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Final Proposal PDF link

Week 11: Experimentation Spiritual terminology 6.1

Following on from the words I derived from my poem modeling experiment I knew I needed to further unpack the spatial characteristics identified in the previous experiment by considering how they might be produced. Pulling apart each of the words originally derived I generated a body of adjectives that further explored spatial qualities. These were then grouped in terms of their association to light, materiality and volume. I noticed similarity in words that felt as though they had the same qualities so narrowed them down to 3 per spatial variable. A model was then formed that identifies the spatial variables and their associated qualities that feed into key characteristics of a spiritual space.

This model was very linear, making it hard to categorize some words that could apply to two or all variables. Therefore, I worked the words into a Venn diagram format.

Describing each term:

Diffused – dispersed light that is not harsh or direct.

Glowing – a warm internal light that glows from within providing warmth and comfort. Material that is partially transparent is necessary.

Natural – natural light and nature in general as previously discussed through Ulrich’s theory has stress-reducing benefits. Natural materials add life and create more of a sensory experience.

Stimulating – Materials that are engaging and interesting.

Acoustically dense – materials and spaces that absorb rather than enhance/reflect sound.

Unique – abnormal or unexpected forms that oppose the usual 2400m 4 walls and a roof we are used to.

Transcendent – volume and light interplay that provides divine light and suggests a lift beyond the current boundaries.

Intimate – volume and light interplay that creates a familiar, comfortable, safe space.

Serene – interplay of light materiality and volume that creates an untroubled, calming atmosphere

Poetic – a space that is aesthetically pleasing and artistic.

Sensory – engages multiple senses for a more effective experience

Essential - belonging naturally to the space, functional and necessary. People are able to personalise and build upon it.

This experiment helped to dissect necessary qualities of light materiality and volume, allowing me to narrow down and focus on certain adjectives that could appropriately describe an anticipated secular, spiritual space. The next step would be to apply this terminology to the design of the proposed space and consider how the interplay of each variable could contribute to generating these terms for those who inhabit the space

Symposium introduction

I created a compilation of hospital video clips sourced from myself and:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ENuQ5RAFvc

https://www.pond5.com/stock-video-footage/1/hospital.html?gclid=Cj0KCQjwxN_XBRCFARIsAIufy1ZGU0foTvyd27tmFMyEajCf30XqSAYVxJq9bvxUhj8-H_8eYe8xeDsaAlPLEALw_wcB

This introduction aimed to show typical elements of a hospital and set the critical perspective I am presenting my project from.

This was proven effective as Julieanna mentioned that it made her recall her experience within the hospital environment and how it added to the stressfulness of an already stressful situation.

Reflection on Symposium

Notes from Jen: Is there actually little thought re wellbeing? Be careful about making sweeping statements re spirituality... - 5 terms might need work - 'art' is a big word - what do you mean?

Notes from Kura: So what are you designing? Is it a system / what is the system - whanau ora - how does a space respond?

Notes from Sven: Sven - great motivation, how can space chance systems... - have to design the systems too... - the tranformation is complex

Notes from Julieanna: Sound, beeps - traumatising - how is environment talking back - how can you intervene in small ways - could really make a difference

Look into: Have you looked at Foucault?

The Symposium was a really good way to order my thoughts and highlight the main focus of my proposal by condensing the report into an 8 min presentation. The feedback I received was very helpful in identifying my issue as being significant not only to myself but to others. It questioned whether i should be directly designing the hospital or a space outside of the hospital. Jen also had some good points on how I’m wording certain issues that I need to tighten up.

Symposium Presentation Script

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JaSSDukTEK5OQSACB2ggwqcSWvFEKf1sj2fK5AixEm0/edit?usp=sharing

Symposium pre-video: https://youtu.be/KvgSDCQy4jk

Week 10: Experiment 5: Thresholds and state of minds

I went into wellington hospital with a basic sketched floor plan, I then marked up where I felt I was crossing a threshold emotionally or physically and how I felt at that point. I then photoshopped the drawing and colour coded the boundaries in relation to how i felt.

Initially I had to go up stairs in order to get to the entrance of the hospital, this was threshold 1 and I felt very neutral. I then crossed into a glass section changing materiality from concrete to a rough carpet, the doors were extremely loud and squeaky as they opened, it was very unpleasant. Entering the atrium of the hospital it was really nice and light and provided a smooth gradual transition from outside to inside as the exterior cladding followed through into the interior. I noticed that the reception desk hardly got used by visitors and that most people were solo or with one other person. I colour coded this zone blue as I felt fairly calm and the environment was pleasant.

Walking through I headed to the bathroom off the main foyer area, there was graffiti scratched into he walls and the general bathroom maintenance was fairly appalling. This made me feel very uncomfortable and unsafe hence identifying it as a red zone.

Walking through to the other end of the atrium I walked past a small boutique shop and a pianist playing classical music on the piano. When first walking into the space i thought the music was simply on a sound track and only realised it was live when I walked further into the building. I was very soothing and made me feel very comfortable and was quite refreshing and energising as it is not some thing you often see, therefore I colour coded this boundary orange.

Down the back of the atrium was the food court, this was full of people chatting and food being served. Food definitely does bring people together and creates an energising environment therefore I coloured this section magenta.

Heading up the elevators into the wards was very daunting, I feel very uncomfortable and didn't have any idea of the areas I walking into, it felt almost maze like. This whole area is colour coded a muted brown/red and it made me feel very anxious and unsure.

Overall this experiment helped to identify what aspects of the hospital made me feel uncomfortable and why - such as the dull, confusing hallways, ‘ugly’ spaces that had been neglected and loud unpleasant noises. It also helped me to recognise the parts that did the opposite and made me feel welcome and comfortable - this included the large open atrium upon entrance that transitioned from outside really smoothly, the comfortable couches rather than singular chairs, the food court really brought a lot of people together and there was lots of conversation, the live music was an unexpected pleasant finding that made me feel calm and happy.

Week 9: Precedent The Wilson Home Trust

In 1935 Mr & Mrs W R Wilson gifted their family home, St Leonard’s, and 13 acres of magnificent coastal gardens, for the benefit of children with disabilities. The Wilsons were inspired by Dr Bernard Myers who described the new trends in treating children with polio and other disabilities. Myers identified that the ideal situation for the care of the children was a ‘garden hospital’ in a home like environment.

Lord Nuffield, founder of Morris Motors, contributed £10,000 to the endowment fund. Mr & Mrs Wilson matched this sum and stipulated that an endowment be raised to ensure that their home was not to be used for any other purpose. The Wilson Home was designated as a place of convalescence and therapeutic rehabilitation for children and as an official child disability charity.

1937 Mr W R Wilson signed a deed placing St Leonard’s home under control of the Auckland Hospital Board. A polio epidemic throughout New Zealand meant they were desperate for accommodation for children affected by polio. They started off with 25 children and 22 staff.

This is a really interesting case study as it recognised the environment for children within the hospital was not benefitting their health yet no similar solution at the time was offered for adults.

Week 9: Case Study

Ana Carolina trapped inside her body and starship hospital, at 5 months an MRI revealed Guillian-Barre syndrome, which has left her paralysed and unable to breath on her own, she has been at the hospital ever since. "So there's nothing wrong with her brain, no, nothing at all. It's perfectly functional. It's just her muscles," her dad says.

They say an in-house hospital-grade care system would save the DHB around 80 per cent, and get their cognitively-able child out of an incredibly stressful environment.

"It's a horrific environment, you see kids dying all the time, machines, choppers, lights, don't know day or night because it's always the same," Mr Bircham says.

Apparently Ana has had a glimpse of the outside world and cries when she has to be inside. Her parents are desperately trying to bring her home or at least get her into care at The Wilson Home Trust - a home donated by the Wilson family in 1937 for disabled children to reside in the gardens rather than a hospital environment.

https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/its-horrific-environment-parents-young-girl-s-spent-nearly-her-entire-life-in-starship-now-begging-dhb-release

Week 9: Structuring my symposium and deriving a title.

Week 9: Experiment 4.3 Testing materials and natural light, sensory elements of different materials and what they suggest.

7. Gold reflective surface visual - softly reflects light, glows. Can only see the reflection in the window at certain angles. Grainy, gold. touch - hard but smooth, quite cold auditory - enhances sound due to circular shape, slightly echoes smell - smells cold/fresh?

8. MDF wood visual - completely opaque, blocks out light. Very clear boundaries touch - hard but feels more soft than the plastic, feels smooth but very slightly grainy. auditory - slightly absorbs sound, still fairly clear though smell - smells like treated chemically, burnt from laser cutter but kind of pleasant.

9. Timber visual - light captures the blonde highlights in the wood and very softly reflects back the light, warm glow. touch - dense and hard, quite grainy to touch but still fairly smooth auditory - absorbs the sounds a tiny bit (more so than the plastic) makes a high pitch sounds when swiped with finger. smell - like treated timber, slightly chemically but not in a bad way. Fairly pleasant smell.

10. Felt on paper visual - lights tries to seep through the paper, illuminates the blue in the ink and makes it appear to glow in someway. touch - thin, smooth, flexible, delicate auditory - rustle, loud when flicked smell - ink (chemicals) neutral fresh, kind of warm

11. Packing foam visual - layers of frosted looking plastic, allows light to seep in and creates an ambient glow, creates a soft light, glows from within? touch - sort of soft to touch but can feel it is densely layered, bumpy. auditory - absorbs sound, noise was a lot softer when in contact with hard material smell - neutral smell, can imagine a very ‘new’ smell when lots of it as its packaging foam and is what we associate with a new product. Chemical smell when burnt.

#Experiment

Week 9: Experiment 4.2 Testing materials and natural light, sensory elements of different materials and what they suggest.

4. Orange woven cotton visual - slightly transparent, warm orange colour, imperfect, textured touch - smooth, floppy, slightly grainy, very flexible, thin auditory - very quite, does elicit much sound at all. smell - neural, pleasant

5. Woven twine visual - slightly transparent, woven, earthy looking, raw touch - rough, flexible, textured, scratchy auditory - slightly scratchy sounding, very quite smell - chemically, unpleasant

6. Lace visual - fairly transparent, detailed, layered, textured touch - soft, bumpy, stretchy, flexible auditory - makes no noise smell - very neutral

7. Denim visual - dense, dark material, tightly woven touch - slightly more of a rough fabrics, fairly thick, still very flexible, textured. auditory - no noise smell - cool, neutral

Week 9: Experiment 4.1 Testing materials and natural light, sensory elements of different materials and what they suggest.

1. Neon yellow acrylic visual - changes the colour of an atmosphere when used as a lens, looks like energy, aliveness, bright, cautious, toxic? glowing. touch - feels smooth and hard to touch, sharp corners auditory - can tap it, makes noise when in contact with another hard material, no noise when rubbing it. smell - slightly chemically (from being burnt with laser cutter)

2. Polestyrene visual - layers of circular balls bonded together, defuse light to more of a glow. touch - sort of soft to touch but can feel it is densely layered, bumpy. auditory - absorbs sound, noise was a lot softer when in contact with hard material however makes a louder noise when something is rubbed on it. smell - neutral smell, can imagine a very ‘new’ smell when lots of it as its packaging foam and is what we associate with a new product. Chemical smell when burnt.

3. Tracing paper visual - frosted looking paper, allows light to seep in and creates an ambient glow, creates a soft light, glows from within? touch - soft and smooth to touch very flexible auditory - makes an interesting sound when hit - fairly loud. smell - neutral smell

Week 8: Draft Proposal

For majority of this week I had been writing up my first draft proposal. It was fairly thought out however I definitely need to figure out a better structure especially for my experimentation section.

This was a really helpful push to collate all of my research and findings into one document, it also helped me to identify gaps in my research and experimentation.

From here I will plan and complete two more experiments exploring spatio/temperal variables and thresholds. I will also research into the gaps i identified in my proposal. I will also begin to think about my symposium presentation.

#wk8 draftproposal

Week 8: A3 Interdisciplinary presentation

Week 8: Interim Feedback Reflection

Overall my feedback was fairly positive and gave me some good constructive criticism. From this I was able to decipher the gaps in my experimentation and the position I am wanting to take. From here I plan to experiment with thresholds and how they can prepare us to enter a space. I also would like to explore the spatio/temporal variables at different points along this journey and look at what they can afford. I also think I should explore other frames of wellbeing as I have identified the maori perspective but not the european.

Week 7:

Picking apart existing spiritual places and their attributes that create a poetic, spiritual sensation when experienced.

Notes: pattern and rhythm elegancy - materials that work well and afford different effects depth light vs shadows Abstract/abnormal volumes and structures - architecture as art light and colour interplay - I have at all touched on colour during my exploration so far but believe it can be very powerful luminosity integrated within its context has a sense of harmony

Reading Response

Week 7: Places of the soul - Architecture as Art: Chapter 12 - Christopher Day

This reading offered an interesting insight on the idea of architecture as art and the benefits of art on ones soul.

Day states that art reduces stress by transcending it, its primary aim is spirit transformation. Pollution physical and spiritual causes sickness. Commitment to beauty is a powerful anti-pollution force - beauty enables matter to nurture the spirit.

According to Day statistically by transforming our inner state, art improves health and typically increases lifespan by 15 years.

But what is art?;

“I have heard poetry described as that which makes your skin prickle - this is close to my definition of art - the experience of something which leaves us never the same again. It has brought an inner step forward... The arts are involved with raising material matter. In this sense art is the imbuing of matter with spirit. It is this spirit that we unconsciously experience and that has healing influence.”

“Good intentions, however are not guaranteed of beauty. Until worked out in actions and products, they're abstract. Only artistic work roots them in matter.”

Day recognises the issue in todays society of the fact that we have become used to the idea that money may be spent to beautiful places for recreation and leisure but that places of work or for practical functions should should be shaped first and foremost by utilitarian considerations. The implication is that if half our working life is spent as efficiently but inartistically as possible, the other half is free to be artistic and inefficient. The assumption that practicality and aesthetics are mutually contradictory only holds good when the definitions are narrowed: practical to monetary, aesthetic to indulgence self-expression. But as beauty benefits health whereas ugliness assaults it, this severance of utility and beauty is as unhealthy as philistinistic.”

Why go to all the efforts if it does not benefit the soul?

#wk7 #reading #architectureasart

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