Week 6 – Surface Development and A3 Drawing

After creating a series of surfaces in week 5 I started to look at how I could apply to them to site. I knew from early on that I wanted to create an installation in the space and an exercise we did in week 4 – models based off our artist models work- had given me a few ideas of roughly what I wanted to create.

The first model I created in week 4 I imagined as an installation that people could walk through and the coloured beams could be manouvered through or potentially pushed aside (dependant on material). Alternativley it could also be a ceiling or wall treatment and act in a similar fashion but this was an idea I wanted to look at further and potentially develop.

Looking at one of my more abstract surfaces (shown below) I started to think of how it could look if the pattern was to be transformed into a more 3D shape.

I imported the image into Rhino and traced around the lines of the paint which created a series of unique shapes. I then turned these into surfaces and extruded them to a few different heights to create the model shown on the right below.
I wanted to trace directly over the painted surface to further incorporate that specific surface directly into the design and help it feel authentic.

My artist model works with a lot of vibrant colours and I want to incorporate this into my installation. I applied a simple painted material to the surfaces in Rhino in varying colours and was able to get an idea of how it might look. I want the overall look to be playful and inviting so the colour helps with this.

Next I placed the design into my Rhino model of the St James Theatre to try and get an idea of where it should be situated. I was undecided whether I wanted it to be a floor or ceiling surface but after seeing iton the ceiling I realised I preferred that. I copied the original design to created an extended version that would cover the ceiling of most of the site. However I wasn’t too sure I liked it that much, it looked too repetitive and a bit busy for what I really wanted.

I wondered what it would look like if the design wrapped itself around the site so decided to try adding it to the left wall as well as the ceiling. I think this was way too busy for what I wanted, especially when the colour was added and the amount of repition in the shapes.

Moving on from the first design, I scaled up the original image that I drew over to fit the whole length of the site. Once I had the size right I went back in and traced over/around the painted surface to create a different series of line work. I much prefer how this one turned out. The spacing and size is more abstract and I prefer how there isn’t repitition in throughout the space.

The size of the surfaces is quite large but I think considering how big the site is, the large shapes work better than the original smaller ones that I tried. Below is a scale showing the rough size of several of the surfaces.

Once I had the lines drawn on Rhino I turned them into surfaces and extruded a section of them down to varying heights creating a kind of maze through the space. As the ceiling is 4m high it gives me quite a lot of room to play around with the different heights without intefering with the large majority of visitors to the site.

I started by testing out the design on one end of the site to see if I liked it then proceeded to add the colours back into it. I want the overall design to be playful and unique, something eye catching and bright to encourage people to visit the space. I think the mix of colours achieves this effect and would brighten up the space considerably.

I then created an A3 drawing showing my intended surface, it’s location on the site plan and a scale view.

On Tuesdays class in week 7 we discussed in groups our A3 drawings to talk about our ideas and give/recieve feedback and suggestions. I found this group work to be really valuable and I think everyone in the group was very willing to both give and recieve some feedback and ideas on what each design could potentially be developed into or any helpful suggestions. I was given a few ideas that I want to look into incorporating into my design as I develop it further. Suggestions such as lighting, materials and colour but so far I’m happy with where my design is at and what I can add to it to improve.