Ryean Knockum Learning Portfolio
arch 101 fall 2015
What’s your sign? Week one basically didn’t really happen. i enrolled in arch 101 a week after the start date, but i was there in spirit. because of my late arrival it proved to be difFICULT TO FIND MY PLACE. HOWEVER, I MADE AN EFFORT TO PERFORM AT THE LEVEL EXPECTED.
week one
AFTER POOLING MULTIPLE PEERS AND FAMILY MEMBERS, I CONDENSED MY THREE ADJECTIVES TO INTROSPECTIVE, SENSITIVE, AND PASSIVE. Finding images to accuaretely depict these characteristics required a lot of creative thinking, which i liked. i found themes within each category and complied them accordingly. unfortunately the FIRST ITERATION OF MY MODEL MYSTERIOUSLY DISAPPEARED BEFORE I COULD GET A PHOTO OF IT. IT’S QUITE A SHAME CONSIDERING 1) WHO THROWS OTHER PEOPLE’S STUFF AWAY AND 2) A CATASTROPHIC RUN-IN ON PUBLIC TRANSPORATION CREATED INTERESTING LINES WITHIN THE MODEL. SOMETIMES MISTAKES ARE THE BEST MASTERPIECES, ALTHOUGH THE MODEL’S MASTERPIECE QUALITIES COULD RIGHTFULLY BE ARGUED.
What’s your sign redux? Week Two was about adjusting my footing. I was new and unsure of what to expect. My thinking was quite scattered and although I have learned in studio environments before, I could not completely get my brain into “studio mode�, a quite frustrating level of thinking that leaks into other projects.
week two
My fInal sign iteration was not as strong as I wanted it to be. Due to my late arrival to the class, I was under the impression that the sign was more of an exploration of the literal integration into one piece rather than taking the adjectives and using them in a conceptual manner. Because of this, I was left hungry after completing my final sign and will create my intended abstract piece if time permits. The beginnings of gestures proved to be challenging for me as well. Generally I am not artistically inclined when it comes to drawn expression and it shows in my work. I attempted to play with the charcoal to manipulate it into creating various intensities and strokes, however every line seemed identical to the last.
week two
What’s your sign redux?
my FIrst gesture struggled to FIND BALANCE. It was mY FIRST TIME USING CHARCOAL AND HAD TO EXPERIMENT WITH IT IN ORDER TO GRASP ITS FULL POTENTIAL. BY the end i established common themes and developed more control over the medium.
A Journey of Discovery to Local Places of wonder
week three
Week THREE ACTED AS A MIRROR TO WHO I AM. I BELIEVE THAT YOUR INTERACTIONS AND EXPERIENCES WITH OTHER PEOPLE CAN SHOW WHO YOU ARE. MY EXPERIENCE AND REFLECTION BECAME INSIGHT ON MYSELF AND how i approach situations. I CHOSE TO EXPLORE CHINATOWN AROUND 8AM. ALTHOUGH I WAS BORN AND RAISED IN THE BAY AREA, I HAD YET TO MAKE MY WAY TO SAN FRANCISCO’S CHINATOWN, ALTHOUGH I FREQUENT OAKLAND’S. while stopping to check the photos i had taken so far, i noticed that many of my shots we of what was directly above or below me, never in between. it was odd to realize that i’m either craning my head upwards or digging downwards whenever i’m exploring an unfamiliar area. so, i started making a point to focus my attention (and camera) to things that were directly in front of me. EXPRESSING MY IDEAS THROUGH COLLAGES WAS VERY DIFFICULT. I COULD NOT FIND THE BEST WAY TO TAKE PHOTOGRAPHS AND TURN THEM INTO COLLAGE PIECES. I OVERTHINK AND SECOND GUESS MY INTENTIONS SO THEY OFTEN COME OUT SKEWED OR NOT FULLY FLESHED OUT.
RYEAN KNOCKUM / 9.3.15 / ARCH 101
PROJECT 3A: DEVELOPING DESIGN SENSITIVITIES IN C H I N AT O W N
ABOVE
A Journey of Discovery to Local Places of wonder
• I explored Chinatown in the
early morning. I wanted to experience it with little-tono people so that I could take in the surroundings. However, I ended up not paying attention to the street-level anyway. Through my images I realized I tended to look up when I’m in a new place.
COMMONPLACE
OPPORTUNITY
week three
RADIANT
BELOW
SUBDUED
A Journey of Discovery to Local Places of wonder • After I realized I constantly
HOPELESS
look up I made an effort to look down. I was surprised to see basement apartments due to the fact that we’re in earthquake territory.
week three
OBSCURE
GROWTH
• Chinatown is varied in
IN BETWEEN
CHARMING
ORDINARY
terms of building styles and colors. There are stark contrasts between plain/ colorful, Western/Eastern, traditional/modern.
A Journey of Discovery to Local Places of wonder FINAL THOUGHTS • I’ve evolved from a night
week three
owl and actually enjoy the calm that goes with the morning time. I’ve walked around the Financial District around 8am in the past, but a few blocks up it’s quite peaceful.
CELEBRATORY
le
A Journey of Discovery to Local Places of wonder
week three
drawing inspiration from my gesture exercises, i decided to explore the idea of “calm�. early mornings are the best times for peace, and chinatown is very quiet compared to the FInancial distrcit down the street. ultimate serenity is achieved in nature and i used images of buildings to recreate a calm nature scene. i used a soft pink building as mountains, a blue building (that oddly enough had blue clothing out to dry in front of it,) as the sky and white paint strokes as clouds. after desaturizing the hues, the collage was meant to evoke utter peace.
Make a wall, make a window, evoke wonder Week four proved to be a more solid, straightforward experience. by now my thinking is still a bit cloudy, however with our FIRST PROJECT INVOLVING ARCHITECTURAL PRINCIPLES, I WAS ABLE TO FIND A BETTER SENSE OF FOCUS.
week four
PRECEDENCE RESEARCH AND CLASS DISCUSSIONS HELPED STEER THE DIRECTION I WISHED TO GO IN WITH MY WALL OF WONDER. MY WALL WOULD BE A PERMEABLE MEMBRANE THAT DRAWS INSPIRATION FROM DECONSTRUCTIVIST ARCHITECT GORDON MATTA-CLARK. FURTHER GESTURE EXPLORATION PRODUCED ODD, VAGUE DRAWINGS THAT STILL MAINTAINED A CENTRAL THEME. charcoal experimentation. most of my drawings had light curvelinear shapes and condensed, dark areas.
MATTA-CLARK’S WORK
Make a wall, make a window, evoke wonder
week four
my FIRST ITERATION WAS HEAVY AND DULL. I PLAYED WITH SWEEPING CURVELINEAR LINES AND STRAIGHT OPPOSING LINES.
my second DESIGN SHED ITS EXCESS MASS, WHICH HELPED CONVEY THE CURVING LINES clearly. i had a lot of overthought and lack of focus, so it was better but not the best.
Make a wall, make a window, evoke wonder redux Week FIVE i struck inspiration from something i love: science-FICTION. THIS WAS THE FIRST STEP IN A POSITIVE DIRECTION. THE PREVIOUS WEEKS EVERYTHING I PRODUCED FELT STALE AND LACKED “ME” IN IT. THIS MODEL WAS THE CATALYST THAT WOULD EVENTUALLY HELP ME FORM MY VISION FOR MY FINAL ITERATION.
week five
although i was happy to have FInally found something to FOCUS ON, MY DESIGN WAS STILL TOO CONSTRAINED. AGAIN, OVERTHINKING LED TO A LOT OF LESSENING.
Make a wall, make a window, evoke wonder redux my narrative followed the story of someone about to initiate space flight. i had recently watched “2001: a space odyssey� and obsessed over the idea of a monolith-like structure serving as a means for intergalactic travel. You approach the star gate. Its roof curves into the sky, with marked variation in levels. A gash is centered on the roof, seeming asymmetrical due to the varying wall heights.
week five
A wall curves into the shuttle. The window space lets in a single beam of light, acting as an angular path guiding you into holding chamber. You walk through the doorway. Long, monotonous seating lines the east wall. Light shines from above, again creating a pathway that draws the eyes to the crest of flooring at the end of the enclosure. As you reach the peak, the levels slowly descend into the unknown, moving opposite of the roof.
with this grand idea, however, i became muddled with so many thoughts that i produced something rather lackluster.
make a place that evokes wonder Week six was all about shape exploration. i wanted to move beyong my streamlined low-lying approach and experimented with various heights.
week six
my study models were constructed using only scrap materials. i expermented with foam core, chipboard, and paper to see how shapes are formed depending on their material. although i was pushing my creativity i still felt like something was missing in my work.
make a place that evokes wonder
week six
By fOLDING PAPER WITHIN ITSELF SOFT WAVES WERE CREATED AT THE STRUCTURE’S FRONT. I ATTACHED SMALL PIECES OF PAPER TO VARIOUS PARTS OF THE STUDY MODEL AS A MEANS TO PLAY WITH THE SHAPE.
Using thin scraps of cardboard i FIRST CREATED A NEST-LIKE BASE, THEN ATTACHED STRIPS AS DEEMED FIT. I wANTED TO TRY TO PUSH MYSELF TO USE EXAGGERATED SIZES.
A SPATIAL JOURNEY LEADING TO A PLACE OF wonder Week SEVEN WAS AN UPHILL CLIMB DUE TO THE FACT THAT I WAS NOT PRESENT FOR A CLASS SESSION. BECAUSE MY MODEL STRAYED FROM ITS PREVIOUS VISION, I REROUTED MYSELF TO MY ORIGINAL INTENTIONS OF GRASPING INSPIRATION FROM SCIENCE-FICTION. SCI-FI REPRESENTS EVERYTHING THERE IS ABOUT WONDER, whether it be curiosity, adventure, or fear.
week sEVEN
my storyboard was simple and divided into three parts: discovery, journey, and calm.
A SPATIAL JOURNEY LEADING TO A PLACE OF wonder
week sEVEN
MY First structure acts as a docking point for the FINAL ITERATION. I USED TRIANGULAR SHAPES TO POINT TO THE IDEA OF MOVING UPWARDS TOWARDS A SINGLE DESTINATION.