Secret Underground Theater on Boylston Street

So cool, definitely worth a read.


http://www.wecb-news.com/the-secret-underground-theater-on-boylston-street/

Fun Post: Minecraft.

Since we had a little fun talking about Minecraft I thought I'd post a little Minecraft based architecture.

http://mcarchitecture.tumblr.com/

Projects can also get very dedicated in Minecraft as well...
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvwO6mBrWgg

And the game site:
https://minecraft.net/

Centering text in InDesign

When you are clicked inside your text box, go to the drop down menu called Paragraph (you can access this from Window > Type and Tables > Paragraph) and select center align.   You will also find this icon in the top toolbar when you are clicked into the text box.  When in doubt, you can always google your question or use the InDesign help!

Is there a reason why an image might look great in Photoshop, but once put in InDesign at the same size, it looks pixelated? 

Studica Deals for Design software.

Since it was asked before here's the site for the design software deals.

http://www.studica.com/

http://www.studica.com/us/en/Autodesk-For-Students/autocad-design-suite-ultimate-2014-student/769f1-098181-1001.html

Concept Statements - Rewritten

Annika:
Areas of intersection and overlap identified in both the selected artworks and observed at the site are the organizing framework for the proposal. Moments of penetration between otherwise separated spaces create a unified connected experience. 

Stephen:
Through the blurring of perceived boundaries, the visitor’s experience extends beyond the limits of each individual artwork and the proposed architecture. This encourages a reinterpretation of the pieces, their relationship to one another, and their situation within the surrounding urban context

James:
By inserting moments of pause within areas of activity and motion, this proposal creates tiered spaces of obscurity revealed only through exploration and experience. View and anticipation at once disorient and ground the visitor within the structure, and subsequently, the site.

Zach:
This proposal is framed as a series of contrasts, namely:

light/shadow
overlap/isolation
transparent/opaque
inside/outside

These opposing conditions encourage movement and awareness of both the natural features on the site, as well as the artworks themselves.

Mychal:
Using lines to connect existing site markers, volumes are inscribed that describe a dichotomy of density and dispersion. Manipulations of scale, in addition to the expansive arrangement of the artworks throughout the landscape, create spaces for meandering, discovery, and a shifting understanding one’s own position relative to the surrounding environment. 

Presentation Tips - Things to Remember

DO

- keep your presentations between 5-7 minutes
- plan out your presentation both visually and verbally in advance of the review. then do it again. and again...
- provide a verbal outline of your presentation to your reviewers (e.g. first I will give you some background on the project, then I will go through my design process, finally I will …)
- be succinct, yet clear and comprehensive
- face your entire audience, make eye contact with each person from time to time, make sure they are well positioned and that you do not block your work with your body. you should always be facing outward from your work.
- think about how will you walk people through the design and the design decisions that led to the final proposal
- write and rewrite your concept statement regularly
- include site photos if you are working with a physical site
- make clear from the beginning what the current state of the design is. point to it if necessary.
- be aware if the audience is following your pace of presentation
- be honest

DON’T

- jump around too much from drawing to model to drawing during the presentation. know which drawing you will use to describe the various aspects of your proposal
- be self-deprecating -- this makes reviewers uncomfortable
- say things that you don’t believe
- cite your studio instructor. it is your project. you own it.
- say “I was playing with…”
- say “I didn’t want to do ____” or “I wanted this to do ____”
- say “I was playing around with…”
- say “I kinda liked how…
- say “I thought it was fun to play with...”

Chichu Art Museum - Tadao Ando

Here are some links with information about the museum that Sky mentioned in the review last Monday.  It only houses 5 galleries with works by 3 artists!

http://www.studiointernational.com/index.php/the-chichu-art-museum/

This is the website for the museum: http://www.benesse-artsite.jp/en/chichu/

Some images below:

BBC on diagrams

Here's a cool series on diagrams I found

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWyeXquRWFs

Rothko Chapel

Definitely check this out if you haven't and read the "About" and "History" sections as well!  I think it ties in a lot with what we've been working on.

http://www.rothkochapel.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3&Itemid=6

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rothko_Chapel


...also interestingly, the famous 20th century composer Morton Feldman composed a piece entitled Rothko Chapel (1971) which was inspired by and composed to be performed in the chapel.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxSt_w2ODaQ

Revised Concept

The ideal is to address the junction of the two streets which create a critical corner of both view and motion for all forms of traffic, noise and even light. From there the structure should not impose it's presence but it should not also be obscured itself. In many ways the structure should communicate its contents and goals before a person becomes an occupant.

Areas containing the art pieces are segregated from another allowing for each piece to be individually viewed. In addition no art piece area exits or enters from another art piece. The roof plan forms a fifth elevation that is a composition viewable from buildings above. The space that is the intersection of the three art works creates the essence of the three art works.

Revised Concept Statement

Light/shadow

Overlap/isolation

Transparent/opaque

Inside/outside

Revised Concept

This design is to examine the private and public realm of art interpretation by allowing the artwork to extend beyond its perceived limits.  In  doing so, the art will, at times, act as a lens through which one can experience the art of nature and society.  Too, the design of the space shall extend beyond its perceived  exterior limits.  Keeping in line with Gego's ideal that the line should be the art piece, the linear elements defining thresholds is definitive of the art of this architectural piece.

Pointless Diagrams

Hi guys,

I found a blog that's pretty cool: a compilation of diagrammatic doodles that do not necessarily have any kind of application.

http://pointlessdiagrams.com/

Drawings

My son's drawing of "Transportation"  I thought it was actually a great way of communicating a verb, rather than a noun. 

I have read that girls are often pegged as good artists earlier because their drawings are recognizable by their teachers.  That is because girls often draw nouns and boys tend to draw verbs.  With most preschool teachers being women, the boys artwork is often not understood.  Just an interesting insight into how different people and groups see the world differently.

Project III - Final Requirements

Due Monday November 25:

Final Review

Minimum Requirements:

Be prepared to talk about how you have dealt with the existing site conditions.

• site model (with your massing studies inserted) at 1/16”=1’-0”

• site section at 1/16”=1’-0”

• relevant site analysis

Drawings must include context and the artwork drawn to scale, and the sections should

include scaled figures.

• plans at 1/8”=1’-0”

• sections at 1/8”=1’-0” (at least 2)

• model at 1/8”=1’-0” which includes site context

• paraline drawing (can be cut away or exploded) at 1/16” = 1’-0” or 1/8” = 1’-0” (with diagram overlays)

• 3 perspectives (with a view of each art piece)

• relevant diagrams

REMEMBER TO BRING

• printed images of the art (know name of artist and the artwork)

• art abstractions

• relevant process including study models, sketches (photocopied, scanned/printed, or trimmed originals)

Concept Statement

The ideal is to address the junction of the two streets which create a critical corner of both view and motion for all forms of traffic, noise and even light. From there the structure should not impose it's presence but it should not also be obscured itself. In many ways the structure should communicate its contents and goals before a person becomes an occupant. 

Project III - Exercise 08

Exercise 08 due Monday November 18:

•  Construct 1 model at 1/8” = 1’-0”.  Hybridize and breed earlier iterations together to refine your structure.  Keep going back to the concept that is driving the decisions you are making. Don’t be afraid to question or revise your concept as you discover new relationships.

•  Using your axonometric drawings from Thursday's class as underlays, begin generating diagrams on trace paper addressing the following:

- circulation

- views

- material (opacity/porosity, texture, color)

- exterior envelope

- interior structure

•  Draft two sections of your scheme. Remember, don’t just document your models with these drawings, but rather focus on representing the intent for the design. Since these sections are at a larger scale, you can provide more information than could be built into the models and you should especially consider material thickness.

• 1 long section at 1/8”=1’-0”

• 1 short section at 1/8”=1’-0”

Explore the procession/path of the visitor and the different relationships (whether internal or external)

between the artworks themselves, the viewer and the artworks, and the viewer and other viewers. Don’t

forget to include the art works drawn to scale and a scale figure (traced, not drawn freehand).

Concept statement

To utilize light, shadow, color and happenstance to attract and engage occupants with three artworks displayed inside.

Concept statement

To exaggerate a thresholds to create a dramatic comparison between the art installations.