ARCH1142 - Reflective Summary

Architectural Communications


Round 1 – Atlas of Colour
Round 2 – Drawing
Round 3 – Architecture in Motion

Atlas of Colour restated colour theory that I had learned in school yet placed it in the context of architecture and its effect in the built environment. The workshop introduced me to the medium of gouache paints, which was challenging as I rarely used paints even when I did study art, and while I noticed an improvement in my application of the medium during that time, it is an area which I need to develop further.

The Drawing workshop reaffirmed my naturally ‘graphic’ style of drawing and further increased my confidence and level of precision in my line work, in particular for presentation sections and elevations.

For my third workshop I was going to choose Fluid Thoughts to Actions, but Architecture in Motion was the only workshop which was not full - it also ended up being the most enjoyable workshop. It incorporated plenty of expressive drawing as well as model-making, so it ended up being the perfect fit to round out the two workshops that I had missed. I explored different drawing techniques – from graphic pen drawings, to hard and soft chalk and charcoal on blank white bond paper, trace paper, black paper, as well as building up photos. It was also completely different to the other workshops in that sequence was such an important part of the workshop - interactions with the built environment are never static, and this is a dimension that I felt was not addressed in other workshops.


As a form of communication, I have known for a long time the need for the clear expression of thoughts – “what good is a man’s thoughts to him if he cannot express them”, my teacher would say... or something along those lines.

I feel I have a good handle on a more precise and graphic style of drawing, and this does show through my drawings across all courses. I also know that there are limitations to this style of drawing, and that I need to develop areas of visual expression outside of this style.

The communications course has refined my graphic style, introduced me to new mediums and also showing me my weaknesses, as well as getting me to think of architecture in terms of the spatial experience. These skills will undoubtedly be built on constantly through the rest of my career.

ARCH1142 - Round 3 - Architecture in Motion

Architecture in Motion Workshop

chalk on black paper.

charcoal and chalk on photos.

pen with boxboard in relief.

I made this film during the midsession break, initially as 3 separate parts - the setting up of the drawing, the addition of reliefs and light beams, and the cracking and peeling back to reveal the model.

For the setting up of the drawing I utilised the graphic style that I had gained confidence in working with in the Drawing workshop. Only the light beam section appears in the final submission as I felt this was the most successful part of this film - the process for the rest of the film was important because I learned other relief techniques which I could use in future stop-motion projects.

This was my 'official' submission for the 2nd week of this workshop. I wanted to create the feel of rapid movement and the way light is perceived when doing so.

While the technique didn't work well with the concept, the drawn frames were the highlights and I eventually used the same technique on my final submission - charcoal and chalk worked onto photos of a model (the green colouring was not intentional in the beginning of this project, but it was effective in conveying the atmosphere and mood for the architecture so I continued to use this.

FINAL SUBMISSION.

While I had the techniques and styles of drawing set from the beginning of the workshop, I had to re-develop my spatial narrative, which resulted in having to redraw a lot of similar material.

Although the contents of this film could not occur in the real physical world, the greatest benefit from this workshop is that it has given me a platform to think of architecture and its experience in a more spatial manner, especially for design projects.

SPATIAL NARRATIVE:

The INTERACTION OF DIFFERENT ELEMENTS OF ARCHITECTURE and their inherently cyclical influence (the film has been made to be able to loop constantly), and LIGHT as a dynamic material, as creator of ambience, and as a suggestion of flow and direction.

The water ripples before forging a vortex; a growing light signals the end (or perhaps the beginning). Dumped into a freefall high above 4 columns, darkness envelopes you as you move towards them, yet as you round a column, a lamp has compromised the optimism of the architecture, offering instead an eeriness and a superficial refuge from the darkness. The failing light marks the end of an architectural element, yet this element gives rise to another.

OVERALL:

While I was intending on signing up for the Fluid... workshop, having now completed the Architecture in Motion workshop, I felt there was enough drawing and model-making to make up for missing out on both the Fluid... and the Model-making workshop. I definitely do not regret doing Architecture in Motion because I could use different mediums (cf. solely charcoal on white paper for example) as well as being able to digitally manipulate images. The nature of the film medium is that it constantly gets chopped and changed and I think this process is important to me because then I can't get 'attached' to ideas or images that simply do not work. Also, because a single picture may only last 1/4 of a second, it has helped me get around my tendencies to 'perfect' everything.

ARCH1142 - Round 2 - Drawing

Drawing Workshop

Tea CupGraphic hatching technique on curved surfaces.

Perspective (exercise)
Nothing new here.

Perspective (Seidler)
Experimentation with horizontal emphasis, shading areas of overhang (prior to the following exercise).

Shadows (exercise)
This would have been more helpful had I got this exercise before the previous task was done.

Final Presentation Poster
[warning: 321KB]
Theme: the horizontal.
Sections and elevations were a highlight, successfully conveying this theme. 3D was not well received.

OVERALL:

I developed and regained confidence in my graphic style of drawing (it has been lying dormant for about 3 years...) Knowing that this is a strength means that I can use these to my advantage in future projects. However, drawing with "computer-generated-precision" is not always desirable and recognising my limitations in other areas such as a more expressive style of drawing will help me to address the future development of my skills in these areas.

ARCH1142 - Round 1 - Atlas of Colour

Atlas of Colour

Navigation was taken in relation to the colour wheel, as a circular process which you could go 'backwards' and 'forwards' with no defined beginning or end. The atlas had one 'cover' on it, with its Pantone number 296 written in mirror-image to suggest that the other side of the 'cover' was the front.

Black ink, gouache paint on watercolour paper.

This was my introduction to gouache paints. I initially used the paint just as it came from the tube, but found this to be too dry for the purpose of this painting. Using it with water made it much more workable, ranging from opaque to a faint tint.

Tonal scales.
high/intermediate/low - major/minor

Balance.
Hume City Council.

The green decor moves the onlooker's eye around the buliding and upwards. [Part of the intention of this building's design was to encourage medium density bulidings of similar height in the area.]

Rhythm.
Albury Cultural Centre.

Harmony; and contrast.
Commonwealth Kiosk.

Having to make sure that it did not blatantly compete with both Government buildings and the waterfront in Canberrra, this design uses colour harmony in tube forms (which disperse light like a skylight) that contrast with the humble materiality of the facade seen in elevation.

OVERALL:

Atlas of Colour revived colour theory that I had first been taught in early highschool. It showcased architecture that uses colour effectively (which can at times be rare), as well as installation artworks by Janet Laurence. Further, the knowledge of colour theory can help to analyse what a building is trying to achieve with its use of colour and tone. Having only just been introduced to gouache paints, I still need to develop my skills with paint mediums in general, but there is still a noticable improvement in the use of the medium from the first painting (second image in portrait) to the Hume City Council building, where I have used tone in a more subtle manner to express changes in direction of elements and the related variances in light and shade.

Final UT for EXP3 (FileFront)

Final Image Captures

[products. compartmentalise.]

[walking the plank]

Job's makes his products seem so desirable from the outside. Yet he makes sure that no one can see the underhanded methods he uses to get to that spot. No words will come out of the hidden production area, lest the speaker fall from the sky.

Power. The world. It spins. Just as dynamic as the cogs of a well-oiled consumer market. And also just as precarious of a position if you were to be depending on threads that weren't so thick to begin with.

The death of Giovanni, signified by the cross of the window. Yet the family legacy lives on and continues as a reflection in Donatella. The power remains within the name despite his death. Donatella needed to be able to rise up and become seen again as her own person (the glass bridge) to be able to stand next to her brother, yet autonomously, in the same power that he held.

Other Movers

the constant changing consumer market. up. down. left. right. 180.

the link between the production and consumer side

the marketing strategies constanly change as meetings take place and then disband

[The meeting place itself was supposed to rotate, but troubles arose when figuring out how to get an avatar into a rotating prism, so instead...] the 'threads' twist.

Table and Movers (Google Warehouse)

linky mc link link (DOWNLOAD!)

Table and Movers

Table

The tables are interlinked around a globe.

Versace's side has raised sides and two near-identical front ornaments indicating the power that surrounds the family name. It has symmetry about one axis and heavy set legs to represent a foundation that gives rise to consistency in power.

Jobs' half is balanced on a single point, cantilevering against the giant claw which serves to take over the globe and bring back profits to his side. His partner would sit on the right of him, slightly forward of him. Jobs can then watch his partner test the water before he risks himself. The razor edges at the partner's position indicate a possible danger to them.

(in sketchup)

Jobs' Mover

(see "Jobs' Mover in UT" for the concept)

Versace's Mover

The two interlinked spirals represent the family power. The left half is raised above the right half to signify Donatella Versace's growth after the death of her brother.

Draft 3 - Peer Marking

Draft 3 - v88 (FileFront)

Draft 3 - Textures

Textures in UT

fluid#6 (right)
consumers are targeted and pulled in

erratic#4 (white) + linear#5 (red)
a harsh environment under Jobs' power

linear#2
a pull towards success with the risk of entrapment

rotational#2 (purple)
smooth caressing lines mark the family ties

rotational#3 (outside) + scalar#2 (inside)
the world turns even if we don't realise it, and domination is lurking

predictable#5 (left) + fluid#4 (right)
the rigidity under Giovani...

fluid#4
...turns to flowing success once free

Table and Mover Ideas

Table Ideas

Versace's Mover Ideas

Draft 2 - v60 (FileFront)

Draft 2 - Versace

Idea in UT

Versace and Meeting Place Ideas

Following on from the 2nd page of 't' perspective ideas:

The iPod Nano <3 Lanyard X ...

...gives me ideas for my meeting place,
linking both Jobs (iPod) and Versace (necklace, grandeur).

Fashion and the feminine figure are also an influence.

A constrast of Donatella before and after Giovanni's death influences the facade's glazing. Less glazing on the left (Donatella is hidden), more on the right (after 'discovering' herself).

Frames of opposed windows reflect Giovanni's death (cross) and Donatella's newly opened door (cross-hatched to a door-frame shape).
Movement is from Giovanni's (left) side, rising into the limelight of the catwalk, and returning to her own half (right) to a state of power similar to that of her brother's.