Self Reflection/Make A Plan
Looking over the E Mini schedule, I do see some points where there will be overlaps with major projects/tests with my other classes and extracurriculars. I’ve put major deadlines on my whiteboard calendar, and to avoid overwhelming myself, I plan on chunking tasks into manageable pieces.
I find that I can’t get the motivation to get things done if I’m by myself, so I plan on going to studio often to surround myself in a work environment where I can’t slack off.
In addition, to make sure I don’t burn out, definitely having time to socialize/have fun would help (and sleep :)). In order to allow this to happen in the first place, I have to be efficient and get my work done by following what I have said above. Having a healthy mix of everything will help me get through the rest of the semester.
Carnegie Museum of Art
October 28, 2020
One of the first exhibits we looked at was An-My Lê’s On Contested Terrain exhibit. I really liked how they used these blue accent walls in the exhibit. It drew me into the pictures and seemed to give the black and white photos more life/more interesting.
This upturned house was one of the first things that caught my eye. It was a huge sculpture put in a really small space, so when you walked around it, it felt like the house was going to topple on top of you. Also, the plaque talked about how it was a mix of painting (cubism), sculpture, and architecture, which I found intriguing.
These next few photos are of other artworks that I found really interesting. When I saw Cy Gavin’s painting, I thought the world was really interesting, and would be cool to recreate. I’ve always found Magritte’s work really amusing and the colors are always on brand, so I was really happy when I saw his work in the museum. Mark Peiser’s glass sculpture’s world really drew me in, how the glass’s carved texture created the mountains. I found Seth Clark’s Orb really interesting, especially if I were reflect it into the environment. Kenneth Snelson’s sculpture is probably one of my favorite pieces in the museum, since it seems that it’s all held together with the cables and tension, making some poles look like they’re floating. And lastly, the neon lights were really cool and caught my attention
Dan Graham’s Heart Pavilion caught me by surprise many times. First was when we walked into the room. The interesting way the mirrors curved into each other made me confused and wonder what was going on. Then as I walked around the pavilion, the mirror became flat, and led into a “room,” where I found that the mirror was actually more like a tinted window. I also really liked how it reflected its space. This was definitely the most interesting piece I came across
Fun Fact
“Instead of being against museums as Daniel Buren was in a rather dumb, simplistic way, I realized that museums are amazing social spaces. So when I was locating the Heart Pavilion, 1991, in the Carnegie International, I recognized that Pittsburgh is a very tough steelworker’s town, which is why Warhol didn’t like it, but it’s also the home of Hallmark Cards and the beginning of the Midwest. So I have this heart pavilion, which is a kind of romantic pickup situation, and the Girl’s Make-Up Room, in the lobby.” — Dan Graham
Homework: Moodboard, Parti Diagram, and Storyboard
November 3, 2020
This is my moodboard. I wanted to go for something that was geometric, clean, minimal, but still human and dreamy. That’s because Dan Graham makes his pavilions out of the glass used for corporate buildings.
“At the very top, from the executive suites and boardroom you could look down and survey the city. I’m trying to reverse that…people on the inside and on the outside have views of each other superimposed, as each gaze at the other and at the material. It’s intersubjective.” — Dan Graham
This two-way mirror makes it so that not only are you surveying others, but others are surveying you.
Graham also wants people the see his work as “heterotypes,” which are “places in a city which are ‘different’ and which create a meaningful interruption in the continuum of everyday space.”
I know it’s not very clear, but I did consider other works by Dan Graham, but they took up too much space, and I was worried that the people viewing the piece would find it difficult to walk around. Also, it could possibly be too claustrophobic.
In the beginning, I wanted to control the viewer’s path more, and have a slow reveal of the pavilion. However, once I finished, I felt that the mirror benefitted from a more open space, since the more it can reflect, the more interesting the interactions will be.
In the second parti diagram, I had the viewer start off with the most dramatic view and then work around the exhibit until they got to the entrance of the pavilion, similar to how the actual museum had it set up. However, I felt that it could become more interesting.
In the third parti diagram, I decided to put a sheer curtain (similar to the moodboard) to block the viewer from seeing the pavilion in the first place. Then as they round the corner, they’ll see the dramatic view. However, I felt that it’d be awkward for the viewer to do the interaction first before getting to the entrance of the pavilion. I felt that the interaction should be a sort of summary after the exhibit was done.
In the fourth parti diagram, I had no curtain, but instead the viewer would enter with the flat part of the pavilion facing them. I felt that this would be similar to the slow reveal. Then, as the person walks around, they would reach the entrance of the pavilion before reaching the interaction. Also, the “dramatic” part of the pavilion would be facing the interaction, making the distortion and reflection of the pavilion much more interesting.
This storyboard is for the fourth parti diagram. While drawing out the storyboard, I found that there were many things that I still had to flesh out, like the interaction and also what would be on the walls.
Since Dan Graham’s interested in the social interaction of the pavilion, I think an interaction with more social collaboration would be cool, maybe instead of the screens on the wall but it instead moves around, and people can put it together like legos?
Possible Change:
I feel like this would fit my moodboard compared to the heart pavilion, and this represents his recent work more too, also it should be small enough to fit in Miller
Hybrid Spaces Reflection
November 5, 2020
What other types of environments are becoming hybrid? Give at least one specific example and note whether or not you think the hybridization of the environment improves the user experience
Homes are definitely becoming more hybrid. The ones that come to mind first are the assistants, like Google Home and Alexa. Not only can they search anything up and do what you say internet-wise, they can control the physical space as well, from the lights, to the temperature, to the TV. Then there’s the robots that help do chores. Currently, you can set the Roomba to a specific time and it’ll just start vacuuming for you. Not only that, there’s also other types of cleaning robots on the market, like a mop and even a window cleaner. When you cook, there’s certain smart scales out there that tell you exactly when to stop putting in ingredients. And you can feed your pets through an automated pet feeder when you’re out. There’s so many more products aimed towards making life at home “easier.”
When it comes to home life, I definitely see the appeal to just have everything else take care of things, and ideally, yes, it would improve user experience. However, everything is still just a machine (the Roomba can’t get every single corner clean), and it’s expensive, not everyone can afford it. Alexa literally enables an easier way to shop at Amazon, which is good for Amazon, but not necessarily the user’s bank account. But despite that, I do think hybridization can really make things easier, since you can save time from doing chores/basic tasks.
Tech in Exhibit Ideas
When it comes to incorporating these sensors/tech, I want to play with the interaction between light and people. That’s because Dan Graham’s work plays with how the light plays with the surface of the two-way mirror.
One concept I had was have a slider/dial/ball that you could use to control a light on the ceiling. The visitor would be able to move the light around and see how the light affects the pavilion (since usually the pavilions are outside, and Graham has noted how the sun moves affects the transparency of the pavilion). However, I was worried that this constant change of lighting would become really annoying to other viewers not in control.
Another concept I had was have the smaller works along the walls, and once a person gets near text about the work would be projected onto the wall. I feel like this would add to the overall minimalist feel, and the text would appear when needed. Also it would fade in and fade out in the person’s walking direction, which in a way reminds me of how reflections fade in and out as you walk next to a curved mirror. It would also add the “dreamy + distorted” aspect of the moodboard to the exhibit.
Interaction Experiments
The interactions were really fun to make. I started off by just experimenting with things, like this counter. I thought something like this would be useful if I were to consider limiting the amount of people in the exhibit.
Here, I experimented with the idea I had of having visitors have control over the lighting. However, after trying it out, I felt that it wasn’t really practical, and since the exhibit is a shared space, I felt that a constant changing in lighting would get really annoying.
I then used TinkerCad to try out my idea of having a projector sort of fade text in and out accordingly to how the person was walking. The TinkerCad ultrasonic sensors seemed to only sense the dot that belonged to it, hence the weird movement in the video, but ideally, the dot would be one person walking through, with all 4 LEDs lighting up when they’re in front of both sensors.
Extra
Just something extra, but Daniel and I made a car that was sort of steerable and could honk. That was pretty fun to make.
New Parti Diagram
I have two versions, one is more open, and the other directs your path in the beginning, and also delays your view of the main pavilion. I’m leaning more towards the one that directs your path more, even though I liked the openness of the first one. That’s because I feel like I can tell more of as story with the second one.
Basically chronologically ordered. This pavilion I have in the middle (Neo-Baroque Walkway) was made in 2019, and in the path I made, it’s the last thing people see/experience. However, they don’t have to follow that path. I wanted to make it relatively open, since the artist said that the natural social interactions caused by the pavilion is a part of it.
Feedback
- Telling story can be sort of episodic, doesn’t have to be completely linear
- ^It’s ok to have the path more free, as long as everything’s cohesive
- Info table? Instead of a wall, it would feel less claustrophobic
- Be wary of people who need to use the elevators, don’t block the way
- More models :0? More interesting/exciting than pictures
- Interaction — makes sense :D
New Parti Diagram
Modeling
November 09, 2020
Visiting the Miller ICA
When I visited the space, I realized just how small it was. Before I was trying to fit a lot of different factors into the space, but this made me rethink a lot of my design.
Drawing Out the Miller ICA
Tate, Catherine, and I drew out the Miller Gallery with chalk in the parking lot to get an actual feel for the space.
Actually drawing out the space was also really helpful, since it gave me a feel for the space in a different way from just visiting the gallery. Also, it let me see how big my piece was compared to the gallery in a 1:1 scale, which was really helpful in seeing how claustrophobic I had made the space. The picture to the left shows what I learned from the experience
Interaction Plan
For my interaction I was planning on projecting white text that fades in and out depending on if the person was there or not. I think this works out, since the Miller ICA isn’t too brightly lit.
I also plan to have audio play in the artist interview space (mentioned later) if there is a person there.
SketchUp Planning
Compared to the parti diagram, I felt like SketchUp really was a quick an easy way to figure out my ideas for the space. Being able to change up the walls and sizes of things and then walk through them in real time was really useful.
Some changes I made:
- I plan on making a really brief intro in the vestibule with a pamphlet holder that has more info on it.
- I moved the attendant desk, since I felt really bad for them in their previous position. I also made a desk that fit the space better.
- Instead of wasting space by curving the walls, I made some pedestals curved to give a similar illusion and put models on it. I felt that was a better use of space
- I added a projected interview of the artist where the old attendant desk is, since it doesn’t take up much space and won’t be in the way of the bathroom.
These are the works I’ve chosen for my exhibit so far. I chose them based on what I felt represented the artist well and was small enough to fit in the space. (Some are miniature models of the big thing that the artist made)
These are the pictures I was considering hanging on the walls. I’m starting to steer away from that idea though, since they aren’t really cohesive and kind of noisy. As beautiful as they are, I think they would take away from the “minimalist” aesthetic of the exhibit.
Modeling Miller
This is my foamcore model. So far, I have the outer walls rabbeted and the two corners curved with bristol paper.
Designer Role Reflection
November 10, 2020
How is the role of an architect and an environments designer different? Be specific when talking about projects, skillsets, tools, approaches, etc.
Overall, I think the role of an architect is to mainly design/engineer the overall building, and they also seem to oversee some of the construction. After the building is constructed , environments designers are the ones that give life to the rooms in the building, and give purpose to the space.
When I think of an architect, the first thing that comes to mind are the really technical blueprints they make along with the many drafting tools they use, like metal pencils, triangular rulers, protractors, compasses, etc. When it comes to environments designers, I feel like the types of tools they use is less clear. It honestly depends on what kind of environment they’re designing at the moment, whether it be a museum space, a hospital, a park, an app, etc.
A lot more responsibility is on the architect when it comes to safety, so they have to meet a lot of requirements before they have the freedom the really put their design ideas in. Meanwhile, environments designers seem to have more freedom in both implementing ideas and variety of tools.
Both play different roles to designing a building. Architects take a more analytical approach, whereas environments designers take a more abstract approach, but one’s not better than the other. Both are definitely needed to design a safe and purposeful building.
Updating the Model
November 12, 2020
For the SketchUp model, I mainly updated the materials and played around with the different textures.
For the physical model, I updated the floor to this light cement texture. This was in my moodboard, and I think that it helps with the minimalist aesthetic.
For the walls, they’re going to be white in a somewhat dim room (like how it is currently in Miller), and the text is going to project as white, to make it look clean. As a result, I’ll probably make the walls light grey later.
Feedback
- Discussed space + accessibility of the space (can a wheelchair go through?)
- Made me question why I chose such a big piece (b/c I feel that the smaller pavilions are less interesting)
- Given SketchUp tips
- Yes — try to make everything with acetate, to combat the flimsiness, try the old projector sheets + check amazon
- Where’s info about the big pavilion?
Updating the Model #2
November 17, 2020
For the SketchUp model I took out the pedestal on the left, which allowed me to shift the main pavilion to the left a little, which freed up more space in the top right corner (a place where I found that it got a little tight). Right now I feel that there is a lot more space than before. I also tried out where the video and text would go for the semicircle model.
For the wall where the pedestal was, I plan on quickly introducing the main pavilion and also have some fun“prompts” to look out for to induce more interaction and thought with the piece. (Stuff like “Observe how you reflection shifts as you walk around the piece” and “See what happens when your reflection overlaps someone else’s!”)
I also hope that the angle of the pavilion and how the artist’s interview is to the viewer’s right that it will veer them towards the right instead of towards the attendant. I feel like the artist wants the viewer to really explore and observe his pieces without guidance, but if the viewer really needs the attendant, they’ll still be visible.
As for another issue I had (how to deal with the video I wanted to play behind the Whirling piece (the semi-circle one) and the main piece. I wanted viewers to be able to choose if they wanted to play the video or not. Same goes for the interview next to the doorway. As a result, I made some more interactions.
Additional Interactions:
Viewers would stand on an icon of a video/movie camera and then watch an interesting video.
Viewers would stand on a sound symbol and the audio would play for the artist interview (subtitles would be turned on).
Physical Model Update:
I also updated my physical model. I used different thicknesses of acetate for the mirrored pieces. I think the craft could have been better, but I’m not sure how to make the glue not show through, since the material is clear. I think I did the best that I could. I had to use a flimsy acetate for the large piece, since the sheets of stiffer pieces were too short to create a continuous piece.
Homework: Visualization
For this visualization I added lighting and adjusted the color of a couple of parts. I thought it was interesting that I couldn’t find totally clear glass in SketchUp, that would have saved me some editing.
Presentation Feedback
November 17, 2020
We got feedback on how we planned on laying out our final presentation, I got a lot of useful feedback
- adding a photo of the author helps humanize the work
- a video would be useful to show what the viewer sees when walking through
- the flow of the presentation, (overview of pieces to parti diagram)
- figure out how to incorporate interactions in presentation without starting too early or too late
- go into details of interaction
- take the person through the space, go in order in the parti diagram
- recap — summary slide, controls the narrative (what do you want people to take away?)
- instead of dots that say what is being shown, what about just the feet, so people are curious and try it out — goes with exploring theme
Presentation
November 19, 2020
I mainly fleshed out my interactions for the presentation on Thursday. I had them figured out in my head, but I had yet to really storyboard it out for others to understand.
In the end, these were my interactions:
Audio for artist interview:
Fading wall info effect:
Video timelapse:
And here are the other visualizations I made for the space:
With the views I chose, I tried to be as informative as I could.
Updating the Physical Model + Wrapping Up
November 21, 2020
This is what my physical model looks like. I updated it to reflect the interactions I made before.
Some things to clear up:
The walls are grey so that the white text can show up. Ideally, the walls would be white in a normally lit room with white text projections.
3 things won’t fade off the walls since I felt they were pretty important:
- The words at the entrance way, since I think knowing the artist is pretty important when people just walk in, and they might not notice it if it fades (also it’ll actually be grey with white text, since the lighting in the vestibule is usually bright due to how close it is to the outside, it’d be a good accent wall too)
- The artist interview — I want people to notice it, since that’s where the artist explains his inspirations and how he developed everything, but I “hid” the audio, since I wanted people to choose to listen to it or not, since constantly running audio can get annoying (there’ll be subtitles!)
- The main pavilion’s info and thought prompts — I wanted people to at least interact with the main interaction and learn from it, and having fading text there would make it seem passive and not very important.
Self Reflection
Meta-Cognitive Experience :: What motivates you? What distracts you? What keeps you engaged?
When I first started this project, I was definitely really scattered and a little overwhelmed, since I didn’t know where to start, but what definitely helped me get over this was going to studio and talking things out with everyone. I was intimidated and a little confused by the interactions at first, but at studio, everyone was having fun experiments with LittleBits, and eventually we made an interesting car. Also, certain activities like going to the Miller gallery and drawing Miller on the parking lot were definitely really eye-opening, but also so much more fun when done with other people, since you can talk to them and see if you’re on the same page or not. When I tried to do things at home, I felt a lot less motivated and became less productive.
What distracted me from my work would be when I didn’t know what to do or if I felt too overwhelmed with this project or other class assignments. I’d then procrastinate and then dig a deeper hole for myself. In the end, I found that if I actually made a schedule for myself with certain times I had to finish everything, (before I just had a to do list of stuff I had to finish that day which would look too overwhelming, and then I would avoid the list), I would get a lot more done, as long as I was pretty strict with the schedule.
I found that when I was the most engaged would be when I figured out something really cool, and I would just rabbit hole into a bunch of possibilities and ideas. It’s always nice when you get sucked into an idea, since you get a certain boost of motivation to keep working at it without it feeling like you’re doing work.
Overall, this project was an interesting experience. I think the biggest obstacle for me was the amount of space. I definitely worried about that the most, but I think in the end it worked out alright. I definitely could have just chosen a smaller piece, or had the exhibit just feature his scale models, but I really wanted viewers to experience a really cool pavilion, rather than a small pavilion but simple. Also, that would definitely peak their interest into going to the Carnegie Museum of Art. If there was more time, I think I would want to play more with aspects of the exhibit, like the distortion theme. However, for now, the simplicity of how it is works with the theme as well.
