My design aims to capture the essence of parallel worlds within Fort Lane through science fiction qualities such as reflection, materiality and tone. Science fiction films and books have always been an escape for me, a chance to let my imagination run wild and I wanted to capture or invite that within this design.
With a changing scale that mimics the dip of the site, the installation is made up of a series of half door like panels that sit perpendicular to a main wall that runs the length of the lane on either side. Within these panels there are seated areas, separated from the space through tinted glass, panels to move in and around and angled walls that reflect and enhance the scale of the exisiting site. These spaces work both day and night. They offer variation from the routine city scape and offer places to rest that feel slightly removed from the surroundings. At night they become an attraction through the addition of solar charged LEDs.
Fort Lane is a service lane that is used predominantly as a thoroughfare by pedestrians and a short cut for cars. There are several restaurants, bars and clubs in the surrounding buildings but other than that the lane isn’t somewhere people stop to spend time. The impression I got from Fort Lane and the surrounding streets is that they create a sort of tunnel for pedestrians, propelling them down the hill towards the harbour. Part of my intention for this design was to create something that interrupts that flow of movement for pedestrians and invites moments of pause and reflection. To really encourage this the panels are set in such a way that you have to move around them and the varying angles and reflection call for passersby to take notice of aspects of the site they may not have been aware of.
I chose to use the full length of the site to enhance the drama. In sci-fi films reflection is often use to make the illusion of infinity spaces. The length of the lane allowed me to introduce my installation in a similar way and the reflective walls down either side make the width of the space feel greater but also create a sense of infinity as you move through. Additionally as you move through the site there will be a reflection on either side, walking with you. I think of these as being parallel versions of yourself.
I was inspired by my cinematic device made of angled mirrors and the cut and paste or spliced type images it created as I moved through the space. I felt as if I was viewing the lane from several perspectives at once, or rather several realities at once. This is where the concept of parallel worlds came into play with the idea that all these spaces may exist at once, though some visible and some not. They’re the same space but all slightly different.
From the images taken using the cinematic device I began to make a set of threshold models that used repetition, but with slight changes and reflection. From these models I started to sketch how this might look as an installation on site. Further influences came from sci-fi films, tv shows and artist installations. I was drawn to works that created some sort of illusion or deception. I began to explore this further, through model making which is where the first iteration of my design came from.
In terms of materiality I wanted to focus on a sense of dark reflection, again playing on the drama and unknown nature of sci-fi but also I think the darker tone was more in tune with feeling I got from the site, a little bit unsure or unnerving. At night the LED lighting enhances the space, makes it feel a little safer and adds some colour, blue was chosen as I wanted to incorporate the sky from the image sequence that inspired the whole design.
Within the design I wanted to create some variation from what is otherwise an installation made up of solid, flat surfaces. I did this through detailing certain aspects such as the panels. They are made up of a series of thin pieces spaced evenly apart that allow light through but also create small glimpses of the space behind as you move through the site, again tying back into the spliced nature of the image sequence.
This installation also creates a new outlook for the businesses along the lane. Instead of looking out at a brick or painted facade, guests are met with lighting and reflection creating viewpoints of the lane otherwise invisible from inside. A view of a different reality from the space in which they currently are.
My hope is that this installation creates a more dynamic experience when passing through the lane and provokes thought about what else could be there, barely visible, in the spaces around. What would one find if those door like reflections were real, where would that door lead you and where do those reflections of you go once you leave the lane?
The feedback I was given on this project was really positive, useful and included some interesting ideas I hadn’t considered. The advice around presentation layout was to make it read more storyboard like and to work on the visual communication of some elements. I think overall on this area it wasn’t any major changes just some things that needed tweaking. The concept was well received and understood and the guest critics seemed to enjoy the idea and how I had communicated it.
In regards to the reflective nature of the installation there were several suggestions to take the concept to the next step such as: moving images, distortion, colour filters, upside down, reverse images and hyper reality green screen effects. All of these would have tied into the sci-fi element really well and I decided I definitely wanted to try and incorporate at least one of these into the final design.
To create a full cinematic experience it was also recommended to consider sound and smell. Sound is something I had briefly considered but then disregarded as the site itself being outdoors is already surrounded by city noise, however I think there are ways I could introduce this so it would work within the space.
Spatial Design 
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