ANIMATION WORKSHOP-Early Decisions

He have been given a few tasks to complete by tomorrow for our mid semester crit.

>We have had to choose a team of 4 other people to collaborate with ourselves into a startup business.
>We have to choose our site, preferably related to our 1:100 model location
>We have to try to get inspiration and ideas from elements such as the team members' professions, context, and past projects

I have decided on a team of 5 people including:
1. Myself
2. An Accountant
3. A Chef
4. A Photographer
5. An Engineer

My site is on the carpark situated on the intersection of Beach Road and Mahuhu Crescent.
This location is close to a park, pharmacy, apartments and many car related businesses. The building adjacent to this site is of apartments and hotel accomodation.

Some qualities and themes from my past projects that I wish to include are warmth, comfort, intimacy and spirituality.

I have currently decided on a 2-storey building with the chef and photographer occupying the bottom level and the Accountant, Engineer and Architect occupying the 1st floor. This is because the chef will be running his/her cafe, therefore access to customers must be easy. Similarly, the photographer will have a studio open to public. The accountant, engineer and myself do not regularly need contact with the public, therefore we are in the 1st floor.

The chef keeps the team together by feeding them and by acting as their public face.

Final Model Photos

Matrix

Model Making Process

After showing my laser cut facades and circular structural elements, they recommended a way to further develop the model using thread and sewing it through the laser cut areas on the facade so reinforce the image for viewers and also to relate the delicacy of the thread to the intimacy of the act of palm reading. 

The front of the facade with threads:

The back of the facade with threads:

Then I thought about how the light coming through the cuts on the facade would still be too direct. So, in order to diffuse and soften the light, I decided to put a layer of tissue gift wrapping paper (also recommended by tutors earlier). The surface was slightly shiny, adding to the aesthetic of my model. 

After finalising the facade, I still had to figure out the structure of the stall. The tutors advised me to use the thread that i weaved into the facade to somehow connect the structural elements to the stall but i was unsure about how to proceed with that. They also suggested just using the circular elements which would be enough, rather than laser cutting the poles again. This makes the stall more delicate and less rigid, corresponding with the art pf palmistry which is also very delicate.

I thought about having the structural elements attached (temporarily) to another material which was then able to be stuck onto the facade. Another reason for this was that I was slightly worried about spoiling the facade by gluing the structural element directly onto it.

Therefore I decided on making holes through another piece of card which could hold the structural elements when needed with the use of loops made with the thread: This way the structural elements could be slipped in or out of the holes as needed. If they were taken out, the entire facade would be flat and able to be dismantled easily.

Close ups of the structural element attached to the card with loops of thread:

The next step was to glue the cardboard pieces to the facade. I glued the fittings towards the left of each facade to allow for space for the entrance and exit gaps:

Finished!

Structural factors

I was extremely stuck on how to stand the stall up when my tutors (as always) suggested an awesome idea of using poles on the inside an circular parts to hold the poles together, all to make the structure strong and able to stand properly. As you can see, I have included these factors into my illustrator files for laser cutting below.

They also suggested using a soft tissue-like fabric to put on the interior so that it is softened and more comfortable for customers - stability and comfort are necessary for my palm reading stall.

Adobe Illustrator

I made an illustrator document for laser cutting and had 3 artboards:

1. The cone shaped exterior structure with vertical lines and close up & abstract photos of my hand cut out.
2. The vertical poles for the structure of the stall on the inside.
3. The circles which hold the structure and the vertical poles together.

All 3 artboards:

The cone shaped exterior structure:





 

Vertical poles for the structure: 
 

Circular structural elements:

Laser Cuts!

It took me a long time to get the files right for laser cutting but finally it was done! I was very happy with the results and the accuracy of the cut. I especially love how the fold/engrave cuts on the cone facade turned out with the hand photos cut into the watercolour paper too!

There was just one problem, I calculated the length of the structural poles wrong and as a result, I will have to re cut them tomorrow somewhere else as the school is conveniently moving the laser cutter machine tomorrow...

But I will still use the circular strips to hold the structure together. I also have to individually bend each fold (engrave) on the watercolour paper to ensure it serves it's function of being round.

Photoshopping

I further cropped the photos and applied the threshold filter on photoshop so that they were black and white and the detail in the lines, mounts and prints of the hand was obvious.

After this step, I further simplified a few photos so that there was not as much detail and depth, but it was still somewhat recognizable as being a part of a hand. I had to carry out this step in order to use these photographs and the details in the hand captured to make a cut-out pattern on the facade, which I had pretty much decided. I decided to finally use 2 photos which were important to me and summarised palmistry (minor and major lines and mounts).

This shows the lines on our thumb (on the outer side of our hand). My dad told me that the amount of lines in this area shows the amount of children we will have. I am not sure if it is true but it is one of my most vivid memories about palmistry from my childhood. Even if what I was told was not true, it is still a set of minor lines, which are very important in figuring out the small details of a person's life and character.

This shows the 3 major lines of palmistry - The Heart, Life and Brain Line in the middle of our hand. These 3 lines essentially summarises our intelligence, love, and life in general. This photo also shows some mounts on my hand, that lie just beneath my fingers. The apollo mount (below ring finger) tells us about our home, relationships and self expression whereas the mount of mercury (below little finger) is about business, family and honesty.

Facade

I have been given a reminder that my project has too many symbols and not enough obvious relationship to palmistry. It is kind of like a wake up call for me as I fully agree with this.

I have decided therefore to have an abstract, yet somewhat simple interpretation of a hand on the facade.

I came home on Monday and started taking photographs (or my brother took the photographs) of my hand:

I tried to direct him to take different "poses" of my hands in various "postures" and styles as well as some closeups emphasizing on the major and minor lines (Life, Heart and Brain) on my hand (I tried to squash my hand a little to make the lines as obvious as possible.

Further Development

Before meeting my tutors on Monday, I made a small model (half the size of my 1:20) of the facade to show them. I had decided on having lines really close to each other going from the bottom to the top of the cone on the exterior. If I cut it slightly (or engraved it in the laser cutter), then it would make the material I use (I have been thinking of watercolour paper by the way-tutors suggestion) more inclined to fold in the way I want it to - like a cone.

Also to add more depth and complexity to my design, I thought of various patterns I could cut out from the facade in order to make it have some meaning related to palmistry as well as providing a light source for the inside of the stall. I had finally decided on a snake-type, zig-zag flowy pattern as this is a metaphor for the idea that we are first very confused and caught up in many wordly webs and distractions, but with the help of divination (in this case, palmistry), we are more focused. Therefore the line becomes thinner and straighter towards the top-the hole for the beam.

Internet making life easier:-D

Today while trying to make a small model of my structure, just see how it would look like, I found this website which automatically calculates the dimensions of the circles you need to draw to make a cone model. It has saved me a lot of time and energy trying to figure out the calculus of the model, for which I am extemely happy and grateful to the makers!!

http://www.unikatissima.de/e/?p=2117

Entrance/Exit of stall

My tutors mentioned on Thursday that maybe it might be better to have different entrance and exit points for the stall as people entering the stall would be in a completely different state of mind as the people leaving the stall. This made me think of maybe having the entrance towards the road, so that customers are attracted to enter the structure. Whereas the exit could be directed towards the back of the stall, i.e. towards the park, being a perfect place, in my opinion, for people with more insight on their life and character to be released.

I want to keep the entrance and exit similar to my original cone idea with the spiralled top. But I definitely want the beam of ligh entering the stall to be circular, or at least as close to being circular as possible. This means that there has to be a way of fixing the structure on the top only.

Bird's eye view of this idea:

Light source of structure

I have started to think of the light source of the structure and how I can incorporate it into the design of the stall. I do not want the interior of the stall to be overly bright as it is a very soft and spiritual setting, therefore dim lighting will be the best. 

I saw this picture when I google-searched "laser cutting" and it immediately grabbed my attention because of the "flaps" on the back of the dress which could be similarly incorporated into my design as a vehicle for letting light into the stall. Maybe even in specified amounts. 

I somehow want to further emphasise on the spirituality and/or the feeling of going into a different environment/realm. I have sketched some ideas for the form of the lighting and will post pictures tomorrow.

Bruder Klaus Chapel by Peter Zumthor

After talking to my tutors on Thursday, they told me that my idea of the hole at the top of the structure linking to spirituality was similar to the Bruder Klaus Chapel by Peter Zumthor which also had a whole in the ceiling for a beam of light. I googled it and loved what I saw! I also felt a little proud that I came up with a similar idea to a world renowned architect...

What i extremely like about this chapel is that from the outside, you don't expect the inside to be like it is - having a hole in the ceiling to allow a beam of light to seep through during the day - making it a nice surprise for people visiting it. This contrasts to my current idea, as the exterior cone shape reflects, and in some sense warns the visitor of what the interior is like. I think that this is necessary in my structure as a palm reading market stall is not easily recognised as there is no symbol, like the Christian Cross on the chapel that establishes it's function for the viewer before entering it. Therefore I think it is good to warn the viewer in my case, of what to expect when they enter the stall (a dark small space with a beam of light coming through a gap in the roof) so that they are not thrown off when they enter it.

I also love how the tall height of the building further reinforces the spirituality idea with the beam of light being more refined and further away, making enlightenment seem a lot more precious and harder to achieve. I may think of pursuing a similar verticality in my stall to show this idea. 

Addition to basic concept

I suddenly thought of modifying my basic cone shape slightly to incorporate an entrance which seems more natural and contributes to the idea of entering a different realm and letting go of yourself (similar to going into a black hole I guess) which is a major aspect of palm reading.

I thought of opening up the edges of the cone (that was initially supposed to be attached) to form a gap which becomes the entrance, reinforcing the ideas mentioned above (letting go, entering different realm).

The birds eye view also forms a spiral shape, which further emphasizes on the idea of spirituality and understanding yourself more deeply.

Enlightenment & Development

When I saw my tutors on Wednesday, I showed them my hand ideas for the structure... but they reminded me that I was being too representative and obvious. I should try to incorporate the feelings and deeper aspects of palmistry (spirituality, subtlety, letting go etc.) rather than the physical aspects.

I felt that centrality and symmetry would create a sense of spirituality and divination, therefore I had decided on a circular floor plan.

I tried to experiment and sketch with a few different shapes - cylinders, domes that showed the idea of centrality well. I also thought about light and almost instantly decided that I wanted singular beam of light from the roof penetrating into the stall somehow.

Then I came up with a simple form that satisfied my 2 ideas and complemented the idea of spirituality in palmistry very well. A cone with a hole on the top -  letting a beam of light into the centre of space. This beam on light emphasizes on the customer, making them feel like they are the only person in the world when they are being told about their palm. This evokes a deeper conciousness of themselves for the customer , therefore emphasising on ther spiritual enlightenment.

 

 Beam of light through top:

Concept ideas

I first came up with the idea of some or all aspects of the stall being in the form of a hand since it shows a very obvious connection to palmistry:

In the context of an entrance...

In the context of the stall's structure itself...

Specifications and first steps...

These are the basic specifications I have figured out so far for the palm reading stall:

>The stall should be exclusive and private - like an enclosure as people would not want others to hear about their future and personality etc, this is very private stuff!

         - thicker walls so that it is harder for sound to penetrate?

         

>The form should evoke a feeling of spirituality as palm reading is considered a form of divination in some aspects since it involves predicting the future and figuring out a person's character. 

>I (the palm reader) should be able to fully devote my attention to one customer at a time while still allowing for other customers to make bookings whenever they arrive at the stall (not making them have to wake).

My tutors gave me the idea of making the structure subtle as the act of palm reading requires palmists to distinguish and take into account minor signs on the palm which is a hard task. 

I have also thought about somehow including the concept of opening yourself up to someone, being extremely brave into the form and structure of the stall. 

DESIGN 2 - LASER CUTTING WORKSHOP

We are required to design a market stall selling something that sustains us in some way so I chose to design a palm reading stall where I will be the palm reader and customers will be able to enter the stall to get their palms read one-on-one. 

Palm reading has been around for a looooooooong time ( in the BCs). It was developed by people all over the world at that time, the Greek, Indian, China, Egypt etc. Palmists are able to decipher a persons character and future by taking into account the lines, mounts, marks, fingerprints and hand shape.

Palm reading has fascinated me since I was a young child as my dad has always had an interest in this art/science, buying books on palmistry (he never read much at all but used to love reading books on this topic) and getting palmists to read his hand. The thing that caught my attention was that whenever I sat down with a book on Palmistry and tried to decipher the lines and mounts on my own hand, most of the time, what was described had a lot of truth in it, cementing my belief in Palmistry. Therefore it sustains me as I enjoy reading mine and others' hands. And who does not want to know what happens in their future?

Matrix for presentation

As part of our submission for the peer reviews last thursday, we were required to attempt a matrix with the focus on our enclosure.