Sunday 29 January 2012

Statement

The title of my proposal is ''Imaginary City''. My site is Barbican Centre, the design is based on the plan of the top floor, and the location of my architectural furniture is higher than any of them, in the skies above the buildings.

I see the architectural furniture as something based on the space it occupies and the activity it containes in itself. Easily guessed from its name, Imaginary City creates another world above our heads that acts as a performance set. You can come in, interact with it, become a part of it. Then you will see that the whole city is almost as a living entity, adapting to the environment it is in. It changes the heights and sizes of passages, rooms, halls, depending on the amount of people being currently inside them. More people – bigger place, and vise-versa.

The City is designed for all kinds of occupants – from small children to eldery people. The space is separated into zones, that are open to every kind of people, but are especially comfortable and interesting for the particular ones.

The design of the structure was born from my research on the plans of Barbican Centre and in its own kind reflects on the activities and possibilities of its ancestor.
When we look at the plans of the building, we usually only see the rooms occupied with exhibitions, cafeterias, libraries, etc. but we pay no attention the passages and halls that take us there. So i based my design on the empty spaces of the 4th floor’s plan. And taking notes of who goes to the Centre and when, i accommodated the City to accomplish the needs of its occupants.

From the outside Imaginary City looks like a spaceship invading Barbican. However, made of the concrete, utopian style, with numerous confusing walking paths, they bear similarities with each other.

I think my proposal can be expressed with this – ‘We only see what we want to see. To find out more, we need to look deeper and pay attention even to the small and empty things. Because they can turn into something very beautiful.’

Final model. Pop Up Book.


Opening/Closing Process






Front view.


Side view.


Light (can be used while exhibiting)


Proposal Video.


Acetate Photography. Volume.



The quality of photos is bad, as i didnt manage to get the college camera.
Now i understand why people say that the lenses are such a big help.


Acetate Photography. Flat.

Site - Barbican.
Stop-frame animation. 




Photos. Flat model.


Site Photography


[Still whole pop up model]


Pop-Up Model [acetate]




This model was made as a pop up one.
It was the only sunny day i could take photos in Barbican.
But it was really windy, and there was no one to ask for a help.
So in one moment when i was trying to get another photo done, the gust of wind tore the model out of my hands. While floating in the air, the model burst apart, and every piece of paper was flying separately and in different direction. And of course with bad luck the model landed in the puddle of water.
This small adventure ended my photo session.

What's left of that poor model:



Flat model. Paper on acetate.



Pop-Up Book. Sketch version.

Sketch model for the final idea.
Pop up book.








Opening/Closing process.






Sketch model - First idea

While i was thinking what to make out of my design, my hands needed to be occupied with some task, so this model was created.
Simple cut out and pop up.



Depending on how you take the photos of the models, the visual effect will be different.
Light certainly creates an atmosphere of sun and skies.




Saturday 7 January 2012

Failed attempt at the model


I was inspired by Ingrid Siliakus (previous post) to create the final model in the same paperarchitecture style.
But.\
I failed to make it and even to understand how to do so.

The problem is, she created each piece from one single sheet of paper by cutting and folding it.
But her works has more variety in the design, or i can say, levels, layers. They overlay each other, hang above and hide the emptiness inside themselves.
So in order to do similar work, i need to either change the design of my city or to change the way i wield the paper.
The first one i wont do, because it will change the whole idea of creating this city out of the empty space of the floor.
The second one i failed to understand. I just simply cannot see a way to do it differently, but same technique.

While i was doing experimenting and trying to create my city in the same technique as Ingrid, i found it hard to keep the work in simple way.
It was hard to use so little materials to make so many detailes and heights. I had to use the tape, glue, extra paper, etc.
Otherwise i couldnt show the geometry of my city.

For example, when i was cutting the single sheet of paper, i still missed few elements from this oart of design.
So i cut those elements out of another piece of paper and stuck it to the first one with the tape.
This way i could get my design together, but i was losing the idea of wholeness.
And when i say wholeness, i mean that i needed to create my model out of one and only one piece of paper, without adding anything to it.
Because i based it on creating the volume from the emptiness.

Photos of paper experiments