Module To Concept Model

The concept model was created from the parti and the textile. Both of these show unity through the use of organic curves and a structured grid. The concept model was applied in the same way. A structural grid acted as a base layer of the model, just as it did in the gridded background of the textile. It was painted brown to mimic the look of reclaimed wood, which is similar to the colors found in the textile and the parti. An organic curved shape was created on top of the grid base to incorporate the feminine organic curves found in the parti and the textile. This shape was created out of metal so it could easily be manipulated and also to incorporate the reflective quality found in porcelain. My concept model exceeded my expectations. I think that the material I used directly related to the colors used in the textile and my inspiration object. If I was able to do it again, I would use a different technique for the metal pieces. When doing this model, I spray painted the copper onto silver metal first then cut it into the organic shape. In the future I would cut the shapes out first and then spray paint it. This is because when cutting the metal, parts of the spray paint chipped off. Spray painting the metal after cutting it would have cut the number of coats I would have had to apply to create an even and smooth surface.

Textile Concept Statement

Inspiration

Final Module

The inspiration for the Pufferbelly Depot was a urinal used in the train station. It was designed with a series of layered curves in front of a structural grid made from the subway tile on the wall. The layering curves expressed feminism by creating an organic design. The urinal was made from porcelain which allowed for the reflecting of light to occur creating a glossy surface which seemed to fade from light to dark. Unity was expressed in the design of the Parti through combining the feminine design of the urinal with its masculine function. Unity was also expressed by combining the organic curves used in the design of the urinal with the structured grid located behind it. The textile was created by rotating the parti clockwise. This created an organic feminine shape layered on top of a structural grid pattern. The color scheme for the textile included brown tints and shades used to capture the color of the porcelain, and fading was incorporated to express the idea of reflecting light.

Art Gallery Visit

After visiting the WSU Art Museum, I felt I had a better understanding of the way to design a gallery space. When you enter the gallery, there needs to be a statement piece that sets the tone for the rest of the exhibit. The rest of the space is set up depending on how the artist wants the viewers to move through the space. For my personal preference, I would want viewers to move through a gallery more structurally following a definite pathway. In this specific set up, the gallery was more of an open space that had a large focal point piece in the center. The gallery manager said he placed this piece in the center to create movement around the piece so it could be viewed from all angles. All the other pieces were arranged on the walls surrounding the focal piece. The lighting used in the gallery was spot lighting. Some of the pieces were allowed more direct spot lighting than others because of the type of media used to create the piece. Overall I thought visiting the Museum was very informational.

Studio Visit

Our design class was given the opportunity to visit a home studio in Colfax. The experience was very interesting and gave me a good idea about what worked well and what could be done differently in a home studio to better fit the needs of the artist. One thing the artist stressed was the need for storage space. She said the amount of storage you think someone will need should be doubled in the actual design of the space. The artist also said after working in the space for a while, she needed a place for her pieces to hang and dry so others could be started. As of now, the artist has to let them dry on the work space which inhibits her ability to begin new pieces. The actual space where the artist creates the art work, she believes works well for her. She has three separate stations, one for each step of the process needed to create her pieces. There is ample light in the space as well. There are windows on every wall, two florescent lights in the middle of the space, and also track lighting close to the wall which are used for highlighting the art works when necessary. Over all I believe the experience was very worthwhile.

Modules to Pattern

Module 1 Module 1 Pattern 1 in grayscale

Module 1 Pattern 2 in color

Module 2

Module 2 Pattern 1 in grayscale

Module 2 Pattern 2 in color

I decided to use these two modules to create a pattern. Out of all the parti drawings I came up with, I believed these two worked best at displaying my concept of curves. I arranged each pattern by rotating, flipping, or repeating the module. I used colors of the blue hue to convey the function of the original object, the urinal, or to represent the idea of water.

Abstractions to Modules

The original inspiration was a part of a urinal found in the Pullman train station. It interested me simply because when looking at it from out of context, there were no clues to what it actually was. I found that very interesting. I also liked the qualities it had. It had rounded edges and a wave like effect that consisted of several tiers. It was porcelain and was surrounded by what looked like subway tile that was also a white color. Another thing that caught my interest was that its function was for a man, but it had a feminine look to it. In my parti sketches I focused mostly on the curved edges.

Vision Impairment Exercise

Participation in the vision impairment exercise was quite informative as to what the capabilities are of someone who is blind. We had to smear Vaseline on sunglasses and attempt to walk around campus. The most surprising thing to me was that I could see light and shapes but not make out what anything was. All the figures were just big blurred objects. Color seemed to be very important. I could definitely tell the difference between colors and that helped when it came to things like doorways and stairs. The glare effect was also a big issue. One part of the campus I visited was full of skylights. It was very difficult to make out anything at all even colors. The whole area just seemed like a beam of white.

Skamania Project

The Skamania Project was designed to help us understand the design process in a real world situation. For this project our class was divided up into teams and we were asked to come up with a design to transform a barn into a youth center for the Stevenson community. When we were told we had to be in teams, I thought it to be sort of a relief. In my mind it allowed everyone to bounce ideas off one another and eventually come up with the best plan possible. It also spread out the amount of work each person had to do. The only problem I had with it was when people in the group didn't pull their weight. It definitely put a lot of stress on the rest of the group members to make up for what other members didn't accomplish. Working with actual clients and hearing their input about what they wanted in the space was a great learning experience. It definitely puts in perspective the important things needed in the design. In my group, we focused on the need for becoming close as a community. Our concept was based around uniting the space as a whole. The space was divided visually depending on the activity that would take place in a specific area.