uNDERGROUND uNCHECKED J. Abishek Daniel Art in Transit B.Des. IADP Project Guides:
Amitabh Kumar, Arzu Mistry, Abhyan Humane, Shivani Seshadri, Aastha Chauhan
Acknowledgement I would like to thank Arzu Mistry, Amitabh Kumar, Abhyan Humane, Shivani Seshadri, Aditya Bharadwaj, Siddharth Shetty for their valuable inputs and help during this project I would like to take this oppurtunity to thank my parents for being a pillar of support over the course of this project.
Contents Project Overview ...................................................................... 5 Station Map ................................................................................. 8 Why this Project ........................................................................ 14 Frames of Entry ......................................................................... 16 immersion
Research Process ................................................... 18
Initial Mapping ........................................................... 20
Other Resources .................................................... 22
My Position ................................................................................... 26 Lit Research ................................................................................. 30
Interviews ................................................................... 32
Contemporary Artists and Artworks.......... 34
Initial Concepts and Ideas...................................................... 38 Final Concept .............................................................................. 40
Micro site- Foyer ........................................................................ 44 Concept Exploration .............................................................. 48 Curation ......................................................................................... 50 Evolution of Form ..................................................................... 54
Narrative ..................................................................... 62
Mock Ups ...................................................................................... 66 Form ................................................................................................. 68 Prototype ....................................................................................... 72
Roots ............................................................................. 78
Insects ............................................................................ 82
Lighting .......................................................................... 92
Assembled Unit .......................................................................... 96 Inferences .......................................................................................102 Reflection ...................................................................................... 104 Bibliography .................................................................................. 106
project Overview Cubbon Park Metro Station
Vidhana Saudha Metro Station
Cubbon Park
The project is based in the two new metro stations at Cubbon Park and Viddhan Saudha. Unlike most other stations in Bangalore, they are both underground.
There is an experience of what Bangalore was / is today that predicates a multi layered imagination, desire, hope, inkling and aspiration of what Bangalore can be. Bangalore is an example of “the city,” the nature of which is being brought into question world wide. The Art in Transit project looks at the nature of this “city” through the Metro Rail Transit System and inquires how experience, memory and fantasy invent this city, that like many others is in a state of transition. The metro within this metropolis, is a semi - public space that offers opportunities for congregation and social networks. Where a diversity of people come together with a common purpose of getting from one point to another. The Art in Transit Collective is interested in a transdisciplinary framework that engages through art and design practices with the ‘metro’ as a symbol of a changing city
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The project runs for a duration of two years. As a graduating student, I will be a part of Art in Transit from January 2016 to July 2016. As a student of Product Design, I was allowed to produce outcomes that pertained to any of the following three1) A series of short and temporary art, design and technology experiments exploring the research frames of: a) The Experience of Transiting b) Transit as Social Network c) The City: Past Present andFuture 2) Possibilities of permanent installations that explore: moving image works; sound and light works; animation; games; interactive technology; participatory works; performances; 2d, 3d, 4d artworks, public space interventions that are architectural, systemic, transportation based, disability friendly, mapping and wayfinding, public space furniture. 3) Explore new tools and methodologies for working as artists and designers in a functional and contextual public space
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Station Maps
M.G rd wa To ad Ro
Chinnaswamy Entrance
Jet Entry Fighter Jet screening area Cubbon Road
Cubbon Road
Raj Bhavan road
HAL Entrance
d Roa ens Que
S
CUBBON PARK (EXTERIOR) Bangalore Metro Rail
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Coolant
Raj Bhavan road
Raj Bhavan road
Chinnaswamy Entry
Chinnaswamy Landing
Jet Landing Jet Entry Token turnstyle
Jet Foyer
Chinnaswamy Foyer Token turnstyle
HAL Entry
Canara Bank Landing Canara Bank Corridor
S
N
CUBBON PARK (INTERIOR) Bangalore Metro Rail
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Vidhan Soudha Vikas Soudha to Vikas Soudha
Bose Entrance
Post Office road
B.R Ambedkar road
B.R Ambedkar road
B.R Ambedkar road
To Cubbon Park
B.R Ambedkar road
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High Court
VIDHAN SOUDHA (EXTERIOR) Bangalore Metro Rail
B.R Ambedkar road
B.R Ambedkar road
High Court Entrance
Sugarcane Entrance
S
B.R Ambedkar road
Vikas Soudha entrance
Token turnstyle Sugarcane Foyer
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S
Sugarcane entrance
Token turnstyle Vidhan Soudha High Court Foyer
High Court entrance
VIDHAN SOUDHA (INTERIOR) Bangalore Metro Rail
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Both the stations are bounded by buildings that are very different from each other not only in terms of architecture but also in the nature of the work carried out, and this adds a great deal of diversity to the space. Cubbon Park metro station has entrances that open up to all the buildings it is bounded by, namely- Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, Chinnaswamy Stadium and Cubbon Park itself. The Cubbon Park entrance leads to the Press Club located within the park and eventually opens into the High Court grounds. The Chinnaswamy Entrances have been constructed keeping in mind the heavy traffic of people that would occur as a result of events in the stadium.
The Station’s Central Cooling System
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited
Jet Installation opposite Cubbon Park gate 15
Why this project Having worked on multiple product design projects in the past, a public art project sounded like an excellent opportunity to learn about the dynamics of public space and how best to create interventions for it. Client based product design projects have usually proved to be quite straightforward in the past in terms of deliverables, parameters and the level of detail required. The Art in Transit project offered a little more freedom in terms of my approach to the subject and also my interpretation of the space. Keeping this in mind, I decided to apply what I had learned as a student of product design, while dealing with the project and the space.
Some examples of previous work. Renders include accessories for bicycles as well as a casing for a Rotary Turn Table. Projects I have undertaken in the past did not always include a public space element and this was a key factor in choosing to work on Art in Transit.
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Frames of Entry The project contains 3 themes under which we could position ourselves1) The City: Past, Present and Future 2) Transit as a potential social network 3) Transit as an experience
Transit as an experience deals with the “transitional� nature of human society and provides a platform to explore human journey in all its facets- exploring and explicating memories and narratives, politics of migration, replacement and displacement, public space as an artefact, journey as an experience of the self. Having identified myself under this larger theme, my approach to the project was a little more clear as the immersion process started. The process was quite straightforward- starting with initial mapping and canvassing of the space, and later moving into a more focused research process.
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Immersion
Exercises
Research process
Initial embodiment and mapping
The initial weeks were mostly concerned with getting to understand the space and its various dynamics- flow of people and traffic, important buildings around the stations, food culture and the stations themselves. The chart on the right contains specifics of some exercises and the process I followed while conducting research.
Exploring Food Culture
Artist’s talks
Pixelstick -Tech
Research
Choosing a research topic
Cooking Sections -Empire Remains -Dietary Confinement Embodiment
Interview -Mr. Gururaj - N.S. bhat
Artefact - papers -Other Artists
Kidki -Aastha
Other Artists and their work
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Initial Mapping One of thee first exercises carried out was simply walking through the entire above ground space and mapping it using different lenses. Having decided to map the space using experience as a line of inquiry, I simply wrote down immediate thoughts and embodiment outcomes as I walked along Dr. Ambedkar road on the Vidhana Saudha side. While going through these notes along with notes from others as well, we got a good understanding of basic dynamics of the space through discussions. In order to start off on a more focused approach, we mapped the space in terms of its food culture. I was involved in canvassing the space around the Cubbon park metro station as well as the area around the Government Aquarium. I followed a simple rule while interacting with the food vendors of the area- eat at every stall you visit. This proved to be quite interesting and gave me a lot of insight into the working of the space as well.
To the left is a map I came up as a result of exploring food culture around cubbon park station. Above are some notes I took that explain the space through experiencing it firsthand.
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Other Resources Artist Sessions
Alongside other exercises, we were involved in constant sessions with artists who deal with public art or research based projects and more. One of the artist groups we met was Cooking Sections. They worked on a variety of different projects which covered things such as exploring the imaginaries set up by the British Empire to Dietary restrictions in the Gaza Strip. I also got to see a project based in Kidki by Aastha. The work we were shown covered different projects such as street plays, jam sessions, street dancing and wall art as well. The sessions with these artists were offered to us as resources while generating our concepts and finding our context in the metro. The spread and variety of these projects helped me get some perspective on the different approaches I could have while dealing with a public space.
Studying dietary restriction patterns in the Gaza Strip. The study was presented through the making of patties using ingredients that varied in quantity depending on the inflow of food.
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LED stick-Tech introduction
As an additional resource, I was introduced to the LED stick. The stick is used to create suspended images in long exposure photographs, using an array of LEDs that “play� out a picture as one carries it through a space.
The pixel stick is held straight as one walks through the frame of the photograph. Playing around with the way the stick moves through frame leads to interesting suspended images that can also be used to tell a story.
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My position My previous work, apart from college projects, included terrariums, aquascaping, resin casting and more. I have always been involved in work pertaining to the natural world and its something that has been with me for a long time. It is this inherent appreciation for biodiversity and natural life that I hoped to be able to transfer over the course of this project. Approaching the space also as a student of product design, I had to look at the functionality of my intervention along with its materiality as well.
Making and growing Terrariums is something I have a keen interest in. Apart from this my work includes resin casting, aquascaping and collecting insects as well. The two-topped table on the left was made using only natural wood and was an exercise in understanding how to work with natural forms.
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It was these lines of enquiry that eventually led up to my concept as well. When the time came to focus our research into specific aspects of the city, I started by looking at ecosystems and slowly narrowed down to the local Insects of Bangalore. I strongly believe in the importance that insects hold in our everyday environment and ecological balance as a whole. To inform another of this important resource was something I saw as a challenge.
As a Botany Enthusiast
Transfer my sense of appreciation
As a Product Designer
Explore functionality
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Lit Research
My research into local Insects of Bangalore was split into two main parts and coupled with an exercise that was to be conducted on site. For literary resources I visited institutions certain around Bangalore, namely- NBAIR and the University of Agricultural Sciences at GKVK. I visited the Entomology departments of both the institutions in order to create a database of local insects and observe patterns of distribution in the city of Bangalore. I initially focused on social insects both above and below ground, mainly Bees and Ants. The institutions however did not prove to be useful as they only maintained records of specific agriculturally related insects. But I did create a small database of local insects through collection boxes I found while on site.
Most of the information I was able to acquire was through displays maintained at the institutions
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Interviews In order for our research to be comprehensive, we interviewed people from Bangalore who were experts in various fields and have some knowledge of the city’s past and hopefully, a vision of the future. Since I was looking at natural life, I decided to interview Mr. Gururaj, a Batrachologist working at IISC. The discussion I had with him led to some very important research questions which helped shape my concept as well. Mr. Gururaj discussed with us the loss of biodiversity as one moves to the heart of the city. The lack of ecological interaction has led to some serious consequences in Bangalore’s overall balance. The interview helped raise questions on the importance people associate with insects and how much of a factor is scale alone. I also interviewed Dr. Kuberappa from the Apiculture Dept. of University of Agricultural Sciences. The interview was quite short lived, but I was allowed to photograph the displays present at the department.
The app and the book that Mr. Gururaj helped make. His contributions to batrachology has helped document more than 18 species of frogs that have never been recorded before.
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Contemporary artists and works In order for the research to be comprehensive, I looked into other artists and designers who have worked under themes that I was also looking into, or at least along similar lines. Since my focus remained on Ants and Bees, I located certain artists who’s lines of enquiry were similar to mine. BeesSome of the Artists I found had a direct approach to the spreading awareness on diminishing bee populations- Wall Murals ( Louis Masai Michel) While others such as Ren Ri and Hillary Berseth both used bees themselves to create unique sculptures by manipulating the bees using certain techniques. Ren Ri alters the gravity of the hive at regular intervals. Hillary Berseth uses cut wood pieces to manipulate hive ventilation and this leads to beatifully shaped hives.
The Artist’s all had unique ways in which they manipulated bees to achieve intricate sculptures.
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AntsRafael G贸mezbarros, a Colmbian artist had installed a giant swarm of ants at the Saatchi Gallery in London. Apart from this I did not come across much work along my line of enquiry when it came to underground life. Most of the works I came across involved Anthill casting and Illustrations. I was never directly influenced by any particular artist specifically, but going through other artists working along similar lines helped understand the wide range of possibilities that could stem from just one idea.
Some metal anthill casts and an installation of fiberglass ants by Rafael Gomezbarros
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Initial Concepts and Ideas Compiling and reviewing all the data I had gathered through interviews, literary research and on site research as well, I was able to put down questions that I wished to address and also the nature of my intervention in the space. Keeping in mind that I was questioning the importance people associate with everyday insects, one of my concepts revolved around the idea of the metro station as a temporary hive. The way it, in a way, dispatches and gathers people from all over the city. I was hoping to draw some correlations between the social hierarchy in a hive or a colony, with power plays and struggles in surrounding governing bodies.
Vidhana Saudha seemed to be the ideal site in this case due to its proximity to governing bodies and it would only have stressed on the concept more. Another aspect of the station I was looking at was that it was underground, and what does that mean with regard to the life that teems just beyond the walls of the metro. I realised the need for a list of local underground insects I could use to further solidify this concept.. I also proposed these concepts during a feedback session along with my other research.
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Upon receiving feedback, I took some time to review my concepts and try to see how site played into my larger questions and ideas. I was asked to pinpoint specifics by realising what I wanted to evoke, through my work, in the station. Going back to my original position in the project, I slowly identified my role in the metro as a “window� of sorts. A window into life beyond the walls of the metro. Also taking in to fact the space the station occupies underground, I wanted to comment on how the insects that used to inhabit the space have become artefacts in a way. Artefacts as a result of displacement by the metro.
Through an exercise of activation through site, I was able to pinpoint the false ceiling space as my potential “window” into the underground. This came from an idea that by removing ceiling panels, one could peek into the “underground”. During a discussion, I got to see how the metro could look like any other space once you have entered it. The disconnect from the outside the world is quite stark as one moves from the bustle above ground to the white interiors of the metro. The displacement I could provide through exposing underground life was something I found interesting. Keeping all these reasons in mind, I slowly weaned myself from the initial idea of social structures in beehives which eventually started to feel like a forced concept in a space such as the metro.
Some Early Iterations of Form. They mostly involved swarming insects entering the station. I hoped to draw parallels between humans and insects through this form.
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Final Concept
To help perceive the metro station as a truly underground space and what that means with regard to the insects and minor ecosystems the metro shares it’s space with. To also comment on the displacement of these systems and creatures as a result of the metro’s construction
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Micro siteFoyer (Cubbon Park St) In order to choose a location to place ourselves in within the stations. I was involved in an exercise which attempted to activate concept through site. The exercise involved not only sketching out rough ideas of form, but also to realise the dynamics of paid vs unpaid space and how that affects our larger ideas as well. Initially, I placed myself in the paid area, as a large part of it was underground. I eventually decided to make use of the unpaid space to place my pieces as it facilitated contact with more people. And since it is my sense of fascination that I wanted to transfer to other people, the Foyer space that came before the concourse seemed apt to place all of my pieces.
One of the original locations I decided to use was the wall space along the concourse of the Cubbon Park metro station. This idea was eventually scrapped as I wanted to create a certain perception of depth by physically creating that space. But the walls offered no such cavities and creating one would not have been the best solution. The ceiling however contained numerous square panels that I could remove and in their place construct views into underground life.
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Ticket Counters in the Foyer
The Atrium at the Cubbon Park Station bounded by the concourse on both sides of the upper section
Corridor leading to the Cubbon Park entrance of the station from the Jet Foyer
Token Counters before the Paid Area at the Jet Foyer
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Concept exploration
As my concept developed, I looked at a variety of subjects while trying to figure out how best to create a depiction of the underground that has a certain 3 dimensional aspect to it. Choosing not to work with a 2d piece, given that there are ways to manipulate print to look 3d,, I decided to take from Dioramas and Set Design instead and create different views into the underground. Through this I felt that I could achieve depth During the time that I was still considering the concourse as a potential site, I had originally planned to create a visual trail using these “underground scenes�. The idea was to use certain repeating elements, that would show some form of continuity as one moves along the space. For example a giant millipede moving though the ceiling of the station. Soil Profiles, insect habitats, Colonies, Root systems and Rock composition are some aspects of the underground that I researched on to fuel the next stage of my work, which was form exploration.
For the scenes I wished to create, I explored Dioramas and Set Design to get a better understanding of creating detailed landscapes. I also referred to cross section illustrations from books that I could employ in a way to create the desired piece.
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Curation
As we neared the form building part of our project, the need for the curation of space arose. Looking at various ideas that people were dealing with at various points in both the stations, Curatorial Maps and Frameworks were created to better organise the flow of artworks through the space. As a result, there were four large themes under which we positioned ourselves1) Aesthetics and Aspirations 2) Participatory Networks 3) The Traveller 4) The Otherland
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I identified myself under Aesthetics and Aspirations based on how it dealt with the immediate surroundings and Ecology of the city. Under this larger theme I was able to coordinate with other students working under the same theme to generate micro curations and work out the flow of artwork and how to place them. Since the Jet Foyer was handed over to Aesthetics and Aspirations later, I decided to place myself there as it was a large unpaid space and especially because of the waiting time it offered. Hoping to make good use of this waiting time, I started to build my narrative around specific areas such as the lift, or the token counter.
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Evolution of form Initial The site I wanted to work with initially was the Concourse of the Cubbon Park metro station. Choosing the area from the token counter to the middle of the concourse where the lift was positioned, I came up with iterations to create “windows� revealing the underground world I started out by building a narrative and deciding on the elements that would be shown at each point. Since each ceiling panel was a 2x2 ft square, I planned to create individual boxes that would house magnified views of underground life. The aim was to create images of life that exists all around the space we occupy underground.
Building the narrative keeping in mind the aspect of continuity
Early sketches of the box form
The “magnified� view of insects was the form of exaggeration that I decided to employ within my boxes. Initially I only considered the concourse as a potential site for my pieces.
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The magnified view is a form of exaggeration that I wanted to implement as I was also dealing with certain research questions I had developed on the aspect of Scale and importance associated to insects. The boxes were to all the be placed above the false ceiling, with the bottom of the box being transparent. This surface would enable a commuter look up and into this space that extends beyond the metros walls Since the viewing surface of each box was at level with the ceiling, I was encouraged to play around with the form a little more and explore other ways of placing these boxes.
Early Visualisations Original Placement
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Seeing as to how the false ceiling panels were mounted using a metal framework, I originally planned to make use of this framework to suspend my boxes. Through testing on site I realised that the false ceiling framework was far too flimsy to attach anything onto it.
White Acrylic Surfaces Clear Glass surfaces
My early visualisations of the space were mostly centred around the concourse. The early forms had only one viewing surface as opposed to the final one where the entire box remained transparent
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Deciding to alter the level at which a commuter views the set, I started varying some boxes to drop down from the ceiling to a certain height and in them contain small sections of underground life. Lighting was an important factor to consider as the metro had a uniform plain white light against which I had to place my work. I pinned down Warm White LEDs as the ideal light for my box. This was because of the contrast it would provide against the stark white of the metro. This was also decided keeping in mind the level of engagement I required from people. After this I moved on to deciding the layout and sizes of all the boxes I intended to make.
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Narrative While deciding on the narrative, I decided to include some mechanism in some of the boxes to show some form of static animation. I aimed to use simple mechanisms that produce repetitive motion Since I was creating a visual trail of sorts, the need for a culmination piece also started to come up and I started to factor it into my layouts and overall narrative. To be as free as possible while ideating on narratives and forms, I decided to make a total of 20 boxes that are located in the area from the staircase at the entrance all the way to the lift on the concourse.
I eventually decided against this due to many factorstime involved in fabricating these boxes, the fact that half the pieces would be in the paid area and not accessible to the people in the unpaid space. My final site turned out to be the foyer at the Cubbon Park entrance where I would place a total of 10 individual boxes each with their own scene.
Deciding the elements to be placed in the boxes. All the insects chosen were local insects
Inclined ceiling ideations
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Having decided on the elements I wanted to include., I sketched out potential layouts that would get my concept across efficiently. Objects of continuity included earthworms, millipedes and certain insects that are generally associated with the underground.
Concentrating on the Concourse first, I created a layout that covered the distance from the token counter to the lift. The boxes all descended from the ceiling to varying heights in order to keep up a visual trail that someone could follow
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Mock ups
I translated some of the sketches I had into small scale models using basic materials. I used these models as a reference when I eventually created the boxes themselves.
Early 3D Visualisations and models made using foam board and white clay. Basic mechanisms to show repetitive movement that could mimic wings or antennae being mobile
Some forms recreated on a smaller scale to show variety amongst the pieces but also the continuity that would exist in them
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Form Specifics Having to approach the space and my piece from a product design point of view as well, I had to consider materiality, functionality and also some ergonomics while deciding on the placement of my boxes. One of the biggest concerns of the station were potential fire hazards. Since all the materials I used had to be fireproof, I selected them carefully while keeping in mind the effect I wanted to create. For the walls of my box, I decided to use clear Acrylic sheets (4mm). Glass was not considered due to its weight and also due to problems involved in suspending it from the ceiling. For these reasons Acrylic seemed apt for the box.
I chose Acrylic over glass due to its light weight and also as it was simpler to assemble the box with acrylic than glass. I started by choosing to make the boxes with 4mm acrylic along with some basic reinforcement. One of the materials I explored to create roots was aluminium foil. Not only was it fire safe, it was also light and easy to sculpt with.
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To create the set inside the box, I referred to a method I had used in one of my earlier projects where I had made a scale down model of a car. The body of the car would be carved out of polystyrene and then layered with paper and glue. A coat of wall putty is added and then sanded down. The model is eventually painted with primer and automobile paint. Using a similar technique involving wire mesh, I aimed to create the terrain inside the box and pack it with real mud as a finishing layer. A spray of resin would be applied to hold the layer better.
The earlier project which I referred to while creating the terrain for the boxes.
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prototype The prototyping phase started with acquiring materials for the box which included Acrylic sheets, Heat Proof Fevicol, Acrylic Adhesive, binding wire, Tissue rolls, Fevicol SH, Wall putty, Borax and even some soil and roots from construction sites. One of the prime concerns of the metro staff was fire hazardous materials that might be included with our products. Since all our material had to be fire proof, a lot of planning was involved while choosing materials and deciding certain methods of suspension. I started the prototyping process by assembling the box and the terrain first. The Acrylic boxes were glued together to create a stable frame. I bent the wire mesh into the desired shape before suspending it from the acrylic using binding wire. I chose wire mesh as I could layer it with other materials that could be sculpted into terrain. These materials would be both light and fireproof as well.
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Creating Terrain The layers and their components were as follows1) Wire Mesh with thermocol supports on the inside 2) Thin paper applied using a mixture of Fevicol and Water. 3) A thin layer of Wall Putty is added onto this to create rigidity. The putty is mixed with equal parts Fevicol to ensure strength and bond to the tissue layer. 4) A coat of fevicol is applied to the wall putty layer. While the Fevicol is still fresh, I sprinkled and packed soil and rocks that I had gathered earlier onto it. This helped create a realistic underground soil texture to my forms. 5) The final step was to dust off excess soil and add more where the layer became too thin. 6) In order to secure this layer of packed soil, I used a clear acrylic lacquer spray that helped create a thin but strong film over the entire structure.
The next layer was a thin coat of tissue paper mixed with fevicol and water
For the initial structural stability, I used thermocol to prop up the terrain while I applied the layers onto it
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Picture of fevicol and wall putty mixing, applying
Through stacking tissues and glue at certain spots, I was able to achieve different formations and textures to create an underground feel to the whole piece. The next stage was to apply soil using fevicol. Once I covered a certain area with fevicol, I would immediately pack it with soil.
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Roots Having originally planned to make artificial roots, I eventually decided to use natural found roots and treat them to meet the fireproof standards of the metro. For this I treated the roots I found using a mixture of Borax and Boric Acid, both sourced locally. Borax crystals that form over material immersed in the solution, help prevent the material from catching fire. Though the material gets charred, it will not prove to be a fire hazard of any kind.
Treating Driftwood with a solution of Borax and Boric Acid
Testing the wood after drying it- Only mild charring occurs
Adding the rest of the roots to the Borax, Boric Acid solution
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I varied the placement of roots inside the box as I wanted it to look like a clump of smaller roots branching out from a larger one. The large one in this case being the extruding soil structure in the centre of the box. Around the roots is where most life is concentrated and it this that I was trying to achieve while arranging roots.
Arranging roots in the now soil packed structure.
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Making Insects One of my main focus points while creating these insects was to in a way make them mechanised. I wanted to show some form of movement within the box, Static animation seemed apt for a project of this size. Deciding on basic movements such as wings fluttering, or antennae twitching, I started to carve the insects out of thermocol. I followed the same process as that of creating the terrain and started with a base of thermocol, and moved onto more layers1) Thin Paper mixed with fevicol, diluted with water. 2) A layer of wall putty that has to be sanded to shape 3) A coat of primer and automobile paint (similar to exoskeleton) 4) The legs were carved out of strips of foam board 5) The wings were cut out from OHP sheets 6) Mechanisms were assembled using thick wire
I started the insect making process with Sphex Argentatus or the Black Digger wasp. The wasps are mostly solitary creatures who nest underground. They constantly carry food to their larvae growing underground.
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Carved thermocol pieces to be assembled
Assembled pieces coated with soft paper and glue
Wasp coated with Wall Putty and set to dry
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Sanding and cutting out spaces for wing mechanisms
Making space for mechanism housing
Cutting and Carving segments of Insect legs
The assembled pieces devoid of wings 89
Housing to hold the moving wings in place
Assembling wings from OHP prints
Preparing the insect for painting 91
Moving wings attached
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Lighting
To illuminate the inside of the box, I needed a light source that could not only be hidden from view, but also needed to compete with the stark white of the metro. LED strips seemed like the most viable option due to its easy installation, low heat output and availability of required light colour. I chose to use Warm White light in the box as it would help bring out the contours on the terrain and would definitely stand out against the metro’s white as well. Initially I placed the LED strip in such a way that it runs along the edges of the box at the very end. I eventually scrapped this idea as it did not do justice to the varying landscape. The light was too flat and I realised the need to play around with its placement more. To do so, I used the elements of the box itself to light up various parts of the terrain.
The initial frame I made to house the LED strip along the edges of the transparent box.
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The lights placed along the edges were eventually removed due to its flat rendering of the space. The hinges on the top cover of the box were also removed once I changed the mechanism from a hinge to a slider instead
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Assembled Unit
This section of the box is above the false ceiling and is hence not visible to commuters
This section descends below the ceiling and can be viewed by people
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Inferences And Work in Progress Through making the prototype and following the original plans I had laid out, I came to realise that certain aspects of the structure needed to be worked on more. The acrylic joineries for instance, was initially achieved using acrylic glue and L angles for extra stability. Through discussion and feedback, I was able to arrive at a better way of assembling the acrylic box. It not only involved acquiring thicker acrylic sheets, but also involved creating an interlocking mechanism at the ends of each pane.
New interlocking mechanism using thicker acrylic sheets
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The overall stability needed to be foolproof and for this reason a metal support system was required. I came up with a simple frame that covered the part of the box that was above the ceiling. This frame would extend into the roof and hence provide more stability than being simply suspended by steel cables. The top and bottom of the box was originally hinged in order to allow for some basic maintenance if required. But since the hinges, however small, were present of the viewing surface, I was advised to think of other methods of accessibility. A sliding acrylic pane seemed like the most viable option at this point.
Second box with extra reinforcement for safe suspension
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Reflection One of the main reasons I chose to work on this project was because it was placed in a public space and the dynamics of a public space was something I was not completely familiar with. Through the course I hoped to obtain a better understanding of how public spaces functioned and also how I could place myself in such a space as an artist or designer. Many factors contributed to my learning of public space interventions, for example the importance of using fireproof materials or even deciding the placement of a piece based on people movement. All these required careful planning and experimentation to make the intervention not only safe, but also to increase its longevity by making it foolproof.
Since the project offered me a platform where I could engage in creativity a little more as compared to some of my previous projects, the importance of “playing� with form is something I came to realise. Small realisations such as these and many more, all contributed to an overall rich learning experience throughout the duration of this project. Striking a balance between creativity/experimentation and concerns/nuances of public space proved to be an educative experience. On the whole. It was particularly interesting to see how I could apply my skills and learning as a product designer in the space. I strongly believe that most of what I learned during this project are lessons that will fuel my practice for years to come.
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