The Oasis Story Pt III: Exhibition

Neal and Nicole had set up the Exhibit part of the Oasis project. We are taking over everything, because it was our group that lead the way in the circle/rectangle concept.

Our Process Wall. Linsey Frost and I had documented it via the class project blog, but we could not have done it without Cassandra's and Iliana's photographs.

Our first parti. We first cut down on the amount of pillars and then completely took them out of the picture.

The Final Model. We had changed our idea to the border last minute after they had made the scale model so it still shows a pathway

Pathways Edges and Boundaries: To Scale

Afterwards it was just time to cleanup. I helped clean up the loading area and outside the woodshop, and Aubrey and I were the Oasis representatives who helped return everyone's projects back inside.

The Oasis Story Pt II: Execution

Time is running out, so many of our teammates came in on the weekend to cast more stones and rethink our pathway design. We still are significantly short of the amount of stones we would need to create the type of pathway we desired, so we dragged our stones out to the oasis site to see what we could come up with.

While outside Neal had an epiphany. We decided instead of created stepping stones for a pathway, we would create an elaborate border that outlines the pathway. We now had completely thrown verticality out (as a class) so we no longer had to worry about the pillars. Now we had to grapple with the proximity of our stones and having an organized pattern vs. planned randomness. In the end planned randomness won out.

Not only did it solve the problem of using a much smaller portion of stones, it fit in with the gestalt concepts of continuation and closure to our project, by have the border only lining one half of each curve of the pathway on opposite sides.

close up

How the pathway looks from a distance.

Our first test run

The finale! We would like to install gravel when we get back from winterbreak.

We Can't Stop Here This is Bat Country: The Oasis Story

We had decided to focus on making a pathway out of circle and rectangular stepping stones. We were also going to have eight chair-height pillars (four on each side, adjacent from each other in the middle of the pathway) but we found out they would take a month to cast! We also discovered during out scale model parti we would need at least one hundred concrete stepping stones. That is a lot of stepping stones. We decided to concentrate on casting our stones first and worry about the pillars later, since they weren't going to be installed anytime soon. I also learned that concrete is really fickle, if you do not get the consistency just right your concrete will be unacceptably weak. Luckily Iliana is a pro at mixing and Cassandra discovered the miracle of perlite (our aggragate, we used wood shavings at first but it was not sturdy enough) so most of our concrete survived the casting process.

We had originally decided to use cardboard boxes to cast our stepping stones, but that proved to be subpar. We needed a cheap mold that was easy to mass produce due to the abundance of stones we had to make, and designing and forging wood molds would of been way too time consuming and expensive. The concrete stuck to the sides, the bottoms generally left some sort of undesired texture, and the boxes tended to be on the larger side. Some of my team members had brought in a couple shoeboxes and they worked fantastically. They slipped right out and came in very attractive sizes. So Aubrey Loyd and I went down to the mall and collected as many shoeboxes as we could from all the shoe stores. Drawer organizers from the dollar store also came in handy.

We used the leftovers of our cylindrical pillar molds to cut into smaller molds for our circle-shaped stones. The only way to cut these though was to use a handsaw. That was so difficult, nobody in our group has any arm muscle whatsoever.

But somehow we managed. The circles were duct-taped down to dry on a moist piece of cardboard and it created a wave-like texture for us. Although an accident, it inspired us and helped us connect to the organic nature of our crete myrtle trees since it resembles the flowy branches.

While they were still green, Aubrey, Lauren and I decided to improve upon the texture by using pieces of concrete to exaggerate the texture and sand the edges so they were smoother. Until this point texture is something we had considered but not fully developed. We decided to incorporate this newfound wave-like texture, the smooth texture from the bottoms of our plastic molds, and the rocky texture from the exposed shoebox molds (caused by the perlite rising at the top).

A sample of our finished products! I am very pleased with the variety of shapes and sizes.

Section Drawings

Two section drawings I had done of our concrete stepping stones. The circle was cast from a slice of the cylinder molds we had bought at home depot, and the rectangle was cast from a shoebox.

Progressive Interactive Gateway Notes

These are some notes that i took during class. It was important for our islands to discuss their concepts together so the entire project was cooperative and seemed purposeful. The most important thing was to simplify our project, because we were overly ambitious and most importantly had no coherent direction. We erased the idea of including anything to do with water or sitting and decided to focus on our pathway. As a whole we eventually dropped Translucent from "Gateway Interactive Progressive Translucent" and focused on

• pathway/direction
• light and shadows
• verticality
• texture
• automobile human interface

but these ideas would later be simplified again.

ThrowUp Sheet

I was part of the Oasis group, we had talked a little bit about general ideas for our island that had an "oasis-like" quality. Each of us brainstormed on a "throwup" sheet. Some of the ideas we had tossed around were a bench, birdbath, and pathway. Now that i know more about concrete when i look back on this my concepts seem very far fetched, but working with the natural beauty of the trees and the geometric quality of the building is still very much intact in our final product.

Behavioral Parking Lot Study

Northside was responsible for the behavioral aspect of the parking lot study. We monitored the parking lot for twenty-four hours, with a video camera taping and a snapshot every fifteen minutes. We also handed out surveys asking people about their traffic patterns and parking habits. Tracey Wright and I had the 8-11pm shift.

To clarify the information from watching the parking lot and the surveys collected, we made a series of site plans that showed different volumes of walking and automobile patterns. We noticed it was very common for people to sit in their cars until it was time for class (since they had to arrive early to guarantee a parking spot) and for no apparent reason, cut the corners of the islands, mainly gateway and oasis.

Dialog Sketch

Dialog Drawings

final dialog project

my dialog is between the larger and smaller diamond. although it looks like the larger one is supporting the smaller, the opposite is true. The larger box is suspended by criss-crossed skewers punctured through smaller box (which is glued to the bottom corner with tacky glue because it is drawn to the center naturally). I used the system of a grid to help the two pieces better relate to eachother, and i purposefully choose the smaller box to be situated on the bottom of the larger one because my precedent was the glass louvre entrance (so it mimics a passageway for people to enter).

Dialog Test

How is dialog created?

Dialog is created through a sense of space between two objects. This relies heavily on scale and proximity. In some projects the planes are very similar but the skewers tell the story. One project had the precedent of the homemade walkie talkie of two cups and a string, and used the skewers in a very chaotic but kinetic fashion to create dialog between the two planes. Others compare or collaborate two different sized (or shaped) characters for a unique conversation.

How is a sense of space/place defined?

Space is extremely relative. The spaces that "counted" were usually distinct spaces that dominated the dialog. These primary spaces that were more enclosed tended to attract more attention because it draws the eye in, but negative space can count as well although they are often secondary. Many projects seemed to have two spaces until you laid it a different way and saw it from a different perspective.

How is the idea of system generated?

The parts of a sum equals a system. To create a system for dialog many projects relied on the infrastructure and support as their framework. Some projects used repetition to create a grid to connect the different parts. Others used a system of positive and negative space. Even though dialog is seen as two spaces they work together to become more than they were by themselves.

How does the joinery support the project concept/strategies?

Joinery helps keep the shape and allows it to be more sturdy. While holding the paper or skewers in place it can add tension and help define the dialog more clearly. The structure also helps create a system, some joints are glued together while others directly pierce the planes. The joints can be used to create overlapping, or the skewers can even be broken themselves to develop more original angles.

How is scale utilized in the project?

Scale helps determine space, which is crucial to dialog. Comparing one space to another says a lot about the type of dialog, and communicates different things depending on its size. One project in particular was even able to change the number of spaces when the scale was changed.

How do two-dimensional images add to the understanding of the project?

A two-dimensional figure can highlight details that you might of missed in a more "busy" project. This enables you to study the spaces more carefully. Pictures can help you understand how to map out your three-dimensional project on paper.

How did the initial project idea evolve?

Many projects were based on a precedent--something else where two spaces have a relationship. Some projects took the idea of a conversation more literally, describing an emotion between two people or the actual personality of the people themselves.

Unity Drawings

Unity Project

I don't have my original model but here are the sketches i took of it. My precedent was an infinity symbol and i tried to create one using the skewers to connect the bristol, but had trouble created a smooth figure eight without being able to cut the paper. I also needed to push behind my precedent and make something more original.

i decided to try something new, with two opposing spirals adjacent to eachother, supported by two skewers which would lift the front of the model to give a more flattering angle. I did have a lot of craft kinks to get out, making the spirals smooth and even. The skewers holding them together didn't help.

my final unity project. I tried to have the two support skewers going through the spirals the least amount possible, so it would not look as forced or messy. I made the spirals tighter and one larger than the other to show expansion and contraction. I also made the skewers going in the same direction but pushed to different extremes of the sides to give it a more continuous upward motion.

Unity Project Comparison

Mine

Katie O'Boyle

I compared mine with Katie O' Boyle's project. The precedent for my project was an infinity symbol, and her connected circles resembled a figure eight shape which is very similar. We both used full circles to capture a sense of unity, but at the same time our projects were very different. O'Boyle's was on a triangular ray with three little circles encased in three large circles between the angles, while mine were a small and larger spiral with the skewers holding the pieces of paper together. Her paper was smooth while my paper was textured due to scoring (to give it a more geometric shape and make the paper work to be more pliable with the skewers).

According to the Gestalt principals, we used very different techniques despite our outcomes being visually relatable. Our use of proximity was expressed differently--O'Boyle's project demonstrated close edge relation and combination while mine used the element of touching and overlap. Pattern-wise O'Boyle's focused on alignment, mine using continuation. Both of our projects embraced some form of similarity with our circles as a way to highlight unity.

twig project

my first prototype was experimenting with how i would want my box to "peel." i fringed regular paper and it was a hot mess.

my second prototype tried to streamline the look, making it sleaker and cleaner. although it looks "nicer" it did not convey the dead peeling bark that well, and i choose to go in a more planned randomness.

my final project. i used cardboard to since it peels easily and it has a more natural look to it. it blends in with the twigs so it is part of the twigs in a way. the twigs also are coming out of the bottom so it is not as vaselike as before. I used a brown band as my binding agent to make it more part of the project and give it a sense of place.