Cover Page Taarini Jouhari AIT
Contents 1. Art in Transit Overview 2. Context 3. Immersion 4. Project Concept 5. Visualising the Concept 6.Prototyping 7. Timeline : Moving ahead 8. Reflection
Art in Transit Overview
Why this Project?
The course objective is to understand the city using the Metro Rail Transit System using memory, experience and fantasy to create the city. The metro is a semi-public space where interaction between commuters takes place. The metro is a symbolic representation of a changed city. The Art in Transit project creates a platform where there is an immediate interaction between artists and the public.
As a public space design student, art in transit has provided a platform where I can engage with the public. Approaching art in a way which deals with a wider range of viewers. This project involves several aspects, from immersion, conceptualisation, testing phases and finally execution. It is a way to completely engage with the space in which we work in, taking into account the public, the authorities, and labour and still having a voice of my own. When choosing this project, I was well aware of the challenges that would arise, these have helped in guiding my project and helped in approaching it in a different light rather than a hypothetical scenario. My aim of the project was to create a space where the travellers could experience something which would stimulate them in some way. A public space, the metro in this scenario is one which multiple people share the same experience of travel however each person would have their own involvement with the space.
Context Macro Site Study : Vidhana Soudha Macros Site Study : Cubbon Park Collating Data Locating Sites
Vidhana Soudha The initial primary research was to understand the space around the metro station. We divided ourselves into groups and mapped out the areas around. We spoke to food vendors and created a food map experience. This exercise helped in understanding the location, immersing ourselves in the area and the communities. Most importantly, it helped in understanding the people around the metro station, the city and looking at it through different perspectives. Working as a group enhanced the experience as discussions lead to more comprehensive insights.
Location of the vendors
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Time at which vendors are visited
Cubbon Park Each group analysed the area in terms of a ‘narrative,’ ‘definition’ and ‘experience.’ Our group was given the area around Chinnaswamny stadium and Kasturba Road. We focussed on the definition of the space. This included the heights of the buildings, the widths of the road and the materials and flow of the space in terms of a ‘cityscape.’
We used both exercises and collated all our experiences in a visual manner to create a wholesome experience map of the areas around Vidhana Soudha and Cubbon Park.
Site The two metro stations we are working with, Cubbon Park and Vidhana Soudha are the first two underground stations in Bangalore. They are located within the 6km CBD of the city (picture of CBD Bangalore). The stations are located in historically prominent areas of the city. The Cubbon park metro station has four entries and exits; the stadium, minsk square, queens road and one at the HAL building. These are distributed on either sides of the road.
The Vidhana Soudha metro station also has four exit and entry points; High court, outside Vidhana Soudha, at the Post office road and one which is at the Cubbon park gate. The former is located next to the stadium with more commercial and residential areas around it while the later is engulfed in the administrative sector of the city. Cubbon Park Metro Station
Vidhana Soudha Metro Station
Cubbon Park Station
Vidhana Soudha Station
Minsk Square
General Post Office
Income Tax Officce
Vidhana Soudha
Cubbon Park
HAL Building
Vidhana Sabha?
Karnataka High Court
HAL Display Chinnaswamy Stadium Cubbon Park
Queens Road Exit
HAL Exit
Post Office Rd Exit
Vidhana Soudha Exit
Cubbon Park Exit
High Court Exit
Jet Exit Chinnaswamy Exit
Immersion Frames of Entry Frames of Entry : Real Estate Pricing Research : Real Estate
Frames of Entry There were three different frames of entry: ‘The city: Past, Present and Future,’ ‘ Experience of Transiting’ ‘Transit as a social Network.’ These three frames dictated the entry point into my research for the project. I chose to work with ‘The City: Past, Present and Future.’ Using this, I chose to look at real estate pricing in the city.
The City : Past, Present and Future
Real Estate Princing I began by researching artefacts: online archives of editions of newspapers and magazines, photographed advertisement such as billboards and hoardings, I used online websites such as magic bricks to understand the pricing in the city. Along with this I interviewed two people keeping in mind seller and middleman.
Real Estate
The two sites, Cubbon Park and the Vidhana Soudha metro station located within the CBD of Bangalore are in a work of progress. While the city has developed in all directions and the speed at which it is growing, the initial topic, real estate pricing helped in understanding the city comprehensively. Billboards and advertisement along with high rise and the constant construction that surrounds the areas frequently visited, initiated my interest in the real estate market. As the metro constructs its path through the city, buildings get demolished and pushed back. Price hikes around the stations and the areas connected to it. Location of the metro stations in the Bangalore Map Source :
Reflection on the Research My interviews were with Mr. Sameer Arora a board memember of the Consideration of Real Estate Pricing Association and Mr. Rahul Joseph, the CEO of ‘White Projects.’ Both interviews opened me up to understanding the way the city has moved outward. Understanding the real estate pricing in a city helped in understand the reason for increase in land prices, areas remaining commercial, expansion of the city, increase in food prices, lack of ground water and several other environmental, economic, political and social concerns.
gressed from the liberalisation of the Indian economy in 1991 which expanded the role of private investment, it became more market oriented. This increased private ownership of land. The IT boom is responsible for the real estate development which happened in the 1990s. The IT market fuels the real estate market growth in the city, encouraging the increase in prices. Bangalore has moved outward from its CBD and spilled
to 741 km2. This has increased the city’s perceived central business district to a wider range. The expansion of the city has sprouted self sufficient townships with amenities provided for its residences. Consumers residential demands are increasing with their disposable income, easily available finance, the marketing strategy of builders and developers who sell property as an investment compared to mutual funds and stocks. Advertisement has changed from selling basic amenities to the consumer to luxury villas with technological advancements, self sufficient homes and a community living. However marketing stunts did work in the past as the market was considered asymmetrical; the seller had more information than the buyer. With the introduction of websites, discussion forums and laws being introduced to increase transparency between consumer and seller. With all this information it seems to be that the
Bangalore has shifted gears from a pensioner’s paradise to one of the more developed, bustling cities in India, expanding outwards in terms of space, infrastructure, density and diversity. The real estate market in Bangalore is one which has pro-
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buyer is at an advantage with the amount of information available. Discussions, laws that are passed, the economics of it all is all one aspect, the politics is a whole other realm which plays a vital role in real estate. A combination of the artefacts, interviews and embodiment helped me create a holistic understanding to the pricing of real estate in Bangalore which further expanded my knowledge of the city.
Artefacts
Real Estate Pricing
I began looking at the advertisements and hoardings that flooded the city. Key words seem to dominate the hoardings around Bangalore. These included: greenery, perfection, happiness, futuristic, luxury, old Bangalore, open space. Each carefully picked out for a different market but seem to overlap. Photographs, rendering and happiness fill the large billboards cluttered around the city, making a whole new skyline. Names of the projects vary from something green to luxury to themed homes, all aiming at different markets.
Primary Research
Secondary Research
Interviews
Real Estate Reports
Artefacts
Magazine and Newspaper Articles
Expansion of Bangalore CBD increasing Depletion of resources Investment Patterns Advertisement methods
Expansion of Bangalore
Defined pocket spaces being created within the city.
Diversity in the city
Project : Concept Proposing the Project Entry Point Final Concept Literature Study Case Study Artist Studies Site Analysis Micro-Site
Process : Proposing the Project Expansion of Bangalore Defined pocket spaces being created within the city.
Research
Diversity in the city
Proposing the Project Entry Point : Identity, diversity
Finding a unity Final Concept
Artist Studies
Find comparisons between literature studies to case studies
Bangalore has shifted gears from what housed Tipu Sultan’s ‘darbar’ to a British Cantonment, past India’s independence to a pensioner’s paradise, a pub city, to the IT city, from the garden city to the garbage city. It is changed from a space defined by Kempa Gowda’s four towers to a bustling city, expanding outwards, upwards and downwards. The continuous growth has diversified the city to one which has undergone so many changes that each phase is one that has just become memory.
Starting Point: Diversity
Finding Unity
In a city such as Bangalore, there is no homogeneity and it is hard to find reason why there should be one; however there is a possible gap in terms of a ‘uniting’ factor in the city. Questions began to rise from the idea of whether the cosmopolitan diverse space is the interlinking factor? Are we seeking a unifying identity? Does the metro attract a ‘type’? Should we be creating the metro design which repeats itself, to a point where it disorients the traveller? The key words, unity, diversity and identity each need to be defined, understood and explored to make a judgement or observation in relation to Bangalore. Calvino’s novel, ‘Invisible Cities,’ evokes thoughts such as this, is it possible to create an identity related to each space for each of the metro stations or create a whole new experiential space which does not relate to Bangalore at all?
Bangalore is a city with constantly changing identities and the expansion of Bangalore has had people losing grasp of the city. The introduction of the metro has demolished several unlisted heritage sites, from the pensioners paradise to a cosmopolitan city, Bangalore is moving at an accelerated pace. A common thread that runs through the city’s history is the weather, whether it was Tipu Sultan moving away from the Mysore heat or the British being more comfortable with the cooler environments to the Pensioners and other migrants moving to Bangalore for its comfortable weather. The city took pride in the cool, breezy environment to as recent as a decade ago; it would be more than an assumption to state that one of the unifying factors of Bangalore is the weather.
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When reflecting on the research I came across a fact. Mr. Sameer Arora, “Every single project that comes has to allocate some land to civic amenities. When these gated layouts are approved by various authorities such as BDA or BMRDA or BBMP, only 55% can be used for construction and 45% has to be open.” This fact made me rethink the way I was looking at Bangalore’s expansion. I continuously looked at it laterally and when I began thinking of the growth vertically I began to take into account how the cityscape was increasing in height. The buildings began carving out these positive spaces from the negative envelope we are all engulfed in.
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Concept Both stations are underground, a new environment for a Banglorean, detached from the city itself. The controlled temperature, lighting and space detaches the commuter from the Bangalore sky, making it unable to feel the shade from a tree, the sunlight, the breeze, the light drizzle and the shifting clouds above. As Bangalore expands and diversifies, the sky is the uniting factor which holds the city together.
Artist Study : James Turrell
Artist Study : Olafur Eliasson
James Turell, an American artist who primarily works with light and space. He has a range of works which address the sky, namely in his works in, ‘Skyscapes.’ In these he creates openings within structures where the viewer can carry out the simple act of looking at the sky.
Olafur Eliasson, an artist who works with several different mediums, he is better known for his work which involve wind, light, water and air. Eliasson creates experiences that are inclusive but also have a sense of individuality.
Outside, Insight, 2011, Sweden, Järna
olafur eliasson and ma yansong: feelings are facts, 2010, Ullens Center for Contemporary Art, Beijing
Your Rainbow Panorama, 2011, Aros, Aarhus, Denmark Weather Project, 2003, Tate Modern, London Twilight Epiphany, 2012, United States, Texas, Rice University
Gathered Sky, 2012, Beijing Temple Hotel, Bejing
Artisti work: Yyaoi Kasuma Olafur Eliasson, an artist who works with several different mediums, he is better known for his work which involve wind, light, water and air. Eliasson creates experiences that are inclusive but also have a sense of individuality.
Literature and Case Study : Kevin Lynch and Bernard Tschumi
The concept of a visual narrative is illustrated through architect, Bernard Tschumi’s work in Parc de la Villette, 1987. In this study, there is the idea of experience however it is designed to do so, in a manner of a visual narrative. In this he layers the concept into lines, points and surfaces. Each point is a structure placed 120 meters from each other, this helps in organising the park and the movement of people. In reference to Lynchs, ‘City as an Image,’ landmarks define parts of the city, in Tschumi’s work the ‘follies’ are the landmarks. This breaks away from the idea of spatial hierarchy using each folly as a meeting, interacting, and cultural point. The idea of experience is not focussed on one object or point but is applied in an entire space which allows one to interact with each other along with the park.
Macro : Site Map
Macro : Road Map Legend
Photo Journalist Aassociation
Minsk Square
Legend
Green Spaces
Built up space
Built up spaces
Junction
Entry and Exits of the Metro Station
Entry and Exits of the Metro Station
Queens Rd
Queens Rd Entry & Exit
Dr. Ambedkar Rd
Infantry Rd
HAL Building
Queens Rd Entry & Exit HAL Entry & Exit
Jet Entry & Exit
Jet Entry & Exit
HAL Entry & Exit
Minsk Square
Cubbon Park
HAL Jet
King Edward Statue
Chinnaswamy Stadium Entry & Exit
Chinnaswamy Stadium
Queens Rd
Chinnaswamy Stadium Entry & Exit
Cubbon Rd
Site Analysis
There is a stark contrast between the city above and the station below. When descending, the traveller is moving from a natural environment to a completely controlled space.
Sunlight and Temperature
The sunlight enters the station through the four entry and exit points, reaching to a certain level on the staircase. There is a considerable change in temperature when the commuter walks into the station, a gradual change from the city to the underground.
Circulation
Canara Bank Entrry and Exit
HAL Entry and Exit
KEY
Jet Entry and Exit
Service Area
Entering
Elevator
Exiting
Token counter Ticket counter Information Booth
Chinnaswamy Stadium Entry and Exit
Curatorial Map The curatorial framework had selected sites available to the each group. I chose to work with the HAL tunnel passage, in this the traveller would not feel too small in the space and it can be viewed in a one point perspective where the commuter could walk through the space and experience it as they are walking through it. When walking down the stairs, one would see bits of the tunnel and when standing at
Micro Site either ends they could see the entire space. This is one of the first spaces the commuter would experience, which is expected to be a confined geometric rectangular tunnel which would ideally be transformed into something organic, soft and expansive.
Illustrated below is the site I would be working in. Area :
Canara Bank Entrance and Exit
Micro-Site
HAL Entrance and Exit
Sites allocated to Otherland Micro Site
Micro Site : Images
Visualisations Process Iterations Material Light Light and Form
Visualisations
Word Association Map Working towards a form
Form
Form iterations
As a starting point I created a free word association map, this was one of the first steps that assisted in working towards the visualisation phase.
Material explorations Texture
Material in the form
Light Colour
Texture
Key words Spectrum Vast Comfort Colour Familiar Mystery
Mood Board
Breaking away from the Sky The sky has fixed associations with it, I listed four rules and brainstormed ways to break these perceptions.
Vast
Can’t reach
Have to look up
Change + Movement
Small
Sit in the sky
Look through a por-
Static
Sky in a tile
smell
tal
No light
Large person- small
Sound
All around
Always night
space
Tactile
Walking through
Confined area
Hold it
the sky
Sky on a person
Under your feet
I iterated a form where there was a form where the traveller would need to walk through the structure to experience the ‘sky.’ In this iteration, the traveller expects to walk into a surreal experience rather than just stumbling upon it.
Iterations To visualise the concept, I brainstormed iterations to help in creating a form.
This iteration comprised of realms of colours and hues where the commuter would walk through, it would be static, depending on the pace of the commuter walking would determine the space.
Glass panels would hang and protrude from the walls, with light behind it to create reflections and shadows in the space and on the traveller.
Creating concentric shapes where the viewer would need to look at the walls and ceiling to experience this breathing sculpture.
I began moving towards an immersed experience, where the traveller would feel as if they are walking through the sky rather than it being on the walls and the ceiling.
I brainstormed other senses that could be incorporated into the space; smell, taste, touch and sound. I took the concept of a space which is tactile and began visualising various materials.
Materials The visualisations so far only appealed to the eye, I began thinking of the installation as a complete immersive experience where the viewer could touch and feel as they were passing through the sky. To achieve this, I needed to move away from the geometric form of the tunnel space, I began experimenting with form change the shape of the space.
Material Concept Board I created a mood board to visualise the textures seen in the sky.
Soft
Visually Light
Movement
Expansive
Organic To move away from the geometric form of the tunnel space, I began experimenting with form to create an organic nature to the shape of the space.
Material Exploration Paper Mache
Wire mesh
Paper Mache
Wire mesh
Material Exploration Fabric
Cotton
Clay
Plastic
I used different materials to test out the ‘feel’ of the space, one which could be moulded into a shape and gave the feeling of the sky.
Light and Colour Experiements The concept of the sky would be enhanced by light and colour. Experiementing with these combined helped in adding another layer to the visualisations.
Light Experiments
Light, Material & Form
To create the space in which the concept of sky would stand out, lighting was essential. I began to experiment with light to understand how it the tunnel walkway would be transformed from a white rectangle to an absorbing sky experience.
I experimented with all three components; light, material and form. I began with form and light, in this I wanted to test out how the shape of the space would change with the light colours. In the second experiment I used a softer material, canvas to create a sense of fluidity to the space.
Three different effects were created. One; in which the entire space would be lit in one tone at a time, two; a few shades would create a spectrum of colour, third; the LED’s reflected onto the floor and created colours which merged into each other.
Experiement One : I created a lamp, which I placed outside the tunnel, the entire tunnel would change in tones.
In both these experiments, I understood that I needed layers to create a holistic experience, these would be material or texture, light and a form. Experiement Three : I used LED strips to line the model, on top of this I layered cellophane, to see the light that is reflected on the floor surface.
Experiement Two : I placed the light source inside the tunnel and two colours with the range of hues in between showed through the space. Experiement One
Experiement Two
Prototypes
Prototype One At first I began looking at glass textures which when projected created textures on the wall which looked like the sky. With this I thought about adding a layer of LED cove lights which would emit the colours of the sky. Together this was meant to create the experience of the sky.
When experimenting, I used a 60 watt bulb and a 3mm glass sample. Where the glass was meeting the wall, the texture was the strongest. Depending on the angle and distance of the bulb, the results varied. The textures with the glass were stronger than the acrylic.
Heavily textured 2mm acrylic
Heavily textured 3mm glass sample
Lightly textured 3mm glass sample
To create this, I tried to create a form which incorporated the light and the textured glass. The glass needed to touch the wall, as the projections of the texture would be most prominent then. The light had to be at an angle from which it would pass through the glass, refract and project on the wall.
When conducting the experiment with this prototype, I used two different bulbs, one an LED floodlight of 50 watts and an incandescent of 120 watts, to see which would give a clearer result. Sketch of the form
Incandescent 120 Watts Phillips 3D visualisation of the structural form and location at the site.
Structure made in Mild Steel
LED 50 watts Floodlight
Learning Outcomes There were several problems with this prototype. The angle of the structure was miscalculated.
Angle of light on flat glass
Part of the glass covered with blue film
The size of the box was too small; it needed more space between the light and glass. The glass textures were more prominent when the glass was flat, rather than at an angle, the light needed to be at an angle and a distance.
Textures from the glass on the wall
Blue film on top of textured glass
Prototype Two
Using a wire mesh as support, I attached different glass pieces with colour, texture and a glass film to it. I used the same LED flood light at an angle to see the effect.
I tried another approach as the previous prototype and the experiments were not achieving what I had assumed. I thought about breaking up the form to create a deconstructed sky experience.
Form of glass on mesh
In this prototype, I created a collage of glass pieces, behind this would be a light source. I assumed that the smaller textured glass pieces would give out different textures. This would not only project textures and colours onto the wall but it would also make it tangible.
Sketch of different textures
Sketch of the angles of the glass mesh and light
Learning Outcomes The textures were not visible The reach of the textures were not effective The colours were visible When projected the light the textures were merging into each other The shape of the glass created prominent edges on the walls
Light source from the bottom right
Light source from top left
Prototype Three For this prototype, instead of projecting the light onto the glass which was not creating much of a texture on the wall, I decided to use the glass as the texture. A strip of LEDs placed behind it would emit a colour while the textured glass would be a layer in front of it.
To take it a step further I decided to place reflective acrylic sheets on the bottom and the sides to enhance the effect. The wall and the glass had a blue wash with the LED strip, more importantly the light was bouncing off the reflective glass sheet and creating a form on the wall.
I replaced the reflective acrylic sheet with a blue film to experiment with another material. This gave a more textured effect, which was visually light and more expansive. After this experiment, I eliminated the glass altogether and chose to work with just the reflective materials and LED lights as it was achieving the effect of the sky.
To understand how the effect is created and to experiment further, I diagrammatically expressed it. Testing both sides of the film. One side emitted a yellow texture while the other projected a blue texture
The light is bouncing off the film, the more faces the film has, or the more crushed it is, light is reflected on each of those surfaces and is projected on the walls. The space around plays an important role as the film is reflective, using the colours in its surroundings to help in reflecting the LED flood light. The blue LED strip light helps in adding colours to the form.
Light Source
Reflective rays
Reflective film Reflection
A starting point : Glass film, Blue LED strip light, LED flood 50 watt lamp.
Textures getting enhanced as the film had more folds.
In this experiment, I used the incandescent 120watts lamp, holding it at different angles.
I experimented using the same light source in a confined space, with the film on the ceiling.
In this experiment, I used the LED 50 watt floodlight, bending the film in different ways which created different patterns on the walls.