This week we visited the Wintergardens again to look at the space in terms of our positioning and our project. I was still feeling a bit lost about a specific concept I wanted to explore. I have so many ideas and there are so many aspects of the site that intrigue me, but I am finding it difficult to pull these ideas together to create a strong concept and context and a stable positioning in the site.
When we got to the Wintergardens we broke off into our study groups. It was really good to see where everyone was at and see how their ideas may work in the space. It was also really good to be able to give my peers a fresh set of eyes and help them explore their concepts in a way that they may not have considered before.
I presented my multitude of interests in the site and mentioned how I was struggling to get a rasp on a main idea that I could focus on and explore further. I got some really good suggestions on how I could explore these ideas at the site. I explained my interest in the social purpose of the site and how that has changed over time and there were some key phrases that were mentioned that really intrigued me; time has weathered the concept of the glasshouse, and the significance has shifted. I also explained this idea of curated nature and being encapsulated as well as the trapping of plant life and them escaping contraints. The visual quality from the outside of the glasshouse with the plants pressing against the glass was something I found very intriguing from the begining of this project. My group suggested looking into the transparency and lighting quality as a way of exploring this idea or exploring the idea of reclaiming space and testing/pushing limitations and thresholds.
I mentioned that I had this initial idea of a educational/exhibition space where people can come to study or work around plants and there would be an emphasis on how the plants can benefit us on a psychological level. It would be a raised are/platform in the glasshouses where people could sit nd work and their would be a selection of seed with descriptions of the benefits of said plant that people could take home and grow these plants to create a healthier at-home workspace as these are now more important than ever in today’s climate. This idea was established on the concept of how although the structure has stayed the same, the social purpose for it has changed significantly since the Wintergardens were built. It is a way of looking at how social views have changed over time and specifically in terms of plants. Although I like this idea, I feel as though it isn’t established enough on a concept or context and feels very surface level.
I was given some really good ideas to explore and develop this idea by my group. They mentioned different ways to look at the plant life. One suggestion I really liked was the idea of creating a sensorial space that includes light, sound and the idea of transparency (previously discussed) and also looking at the relationship between music and plants. There was also a point highlighted about the idea of giving taking between humans and plants and how this can be explored or looked into.
Then there was a suggestion to look at the plants and this idea of encapsulating and trapping in a different light. I could explore a these ideas in a darker way rather than bringing to light the positive side of things. There was the idea of using the plants and treating the glasshouses as a plant zoo that enslave plants for our benefit. I had never really looked at it in that way. I could also explore a sensorial space but in darker manner.
There were so many good suggestions that helped develop my preexisting ideas about the space and it has given me a lot to think about in terms of what hunch I want to follow and what oath I want to take my project down.
Spatial Design by Ciara 