        Henneberg-Verity, Donovan : Assignments10/28/07Industrial Design Mr. Mullick started his presentation out by tackling the most universal concept that could be applied to industrial design–it's even in the title: design. Design at its core is simply the act of creating anything, whether it is a product, presentation, or anything else. However the discipline of industrial design takes it one step farther in that design is something that relates to humans and effects the environment around said design. Mullick said it the best, "design is the central factor of innovative humanization of technologies. He then goes on to elaborate specific types of design, i.e., product design, and even breaks into down even further into subcategories such as efficiency, tactile, and life preservation. Mullick also makes a point to mention that there are many philosophies that drive design whether they be monetary, service-oriented or whatever. A concept that really impressed me was the" humanization of technologies." It seems that this refers to the process of when unpractical, albeit extremely useful technological advances are given intuitive user interfaces in order to increase their effectiveness; they are in effect "translated" for the common man. A good example of this are the visual interfaces operating systems like Windows provides. When talking about professions that deal with design Mullick mentioned the "applied arts." I wasn't sure exactly what jobs he was referring to so I googled the term and came to the conclusion that this term refers to any profession that deals with the design of the function and use of everyday objects. I was little confused to as what the difference between "pleasure" objects and "joy" objects, so I attempted to find out. there seems to be no distinction at all. What Mullick really impressed upon me was the universality of design. That it does not matter what was being made, whether it was a building, product, or computer program. It does matter what motivations or requirements the object has. certain principles can be applied to anything when designing it. The reasons or parameters that exist between the infinite objects being made or already made are so vast and varied that it seems impossible that something connects all of them, but there is, and that something is design. On design problem that I had known about before the presentation, but still found intriguing was that of the one hundred dollar laptop. It is amazing how when parameters are set, even something as high tech as a portable computer can be made affordable to those who need it most. Building Construction Mr. Kangari introduced quite a few specialized and technical ideas and concepts during his presentation, but perhaps the most important and universal of them is that of integration. The study of integration strives to take the sundry interests of the many stakeholders within a project–the owners, operators, contractors, etc.–and combine them all into a streamlined, efficient process that finishes a project with the best results. Within the topic of integration Kangari introduced many different terms that are applicable to the topic: life cycle phases, stakeholders, the many different types of construction (industrial, engineering, residential, etc.), and others terms such as knowledge intensity. I had never heard of he concept of "knowledge intensity" that Kangari introduced, but I was intrigued so I did some research. what I found is that knowledge intensity of work is a function of several factors. Increased knowledge intensity is a function of how much knowledge and understanding a person must possess and apply when required to perform competent work and to be prepared to deal with uncertainties and surprises. Another concept that I supposed knew existed before the presentation but had never really considered before was the decommissioning of a building after its use has expired. Obviously buildings have to be cleared to made new ones, especially in cities, but it is not a process that one often thinks about. I can see now how this is an especially important consideration for construction managers, especially in today's environment-conscious society. I also discovered that scenario based planning means designing and constructing a building based a certai set of parameters, whether they be geological, financial, or whatever. The way Kangari talked about the discipline of building construction I really began to see it as not just a glorified management degree as I had before, but as more of highly technical science, that studies the amazingly complex and long-winded process of construction integration, a subject that we have now had two lectures over, but I can still can only manage a cursory understanding of. In a way building construction is the more concrete, decision oriented cousin to architecture, the yin to architecture's yang. They are two integrally related process that operate on completely different systems that to me just seem to be very incompatible–but I suppose that is why integration is such a problem in the first place. Architecture The lecturer did not really go into too much detail on specific topics, but rather introduced what I guess could be labeled as "food for thought." such as what is a center, and what does it represent within an installation? Or how do nested hierarchies affect the both composition and effect of a building? I found it kind of discouraging when the lecturer described the architecture field to be usually dominated by "old men," but did take hope, albeit small hope, in the fact some young architects have received international attention, e.g., Maya Lin. Although the meaning of "information explosion" becomes pretty obvious after the application of context clues, I had never heard that particular term before. After doing some research I found that maybe there was more to this term than originally meets the eyes, although not a whole lot. For instance I did not know how much of an impact blogging had on international information exchange, but apparently it is one of the leading mediums of exchange. Another term that seems important and cogent is "social access." I wikipediaed the term and was given a very good example of a problem with social access: Often a city has large sources of raw water, adequate purification facilities, extensive trunk infrastructure bringing potable water into wards of the urban area, but appropriate user end infrastructure like public taps, w.c.s, and bathing places do not exist. The smallest residential plot allowed by urban planning standards may be too expensive, when priced by current market rates, for intended low income users to purchase. The building regulations may necessitate unaffordable standards of construction. The urban development control rules may add to the expenses which price shelter out of the reach of large urban markets. Social restrictions may act as barriers to ethnic groups, genders and minority communities. Social access is a concern to poverty alleviation and enhancing the living conditions of the urban poor. I researched Tadao Ando a little more and discovered that he also did a very similar church to the one displayed that works more on plays of light than water. After this presentation, I was left with similar impressions to that of the industrial design one, except to a greater extent. The design lecture showed how design is concerned with how something effects the person interacts with it. Architecture is also concerned with this, but moreso in how a design can not only reflect the zeitgeist of a particular society, but also in change that society because of its design. What seems to me to be the premier example within the powerpoint is Tadao Ando Church of the Water. Not only does it combine elements of both modern and tradition Japan, but it takes building to a new place within those two parameters: it combines the emotions and feelings of both types of architecture into something more than the two separate components. So yes, I got from the lecture that there are many practical and functional concerns about architecture, but ultimately it is how the building interacts with its environment that matters. 10/12/07 Altman, Drew. “Yound Adults and the Future of N.O.”Times-Picayune, August 8, 2007, 07. Anonymous. “City of New Orleans turns in street-damge reports to FEMA.” New Orleans CityBusiness, July 31, 2007, Commentary 6. Barr, Damian. “Survival Tactics [New Orleans]” Country Life (2006): 60-3. Bates, Kristin A., editor Through the eyes of Katrina. Durham: Carolina Academic Press, 2007. Berggren, Ruth E., “After the Storm–Health Care Infrastructure in Post-Katrina New Orleans.” The New England Journal of Medicine. http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/extract/354/15/1549 (accessed October 10, 2007). Brodie, Mollyann. “Experiences of Hurricane Katrina Evacuees in Houston Shelters.” American Journal Public Health. http://www.ajph.org/cgi/content/abstract/96/8/1402 (accessed October 11, 2007). Brunsma, David L., editor The sociology of Katrina: perspectives on a modern catastrophe. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2007. Collee, Kelly. “"Blueprint for Gulf renewal: the Katrina crisis and a community agenda for action” Institute for Southern Studies Report (2007): 40. Davis, Tom. “Hurricane Katrina: Preparedness and Response.” Presented at the Committee on House Government Reform Subcommittee on Select Katrina Response Investigation, Washington D.C., United States, November 2, 2005. Douglas Jr., Jack. “Tension mounts between Houston and its 'guests'.” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, February, 1, 2006. Gerharz, Barry. “Down By Law.” Dollars&Sense, March/April 2006. Gerfin, Katie. “Greening New Orleans” Architecture (2006): 16. Holzer, Harry. “Employment Issues and Challenges in Post-Katrina New Orleans.” Urban Institute. http://www.urban.org/publications/900921.html (accessed October 11, 2007). Homan, Michael. “Lessons From the Past.” Times-Picayune, July 1, 2007, 07. Jacobs, Karrie. “Drop In The Bucket” Metropolis (2007): 50-2. Kates, R.W. “Reconstruction of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.” National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/abstract/103/40/14653 (accessed October 11, 2007). Kunzelman, Michael. “After Katrina, lawyers for low-income tenants fight evictions.” The Associated Press State & Local Wire, April 18, 2006. Kunzelman, Michael. “Katrina Spawns Cottage Industry.” Associated Press, July 5, 2006. Maddox, Michael. “Aidpage Launches People Locator Service to Reunite Families Separated by Hurricane Katrina.” PR Newswire US, September 21, 2005. McCarthy, Kevin. “The Repopulation of New Orleans After Hurricane Katrina.” Defense Technical Information Center. http://handle.dtic.mil/100.2/ADA449315 (accessed October 10, 2007). Monchaux, Thomas de. “Easy being green: post-Katrina, a Resource Center teaches eco-friendly building on a budget" ID: magazine of international design (2007): 30. Neville, Charmaine. “Sexual Assault During Hurricane Katrina 2005.” Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. http://www.wsdu.com/news/5627087/detail.html (accessed October 10, 2007). Onus, Bernard. “The Latest on Katrina's Aftermath.” CNN. http://www.cnn.com/archives/2005/~katrina~34578346.html (accessed October, 11, 2007). Reith, Charles. “A more protective urban landscape” Urband Land (2006): 134-6. Renne, John. Evacuation and equity: a post-Katrina New Orleans diary. Illinois: University of Chicago Press, 2006. Sherman, Arloc. “Essential Facts About the Victims of Hurricane Katrina.” Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. http://www.epl.org/library/strategic-plan-00.html (accessed October 10, 2007). Simmons, Ann. “New Orleans.” Los Angeles Times, September 1, 2007, A.1. Sokol, David. “New architecture for Katrina-ravaged town” Arhitecture Record (2006): 29. Thurlow, Austin. “By Numbers-One Year Later-Hurrican Katrina.” State News Service, August 29, 2006. United States Congress, Senate, Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. “Challenges in a catastrophe.” Report presented at the hearing before the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Washington D.C., United States, January 31, 2006. 9/30/07 Architecture, Culture & Behavior The lecturer discussed a facet of architecture (ID and BC, etc.) that none of the previous had addressed before, that is he discussed the human relationship with buildings. He made the that buildings are not just stoic sculptures through humans pass through, but rather objects that we react to. This basic concept was meant to introduce the specialized field that works within which is architecture, culture & behavior (ACB). More specifically, the majority of the lecture was focused on a design philosophy or style that would encourage healthier habits in a building's inhabitants. Examples include standing-up environments, AT recumbent chairs, and the placement of buildings in an area that would encourage walking. The second half of the lecture dealt with hospital design; improving these notoriously unsafe and stressful buildings for both the patients and the employees. Since this lecture dealt almost primarily with health issues, a lot of health-related terms were introduce such as obesity, body mass index, etc. However he also introduced design terms that are related to ACB, such as space syntax, element design, legibility, and social cues. A term that intrigued me was space syntax. It refers to the idea that spaces can be separated into components, and then analyzed as how they relate to each other and the space as a whole. This concept seems to be universally applicable to all designs within space. Architects should always ask themselves certain questions when designing a building, especially when going for specific goals, such as healthy environments. Another, related, term that seemed universally relevant was element design. Instead of analyzing all of the individual components, the concept is concerned only with certain components or elements such as staircases. When focusing on element design the designer will ask them self questions like where can I place these stairs in order to maximize usage. The lecturer mentioned in passing that more light in hospital rooms decreases recovery time. I did some research and discovered that this was probably do to something that proponents of "light therapy" already know. The increase in the body's serotonin levels in responses to sunlights decreases depression and increases happiness. Obviously this effect is can be applied in most buildings, especially those of a public nature. As a professor of ACB, how do you know what to teach your students? Is most of your data acquired from surveys, both outside and Georgia Tech made, or is most of the curriculum based on hypotheses and educated speculation? In the discipline of ACB how much emphasis is currently being placed on the effects of sunlight on recuperating patients and people in general? Does the field of ACB research the effects of sunlight therapy or simply the side-affects of naturally more it environments? In the professional world, I know that hospital design is heavily regulated and controlled in order to make them as safe as currently possible. How many regulations are made other non-hospital buildings in order to make them heathy and less-stressful? How often do hospitals actively bid outside consultants or design firms that actively incorporate stress-reducing environments? Atlantic Station The lecturer's main topic was the concept of utopian architecture and design, which she explained with a brief history or architects and architecture, and then moved on to her own personal journey to Atlanta and her own reflections and connections to Atlantic Steel and its subsequent destruction and replacement by Atlantic Station. Her brief history of Atlantic Steel showed that the life of the mill was very similar to the world around it. Over a 100 years old, it went from segregated to integrated just like America around it; it was an apt mirror of the historical worlds it passed through. It was obvious that the lecturer had a very deep connection to the old steel mill; a self-proclaimed admirer of industrial forms, she would often stop to utter, almost to herself, how she could never imagine destroying something with so much historical value to replace it with an entire new "city" as she put it. She would never have the "gall." She, however, was not all condescending on the new, modernist, commercialistic forms that replaced Atlantic Steel, she even describes the new, bare, parking deck as having almost a spiritual quality. Perhaps not a question on discipline, but rather a more personal one, but do you, the lecturer feel that there is a loss of culture in such a transition as the one from Atlantic Steel to Atlantic Station. Is the industry of major development, whether in housing or malls or anything that is on the same scale as Atlantic Station, trending towards the development of these "utopian cities?" As a photo-documentarist, do you feel that there is a particular way that best conveys the essence of a location in change, perhaps a chronological sequences? I noticed that during the presentation you kept most of your comments to a minimum only stopping a few times to relate your personal feelings on the matter. Most of the presentation was your pictures and of course the video that was almost completely silent. Do you feel that this style of presentation better conveys the essence of the location? Palladio Basically, the lecturer was describing a study that he had conducted on why the work of Palladio is so ineffable. He started with the hypothesis that yes Palladio's work excellently displayed classical tradition and were beautiful for that, but other than those qualities there was no ethereal quality of exultation present in his work. Through research he did, however, discover that Palladio excelled in ways his contemporaries did not: he was the first to re-introduce religious elements back into domestic architecture, he was very mathematical in his design using harmonic ratios as well already common things such as the golden ratio. I though it was very interesting that Palladio designed some of his buildings with an emphasis on harmonic ratio. I already knew a little about this concept form a previous music theory class, but through my research I became a little more familiar with how this concept can be applied to architecture. Basically architects, such as Palladio, taken the ratio of harmonic progression and build up different components, increasing in size by the ratio, and have the whole be in ratio with every individual room. I researched some of the religious elements that Palladio brought back. The one that I found msot interesting, and that is still in use today, are columns, probably inspired by the Pantheon. This is obviously a universal element today, especially within classical architecture. In my studio class we studied negative space, and I was interested to see that Palladio used a similar technique on the front of some of his buildings, deliberately leaving very open faces. It is like he defined the shape of the house as whole by using emptiness rather than using a tangible element. Was most of the research conducted through plans and pictures, or was there a fair amount of direct contact with the buildings? Do you think it is possible to conduct such an experiment without direct contact? I saw through the lecture how Palladio and his contemporaries emulated the Roman tradition of architecture, but I did not see very many examples of how these buildings double as practical homesteads as you mentioned they did. What are some examples of this? How well were architects such as Palladio paid back in the 1600's? You mentioned that Palladio is still well represented and studied even today. Do you think this is because his concepts and style is still applicable in the industry today? 9/16/07 CATEA The first lecture of the week, by Stephen Sprigle, dealt primarily with the nature of disability and how it affects the development and design of the built environment. More specifically he discussed the general terminology of the types of technologies and design philosophies that are used when designing for the disabled. Mr.Sprigle starts off with the macro view, defining major terms and concepts before zooming in, discussing more specific things like CATEA's role in this whole process and how disability design is really a multi-disciplanary field that cannot be done my architects or engineers or industrial designers alone. As for the first part of the lecture, the one that dealt with terminology, this was a particularly knowledge (read definition) heavy section. Some of the major vocabulary were disability, assistive technology, universal design appeal, barrier-free education and information, and environmental access. The three terms that seemed most important to me were assistive technology, universal design appeal, barrier free education and information. I felt that I had a general idea of what these terms meant before doing any research on them, both from context clues and from the information given in the lecture itself. The first term, assistive technology, my precursory definition of it was any technology that was designed to help the disabled with tasks, whether everyday or not. This is the essence of the real definition, but I did discover a few additional things. My definition however lacks a certain subtlety of the real one, and that is that AT serves the purpose of not just helping the disabled but rather making their lives easier to be lived independently of outside help. I originally thought that "universal design appeal" simply meant that a assistive technology also proved to be useful the general populace. However, after some research, I realized that it is more than that. It is also a design philosophy. Instead of just designing things for non-disabled people and the disabled separately, the concept of universal design appeal says to design technologies that are useful to both aforementioned groups. From what I originally understood from Professor Sprigle's presentation, barrier free information and technology was a subdivision of AT that dealt with making things like the classroom environment, books, and the internet. Through research I found that this is basically true. There are many, many ways that this manifests such as large font types, computer spoken text, and large-style classrooms for instance. Four questions that were raised for me personally are as following. Can this discipline be taught in a undergraduate environment where each individual is still honing the skills specific to their major, or is it only possible as a graduate student, where multiple disciplines can be combined? Is this field of study directly applicable in the job market on its own, or merely a resource, albeit an extremely useful one, to applied to other jobs such as industrial design? How much is aesthetics taken into consideration? Obviously marketability must be taken into account, but to what degree is the disabled market willing to put up with slightly unsightly products? How many of the projects developed at CATEA are put into production? Construction Integration Content-wise the second presentation of the week, the one on the construction industry, served as an overview of what happens in the construction, and also a brief overview of its evolution.. However it also served as mental stimulation; asking questions like how can we make the industry better through integration, what problems are there facing integration, and how can we surmount them. As mentioned before, this presentation started of with a brief introduction to construction followed by an even briefer overview of its evolution and history. Some terms that stuck out to me included integration, product commitment, and what the lecturer described as a subtle difference in connotation between the words construction and builder. Although I though I had a basic grasp on these terms and concepts, I decided it would be better for me to research them more in depth. I researched the second term first because it seemed the most straightforward. It is defined as having specialization in a specific area of a field, and is a synonym of specialization. Since there is a not whole lot of this in the industry today, this seems to be a hurdle that must be overcome in order to better integrate the entire process, because with any well-oiled process (think of a assembly line) each part has its on specific role to play. As I googled both the words construction and builder I realized that what the lecturer had said was completely true. The search results for builder often came up with prestigious building construction firms and the like. While the hits for construction were mostly a lot less prestigious, a whole lot discussions on hispanic immigration actually. I wonder how this difference in connotation affects the industry as a whole. Lastly I tackled the concept of integration, even though I have already mentioned a few times. As I learned from the lecturer, the construction industry as it is, is extremely slow in its completion of projects. He implied that it was generally agreed that the integration of several of the steps of construction (and thereby several disciplines) into fewer or simultaneous steps would greatly improve the speed and efficiency of the process as a whole. A quick google search confirms this, with degrees and research being conducted in all of the major technical universities around the world in how "design-constructon integration" can be implemented for effectively. Since this is apparently so important, it seems to be an obvious subject of interest for study (at least for myself). At the end of the lecture I still had several questions. Like how does a graduate program teaching specifically the integration of design and construction, like what would the material be? Do you, you being the lecturer, believe that there would be a position available for integration consultant or analyst in the job market? Also, we all know that traditionally design and construction are separate disciplines. Is it possible to combine certain elements of both into an entirely new discipline? Is the industry progressively moving towards integration, or is still pretty much stagnant? GIS Steven French's lecture seemed to really just be a presentation and introduction to a proverbial "wide-world of GIS," where he highlighted many of sundry applications of this rapidly growing field. He does this in what could be called case study format. Where example after example of applications are introduced and discussed. Examples of terms introduced include impervious surfaces, databasing, and land suitability. The most interesting of the previous three terms, to me at least, is databasing and how it is used in conjunction with GIS. I for the most part just thought of databases as basic excel-type spreadsheets. However after the lecture and some online research I realized that was a whole more to it, including things like graphical interfaces (such as the map databases in the lecture), animation, etc. These are on the cutting edge of GIS technology, and are extremely useful as they allow many different disciplines to combine their data in one place. Databases are the basis for the next term, land suitability. Through the combination of tons of data–road maps, soil conditions, elevation, etc.–and then interpreting with some sort of graphical interface, GIS engineers can determine the optimum location for buildings or anything else. Another term that Professor French through out there that had me confused at first was impervious surfaces. At first I thought he mean indestructible materials, but a quick search showed that the definition was materials that do not let water pass through such as concrete or asphalt. This was just one of the facets of one of the examples, but it seems like it would be applicable in any number of fields/majors. Remaining questions: When teaching GIS as a degree or in a graduation program do you focus more on software usage or problem solving? What is the primary profession of GIS engineer: consultant? design firm? construction firm? As a discipline, does the introduction of automated GIS data inspire more or detract form the creativity of the architecture field? Is it currently standard practice to incorporate GIS-aided planning before construction? 9/9/07 M.S.: Classical Design Curriculum The focus of this lecture is of course the Classical Design Curricula, but more specifically how classical architecture and philosophies such as that of proportion are applicable in modern, real-wold situations. The multiple authors of this presentation do this through myriad ways. The primary supplement to all of their presentations are picture examples of the various works that were are part of. However a few went further, namely Stefanie Wahl and David Pearson, who also included their own personal design media or media from the design team. This included preliminary sketches, detailed drawings, water colors, and blueprints. The most important concept that I took away from this presentation was that of proportions. However, many of the presenters focused on things such as classical detailing and traditional materials. Two terms or concepts that merited more research to me were the concepts of classical proportions and traditional materials. Classical proportioning is all about getting all of the individual components of a construct to relate to each other in size and proportion in a pleasing manner. Certain proportions are just naturally more pleasing to the eye such as the so called "golden proportion." Traditional materials are, I learned, are materials that were actual building materials during the time period being replicated. These materials are generally those that were native to the environment of the construct. Q: Is is practical, possible, desirable to mix stables of modern architecture with the values of classical architecture? Does classical architecture seem to be gaining a sizable amount of the market, or is still just a niche discipline? What does a degree in classical architecture entail? Does it simply mean studying classical styles and techniques or is it more than that? CADCAM The main focus of this presentation is the translation of ideas into computer designs into a final product that can be produced with the aid of computers and computer run production machines. The primary supplement to this presentation are timelines through pictures of several projects that the author worked on. These pictures narrate the story of each construct–from initial design through multiple steps of translation from design to computer readable files to the final product. The pictures really illustrate some of the difficulties and challenges of this process, the primary one being interface issues between man, computer, and machine. The main concept that I took from this presentation was that of the aforementioned difficulties of translation. The author really impressed upon me how this was a process unto itself. The act of turning design into computer constructed product was not one a "fire and forget" operation; the computer cannot do everything. When everything is said and done this process still requires a lot of brain work and ingenuity, which is why it is a discipline unto itself. One question that the presenter left his audience with at the end of the presentation was one dealing with the concept of master builder. As he went on to explain, the concept of a master builder came about during the middle ages when constructs became too complicated and massive to be handled completely by the design "firm." Highly skilled craftsman developed their trade into a profession that still exists in some form today as construction firms. Another concept discussed was that of interactive constructs, such as one that he designed and built with the specific purpose of being played with by children. It is an fascinating idea that somethings cannot truly be known or experience with out actually, physically interacting with it. Q: Have you (you being the presenter) ever encountered a problem or design that you simply found impossible to solve with CAM technology? How much innovation and change and compromise is required when translating an object from pure design into finished product, i.e., how similar do the initial designs and final products look? Does CAM technology open up materials that would have previously been too tedious to work with? Solar Decathlon The focus of this presenters presentation was the international Solar Decathlon competition, specifically this years, in which each team has to design and build and zero-energy home. This project has requires and huge amount of work and extremely cross-disciplinary. Because of this the presenter chose to organize his presentation addressing each facet individually–structural support, floor, roof, etc. Each facet is illustrated with pictures, CAD diagrams, numerical charts, and good old photographs. Since the Solar Decathlon competition is government sponsored in an attempt to promote interest in environmentally friendly construction and design, the concepts of zero energy homes and living "off the grid" A zero energy house is one that does not require any external or commercial sources of energy; it is completely self-sufficient. Being "off the grid" is when a house or building is not connected to both commercial energy and water grids. This usually coincides with the building being completely removed from civilization. Q: Are their usually significant differences in design between the different schools? This could be in several scales: by region, country, philosophies, etc. When a designing a house like this what takes more of a priority: marketability and practicality or environmental friendliness? For somebody with an interest in landscape architecture, how much of a role does landscape design influence the "green" factor of the house? Barriers and Framesby: Donovan Henneberg-VerityAs with any installation, especially ones of such great size, there are innumerable aspects to be considered. Because of which only those most salient to the author will discussed hereafter, namely how each piece acts as a barrier, a frame.The first piece, that of wooden construction, besides exhibiting astounding organization and construction technique, exemplifies all of the features mentioned in the introduction. As a barrier it separates the locker and atrium area from the studio both visually and physically. The visual impairment creates two complete, separate, and distinct areas where before there was only one. This isolation of areas seems to be ideal for a classroom environment where concentration is required. An interesting aspect of this isolation, as mentioned before, is there is only visual; sound is not recognizably impaired at all. Leaving sound unaffected this pieces creates an area of isolation and concentration, without imposing cloister-like silence and stillness. Perhaps such stillness would inhibit the activities within the studio, which I imagine, would require some sort energy or excitement. On a technical note the narrow, vertical lines created by the parallel strips of wood uses a technique not unlike the polarization shown in certain sun and eye glasses. That is to say when viewed head-on the viewer can see through the "slats," but as angle of viewing increases the visibility decreases accordingly. In addition to blocking view, the contours and lines serve to frame the remaining scene. The slow curves of the installation gently breaks ups the monotonous, straights lines of building's interior, providing a warmer, more natural background and accent for the interior environment. The second piece, made of poly-carbonate plastic, affects the framing of its environment on several different scales, but not in the traditional sense in that it does not frame the "shot," but rather that it disrupts the scene. The chaotic, natural-looking lines in the middle of the piece completely offset the neat, straight, and somewhat cold lines of the windows and columns and concrete slabs. Of the scales mentioned before there are two main ones: the macro and bird's eye. On the macro scale, a fair distance away say 100+ feet, the installation is impossible to miss as it is, stylistically, so incompatible with the unnatural looking building, even though it does in fact rest on and rely on that very same building for support. The bird's eye scale is also pretty self-explanotory. If one is fortunate to gain access to one of the second or third story offices the top of the installation is visible. The top offers a truly natural-looking view, almost as if one is at the top of a waterfall looking down because of all of the shimmering and glittering light and unpredictable lines. As a barrier, the plastic piece does not fill that role in a traditional sense. Instead of entirely blocking sound or noise it merely distorts and scatters light as shine into the building through windows. This scintillation is similar in effect to the aforementioned chaotic framing; it creates energy and exciting new lines and light and shadow. The key is in the construction. At what I term the "beginning" of the piece–the side where the individual plastic lines and converge into a single, flat slab–there is nothing remarkable happening. By all accounts it is a plastic bench. But as the eyes move further and further along the piece it slow spreads apart by the careful introduction of vertical plastic planks in between the original horizontal ones. This is probably where the title of installation comes in because these vertical pieces are completely separate parts than the horizontal ones. Now as these intermingled lines spread farther and farther apart they suddenly reach a concrete column and are "blown" around where they explode into maelstrom of plastic lines showing no apparent rhyme or reason. This is the essence of this installation, its descent (or ascent in this case, as the piece rises from left to right–beginning to end in my mind) into madness. Both installations, although made of completely different materials and utilizing different methods of construction and fabrication, both serve similar purposes and have similar phenomenological effects. Whether this is by design or planned out, I do not know. Perhaps these aspects are shared by all installation of this variety. ere. Link to this Page
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