Wednesday, September 29, 2010
idea mappage and the abstraction of visuals
This exercise pertains to the continual development of our thesis topics. We are using "idea maps" to trace our thoughts through words and then transposing those into "visual abstracts" for those not interested in verbiage...
i've got soul but i'm not a soldier
Santiago Calatrava speaking about his life's work and how it pertains to the search for architecture's soul...
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
cranial thoughts
Over the past four weeks, I have been methodically entangling myself in the web of thesis. While the process seems abstract and tedious, I am attempting to embrace it fully and develop a project that will be influential in my professional career.
I have worked and reworked a variety of thesis ideas, from multi-dimensional poverty to data structure research and am still very much floating in a sea of vagueness. While I have definitely experienced progress, I cannot help but think that I am evolving too slowly. I continue to tell myself that things will reveal themselves to me when the time is right, but tonight I have no patience.
Here is the most recent (last week's) idea map which is beginning to hint at a potential topic that I am intent on exploring further...
IDEA MAP[9.22.10]:
I have worked and reworked a variety of thesis ideas, from multi-dimensional poverty to data structure research and am still very much floating in a sea of vagueness. While I have definitely experienced progress, I cannot help but think that I am evolving too slowly. I continue to tell myself that things will reveal themselves to me when the time is right, but tonight I have no patience.
Here is the most recent (last week's) idea map which is beginning to hint at a potential topic that I am intent on exploring further...
IDEA MAP[9.22.10]:
collage me montage-round tres
In the third and final stage of this project, we were asked to again expand upon the prior iterations of our topic. Then, a seemingly nonsensical request was made to translate our collages into section. Wait...what?
color: composition of digital images collaged together to inform a larger whole.
color [section]: composition of layered digital images.
color [hybrid section]: composition of pencil on paper with layers of colored paper.
color [grey-scale section]: composition of pencil on paper.
procession: composition of folded paper and wire mounted on canvas.
procession [section]: composition of digital images collaged together to inform a larger whole.
procession [hybrid section]: composition of digital images mounted on paper and finished with pencil.
procession [grey-scale section]: composition of pencil on paper.
collage me montage-round dos
At this point, for the second iteration, we were asked to analyze the past results and choose two terms to continue on with. In this round, we either expand upon the existing or redevelop completely. I chose the latter.
color: composition of digital images collaged together to form a larger whole.
procession: composition of origami butterflies mounted on canvas.
collage me montage-round uno
This exercise is an abstract exorcism of our preconceived thesis topics. We were asked to investigate three topics pertaining to architecture and space, where the resultant work should be a clear graphic definition of the chosen words, hopefully capturing the architectural experience. Out of sixteen words, I was interested in "Passage of Time", "Color" and "Procession".
PASSAGE.of.TIME: by far the hardest definition for me to define, but the dictionary lists it formally as "a continuous course, process, or progress; a connected or continuous series". while this was adequate for the assignment, i found myself more intrigued by the human perception of the passage of time, which is where i came upon Andy Rooney's bi-weekly rant...
COLOR|ˈkələr|: the property possessed by an object of producing different sensations on the eye as a result of the way the object reflects or emits; vividness of visual appearance resulting from the presence of brightly colored things.
PROCESSION|prəˈse sh ən|: a number of people or vehicles moving forward in an orderly fashion, esp. as a part of a ceremony or festival; relentless succession of people or things.
with definition(s) in hand, the time came to produce graphically compelling collages and/or montages.
passage of time: composition of digital images taken during various times of day.
PASSAGE.of.TIME: by far the hardest definition for me to define, but the dictionary lists it formally as "a continuous course, process, or progress; a connected or continuous series". while this was adequate for the assignment, i found myself more intrigued by the human perception of the passage of time, which is where i came upon Andy Rooney's bi-weekly rant...
COLOR|ˈkələr|: the property possessed by an object of producing different sensations on the eye as a result of the way the object reflects or emits; vividness of visual appearance resulting from the presence of brightly colored things.
PROCESSION|prəˈse sh ən|: a number of people or vehicles moving forward in an orderly fashion, esp. as a part of a ceremony or festival; relentless succession of people or things.
with definition(s) in hand, the time came to produce graphically compelling collages and/or montages.
passage of time: process involved taking multiple photographs of burning candle. composition of seventeen translucent photographs layered upon each other.
color: composition of digital image with a stained-glass effect.
color: composition of digital image with adjustment in hue and saturation.
procession: process involved the making of origami butterflies. composition of layered digital images depicting steps of construction.
procession: composition of spray-paint on canvas.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
the good things in life
How often is one asked to name the things that they cannot live without? What are the essential elements that make an individual truly individual? This simple phrase carries with it a lot of weight. Here goes nothing...
SENSE.of.HUMOR: i view this as the essential component of my personality. i find humor in most everything and believe that when you view the world through a humorous or comedic lens, everything is way more funner. As a natural internalizer, however, much of my humor is in the form of thoughts and ideas, not stand-up comedy. Sense of humor keeps me sane and always reminds me to never take things too seriously.
FAMILY: who would have sent me off on the bus each morning and helped me with homework upon my return? who would have been up at the crack of dawn to take me to hockey practice and better yet, to tie my skates? who would be sitting in the audience at my graduation and there to congratulate me afterwards? who would have taught me to be me? the answers to this would not be possible without the word listed above. everything that i have achieved is credit to them.
LITERATURE: from a young age i have been drawn, almost addictively, to reading. more importantly however, literature made the list because of the "place" it puts me in when i read it. i tend to enter this separate reality where worries and stress dissipate and my mind is free to wonder. these are the moments of subconscious living that i enjoy most.
IDEA UTENSILS: whether it be sketchbooks, pens, pencils, electronics, etc., all are necessary for the imagination to enter reality. i would have to say that this is the most recent addition to my list, as i never carried pens and paper with me, and now i have them overflowing out of every available inch of real estate on my body. in some unconscious stream of thought each and every morning, i pat myself down ("spectacles, testicles, wallet, and watch") and cannot leave without the required pocket sketchbook and pen.
SENSE.of.HUMOR: i view this as the essential component of my personality. i find humor in most everything and believe that when you view the world through a humorous or comedic lens, everything is way more funner. As a natural internalizer, however, much of my humor is in the form of thoughts and ideas, not stand-up comedy. Sense of humor keeps me sane and always reminds me to never take things too seriously.
FAMILY: who would have sent me off on the bus each morning and helped me with homework upon my return? who would have been up at the crack of dawn to take me to hockey practice and better yet, to tie my skates? who would be sitting in the audience at my graduation and there to congratulate me afterwards? who would have taught me to be me? the answers to this would not be possible without the word listed above. everything that i have achieved is credit to them.
LITERATURE: from a young age i have been drawn, almost addictively, to reading. more importantly however, literature made the list because of the "place" it puts me in when i read it. i tend to enter this separate reality where worries and stress dissipate and my mind is free to wonder. these are the moments of subconscious living that i enjoy most.
IDEA UTENSILS: whether it be sketchbooks, pens, pencils, electronics, etc., all are necessary for the imagination to enter reality. i would have to say that this is the most recent addition to my list, as i never carried pens and paper with me, and now i have them overflowing out of every available inch of real estate on my body. in some unconscious stream of thought each and every morning, i pat myself down ("spectacles, testicles, wallet, and watch") and cannot leave without the required pocket sketchbook and pen.
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