Adobe After Effects... *Twitch*

It's 1:32am and only now have I finally got the hang of using this unnecessarily complicated program. There are so many tiny details to explore and adjust to get exactly what you want... It's a massive guessing game. On the plus side, I've heard that you can use After Effects to generate a light sabre effect. This merits....  Exploration.

IDEA

If I ask you, where is the first place you ever woke up, what would you say?

As "icky" as it sounds, you'd probably say... the womb. Or at least you woke up when you finally left the womb, so to speak.

I noticed, as I was drawing a sleeping person (in the sleeping position I consider most "normal", the one I sleep in, which is on the side) it looked a bit like a fetus. That position for sleeping looks remarkably like the fetal position, and that made me think, if this is my favourite/safest position to sleep in... Has that got any relation to the fact that the first part of my life was spent in this position?

Is the most important "waking up" moment in our life, our first one? Where we first came into this world and took our first breath? I'd say yes.

Because my initial plan was to have my project positioned somewhere in the park, I naturally looked from the park drawing I did to the "fetus" drawing and came to the conclusion of using the idea of cocoons! The "nature" equivalent of giving birth/waking up for the first time.

I'm working on some drawings right now that explore this idea, I just took a break to write this down in case I forget part of it...

What does "waking up" mean to me?

Yes, "waking up" does imply a cessation of sleep, a coming to of consciousness in one's own bed (preferably) but I believe there are other meanings to be applied to the word "waking."

For instance, do we have to be asleep to wake up? Are we not frequently told to "wake up" to see what is around us of which we are unaware? In this case, could waking up be opening your eyes to a new world, seeing things in a different way and finding yourself in a different time? (morning, noon, night, or in the case of those who have been in a coma, perhaps years.)

I believe it could.

Waking up... In my bedroom.

We have been told our "theme" (so to speak) of our next project is "waking up."

Therefore I enclose a photo of my bedroom, the place where I wake up everyday and which is my own personalized territory of warmth and safety.

"Waking"

Adjectives


1. (adj) waking 
the state of remaining awake
"days of danger and nights of waking"

2. (adj) waking, wakeful 
marked by full consciousness or alertness
"worked every moment of my waking hours"


Nouns


1. (noun) waking
the act of waking, or the state or period of being awake

2. (noun) waking
a watch; a watching

3.  waking
of Wake

Attempting to merge the 1:500 sections, easier said than done.

As can be seen by the above photos, our task was to merge all the 1:500 section models done by our group into one "collective" model, where we will incorporate ideas represented through the sections as a guide for our research.

It was difficult to negotiate which models should be cut and where, but it was interesting to be able to identify buildings due to similar techniques that had to be adhered to in order to maintain accuracy.

Here are some photos of close ups of the 1:100 models, which we also had to merge together, though the task was extraordinarily easier (No doubt because no two people had the exact same 1:100 section.)

Site 1:100

And finally, here are some photos of our 1:100 model, which is a section of the park located in front of Vector Arena. The dense layout of the trees as well as the isolated street light were a far more impressive experience than the buildings with their conventional indoor lighting seeping through the windows.

(This photo is my personal favourite.)

Site 1:500

Here are some photos I have taken of our 1:500 model of a section cutting through our site. Our idea was centered on the experience of the light quality during the night in our selected area. This effect was achieved via the use of LED lights and portable battery powered plastic "candles."

An exploration of our designated site

I decided on a whim to go to our site at night, and the effects were much more impressive than it appears during the day. It was dead silent, no wind, no people and just a soft light filtering through the park outside Vector Arena.

I also had the interesting experience of being followed around by a cat. I've never really seen a cat in the city before, and this one was particularly clean. It made the whole area feel like a chunk of suburbia right in the city.

History Notes

Contemporary practice

Jean Nouvel – Guthrie Theatre – grain basket (Minneapolis)

On the border with Canada, area is a heritage park.

1850’s theatre, 50m long cantilever is part of the entrance system.

It hangs across the river and thus engages the patrons.

Theatres are normally positioned on the ground (due to their large size) but here it is on upper levels to reinforce the view over the heritage park. The observation deck is an outdoor deck on the end of the cantilever.

There are inscribed images of actors on the interior surface of the building.

Rem Koolhas (based in Rotterdam)

Student Centre – creates a connection with the railway line, the main problem here being the regulation of noise. Solved this by sheathing the elevated rail in concrete, by covering it in this way he solved the acoustic problem.

Pathways - pedestrian routes that move you through the building

Use of colour coding.

Toyo Ito – Mediateque (made up name) Sendai, Japan, 2007

(it was affected in the tsunami) is essentially a library for the city. Instead of columns he uses tube like cages, turning it into a lattice, supporting structures are interesting visually.

Basic rectangular plan, round circles = supporting elements

They are not straight, instead they go up at slight angles.

All four sides are clad in glass, the idea being that the whole building is like a “forest of trees”

Jean Nouvel – Musee du Quai, Branly, 2006

Footprint of Paris, made of perimeter blocks with well-defined street edges, located close to the Eiffel tower. Aim was to create a garden with a pavilion floating in it. Existing surrounding buildings were refurbished. It also contains a green roof (more sustainable) which reduces rain/outflow.

There is a glass defined edge (transparent wall)

The garden is not formal, it is “wild”/out of control

The building is raised on pilotis above the garden

Small boxes are the small gallery spaces, a series of loofers are used to change light requirements on the interior.

The vertical gardens are considered contradictory in a city like Paris which is built in materials like stone.

EXAM

Answer only 5 questions from a choice of 8. Each answer should be 2-3 pages long.

It is not a memory test, not expected to know exact dates of when buildings were built.

More important is the knowledge of the architecture. No trick questions.

Sketches can be used if appropriate (recommended to bring good drawing equipment.)

TIPS

Clearly label head questions with their numbers and rule off any work that you don’t want marked.