MEGHANMINTON_BAXTER_KATE_SHIFTING FOCUS

SHIFTING FOCUS

HOW CAN A MATERIAL SURFACE FUNCTION AS THE LENS INTO AN INTERIOR?

ABSTRACT

This project details the exploration of the question ‘How can a material surface function as the lens into an interior?’. Similar to how the lens of a camera distorts the image that is captured, material lenses are used to distort the user’s view of their surroundings. Applied in the setting of a hair salon with an emphasis on the relationship between the stylist and the client, lenses are utilized to alter the client’s perception by shifting the focus away from the stylist and toward the themselves . This then allows the client to feel a sense of privacy as everything around them blurs into the background.

SITE

The art of photography is rooted in the idea of a snapshot, a captured still of time. A photograph captures the perception of the taker, this perception then being a purposeful curation of the scene before them. This idea of the photograph encapsulates the relationship between the photographer and the act of taking photos itself. Though it is not just about the correspondence between the photographer and the scene in front of them, it is also about the action of taking the picture and the ritualist aspect of selecting a focus then proceeding to capture it.

Capturing the scene and making it known that this moment is worth memorializing, is a way in which the photographer can express encouragement, approval, or even curiosity. Not only does photography give one information, but it also is a tool of participation. It allows the photographer to be a part of the world in front of them.

Choosing what is to be seen and what is not, or what is worth capturing and what isn’t.

This is the mystery that only the creator will know. While photographs are very telling by showing exactly what is present, there will forever be context not to be known by the viewer. These collages above showcase the practice of extending a photograph beyond its original frame and how this alters one’s interpretation of the image.

This level of resolution refers to the clarity of understanding that the viewer has of the scene or subject in question. Specifically, after a photograph has been taken. The highest level of clarity lies within the framing of the camera lens, what the camera is capturing. Once one begins to explore what goes beyond this frame their clarity of these new areas begins to blur. It is possible to imagine what may be happening behind the scenes of a photograph. This ability to infer gives the viewer some vision of what may be going on. Although the lack of certainty will act as a haze that cannot be dissipated.

When looking through the lens of a camera it becomes an extension of one’s eye. This extension then influences what and how one sees what is in front of them. When thinking in this manner, one realizes that the lens steers the perception of the viewer. What is seen just via the naked eye is different from what is seen via a camera lens. These differences are what alters the outcome of what the camera captures. Peering through the lens of a camera creates a unique still that cannot be replicated by simply looking around a room. The world around us is changed when the lens of a camera becomes the window for our perception.

When using a camera to take a photograph, it can distort what’s located in front of it in many ways. When taking a photograph of an interior, the perception of that interior is altered by the camera. This perception can be altered by means of physical manipulation and metaphorical manipulation.The scale and proportions of the interior can be skewed due to angle of camera and type of lens used.

The opinion of the interior can also be swayed by means of curating what is shown versus not shown. Choosing to only capture what is seen as desirable within an interior can forge the idea of space within the photograph.

FRAMING

LENSES

LIGHT

MIRROR

GLASS

DESIGN

1 - LOBBY 2 - VESTIBULE 3 - PRODUCT DISPLAY 4 - STYLING ROOM 5 - CORRIDOR 6 - REVEAL 7 - CORRIDOR 8 - STAFF AREA

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7

8

4 2

5

1

3

Staff uniforms respond to the site by matching the interior finishes and forms of the space. Tall, calf high boots that reach two feet from the ground relate to the line of demarcation that frames the entire interior of the salon. Jumpsuits with swirling patterns inspired by agate stone allow the staff to blend into the interior architecture that surrounds them. This further draws the focus away from the staff, allowing the client to focus on themselves and not on the stylist watching over them.

BY: KATE BAXTER