Interior Design

FRANKING SENSE, BOLTON

SWAN LANE MILLS, BOLTON

The ideal of revival is one that is quite poetic. There is something rewarding about nurturing a building that has suffered abandonment, and it becomes part of our role as a designer or architect in society. 

http://www.thecontemporaryaustin.org/exhibitions/do-ho-suh/

I came across Do Ho Suh’s work while browsing instagram. He’s a Korean installation artist and sculptor. At first I thought his work was either computer graphics or sketches but after doing some research I found that they are actually monochrome polyester structures. Some allow people to walk through whereas others are objects, such as the specimen series in the link above. 

I thought it was really interesting how he can make things that we see every day into these skeletal delicate forms. They are soft on the eye with colour and detail, drawing the onlooker in. I even think that some of them seem ghostly, not in a haunting way but rather like they once existed and are no longer; almost like the shed skin of a snake. Once illuminated they come to life even more so, sucking people in to stand in awe at their uniqueness. 

FINAL SCALE MODEL 1:100

Detail has been added onto the actual plan and we have layered it up using birchwood ply (same as base) for the upstands and ramp!

REALISTIC MATERIALITY

Arches: aluminium

Covers: thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU)

Distorted Spheres: perspex 

EXHIBITION & SUMMARY

Banner ✔️

Life-size model ✔️

Scale model ✔️

Teamwork ✔️

It was a long day getting everything just right for the big exhibition night but we made it! A lot of people showed interest in the scale model that evening, taking pictures of it and taking close inspections. The next day was when Bruntwood came to have a look at all of our final pieces. Due to work commitments unfortunately only Jonny could make it but he instantly told us the feedback! Apparently they mentioned that they loved it even before the exhibition and how it also looked good within the space as a finished product. It was mentioned that we could collaborate with the Sweetness + Light group which was part of the reason we had decided to use a space near theirs! The colours and shapes work well together which could be a running theme throughout the building. 

So, this week we have been focussing on getting the life-size model completely finished and starting to set up the exhibition! 

After experimenting different ways to distort the balls (an oven melted jellyfish lookalike in the middle at the top there), we decided it was best to use glass paint on the inside, attach the halves together and then melt certain areas with a heater. With two yellow, two blue and two mixed, we found some cool colours and shapes amongst them all. It is a real shame that we couldn’t get them as big as we hoped as it could have been more effective but we worked with what we could and we’re pleased with the results! We took the decision to spray paint the arches black as it looks a lot more professional than exposed metal and also hides the welding. The balls fit well with them and represent several of the summery colours that we were aiming for.

Our feedback from the panel today was really positive overall which was quite exciting to hear! Bruntwood told us that it had been the strongest presentation they had seen so far and that our idea is solid. It was mentioned how it will really brighten up Manchester’s skyline which is our main aim! There are of course things that we still need to consider before the exhibition so that it is clear to others how exactly our design is going to work. 

We can consider other senses such as sound that would work with our aesthetic which could be quite interesting and is definitely something to think about. It’s important that we present detailed sketches, visuals and dimensions defining exactly how our joints and attachments work to prove that this will really function as a whole. The last thing that we really need to look at over the next few days is the lighting for night time, for example the electrics and where/how they are placed on.