I have really been struggling this week. I am starting to feel very overwhelmed and stressed with all the work. I decided not to do the presentation just because I haven’t been managing very well. With this said, I have been quite productive this week with finalising the smaller details and mechanisms of my project. One of the biggest details to straighten out was the workings of the curtain. I sat down with my dad, a certified welder, to help me get my head around the working of the curtains, the track and the support it needed to be suspended in Fort Lane.
We spent a lot of time discussing different ways I could approach the mechanics of the curtain, including different types of way to suspend the track, whether the track could have interactions, and how the curtains could move from one state to the other without bumping into each other or getting in the way in the process of transition. I came to the decision to have a series of support beams that attached to the wall on either side of the lane to support the track. While discussing how I was going to support the curtain and track, I decided that I wanted it to have an industrial look about it because it further articulated the idea of the perception of fictional space of the audience watching though a frame of film and the perception of space in reality of behind-the-scenes work. The industrial style support details show the creation of the space past the frame of human experience and it contrasts so well with the performative, fluid, and poetic form of the curtains.
Another part of my design that needed thought in order for it to work was the curtain track itself. I overlaid the two curtain layout plans in Illustrator and used different colours to figure out how one each curtain layout was going to move to another.
From here I made some small adjustments to create a track that allowed one curtain to flow freely into place after the other.
I also spent a bit of time with dad figuring out the details of aspects of my project such as the attachment of the system to the walls, the seating, and the device to hold the curtain still for film screenings.
After discussing if my idea of how to attach the support beams to the walls would work, I designed a simple wall attachment for the support beams that holds the curtains system.
I also designed a seating solution or the theater space as well as the resting state of the curtains.
I came up with the idea of a telescopic style singular bench to address the issue of needing varying heights of seats in the the theater space. This design was inspired by adjustable crutches with the metal button and holes to adjust the length. This design solution also means the benches can be used as table surfaces for creative markets and workshops held in the lane. Their versatile nature helps in creating a space that can be adapted to the different needs of creatives.
I also designed a weighted plate to hold the curtain for film screenings. I realised that the wind may disrupt the curtain during film viewing and the projection may become distorted. After discussing different types of materials I could use for a weight, I decided that a long thin steel box filled with sand would be my best option. I wanted it to be removable as the curtain won’t always be in the theater/performance state, so I decided that my best option would to be to attach it with eyelets, carabiners, and metal loops welded to the plate. After further discussion with dad, I realised that removing it from the space would be difficult with its weight. With his suggestion I decided to attach castors so that I could roll it into place and then lock it.
One other detail I finalised this week was the type of events I want to take place. I have decided that because my installation is about creating a space for creatives to express, display, and share their work without the restrictions often put around these kind of collective spaces, I will not have a set list of events that will take place during the duration of the installation. I want my design to act as an invitation but also a blank canvas for expression and consumption of all things creative.
Spatial Design by Ciara 