#designdomain

[kelseywood94]

Design Domain 01: Survey

MATERIALITY

Colour & Emotion 

Interested in the train of thought between emotions applied to colours, I carried out a small survey on a mixed group of 11 individuals of mixed ages, backgrounds and job roles. The survey was simple, participants were given 10 colours to look at and were asked to write how the colour made them feel in one word where possible. The responses are below: 

1. Yellow 

Happy x3, happiness x3, cheerful, anxious, uneasy, bright, optimistic, sunny, springtime, hopeful, optimistic

2. Green

Calm x3, earthy, sick, positive/correct, relaxed, grounded, off-putting, calm, peaceful, intuitive, focus, connected to nature

3. Light Blue

Cold, calm x3, fresh, comfortable & clean, peaceful, relaxed, sorrow, ecstatic, cute blue skies (sunny feels)

4. Pink

Happy x2, youthful, uncomfortable/synthetic, excited, exotic, outgoing, fun x3,  eye-catching, feminine x2, playful, romantic

5. Red

Sinister, love x2, creative, bold x2, sexy, nervous, romantic, warm, hot fun, anger, passion, fiery

6. Purple

Youthful, horny, unorganised, scatty, neutral/nothing x2, tired, majestic, nice & calming, loyalty, trust, moody, mysterious, luxurious, confident, contentment

7. Black

Cold, calm, organised, clean, motivated, neutral/nothing x2, comfortable, eye-catching, mysterious, political (Black Lives Matter), depressed x2, low, stylish

8. Orange

Warmth x2, sad, commercial, fake happiness, on-edge, mellow, uncomfortable, harsh (after looking at black), impulsive, playful, comforted,  want to be seen, excited

9. White

Nothing/neutral x5, cold, collected, zen, purity, bored, heavenly, safe, innocent, focused

10. Dark Blue

Cold & dreary, relaxed, cool, traditional, lonely, serious, calm x2, proud, bold, vibrant, inspired, formal, moody, strong

The results were not as expected, every answer was so different in each question although some had similar connotations person-to-person. 

This leads my line of thought down the route of how many feelings different people can feel looking at the same colour. 

Can we alter how people feel by exposing them to colour or are their feelings on colours already predetermined?

Would participants feelings change based on the order of the colours? 

Which feelings would be opposite each other on a feelings colour wheel if one were to be created similar to a colour wheel? 

Could the negative colours be balanced by the positive colours? 

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[kelseywood94]

Design Domain 01: Experiment 3

MATERIALITY 

Colour Exploration

This time I wanted to go more ‘primal’ with the colour and used markers to create colours on the bulbs to see how this affected the light. 

Using a green pen, I marked a line on the bulb to see how it would work with the light. Looking at it straight forward, you can see through the line and onto the strong filament of the bulb. As you move the line around you can clearly see the green projected onto the white background, including the pen marks. The glow is light and adds a fun element.

The red line had the same affect on the background as the green, projecting orange and red tones onto the stark white. 

After having so many strong, warm results I wanted to look into creating a cool effect - could I make the space feel colder through colour? 

Blue was the obvious option for a cooler hue so I painted the bulb. At this point I thought how easy it was to affect the colour of the light by using a simple paint on the glass - this could mean it would be easy to affect the colours emitted from a light. 

The effect of the blue on the bulb was exactly what I had wanted! The blue paint gave off a lovely, strong glow throughout the room. The space instantly felt cold. The paint job looked smooth before the bulb was turned on so it’s interesting to see the brush marks shine through the bulb and against the wall in the lighter pictures. 

From these experiments it seems changing the tone of a light through the use of colour could be a good way to affect the mood of the room. If colours could be applied to feelings, these feelings could be communicated through the use of coloured lighting. 

[kelseywood94]

Design Domain 01: Experiment 2

MATERIALITY

Fabric Experiments

From there, I felt the sense of warmth given off by the bronze bulb and the soft white bulb and decided to explore how colours could affect the light and emotions given off by the light. 

Using a selection of coloured fabrics, I looked further into this theory of colour affecting emotion. I chose to keep the white background for this stage of experimenting as it had given the strongest contrast in the first round of experiments.

As can be seen, the orange silk over the top of the clear light bulb gave off an incredibly strong red and warming glow. The darker tones in the fabric meant the brightness of the bulb was dulled slightly, reducing the spread of the colour glow. As can be seen in the last photo, the main light being on reduces the spread of the red glow to just a small mark on the white background however the fabric itself lit up red. NB as silk is being woven, generally two strands are interlaced tightly at two different angles - it looks like in this case there is a heavy amount of red woven in to create the orange fabric and that is why the light is predominantly red over orange that could have been expected. 

On the next two fabrics the results were completely different. On a black cotton we can see the form of the material start to show through as the light shines. The glow on the wall is duller than bare bulb and we can see the texture of the material in the glow on the wall - the results in a stripey appearance and the shadows are strong. You can also see the filaments of the bulb through the fabric. On the right we see a blue velvet which creates a soft blue hue throughout the space. The spread of the glow isn't as strong through a thicker fabric but the bulb can still be seen. The texture of the fabric can be seen and an iridescent rainbow of colours glows from the fabric that is lit up. 

The next set of fabrics tested features a textured red cotton and a stone coloured cotton that has a woven pattern. The red fabric shines a lovely red glow and allows the pattern of the fabric to show against the bulb. In comparison to the other red glow we had on the orange silk, it is not as bright or strong a red glow - this may be because the weave on the silk is tighter than that of the second red fabric. The glow does have a purple-ish tint to it suggesting there are some cooler dyes in the process of making this fabric. The filament in the bulb can also be seen through the fabric suggesting it is thinner than a velvet. It does also mean there is a cooler feel to the space with this fabric over the light. For the second fabric, there is a warm glow emitting from the build, casting a yellower tone onto the white background. There are no shadows or filament showing with this giving a smoother feel. 

This line of experiment has confirmed my thoughts about colours on lights affecting the feel of the space around. Moving forward I will look further at colour and lighting together as a sensory tool. 

[kelseywood94]

Design Domain 01: Experiment 1

MATERIALITY 

Light Experiments

I decided to experiment with light and material in different settings. Choosing 3 different bulbs, against varying backgrounds to see how light interacts with the materials around. The bulbs are filament style clear, filament style vintage bronze tinted and a white bulb and in the first experiment against a matt black background. 

LIGHTS ON MATTE BLACK 

All of the lights create a reflection on the shiny surface they are sitting on. The first clear bulb is blinding & bright. It is almost uneasy on the eye to look directly at the bulb. The clear bulb provides a strong white glow against the black background however shadows are strongly cast, particularly the filaments of the bulbs inside. The bronze bulb has similar traits however is easier on the eye with a warmer glow. A golden pinky/orange glare is projected onto the black background and the bulb gives off a feeling of warmth. The light itself is not as strong or stark on the eye as the clear bulb. The white of the third bulb acts as a diffuser on the light emitted which means there are no shadows cast from the filaments of the bulb. The light from this bulb is diffused further than the others and highlights the room around. Its interesting to see that if another light is on in the room, a clear bulb above and behind the camera, it affects the colours the white bulbs diffuses in the room. I.E in the first picture of this bulb, the main light is on and the glow appears white but in the second picture, a warmer glow is given off in the dark. It is also interesting to note that on the first two bulbs, the camera picks up a green reflection of the filaments within, whereas on the white bulb the filaments are diffused and appear on the camera as a green circle. 

LIGHTS ON MATTE WHITE 

With the bulbs on against a white background, the properties of the shadows cast, warmth of glow and colours emitted do not change much. The white background however makes the lights a bit easier to look at and less blinding to the human eye. The camera still picks up the green filament on the clear & bronze bulb however it is not as strong. The green is almost completely gone on the white bulb. The glow given off of each bulb is softer against the white rather than the black and in all three cases, the light seems less strong. The white bulb glows warmer than against black. The light cast also seems a bit stripier against white whereas on the black, it seemed to give off a circular light. The reflection on the shiny surface is softer and appears as one reflection to the forefront instead of three given off against the black background.  

LIGHTS ON TEXTURED WALL

For the third background, I decided to use the wall in the room I was sitting in, as you can see from the second picture where the main light is off, the wall is pretty old and bashed. The plaster is painted white which is slightly discoloured. The main light currently in the room makes the wall (and the surface the light is sitting on) look warmer, with an orange glow whereas with just the camera’s night vision photo the scene looks slightly cooler. 

The reflections, shadows and glow of each bulb have the same properties on the bare wall as they do against white however in this case the light itself highlights the texture and dents/dinks on the wall behind. The shadows on the clear & bronze bulb are far more defined in this instance where there is a lack of matte white to absorb to light. The light bounces around the room better too. The clear bulb doesn't seem as stark in this scenario and almost has a more orange glow. The bronze bulb gives off a clear pinky/orange glow and gives off a lot of warmth. The white bulb almost diffuses the marks of the wall away. 

LIGHTS ON CARDBOARD

Using cardboard in this instance did not bring any different results from either on the lights except the white - the white glow appears warmer, taking on a lot of the tonal value of the brown cardboard.

OVERALL THOUGHTS

It seems that adding a diffuser to the light makes it a lot softer, carries the light further and makes it manageable to look at. The bronze light gives off a real warmth in all settings. The clear bulb is bright, strong and almost painful to look at at times. 

I need to look further into materials with the bulbs and how it can affect the feelings a light can give off. 

[kelseywood94]

Design Domain 01: Research

MATERIALITY 

Research & Initial Thoughts 

Considering a digital approach to the brief, I decided to look into some immersive design experiences using digital media and digital art in the world right now.  

TEAM LAB 

Team Lab is an international art collective that works collaboratively in their practice to navigate art, science, technology and the natural world. 

I took some notes after observing their work online. I paid attention to the digital materials used to create this experiences.

NXT MUSEUM

NXT Museum is a dedicated to new media art, using modern tools to embody modern times. The space is designed to explore digital art in the form of large scale environments with the use of many technologies. 

Again, I took some notes on the work and the engagement it has with the viewer. 

ANTONY GORMLEY - BLIND LIGHT

Antony Gormley’s 2007 Blind Light exhibition looks at how architecture is supposed to be a location of certainty and security. Blind Light exists to through caution to this notion and undermines architectures purpose which is to provide shelter and safety from the weather, darkness or uncertainty. 

I found this work fascinating - as the users enter the space, all of their senses are rendered numb - I took further notes on the project below. 

It was at this point I thought it would be useful to look into one of the main sources of technologies used in each of these projects: LIGHT. 

Could light be seen as a sensory material? How could I look into using light as a material to create or influence a human experience? How would that look? 

I took some notes on this notion before experimenting with light.