design journal

10.10.16 // refine

In todays class we really made an effort to refine and decide on what we are going to do in order to create the entrance to the event. We went back out to look at the main tent in the alumni court and used a tape measure to work out the exact size of the area we will be working with. We also went to RMIT connect to enquire about where we go to get a gazebo/tent to use as the shell for our entrance. We were directed to ‘property services’ and Caitie called to make an enquiry, so hopefully we will have this sorted soon!

We have decided on creating the walls from the paper mouth cutouts and having one giant mouth as the entrance. We are thinking we will create a basic structure of the lips from cardboard, and then give it texture and depth with paper mache and then paint them. The tongue will hopefully be created from the melted plastic bags and either painted red or placed over something red (we don't want everyone covered in red paint!). 

entrance

noun: entrance; plural noun: entrances

an opening, such as a door, passage, or gate, that allows access to a place. "the southern entrance of the palace"

an act or instance of entering somewhere. "at their abrupt entrance he rose to his feet"

entrance

verb: entrance; 3rd person present: entrances; past tense: entranced; past participle: entranced; gerund or present participle: entrancing

fill (someone) with wonder and delight, holding their entire attention. "I was entranced by the city's beauty"

Frankenmodel

Yesterday morning I decided to to experiment with an idea for our groups event contribution. We are working to create an entrance to the event and in doing so, begin the new sensory experience. We are focusing on the questions ‘Where are we coming from?’ and ‘Where are we entering?’.

We have had several ideas of how we can construct this ‘tunnel’ entrance. The overall aim is to create something that people can walk/crawl through to get into the tent. We are hoping to construct it like a giant mouth, and paint it all in red. This giant mouth with alter the sensory perception of space and scale. As well as this we have noted that red is a very important colour in terms of food. Many studies have shown that the colour red makes you hungry and so using this as an entrance to the event is the perfect way to begin the sensory experience. This association with red and hunger is clearly seen in the branding of many fast food chains including McDonalds, KFC, Red Rooster, etc.

We wanted to construct the entrance ourselves and we had a few ideas but they all seemed a little far fetched and unachievable. Our next best idea was to see if we could borrow the gazebo tents that the university often uses for events, and place them at the entrance, and create walls of red mouths as the sort of ‘tunnel’ to enter through. While this is a definite option, I thought I might experiment a little more to see if I could come up with anything else and stretch the idea.

When speaking to my family, my dad suggested perhaps paper-mache with a shell construction of wire could potentially work. Initially I thought that this would be too much work but then I remembered that we have a large group of people with crafty hands and experimenting couldn't hurt!

I created a mini ‘Frankenmodel’ to see how this idea could work. It was very messy but it has potential (my cat thought it tasted pretty good too??). We are hoping to get together as a group this week and try and craft our entrance. In class today we will discuss this idea further and what the potential strengths and weaknesses are.  

references:

26.9.16 Model Making

In yesterdays class we decided that it would be beneficial to create a model of how the tent is going to be, so that all groups in activate/locate can get a better visual for where their contribution will be situated in relation to everything else.

This was a really fun task and the model allowed us to gain a better appreciation for the space. We begun our own idea refining by thinking about how we can use the open walls for the light manipulation. However, andy came over to speak to us about this and said that we were thinking about it in the wrong way and perhaps we could steer away from light and focus wholly on the sensory experience. 

The Waldorf Project

I discovered The Waldorf Project while researching at the beginning of the semester. It is a series of 3 performances by artist Sean Rogg that create an immersive dining experience on a grand stage intended to connect the senses through food, drink, dance, sound, and environment.

The Waldorf project uses sound and lighting in an obtrusive manner, to the point where food almost becomes secondary to the sound and light performance that occurs around it. This heightened sensory experience is something our group really hopes to achieve in our contribution to the final food event. 

the video shown is part 1 - ‘Muskmelon’

light manipulation with paper

sensory experience . light manipulation experiment

so this morning i decided to experiment with some new materials for light manipulation. Our group has been thinking about using paper cut outs to manipulate the light and while i think this could be really successful i thought i would try a couple more ideas incase i could discover something new we hadn't thought of before. 

I took some pieces of transparent plastic (old plastic pockets/ packaging) and painted different shapes and textures onto them. While i was hoping for more of a manipulation of the light that shines through, I still think it could have potential. As our group is looking at the sensory experience i thought i could try and illustrate the senses and they could be displayed in each of the sensory areas of the tent we were discussing potentially setting up. 

While I first thought using the fluorescent paint would create the most effective result I actually really like the aesthetic created in the simple illustration of the hand (to represent ‘touch’). 

I tried putting them up to the light on my window however the lighting was a bit too dramatic and hard to see in the photograph. I would be interested to experiment with how the light works in the courtyard - e.g. whether it is direct/morning/afternoon/etc.

sprint. 12.09.16

In mondays class we begun by discussing the project as a whole and andy started to refine our ideas. We then went to view the alumni courtyard where we will most likely be having the event. It was strange seeing the area  as a place for potential, rather than just a spot I eat my lunch and relax between classes.