Hannah Mahony-Hayes: 2008

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Architecture in Motion - Reflection

I really enjoyed the process of developing a spatial narrative and the feedback was very helpful with this process. I liked that we had the choice to work based on the model or drawing. I based my work on my model however I think that this did lead to the temptation to have a variety of slightly different perceptive drawings and thus the need to produce multiple drawings to adding the drawing element to the film. I also had difficultly incorporating my chosen medium –watercolour – into my photographed images. However, I still feel the watercolour suited the context of the space – submerged in water – and created a visually pleasing atmosphere to the space when combined with my photographed images. I enjoyed working with 2D reliefs and watching other stop motion films being formed. I learnt that rougher drawings and models work just as well as precise drawing and models, perhaps even better where the roughness added to the atmosphere of a stop motion film. I enjoyed the process and look forward to refining this skill in the future.

Architecture in Motion - Final Submission (Week 4)

For the final submission in week 4 I worked on the drawing element of my spatial narrative. I found that while the watercolour gave a nice effect in the context of the space, did not work over prints of my model I had photographed. Therefore, I found it challenging to combine the model and drawing elements of my stop motion film. I decided to create a separate watercolour wash that I could overlay onto my photographs using Photoshop. This lead to the creation of several watercolour washes that had a roughness, partly in order to add a noticeable difference when overlaid on the photographs and partly to be able to produce several for submission. The beginning of my stop motion film starts with a purely watercolour 2D relief that opens up to my model beyond. I tried to incorporate subtraction in my film through the flickering of the light on the floor, using a washed out black acrylic paint and white acrylic paint for subtraction. I used this paint again at the end of my film to add darkness to the space beyond the window discovered in the column.

My final 3 sentence narrative was:
“At sunset you discover a room of endless pillars submerged in translucent water. The shadows flicker across the water, as the light leads to discover columns hidden mystery. You travel deeper along the unfolding path to find yourself back at the start.”

Architecture in Motion - Week 3

For the following Friday I worked on a staircase to move beyond the given location and photographed the outline of the narrative sequence I had developed. I presented this to Lara and discussed the effectiveness of the staircase and other elements of the film. From this consultation my spatial narrative again shifted and I worked on modelling a column that I could enter into at the end of my stop motion film.

For week 3 I rephotographed my narrative intending to draw from and over the top of my images for the final submission. I received a good response to the spatial narrative I had laid out.

Architecture in Motion - Week 2

Contact for Week 2

For week 2 I developed the base of my spatial narrative and built a model big enough to move around and interact with which helped me establish the perspective of the space. I also produced some watercolour drawings from which I learnt it was difficult to build up watercolour - in terms of documenting the progress of the drawing - but gave a nice feeling of the space, particularly presenting the submerged in water, reflective nature of the location.

Architectural Drawing - Reflection

This workshop taught me that although precise drawings give a reality of relative size, architectural drawings need something extra - a quality of the space conveyed within them. I have learnt that this quality of the space is very important in architectural drawing and leads to some of the rules of construction drawings being forgotten as plan, section and elevation are rendered and take on a personality individual to the creators perception of the space. I enjoyed discovering and developing the hatching techniques I used in my 3D drawings and gaining confidence in the precision of my drawings. The perspective skills and new understanding of architectural drawing as opposed to construction drawing or figurative drawing I have gained has been interesting and will help me my future studies in the FBE.

Architectural Drawing - Final Submission

Main Floor Plan and Section (Left side of presentation layout)

3D Image and East Elevation (Center of presentation layout)

Ground Floor Plan and North Elevation (Right side of presentation layout)

For the final submission I chose the Rose Seidler House. I visited the house and was struck with a sense of déjà vu, I know houses like this. Although I had seen the orthogonal windows from outside, it was not until I experienced the view through them from inside that I recalled this style of architecture. My attention and interest was caught particularly by the windows, the ramp, the fireplace, the extruding lamps, and the kitchen - the benches overhanging with bright, bold cupboards, the simple design of the bowls and cups from the time the house was built in and the classic refrigerator, stove, Kenwood chef, etc. For my 3D image I decided to capture the quality of the space that I experienced by a combination of these elements that I found intriguing. I used the elevation of the main bedroom window as the layout for my 3D image, inserting different qualities in different window frames. I used cross hatching with pen, building up in several directions with short strokes. This allowed me to explore the use of pen and the texture and tones that could be created from largely just one pen.

My plans, section and elevations where also done in pen for consistency and helped to produce a crisp, precise finish. As I did these drawings at 1:50 I did not render the whole image but rather the elements that I used in my 3D image. Although precise, in the final layout my plans, section and elevations did not stand as strong as my 3D image and further rendering within them was suggested, this would convey a greater sense of the space in each individual drawing. The overall layout was simple so not to detract from the 3D image and plans, section and elevations, and resonate the orthogonal nature of the house through another window.

Architectural Drawing - In Class Exercises

Tea Cup Exercise

From the Tea Cup’s exercise I learnt that in architectural drawing the detailed measurements of a drawing are important but not as essential as in construction. The overall feeling of the drawing is important and that confidence in free hand line work can greatly improve the message being conveyed. We had to use our time with purpose to ensure that we had enough detail to finish the exercise at a later date but also learn to draw quicker by trusting and having confidence in your free hand drawing. Rendering the tea cup took careful consideration of the light.

Exercise 2

Perspective Exercise

‘Exercise 2’ was useful in establishing the idea of perspective by building on the theory through practice. The Perspective exercise was difficult but I gained a deeper understanding of perspective from the process. It was hard to resist the temptation to try to measure in some way the drawing and realise that again, confidence and trusting your judgement were essential to producing the drawing.

Rendering Exercise

The Rendering exercise was useful in clarifying how awning shadows are drawn. It also demonstrated how this simple shadow can give a building depth. Perhaps this would have been more useful before the Perspective exercise, but it was still useful for the final submission and future knowledge.

Material Modelling - Reflection

Material Modeling introduced me to boxboard and balsa for model making. I also learnt techniques in using these materials, such as using the balsa stripper. Along with establishing a foundation with these materials, I also gained confidence and knowledge in using them. I enjoyed exploring the different moods that could be created with different combinations of materials and techniques. Transforming the model architecturally was challenging. At the beginning I found I was thinking in terms of interior architecture and had to ‘zoom out’ and think about the space overall, the architecture. Although I found this challenging this workshop helped to unlock creative ideas about architecture that are drastic, obscure and creative. I also enjoyed creating the photomontage and exploring the possibility of discovering new imaginary landscapes that can be created by elements of other spaces. The knowledge and precision that I learnt to make models with, as well as the mode of photomontage as a way of communicating ideas and spaces are skills that I look forward to developing in the future.

Material Modelling

Situated on a hill, close to the UNSW, my chosen location was the lounge room/dinning room/kitchen area of my first floor apartment. Although surrounded by other apartments, the location has a great view, catching the sunset on the Western side, while the morning sun is allowed entrance through the Eastern side. However, the apartment is, as apartments are, small and does not have a balcony.

I made the original model from boxboard and used balsa for the transformations. I transformed my model my slicing it down the middle and slightly elevating the dinning room and kitchen from which I extended a balcony to enjoy the sunset and for entertaining. I linearly rapped the balcony with the aid of a balsa stripper, which also created privacy from the surrounding apartments. I cut quadrilateral shapes into the linear strips of balsa to let in the view. I also opened up the lounge room to the morning sun further with new large glass windows. The openings in the linear rapping around the balcony and the lounge room windows represent the theme of linear elements and various quadrilateral shapes my model transformation was based around. I opened up the kitchen to the lounge room/dinning room by removing the separating wall and installing a breakfast bench in its place. In making these changes I also slightly extended the floor space and ceiling height to create the illusion of space while still remaining a relatively small apartment size floor space (a limitation I self-imposed on my work).

My photomontage followed my exploration of the space. How the space flows together is connected to the final model through the transformations I made, particularly their linear nature. I built the photomontage by finding connections between images and creating a path that clearly narrates the process I undertook in transforming my model.