DIFFUSE
Chiquita Hart
Insitu[ationist]
COVER
“All material in nature, the mountains and the streams and the air and we, are made of Light which has been spent, and this crumpled mass called material casts a shadow, and the shadow belongs to Light.�
Louis Kahn
CONTENTS Introduction 01
1. ANALYSIS ( ) 05
Brum Building blocks 05 Digbeth: Exploring the site 07 Collage 09 Mapping 11 Enclosed 19 Measuring emotion 20 Connecting the dots 24 Field diagram 27
2. CONCEPT
( ) 29
The light-box 31 Concept to diagram 33 Sciography 34 Tracing shadows 36 Mapping shadows 38 Formula 41 Folding 42 Finding form 44 Models 47
3. MESO
( ) 49
Roof Plan 50 Spatial (partĂ) diagram 52 Characteristic Sections 53 Art therapy 54 Temporary Exhibition (visual) 55 Kids art workshop (visual) 56 Atmospheric section 58 External view 60 Community centre visualisation 62
DIFFUSE Verb /dɪˈfjuːz/
‘To diffuse or be diffused through something means to move and spread through it.’
P. 01
1. ANALYSIS Chapter one focuses on the analysis of the site. I begin my journey by de-constructing my site surroundings. As I de-construct, I gain my own insight and understanding to the surroundings which then allows me to re-construct through my own interpretation.
ANALYSIS
P. 03
BRUM BUILDING BLOCKS Brum building blocks helped me to understand the entirety of the site and analyse connections within the Digbeth boundary. Exploring this helped me to begin to look at the other elements within Digbeth which lead me to choosing my own.
3D site model to understand the urban context
P. 05
DIGBETH Digbeth is an up and coming area which is full of potential. Home to the custard factory, it is known for its graffiti filled streets and contemporary art galleries and markets.
Initial sketches of graffiti from the site
DE-CONSTRUCT
I began by de-constructing the site and exploring it thoroughly. Through this exploration I found that I experienced the site much like an art gallery.
RE-CONSTRUCT
SITE EXPERIENCE
This lead me to begin mapping my first element, art galleries within the Digbeth site.
ELEMENT:ART GALLERIES
Detailed digital model of site
1:1500
P. 07
Site location
Inspiration Robert Venturi’s Football Hall of Fame collage inspired me through the use of layering textures, colours and activities on top of the geometry of the building.
COLLAGE This collage was inspired by the artwork on the walls that surround the site. As my site is under one of the arches, it enhanced this feeling of entering a completely new space.The graffiti demands your attention and brings you out of your monotonous journey. The space is vivid with dancers and skateboarders, emerging at different hours of the day.
P. 09
MAPPING Mapping allowed me to bring my element forward and continuously analyse what it was that I wanted to investigate.
1
2
1. ART GALLERIES 2. INDOOR ARTWORK 3. OUTDOOR ARTWORK 4. ARTWORK IN ENCLOSED SPACES(OUTDOORS) 5. ENCLOSED SPACES 6. LIGHT IN ENCLOSED SPACES (OUTDOORS) 7. EMOTIONS IN ENCLOSED SPACES (OUTDOORS)
7 4
3
5
6
ART GALLERIES
GRAND UNION
FAZELEY STUDIOS
EASTSIDE PROJECTS
STEAMHOUSE
THE ARCHES From my collage and re-construction of the site I was able to begin mapping with art galleries being my element. However this had limited information, yet did lead me to create a boundary for myself in order to investigate further.
P. 11
INDOOR ARTWORK
At this point I still felt that there was not enough information in order for me to develop a concept yet was still interested in discovering how artwork affected the emotions you felt within a space.
OUTDOOR ARTWORK
Here I discovered an interest in the artwork within enclosed spaces and felt compelled to explore it further.
P. 13
ENCLOSED SPACES WITH ARTWORK (OUTDOORS)
When mapping the enclosed spaces with artwork I grew more interested in how the enclosures themselves affected the emotion felt within the space.
ENCLOSED SPACES
As I mapped these enclosed spaces the emotions I felt within them varied. However as emotions and opinions of a space can be subjective, I devised a method based on my research allowing me to measure emotion by light and shadow.
P. 15
LIGHT IN ENCLOSED SPACES (OUTDOORS)
Using shadow and light as a measuring tool, Jun’ichirō Tanizaki’s idea of diffused light being one that creates positive emotions allowed me to map the emotions within the enclosed spaces.
EMOTIONS IN ENCLOSED SPACES (OUTDOORS)
Emotions are based on the This can now these forces
now able to be seen light within the space. lead me to explore how affect my site.
P. 17
MAPPING OVERVIEW A summary of the journey of the mapping carried out reaching an interest in emotions in enclosed spaces through the measurement of light and shadow.
INDOOR ARTWORK
OUTDOOR ARTWORK
ENCLOSED SPACES
ARTWORK IN ENCLOSED SPACES
LIGHT IN ENCLOSED SPACES
EMOTIONS IN ENCLOSED SPACES
(OUTDOORS)
(OUTDOORS)
(OUTDOORS)
(OUTDOORS)
ENCLOSED Feeling enclosed can create a range of emotions, spanning from negative to positive. However what is it that defines how we feel within these spaces? I began answering this question by exploring how artwork perhaps affected emotion, however I was then more focused on the space itself and the elements within it.
P. 19
MEASURING EMOTION In praise of shadows, by Japanese author Jun’ichirō Tanizaki is known for its appreciation of the depth and richness which shadows offer. However, you could also say that Tanizaki insinuates this idea of how this perfect balance of light and darkness creates a serenity which cannot be found in a bright, harshly lit room. He begins his book painting a picture of how the Japanese toilets filter through the morning sun, and the calmness with which it brings. This harmony of darkness and lightness allowed me to measure emotions based of the balance of light and dark within an enclosure.
JAPANESE SCROLLS HIDDEN IN THE DEPTHS OF THE EAVES 'For the painting here is nothing more than another delicate surface upon which the faint, frail light can play'
GOLD ‘...it gleams forth from out of the darkness and reflects the lamplight’
This diagram illustrates the main ideas within the book which informed my concept of ‘Diffuse’.
SHOJI IN A CHASHITSU JAPANESE TEA HOUSE Translucet paper screen
THE UGLINESS OF HARSH LIGHTING 'The person who insists upon seeing her ugliness, like the person who would shine a hundred-candlepower light upon the picture alcove, drives away whatever beauty may reside there.' A JAPANESE LANTERN WHICH IS SEEN ON THE COVER OF THE BOOK.
“There is beauty in dim lighting” - Jun’ichirō Tanizaki, In praise of Shadows
P. 21
ENCLOSURES WITH EMOTIONS With influence from Tanizaki’s idea of dim lighting, I labelled dark or bright enclosures as negative emotions (tinted pink) and positive emotions which filtered in this ‘dim lighting’ (tinted red).
SHADOWS = EMOTION LIGHT = NEGATIVE DARKNESS = NEGATIVE LIGHT + DARKNESS = POSITIVE
LIGHT
DARKNESS
DIFFUSED
BALANCE Balance, the harmony of darkness and light.
P. 23
CONNECTING THE DOTS...
To create my field diagram I connected the positive emotions with each other and vice versa with the negative emotions.
I used this light and dark circle diagram to allow me to gather the data and create a hierarchy with the red lines being major lines and the white being minor.
P. 25
FIELD DIAGRAM Here my field diagram begins to emerge as I connect the positive emotions and negative emotions with each other.
MINOR The field diagram allows me to bring the forces which I have explored into the site enabling me to create a hierarchy to explore form conceptually using the major lines (positive emotions) and minor lines (negative emotions).
MAJOR
P. 27
2. CONCEPT Chapter two explores the concept formed by my element and driven by my reading. What is diffusion and how can it affect the emotions felt within a space?
CONCEPT
P. 29
THE LIGHT-BOX To explore the concept of ‘Diffuse’ I was inspired to create a ‘lightbox’. This light-box has thin layers of tracing paper, almost mimicking a Japanese lantern which has this paper veiling the light source. These papers can be slotted in at different intervals to create layering. For the first row of images you will see that the red colour weakens as the layering increases. The second row shows how the images become clearer at the removal of additional layers.
Diffused colour: Row 1 Diffusion of image: Row 2
A diagram to explain the ‘light-box’ and how it functions
Paper sheets which slot into the light-box, creating layering
Light source (Torch) is inserted at the back of the box
Front of the light-box which displays the end result of the layered colour or image
P. 31
Word mapping showing the different ways in which ‘Diffuse’ can be represented
CONCEPT TO DIAGRAM To ensure that I was examining a range of definitions of the concept ‘Diffuse’ I diagrammed what diffused looked like diagrammatically to me based on the research I had done as well as how I understood the word itself.
The spreading of an area of high concentration to low.
The weakening of colour.
P. 33
SCIOGRAPHY AND THE IMPORTANCE OF SHADOWS
Shadows and Enlightenment book cover. Source:Google Books
It is almost impossible to look at light and miss the opportunity to see the importance of shadows. The balance of light and shadow is what brings a space or object to life. To further investigate this I read Michael Baxandall’s ‘Shadows and Enlightenment’. Baxandall discusses the importance of light and shadow, reflecting on the idea of Sciography which was commonly known to be used by astronomers typically in the observation of eclipses.
Greek: σκιά “shadow” and γράφειν graphein, “write”. Sciography, a sub-branch of linear perspective is the representation in two dimensions of the calculated forms of (almost exclusively) projected shadows. (Baxandall M, 1997, p. 84) Studying sciography helps lead me to the idea of experimenting with light and shadow to add more depth to my concept. Sciography in plan
Shadow thrown by rectangular block on a cylinder. (Edme-Sébastien Jeaurat, Traité de perspective á l'usage des artistes...(Paris:C.-A Jombert,1750), pp. 220-22 with pl. xcvii.)
Light source
K P O R
Q
Y V
“Shadows are holes in light. They are seen all the time and sometimes noticed, but their part in our visual experience of the world is mysterious.” - Michael Baxandall, Shadows and Enlightenment
HOLES IN LIGHT
P. 35
SHADOWS
TRACING SHADOWS Inspired by Baxandall’s reflection on ‘Sciography’ I created an investigation of light and shadow myself to help explore my concept in more depth. To do this I chose a triangular pyramid as my geometric shape due to the triangular boundary formed within my mapping (p.05). I then created a set of rules to create a consistent experiment to obtain clear results. These rules are to keep the light placed at a 45° angle as the light source is imagined in Sciography projections and rotate the light horizontally every 30°. At each turn of the light I would trace the shadow. I found that the shadows projected often had a harder edge and a softer edge. This led me to trace two shadows per turn, a hard shadow and a diffused one.
RULES:
PLACE LIGHT AT 45°
ROTATE LIGHT HORIZONTALLY 30°
TRACE AT EACH TURN
A diagram to show the set up of the experiment, showing the light at a 45° angle, projecting shadows traced at every 30° (Horizontally). These turns were all done at an equidistant.
P. 37
REPEAT
TRACE
ROTATE (30°)
A clear guide of each step as I performed the experiment
MAPPING SHADOWS These photos display the shadows projected from the triangular pyramid at each 30° turn of the light. In each photo you will see that the projected shadow is at a different angle from the next and can faintly see the difference between the harder shadow and diffused shadow. It can also be seen that there are tracings from the projected shadow from each turn.
P. 39
CAST SHADOWS The diagram below is the product of the tracing shadows experiment. It shows the harder shadows and diffused shadows which have been traced at every turn, 30° which is shown by a dashed line. The red triangular pyramid in the middle is the geometric shape which was used to project shadows. This mapping of cast shadows allows me to use the patterns created to create a formula in order to explore my form conceptually.
DIFFUSED SHADOW
HARD SHADOW 30 DEGREES
FORMULA From the research, exploration and knowledge I have gathered, a suggestion of how I could perhaps begin to investigate and conceptualise form begins to arise.
FIELD DIAGRAM The hierarchy of major(red lines) and minor lines (black lines)) can now be used to create rules for finding form.
PATTERN The patterns formed in the tracing of shadows can be utilised in combination with the field diagram to help develop the form.
HOLES IN LIGHT Inspired by Baxandall’s idea of shadows being holes in light, I will extract patterns from the tracing shadows experiment to help find form.
HOLES IN LIGHT
SHADOWS
P. 41
FOLDING As mentioned previously the field diagram formed has a hierarchy consisting of major lines formed by the enclosures with positive emotions and the minor lines formed by negative emotions in enclosures. In order to explore form, this hierarchy requires a set of rules. American architect and professor Greg Lynn, features the Tongxian Art Centre, China in his book, Folding in Architecture. The centre was created by and for local artists to meet and share their work. Following on, the building concept was formed by these gentle folds within the building which create access points and separate living quarters from studio spaces. Lynn’s idea of ‘folding’ being a ‘layering’, adds to the concept of ‘Diffuse’ and enables rules to be created for the field diagram. MAJOR LINES = FOLDING UPWARDS MINOR LINES = FOLDING DOWNWARDS TONGXIAN ART CENTRE, CHINA NADAAA FIRM: Nader Tehrani, Monica Ponce De Leon
NADAAA uses folding to create urban corridors, naturally inviting the users into the building through folded entrances leading to staircases, allowing the user to explore the building.
CONCEPTUAL DRAWING USING FOLDING
CONCEPT VISUALISED THROUGH DIAGRAMS
As explored previously, ‘Diffuse’ can be defined by a series of things including layering. This informed my process for exploring form.
CONCEPT IN PLAN
“Folding employs neither agitation nor evisceration but a supple layering.� - Greg Lynn,
Folding in Architecture 1993 (p.24)
P. 43
FINDING FORM The following series of diagrams explain the process of finding form through the layering of the field diagram, patterns formed through the tracing shadows experiment and using well using the concept of shadows as holes in light to cut out these patterns from the paper. Finally, inspired by the Tonxian Art Centre and its use of folding, the rules of folding are applied to the field diagram hierarchy.
Field diagram applied on top of paper
Pattern traced on paper
Layering of the two combined
HOLES IN LIGHT
SHADOWS
Using the patterns from the tracing shadows experiments I cut out some of the patterns to recreate this idea of the shadows that were formed being ‘holes in the light’. The extracted patterns then leave shadows when light is shining through adding to the concept with this idea of diffused light trickling through the space through these ‘holes’.
The pink patterns are the cut outs of the paper
Lastly the paper is folded using the rules applied: Major lines = Folding upwards Minor lines = Folding downwards
P. 45
2.
1.
PAPER FORM FINDING The diagrams on this page show the formula being applied and used to create a series of different forms depending on the patterns that are extracted from the tracing shadows pattern as well as the lines used to fold the paper using the field diagram hierarchy and rules. Major lines = Folding upwards
3.
4.
5.
6.
Minor lines = Folding downwards
8.
7.
The numbers at the side of diagrammed pages correspond with the models on the following page.
MODELS These images are all photos of the physical models as a result of the ‘formula’ being applied to paper creating a series of forms which filter in light through the cut outs and angled folds, which I believe once again adds to the idea of ‘Diffusion’.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
P. 47
3. MESO Within chapter three I am bringing all of my conceptual ideas into a more practical setting. I begin thinking more so about spatial relationships and arrangements. However I still remain conceptual and try to create an atmosphere within visuals to express the emotions I want to convey through these spaces and the concept of ‘Diffuse’.
MESO
P. 49
Physical model
ROOF PLAN 1:200
A roof plan showing the chosen conceptual form based on my model exploration
P. 51
A spatial diagram to visualise how the spaces within my building could be arranged based on my conceptual form.
Halfway house Foyer
Community Centre
ROOF PLAN-SPATIAL DIAGRAM 1:200
Characteristic sections to visualise the atmosphere of the building B
A
Section A 1:500
P. 53
Section B 1:500
ART AS THERAPY From the graffiti filled streets to the contemporary art galleries, art is something that is already a big part of Digbeth. Within my form I visualise a courtyard where art therapy workshops and art can be exhibited. As the design brief requires to facilitate ex prisoners, creating a positive atmosphere in which they feel motivated, the idea of using art to be expressive and use it as a form of therapy is something that was inspired by my initial element (art galleries). The idea of using a courtyard was based off my reading, specifically Japanese author Tanizaki as courtyards allow light to be filtered in and create this serene atmosphere. Diagram to show thinking process for the art therapy workshop
Inspired by Jun’ichirō Tanizaki’s writing
Initial element and interest: Art galleries
Concept: Create a comfortable space where the activities can be flexible due to the open nature of the space.
Ex-prisoner
Diffused light
Community/ families/kids
Serenity
Art therapy workshop Aims
Courtyard
Allows you to be expressive
Building sense of community
Exhibitions can be held from artwork produced
£
Kids can have as a summer workshop or after school club Initial sketch concept
Supports parents in local community
Ex prisoners can sell artwork to raise money for their new future
P. 55
Interior visual of key space ‘Art therapy workshop’ showing a temporary art exhibition in place.
Interior visual of key space ‘Art therapy workshop’ showing a workshop for children helping them to express emotions.
P. 57
Interior visual of key space ‘Art therapy workshop’ showing an example of a workshop in place. SECTION (ATMOSPHERIC) EXHIBITION SPACE 1:20
P. 59
External visual of my conceptual form within its context under the viaduct by the canal.
EXTERNAL VISUAL
P. 55 P.61
Interior visual of conceptual community centre, where a stage is at centre and a courtyard is attached.
P. 63
This hybrid drawing tells the story of my journey so far and my exploration of my concept, ‘Diffuse’.