puddles, it reminded be back to when I was young (and reminds me of my childhood when I was still at my home country) how I love to see my parents driving through puddles and cause a huge plume of water to rise on both sides of the car.
As for someone who takes a lot of photos, puddles are another way of capturing a good representation of reflective photography and a good way of showing foregrounds. From my Design studio class for my first year, one of the photos I love that I took of my project was a reflection photo of my bath house, as this showed a connection between the inside of the space and the outside.
Week 2
Citation:
Condorelli, C. (2009). Support Structures: An Interview with Mark Cousins. Afterall: A Journal of Art, Context and Enquiry, Issue 24 (Summer 2010), pp. 118- 122. Retrieved from https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/655935
Keywords:
Summary:
“The following interview took place in preparation for the reader Support Structures (2009), a manual of things which can bear, sustain, prop or hold.”
Mark Cousins is Director of Histories and Theory at the Architectural Association, London. He identifies support as what philosophers call the condition of something. Such as scaffolding, it’s a temporary framework used to support people and material, it can hold a building and a city together. Cousins then addresses of what supports is “all bodies must have support, in the most general sense, in order to stand up. Support here is a consequence of gravity.”
Assess:
When the author said, “While the work of supporting might traditionally appear as subsequent, unessential and lacking value in itself, this manual attempt to restore attention to one of the neglected, yet crucial modes through which we apprehend and shape the world.” What I think they mean by that is, if a building isn’t propped up and is standing on its own it has no value to it as it is considered just a mess, compared to after it has been propped up and it can stand up on its own.
Reflection:
After reading the text the only support structure that I can think of was scaffoldings, but after week two of lecture it occurred to me that almost anything that can be seen, such as objects or buildings has its own support structure. For example, the table’s support structure are its own legs and for tomatoes to stand up to grow it needs a stake or a cage for it to help and stand. As a spatial designer, support structures are one of the crucial things that I must consider to all my designs for it to stand or to survive. As most structures are half built without them, because in my opinion I think almost everything in this world is dependent on something for it to prop up in which I would have to agree, as it can also applies to us people specifically children’s are dependent most on their parents while they are still young but once they get older they depend less on their parents due to independency.
Week 3
Citation:
Penny Sparke
The modern interior
Sparke, Penny. (2008). The modern interior. Part one: Inside out pp. 21-23. London: Reaktion Books
Keywords:
Victorian domesticity, nineteenth century, dwelling, modern interior,
Summary:
“The first five chapters of this book will focus on the domestic face of the modern interior, emphasizing the objects and spaces within it and the roles it performed.”
In the first part of Sparke’s book it talks about what modern was in the nineteenth century as people were addicted to dwelling. Typically, the spaces of Victorian domesticity were filled to the brim with items of comfortable, upholstered furniture, textiles on every available surface, bibelots on the mantelpiece, patterned carpets and potted plants. During this century semi-public and public spaces was invented such as cafes, restaurants, women’s club hotels, railway station, waiting room, train carriages and mental hospitals.
Assess:
When Sparke said “Typically the spaces of Victorian domesticity were filled to the brim with items of comfortable etc.” Sparke stated that bare room was considered to show a lack of taste. Hence to why Victorian interiors appeared to be a very busy environment when it comes to decorative arts, interior decoration and designs specifically objects that reflects the owner’s interests and aspirations, such as picture frames or paintings etc.
Reflection:
For me it’s interesting to see how people used to see what the word ‘modern’ used to be like compared to now and how it has changed over the centuries. As what I remember seeing from my grandparents or relatives house, where their walls were filled with at least either a picture frame/s or painting/s that would be 3 to 4 times bigger as your normal average picture frame nowadays. As a Filipino we would even have a painting of the last supper of new year’s dinner table, as this is our way of getting all our family and friends together and eat together to celebrate New year’s each year and this is always the good time to take a one whole family picture. While nowadays what I think of the word modern is that everything must coherent and must compliment as one change has an effect or ruin everything in the space.
Week 4
Citation:
Velden, Daniel. (2006). Research & Destroy: Graphic Design as Investigation. Retrieved from https://arena-attachments.s3.amazonaws.com/689386/8fec6149625962322cc9914342a57f46.pdf?1472187122
Keywords:
Summary:
It talked about how most people are still driven by their desire for luxury items needs, while alternatively you can get something similar but for a cheaper price, that can or also do the same thing but at a cheaper price range comparison. All these inventions went through prototypes phase to which it goes through technological development to what and how they are now. Every great/successful invention all starts of from graphic design.
Assess:
When the author said “Design is added value. En masse, designers throw themselves into desires instead of needs”. What I think he means by that is, people who invented luxury items/gadgets are more driven to inventing more and advance for people’s desires and demands of pointless things instead of needs, hence to why Velden said ” We no longer have any desire for design that is driven by need.”
Reflection:
After reading the text I would have to agree and disagree to the fact that Velden stated that designers and people throw themselves into desired items that can also be considered as luxury as for example in today generations latest mobile phones specifically such as Samsung and iPhones are considered to be the most desired mobile phones lately and also the most luxury mobile phone brands. As there are other mobile phones out there that can function the same thing as those two but for a better and cheaper price. Not only the price is a bit too pricey but it’s also a reliable and one of the most common brands when it comes to mobile phones as what you pay you pay is what you get. Nowadays how expensive an item is the more reliable it will be in the long term compared to an alternate, but some people are still driven by desire of designs that is not considered by their needs.
Summative Assessment II
Abstract + Contextual Practice Essay
Spatial Theory II
SPAD 603
Contextual Abstract
Does it really matter whether what type of material that was used or whether if it’s pleasing to the eyes?
My approach in studio practice for the Spatial Fabrications Studio brief this year is that I have sought to believe that Art is where designers have their own freedom to where they can freely express themselves and in based in all our practices, we sought to create a relationship with ourselves based on our experiences and interests to make an enriching the depth of my desire to design an intervention based on exploring and expanding myself out of my comfort zone of Spatial Design interests. As a result, this project has led me to explore beyond my horizons to learn something anew and to explore the different types of options I have. Thus, through my modelling for my studio practice I have designed an intervention which provides an experience to where people can escape from spending their lives living in dreary, grey-beige conformity it didn’t matter whether what material I use as along as it is endowed with a purpose. The intervention is presented through moment of intimate detail and the connection to what it has with the all the other designed no matter how big or small that is. As every artwork/masterpiece is an abstract and there’s always a reason behind every idea/design whether it is based on experiences or interests.
Contextual Text Informing Practice:
Sparke, Penny. (2008). The modern interior. Part one: Inside out pp. 21-23. London: Reaktion Books
Rendell, Jane. (2018). Feminism & architecture: Five particular qualities might characteristics a specifically feminist approach to critical spatial. Only resist Vol. 243 (Issue 1449), p8-18. 11p. 18 Color Photographs, 4 Black and White Photographs, 1 Diagram. Retrieved from: https://eds-bebscohost-com.ezproxy.aut.ac.nz/eds/detail/detail?vid=0&sid=e0d3efbb-860c-432a-b479568ed4ebc407%40pdc-vsessmgr03&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmU%3d#AN=128870014&db=vth
Velden, Daniel. (2006). Research & Destroy: Graphic Design as Investigation. Retrieved from: https://arenaattachments.s3.amazonaws.com/689386/8fec6149625962322cc9914342a57f46.pdf?14721871 22
Chan, Paul. (2009). What art is and where it belongs. In the return of religion and Other Myths: A Critical Reader in Contemporary Art. Retrieved from: https://www.eflux.com/journal/10/61356/what-art-is-and-where-it-belongs/
Contextual essay
From someone who grew up from a different country and would always visit their relatives’ and grandparent’s houses, I was able to grasp some ideas of how space/ things used to be designed back in the mid or late 90’s. This corresponds to when Penny Sparke said that “Typically the spaces of Victorian domesticity were filled to the brim with items of comfortable etc.” in which she stated that bare room/space was considered to show a lack of taste. Hence to why Victorian interiors appeared to be a very busy environment when it comes to decorative arts, interior decoration and designs specifically objects that reflects the owner’s interests and aspirations, such as picture frames or paintings etc. As what I remember from both of my grandparents’ and relatives’ houses is that they would have at least one big painting/photo of the whole family in one wall and or other old/ antique that they have they would try to display it as long as it had a sentimental to it. This also applies to public places that I’ve been to when I was a kid, from being exposed to those kinds of styles/designs I also thought that designs have to have some sort of memoir even if it wasn’t appealing to the eye, and that the materials that was used must be a good quality attributes(for e.g. antiques, or what type of wood it was used), in order for it to be considered as an art that is to be displayed as it is pleasing for others to see. That time I didn’t really know what minimal looked like, and people back then used to approach the word ‘modern’ in a totally different way compared to now. Even till now my mum is still obsessed with antique’s furniture’s (study table, sewing machine, drawers etc.) making our house rather crowded.
Not too long ago I’ve discovered my interest in the idea of minimal, a well thought out of design elements and how it complements the other designs without ornamentation or decoration thus reveals the true ‘essence of architecture/spatial design’. Architects such as Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, theorized that minimalism gave maximum power to the architectural space, such as the ‘less is more’ principle. In contrast to Penny Sparke’s state, the common characteristics of minimalist includes pure geometric forms, simple, limited and plain materials, near and straight components, repetition to give a sense of order and unification, simple open spaces and lastly clean lines. I also discovered my interest in the idea of modern, unlike minimalistic modernism is associated with function of buildings, approached from an analytical viewpoint, a rational use of materials and openness to structural innovation. Some of the main characteristics of modernist
buildings are components positions at 90 degrees to each other and an emphasis on horizontal and vertical lines, the use of reinforced concrete and steel, visual expression of the structure rather than hiding structural elements, rectangular, cylindrical and cubic shapes asymmetrical compositions, lack of ornaments, large windows, open plan floors and white or cream facades. Initially I thought that as long as the space is pleasing to the eyes then other people will be satisfied, because in my opinion the idea of using a lot of colours appears to be messy, chaotic and confusing in the human eyes. But I’ve also realized that this is not always the case on whether how the space is designed because according to Rendell Jane the “Spatial practices can be understood in terms of perception and representations of space in terms of conception” and also apparently “ Spatial practices can be understood in terms of perception and representations of space in terms of conception. As while I was working on my studio practice and looked at a few artists that uses colours I’ve also realized that you have to balance it out with a simple designs with it, in doing so using bold colours highlight’s the main focus of the whole space.
When I first enrolled into Spatial Design, as a designer I would initially already know what and how I would like to design each space based on my personal likes/interests, as I am given the power to design it how I would want it to be. But it never occurred to me on how the stakeholders are going to react to it, such as questions like “Is it appealing for other people?”, “Is it inviting?” “Does it give them the same feeling as I did when I’m in that space?” or “Is it safe?”. But after I finished first year of Spatial Design, I have realized that it’s not just the designer’s opinion that matters the most when it comes to ideas for the space and how the place should be designed, but also the stakeholder’s opinions matters too as they’ll be the one using the space. Hence to why it is important to listen to other people’s opinion and consider it for the final design. In this way as a designer we can manipulate or modify it if needed to better suit the other designs of the space, resulting in both parties benefitting from each other from knowing what they both like and opinions on things. One of the things that all designers go through is that we profit from these viewpoints from other people because as a designer myself, I get to learn new things and be more open minded in the future about my designs and how I’ll approach each space. According to Paul Chan sometimes it doesn’t matter to what material it is as long as it is endowed with purpose to why it is designed the way it is, to do this we show and tell the purpose of each design through process of sketches to show how each design/ideas have changed. Because I think being able to communicate well through designs process is a good way to show how our ways of thinking change while working on the design, after a month I have worked on my studio about 50% of my initial ideas was changed and this is because I was able to see my initial ideas into one.
For this year’s studio fabrication paper, we are asked to design an intervention for the St James Theater foyer space. For my design idea I wanted to step out of my comfort zone specifically my interests in minimalistic, so for my intervention proposal of the St James Theater foyer space I wanted to play around with bold colors. In contrast to my interest of minimalist the artist that I’ve chosen that inspired me to achieve my goal of experimenting with bright colours was Verner Panton according to this website that I’ve read about him, when Verner Panton said “The main purpose of my work is to provoke people into using their imagination. Most people spend their lives living in dreary, grey-beige conformity, mortally afraid of using colours, by experimenting with lights, colours, textiles and furniture and utilizing the latest technologies.” From what he stated I was convinced to prove myself that I wasn’t afraid stepping out of my comfort zone and use bold colours to my work. During this paper I learnt so many things about how colours compliments specific colours and how it’s important to use colours that compliments each other, such as like when Paul Chan said that “some art glows anew in the presence of other things, like a strange light bulb that draws invisible energy from the inert matter around it, to radiate from within its essential shape.” I think this because if colours are used correctly it can drastically change on how it looks. In my opinion I think art/design can also be considered as something luxury as passion, time, effort has been applied to it, and in most designer we are driven to present a well spent time in all of our work for people to be satisfied and pleased with what we have to present for them. In comparison to Daniel Velden article from Research & Destroy, I think that designers have a different concept of “driven by their desire” because as a designer we are driven on making our stakeholder’s desire’s come to life through our designs, better yet to surpass their standards. For my intervention I wanted to design a café intervention inside of the St James foyer space, during week 6 of my design process I noticed that the movement of my space is always in a straight line, so for this project while I’m at it with stepping out of my comfort zone I wanted to go above and beyond with it, thus I have designed the movement of my space to be like this slight wave movement and this movement is also applied to the shape of the front counter and the door handle for the foyer entrance. As part of choosing Verner Panton as an artist selection to get inspired from for my intervention, that means that not only using bold colours but also applying textiles and lights to my work. I’ve also considered accessibility thus to why I have designed an elevator inside of the space and a ramp (10 degrees) when entering the space, as according to the normal floor plan there’s one step before entering.
In conclusion the overall idea of my studio practice is that I wanted to design an intervention where people can chill and surround themselves with bright colourful colours as an escape from the normal dreary colours they see every day (specifically colours like white, black, sky blue, yellow and green), in doing so I have designed a café for my intervention using bold colours for each wall of the foyer space. While doing I was able to explore my different options such as colours.
Angel Gonzales 18022257
Angel 