Week 4: Current Project Feedback and Design Work Research

This week we presented our work to date through our blogs. It was good to get have some fresh eyes looking at my work to give me some feedback that will allow me to move forward and develop my project. Currently I am thinking of creating an installation that is the center of a series of events to take place over the space of a week. In terms of cinema, I am really interested in the idea of the illusion of fictional space and the effects that has on an audience. I am also really interested in performative qualities and have started to explore this through the performative qualities of fabric, specifically a large scale installation curtain. The idea with the curtain is to alter the movement and interaction of public and space and create a slight sense of disorientation, imitating the audiences idea of fictional space and its relationship to actual film sets.

I got some really good feedback on my blog and project so far. I sometimes struggle to find good examples of designers’ work that has similar ideas or qualities to my own. I got some suggestions to look into including Assemble Studio, Petra Blaisse, and Ann Hamilton.

Because my project is currently looking at fabric materiality, movement, form, and performance, The Cineroleum by Assemble Studio was a suggestion made by my group to look into.

I remember last semester for our Digital Techniques class we looked at Assemble Studio’s work, specifically The Cineroleum. What I really like about this project is not only the form and movement displayed through the curtains surrounding the cinema, but also the human interaction and social aspect of the design. I like how a space has been created with a fluid threshold, unlike solid walls and the impact this has on the movement within and around the space. I also find this idea of exposing the occupants, challenging their ideas of public and private, and creating a slight sense of unease. With the drawing up of the curtains at the end of the film not only changes the physical aspects and layout of the space, but also the social attributes and human experience within the space.

With my own project I am playing with the idea of shifting the layout of the curtain in relationship to the events taking place in the space and further explore the idea of movement and form in relationship to human interaction. Also by altering the space layout, I shift the experience created for occupants, an idea that fascinates me in film making and the behind the scenes work. In film the layout and curation of different sets and scenes creates a difference experience and perception of space for the viewer. The shifting of space through cinematography creates a fictional world that only exists within our minds and often sets aren’t laid out in relationship to each other as they appear on screen. A perfect example of this is sitcoms recorded with a live audience such as Mrs. Brown’s Boys.

With my design i want to capture this idea by using the same space but shifting the layout of the curtain to create a different experience, interpretation, and interaction with the space.

Another designer that was suggested to my to take a look at was Ann Hamilton. I really love Hamilton’s work regardless of the project. I looked at her work briefly in my first year at uni as I was also looking at fabric materiality and movement. Two of her works that I appreciate most and link well to my project are the event of a thread and habitus.

I think what draws me most to her work is that they act as interactive installation pieces, similar to my ideas for the project. I am fascinated by the form, movement, and materiality of her work and how these aspects fluidly evolve with the interaction of people. I also love how the actions of people influence the installation which then influenced the movement and actions of others in the space. The fluid form and movement is very similar to what I’m trying to achieve with my own work and also the emphasis on human interaction with space, design and others as a result of design is something I am interested in in terms of site context.

On other designer that was suggested and is also someone I have done some research on in the past is Petra Blaisse. Blaisse’s work is less organic than Hamilton’s and has more of a structure to it. One particular work of hers that intrigues me is Maison à Bordeaux.

One of the things I like about this work is the movement of the curtains created by the breeze. My design looks at articulating performative qualities and I like how fabric can articulate this through movement and form. I also really like how some of the curtains act as a threshold between the inside and outside and with their transparency, fluidity and movement, they challenge the idea of traditional barriers and create a different experience within the space. Something I am thinking about looking into material, the opacity, and the effects that has on the occupants.