Idea 2 - Interior Design Office Space

By building and designing a unique interior it will be challenging but exciting. I have decided on a idea of working with office space as this is something new to me and I like a challenge! My tutors both explained to me how interior designers usually design for a existing building rather than from scratch. I am beggining to think about how I can create a building by using another existing object.
I went home and printed off some pictures of bike wheels and wires which i thought about painting over with white which would form a base for an interior. A few other objects I thought about using were a sink, fridge, toilet and some picture frames. These items will all form a base which will be suitable for an interior.

My teachers advice about designing an interior was helpful and has helped me to move my ideas forward. They have also recommened to record my ideas on photgraphs and by drawing which I will do during the course of the final major project.

Idea 1- Occupying space

I want to explore how a space can be used in the workshop, I am thinking about different ideas including using the weather as a starting point and producing perspex shapes which could be square, triangle or circle etc.. coming down from the ceiling and having a material on the floor which is rising from the floor, which would suggest a puddle of water and a splash. By designing different concepts for this I understand the difficulty but I am prepared for a challenge! I have now began thinking about how objects can appear to come out of the wall and expand to occupy a space. I began to cut cubes out of foam on the band saw, when all my cubes had been cut, I began to arrange them as it they were pilled up against the wall, I thought about having hundreds and building them upwards as if they could float, I thought about how string could come in use to hold some of the cubes up. This idea is interesting in he sense of thinking about how something can expand to fill a space.

I have arranged these blocks to suggest how they could be arranged so they would expand upwards instead of out straight away, my teacher suggests I arranged them in different situations to see which outcome is the best. I found this has helped me to arrange my cubes in different forms and to think outside the box.

 

I then am thinking about how my cubes would form if they were to be arranged round a plinth and if that plinth was took away what form would I be left with.

After arranging the blocks I took away the plinth very carefully.

I am left with a structure which looks as though it used to be around a corner, this works well and I could imagine the space around the workshop being filled with different forms like this.

 

FINAL MAJOR PROJECT START

The final major project has officially started and my 10 week project is underway! I am at the research stage, I have found a few artists including Cornelia Parker, her work is inspiring and interesting especially this piece of work,

 This piece of work is when Cornelia Parker asked the British Army to explode her dads garden shed, this piece of work is interesting in the way it has been formed and the shadows which are being given out from it. The lighting is a key factor in this piece of work.

We have a week off capus to collect and develop ideas and inspiration for out final major project! I am looking forward to looking into different artists work and sculptural forms which can be achieved!

Interview at Manchester Metropolitian University

Firstly we got to look at students work from both first, second and third years, I thought by looking at the work they produce in all years this helped me to get an insight to the university. I was impressed by the work which I saw, some of my favourites were more of the looser drawings and models which had been made. I was then called in by the course leader and she explained all about the course and how it worked in all years. I found this very enlightening and she had answered all my questions before I had the interview! I then was given an interview by two of the course leaders, I explained all about my work: how I made my models, what the briefs were we had been given, what sort of materials I had used and how I felt about the work. She gave me some good advice on artists she told me to look at Anthony Gormley and Cornelia Parker for my 3D work. She also told me about how I should add a figure into my interior design and architecture drawings and Google Sketch Up as this would show the scale and proportions of the interior and exterior. She talked to me about how some of my models I had made could be used in an interior or as a building. I felt this advice had helped me significantly in my Art Foundation work. Overall the interview went very well and I was given a conditional offer of a pass on my Art Foundation course.

Evaluation of interview at Salford University

When I arrived at the interview, I was asked to leave my portfolio and sketchbooks to be looked at by the course tutors, I then was called back in for a formal interview. I was asked to explain about my background and how the art foundation course was going so far, I explained that I have a passion for Inerior Design and I feel like the art foundation course has been very beneficial, and I have learnt a high amount whilst studying art foundation. I was then asked to talk about my portfolio and different projects which I have done. I talked about usng different materials to create structures, looking at aspects of Interior Design and Architecture, mapping classes, life-drawing and how these methods have been beneficial. I also explained how when i started the course I did not know how to use Google Sketch Up, I found by using this program this allowed me to explore interiors more intricate, and it alowed me to think about and work with space. The tutor gave me some feedback saying he loved my work and my portfolio was of a high standard, although in the course I would need to be more experimental but he thought I would be able to be more experimental easily. I got given a conditional offer and I am very happy with the result.

Work on the visit to Yorkshire Sculpture Park

I began to research ideas for my brief, it was a broad brief, I thoough about somehow using trees in my design to produce an interesting structure. After pitching an idea, i left the classroom and found some trees which I would draw to get an understanding of the way they are formed. I began to draw in my sketchbook a few interesting images using different media including pencil, acrylic, pen and magic markers I found by using pencil this worked better as i could add more detail into my designs.
     To gain an understanding of how I would put the structure together I began by using wood to produce some maquettes, firstly I cut off a pile of wooden strips which were the sam size, I then decided to glue them together using a glue gun at right angles.

 I thought this worked well, although it needed more to it, I thought about using different angles of wood to create a cube, I then cut myself some more strips of wood, although this time it was a different type, then using a glue gun built a cube.

Evaluation of interview at Sheffield Hallam University

Before my interview at sheffield hallam I was nervous, although I was very confident with my work. When I showed the tutor my portfolio, (she had a look before interviewing me) she was 'very impressed' with my porfolio. I was asked why I wanted to study at Sheffield Hallam and also what I thought about Sheffield in general, I answered analysing that I thought sheffield was an interesting place with interesting buildings including the 'Park Hill', I also am very familiar with Sheffield in general. I was then asked about the range of work I had in my portfolio and about each piece of work in general, as I went through the sheets of designs, drawings, Google Sketch Up and 3D models she seems very enthusiastic about each piece, she enjoyed looking at the Google Sketch Up images and my 3D model. The way she was keen and enjoyed looking at my work brought be confidence. I then began to tell her the work of other artists which I am keen about, Frank Lloyd Wright, Kelly Hoppen and Mark Newsome all inspire my interior design pathway. The way they express their ideas in their interiors is pleasing.

Kelly Hoppen's use of space in this interior is inspiring, the idea of a chair hanging from the ceiling produces more space underneath and around the chair and ensures the interior is interesting and expressive.
       I found looking round the interior design workshop, the work was eccentric and imaginative and could imagine myself at this university. Overall the tutor gave me some advice, when drawing a building or an interior on either Google Sketch Up or by hand she encouraged me to draw a person, this helps with scale and ensures the size of the room is easier to understand. I found this advice helped me to progress in my work.

Visit to Yorkshire Sculpture Park

I found this visit both inspiring and interesting, by having art work set around landscape makes the art work come alive, the interesting moment when you are walking around a suddenly find a piece of sculpture is satisfying. I found myself more bemused by Yorkshire Sculpture Park than I would be at an indoor art gallery, the sentting ensures the work is presented to its best. A few sculptures caught my eye, one of the sculpters was Anthony Gormley. As i walked around the park I took a few pictures of sculptures that I liked.

 These few pictures are a few of the sculptures which I thought were inspirational and have inspired my ongoing work.

Drawing work from interior design brief

Drawing led from linear exploration

Drawing led from linear exploration

Drawing led from linear exploration

Drawing of interior building showing garden view

Perspective views of kitchen

Perspective views of bedroom

Sketch Up renderings exploring space

Mood board for interior- lounge

Mood board for interior- kitchen

3 point perspective view of kitchen

One hour, one word brief - Force

We were asked to pick a word out from a pile of words that had come from an art piece constructed by _____ I picked out the word 'Force'. I thought about using chicken wire firstly in order to force chicken wire through clay, although I tried this idea out and it didnt work. I then had an idea to use clay in my hands, I thought about forcing clay through the cracks of my hands, I began to force small bits of clay through my hand, I found this cretaed an interesting form, I did this on 5 pieces of clay forcing the clay on different parts of hands. I thought about using different body parts, although I thought by using only my hand they would all link well together. I then fired the clay and these were the outcomes

I found this method of art interesting but also quick, by producing these I developed my skills of working quickly with different materials, by being given a set time limit I found this helped my ideas flow and I liked the change from one long running project to a short term project.
       After using clay, I thought about using wire to push into the cracks of the structures I had already made, firstly I decided to try chicken wire, after trying to push this and make interesting shapes I found this wasn't the best material for what I needed to produce, I then found some wire mesh, I began to push this into my sculptures, this worked well and produced creative transfers from my clay models.

Whilst I was pressing the wire mesh into the clay, my teacher gave me some advice to ensure I squash the wire mesh onto the clay to its full potential, as I was not making the transfer as visible as possible, I feel by the teacher giving me advice this was benefitial to the finished objects.

The outcome of the project

This project pushed me to explore and investigate many different factors of interior design and architecture, I found this project both challenging and rewarding. The finished model was of good standard and I found I had to change the design slightly to appeal to the brief. I found working with Google Sketch Up for the first time interesting and very satisfying. I also pushed my drawing skills by producing work to do with 3 point perspective and different views of the rooms and the building.

Overall the brief has been enlightening and I have explored many different factors including designing a building and an interior and making a model which had to be straight and have a professional finish. I faced problems with the design including ensuring the back of the design would fit, and ensuring the building was secure and could stand up properly although I overcame these problems and ensured the building was made to the best possible standard.

the making of the finished model

This project began from my inspiration from the CUBE art Gallery, if I could make a model which could possibly live up to the CUBE gallery designs I would be grateful. After designing the outside of the building and having a definate design, I began the making process of my model. I started by flattening the two panels to make the front, I then measured and drew out my design onto a piece of wood, by darwing out where the windows are, this helped me to quickly cut out four panels for two buildings on the band saw. When I had my definate shapes, I began to use a smaller band saw to cut out the windows and ensure they were straight. When I had my shapes, I then started to sand these down to create a smooth surface, this took a while as I had to ensure the pieces were smooth and the right shape.

After this stage, I needed to add window material rather than just having an empty window, I found by putting laminated material on the inside of the wood, this didnt look as realistic, I then decided to cut down the middle of the wood to ensure the laminated material would slide inside the wood and look appealing and realistic, once this had been done, I began to use wood glue to glue the laminate on the inside of the wood. I did this on all four pieces and I found they were starting to look more realistic as a part of a building.

I then had to thinking about what angle these would have to be sanded down at on the edges to ensure the building would be a triangle at the front, I would ahve to sand the edges down of the four panels on one side at 90 degrees. Therefore when both sides were done, the panels could be paired up and glued together using wood glue.

After the panels on one building had been glued together at a 90 degree angle.

I found so far the building was going well, I then found i needed to make a floor for my buildings interior before putting panels on the back of the model, I began to measure how big the floor would have to be to fit in the model, after I had measured a piece of wood, I cut it out on the band saw, by using the sand paper i created smoother edges on the floor piece, after this by using wood glue and clamps i glued this onto my design to ensure it was sturdy. I then found I hit a problem as I had to figure out how I would do the back of the building. I found by investigating and analysing, I would have to do this in two panels of wood, one panel would be for the top of the back, and the other panel would be for the bottom of the back where it formed a triangle at the bottom. I began to line up a piece of wood to determine the width and the length of one of the panels, by using a smaller band saw I carefully cut out the panel of wood, when I lined this up it almost was the right shape, after sanding and smoothing it down it became the right size for my design, the wood glue and clamps ensured the design was secure.