Summer 2013 Process book by patrick foster

Process Book Emma Joy Lovell MDes 13/14 | NSCAD University Summer 2013

Contents 6200

graduate design studio i

Etmic Emergence with Christopher Kaltenbach

Course introduction 04 Assignment 01 05 Assignment 02 32

6030

graduate design intensive i

with Patrick Foster, Candace Ellicott and Roger Mullin

Course Introduction 56 Intensive 01: Patrick Foster 57 Intensive 02: Candace Ellicott 72 Intensive 03: Freelab 114

Thesis project development

with advisor Christopher Kaltenbach

Course Introduction 130

MDES 6200

Graduate Design Studio I

Etmic Emergence with Christopher Kaltenbach

Overview

Key Questions

This course asked us to consider the role that our own cultural influences, family lineage and background play in our design practice.

How does one relate, react and engage with where they are from?

We were challenged to reconsider ideas of indigeneity: what does it truly mean to originate from one point in time and geography? What role does tradition play in one’s own practice and how do designers reference, respond and react to and rebel against it? Most of our work in this course centred around a tool used by one of our ancestors. Through this tool and the context in which it was employed, we became more acquainted with our own familial precedents. As our work progressed, the tool evolved as well, acquiring new meanings. In the process, we came to know more about ourselves as designers, becoming more aware of our own beliefs, assumptions, cultural influences and biases and how they impact our work.

components Assignment 01 Part Part Part Part

01 Poster (Iteration 1 & Iteration 2) 02 Orthographic Drawings 03 Precedent Presentation 04 Essay

ASSIGNMENT 02 PART Part Part Part

01 Serial Tools 02 Poster (Iteration 1 & 2) 03 Presentation 05 Essay

What does it mean to be indigenous? Who can claim to be indigenous? What role does tradition, heritage and cultural influence play in my design practice? How can one “creatively elevate both past and future” and why is that important?

Assignment 01 For this assignment, we were asked to look back into our family history and locate a figure who was involved in cultural production. It was important that we identify with the figure and/or their work in some way. We were then asked to select a tool that he or she would have used in their work and conduct extensive research, both about the toolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s relevance and purpose as well as the figureâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life, personality and craft. In exploring our heritage and tradition through the tools of our ancestors, our perspective was shifted from nostalgia and story to the mundane details of everyday life - often a closer and more intimate perspective. With this assignment, I came to know my grandfather in a completely different way and, by extension, came to know myself differently, especially with regards to my design practice and the influence tradition and heritage has on my work. Part 01 Poster (Iteration 1 & Iteration 2) Part 02 Orthographic Drawings Part 03 Precedent Presentation Part 04 Essay

FADIS A digital image database with collections from Canadian universities

DVDS & DOCUMENTARIES available at the Visual Resource Centre, listed on the Visual Resource Collection Guide

REFWORKS A tool for creating pain-free bibliographies

may 07

Library Scavenger Hunt Learning to navigate the libraryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s permanent collection

may 09

Student presentations â&#x20AC;&#x153;You are required to create a sixminute presentation with slides of your previous design work. This presentation is a very short introduction of yourself to the class.â&#x20AC;?

Education Carleton University Fleming College (Haliburton School of the Arts)

Professional Journalism Charm Media Muskoka Chautauqua Kaleidoscope Arts in Education Programs

Personal Travel in India

The quote goes on: “...that is, how the people in this area perceive themselves.” It was discussed in the context of “how the ‘insider’ view can add to the interpretations of evidence from etic sources” Williams, 114

6200.01

Readings Towards a Model for Indigenous Research by Jim Williams Aesthetics and Reconstruction: Japanese Architectural Culture in the 1950s by Cherie Wendelken The Beauty of Being a Plant by Patrick Blank and Giovanni Aloi Jig by Atelier Bow-Wow Creation in Present-Day Architecture and Japanese Tradition by Kenzo Tange An Approach to Tradition by Kenzo Tange I8

may 15

lecture

Christopher on Kenzo Tange

From “Creation in Present-Day Architecture and the Japanese Tradition” by Kenzo Tange

I 10

Recognition leads to

acceptance leads to

questioning What is my understanding of tradition? What role does my own cultural background, tradition and heritage play in my understanding, appreciation and creation of design work? How can I creatively elevate both past and present in my practice?

I 11

6200.01

Research “I had the impression he was into art all his life. Before the war, he maybe didn’t show it. He was a real ‘man’s man’, but when he came back, he was more open about it. And since he had lost his legs, his hands were all he had left. He had a real pride in his hands. Everything he made, he made with care. He’d never slap something together. He was a perfectionist. I think I inherited that from him–that attention to detail. I’m pretty much a duplication of him, I think. And you’ve inherited a lot from him too, you know. He saw more than others. Like in a sunset or in the way a bird flew past. He loved life and believed in life every day.” Conversation with dad about his father, my grandfather, may 15

I 12

“It’s as if I’ve come to know him through impressions of him. The stories have been transposed many times over, each perhaps getting farther away from the original likeness. How does that change the outcome? What is the important part: the original, the transfer or the final impression? Can there ever really be a final impression?” Notes from sketchbook, may 17 I 13

Both my Legs, written by my cousin Wade Hemsworth about my grandfather and grandmother

“I’ve got a memory like a snake has hips.” Both my Legs, p. 50

During my research, I learned that the table I work at most often (pictured throughout this book) was salvaged from the dump and restored by my grandfather. It was the dining room table at my cottage for many years, used by my entire family.

“The other picture of Wade and I with Babe is a good reminder to me about how he was always encouraging us with art. The presents he brought were usually art focused; for example, that spirograph in the picture. Also, the pencils that each of us is holding were a great present because they were embossed with our full names in gold lettering. How fancy! It was a box of 12 pencils, and it was a thrill. In fact, if I had to choose a tool for him, it would be the pencil (I know it’s too late for you to change now). Many of his drawings were pencil based & he always had those flat red carpenter’s pencils around (just like your dad does).” Email from my cousin Lesley, may 15 left: photo lesley sent of a poster my grandfather made during his training in commercial art.

I 14

I 15

6200.01.01

Big Idea

Poster: iteration 1

The layering of overspray and outlines - the traces of completed work, the remnants, the voids speaking volumes about what was once there. How can this represent history and inheritance?

Using our research as a starting point, we had to create a poster that visualized, in a compelling and abstract way, our connections to the figure, his work and to the tool. The assignment asked us to reconsider genealogy and how it is represented. Traditionally, it is done in a very clear, linear way. We were asked instead to push the boundaries and create an illustration that presented our research in an abstract way.

I 16

right Initial idea exploration â&#x20AC;&#x201C; using overspray and layering to represent genealogy.

I 17

I 18

may 21

submission & Critique 6200.01.01: Genealogy Poster, Iteration 1

I 19

6200.01.01

poster Revision

I 20

06/01

I 21

I 22

june 10

submission 6200.01.01: Genealogy Poster, Iteration 2

I 23

6200.01.02

Orthographic Drawings To aid us in the woodshop and plastics lab, we created orthographic drawings of the tool, depicted it in a 1:1 scale from all six sides, including precise measurements.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sceno-Graphic techniquesâ&#x20AC;? by W. Oren Parker

may 21/june 10

submission 6200.01.02: Orthographic Drawings, Iteration 1/Iteration 2

I 24

“I have a friend who’s an artist and has sometimes taken a view which I don’t agree with very well. He’ll hold up a flower and say ‘Look how beautiful it is’ and I’ll agree. Then he says, ‘I as an artist can see how beautiful this is but you as a scientist take this all apart and it becomes a dull thing,’ and I think that he’s kind of nutty. First of all, the beauty that he sees is available to other people and to me too, I believe. Although I may not be quite as refined aesthetically as he is, but I can appreciate the beauty of a flower. At the same time, I see much more about the flower than he sees. I could imagine the cells in there, the complicated actions inside, which also have a beauty. I mean, it’s not just beauty at this dimension of 1 centimetre, there’s also beauty at a smaller dimension. The inner structure, also the processes. The fact that the colors in the flower evolved in order to attract insects to pollinate it is interesting; it means that insects can see the color. It adds a question: Does this aesthetic sense also exist in lower forms? Why is it aesthetic? All kinds of interesting questions, which the science knowledge only adds to the excitement, the mystery and the awe of a flower. It only adds. I don’t understand how it subtracts.” Richard P. Feynman (1918-1988) scientist, teacher, raconteur, musician

I 25

6200.01.03

Precedent PresenTation We were asked to present to the class the work of one designer that engaged with ideas of etic/emic/etmic research, as well as issues around place, cultural heritage and identity raised in the readings for this course.

line of inquiry How do North American designers engage with issues of etic, emic and etmic? Why is it more challenging to uncover this perspective, as opposed to those who are from other countries and cultures? Is it because there is a shorter history in North America to draw on (tradition has a lesser impact)? Is it because indigeneity issues are usually understood in contrast with Western culture? Are North American designers less influenced by these issues?

I 26

Ellen lupton design, critic, curator, writer

“The universal is open, not closed; unfinished, not fixed. And the universal is inclusive; its emphasis is on what unites us rather than what sets us apart.” Lupton, Ellen and Julia Lupton “All Together Now.” Print Magazine, Pg. 28-30

Stephen Heller: Lupton “is redefining the curator’s role, from a connoisseur of artifacts to an interpreter and even critic of their influence on society.” She aims to make design as accessible as possible to everyone – underpinning this is her belief that design can be a universal language used to unite people from different communities, cultures, generations and genders. Lupton on nostalgia vs. history vs. tradition: “Much of what I think is important in contemporary type design is rooted in history – in a way that recognizes the power of the word and a sense of design being a form of literacy, and therefore something that is shared and is always dealing with some kind of common ground. One can intervene on that common ground in ways that are strong and clear and direct and new, or one can do it in ways that are weak and saccharine and commercialized.” I 27

Ellen Lupton

Early 1980s: Studied design and art at The Cooper Union in NYC 1985: She accepted the offer to run the Herb Lubalin Study Centre of Design and Typography at the Cooper Union

designer, writer, curator, educator

Photo: http://elupton.com/about/

Mid-1980s: founded Design Writing Research with her partner J. Abbott Miller 1992: became the contemporary design curator at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum 1997: invited to run the graphic design program at Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore 2003: became director of the new graphic design MFA program at MICA

I 28

Influenced by George Sadek: â&#x20AC;&#x153;A word is worth a thousand pictures.â&#x20AC;?

Photo: http://cooper.edu/academics/academic-vision

Theory + Practice

May 22

presentation 6200.01.03: Precedent Presentation

Mechanical Brides:

Mixing Messages:

Women and Machines, from Home to Office

Graphic Design in Contemporary Culture

August 1993 – January 1994

“I wanted people to see their own lives presented in the museum, as opposed to seeing something rarefied, obscure and precious.”

Fall 1996 – Winter 1997

Photo: http://elupton.com/2009/10/1993-mechanical-brides/

“The chief social function of design is to express identity ... Graphic design is used to create visual personalitites that bind people, companies or products together.”

Photo: http://elupton.com/2009/09/curatorial-project-x/

Universalism Revisited “Univers Strikes Back” by Ellen and Julia Lupton, 2007, from Graphic Design Theory: Readings from the Field (2009)

Modernism > Postmodernism > Universality 2.0 Culture is the solution problem ... What is it? shared humanity Individuals Photos: http://elupton.com/2009/09/curatorial-project-x/

global civilization local community

post-presentation Feedback

I 29

6200.01.04

essay This essay was to be written from the perspective of the tool itself. In it, we were asked to describe the tool’s function and relevance, as well as include an implicit biographical description of the historical figure and ourselves. Ideally, we were meant to identify metaphors from the function and use of the tool that could apply to our lives and our relationship with our ancestor.

It’s about connecting with the story as it takes place. Not as it’s dreamed in the sketching phase. Not in its final articulation. To get close to it, you have to become immersed in the process. You have to stare at the impressions left behind until your eyes run and your hands twitch with imagination. You have to stare at the voids until they aren’t voids any longer – until you fill them in on your own terms. This is only possible once you give up on expecting the “authentic”, the “truth”, the real deal. All you can ever expect of something that is gone forever is an impression. You’ll only get close once you start by looking at what’s left behind, not in trying to recreate what was there. From essay working notes, 05/17

I 30

May 23

submission 6200.01.04: Tool Essay

“The Transfer” by Emma Lovell for MDES 2013: 6200 | May 23, 2013 My existence isn’t a glamorous one. He doesn’t reach for me in moments of uninhibited inspiration, when he is lost in the throes of curiosity and discovery. He doesn’t hold me delicately during the perfecting stages of rendering his work complete. My work is nearly invisible, leaving only tiny footprints marked by a ghostly string of holes that outline what was beneath. In the end, there are no signs that I was ever there at all. I live in the trace, the in between, the transfer. In a world of start-and-finishes, before-andafters, I might go unnoticed all together. It is deep in the heart of the process that faithfully he comes to me, when he is satisfied that the seizures of inspiration have quieted. The man I know is determined and confident, calm and meticulous. The man I know is not one of haste, fervor or passion. By the time I find my body resting comfortably in his large and powerful palm, he is relaxed and composed. Though the spark that quivers in his pulse just below the surface of his wrist hints that he is not always this way, when we are together, time slows and his heartbeat steadies. The work we do together is tedious and difficult. It requires a hand that is steady and strong, one that makes my wheel turn evenly and my axle creak and rattle. I can tell that occasionally our work pains him. He’ll stop to rub his hand at the base of his thick pointer finger, which faces forward as we work, pushing mightily down on my long metal neck. Sometimes, the pressure becomes too great, especially around the curves, where I have a tendency to get caught up in the momentum and rush straight ahead instead of slowing down and making the turn. But I think he and I share this tendency, so we do not blame one another. There will be time and tools for refinement and perfection later. Together, we just move on, trying to be more careful the next time the path meets a bend. I am not an easy tool to use and I certainly don’t exude approachability. My wheel, dotted with small, sharp spikes, alludes to danger and pain. Out of context,

I might be mistaken for a weapon or implement of torture. But he has never shied away from me. From the callouses and scars on his hands that press hard against my smoothed wooden handle, I can tell he is no stranger to pain. I am a tool with a specific task: to take a sketch and aid in the translation of it into a finished piece of work. I work in the space between surface and plane, between paper and billboard, between horizontal and vertical. My unfamiliar appearance is not immediately suggestive of my purpose and I cannot do much on my own. My function is illuminated only when I am used in tandem with others like me: tools of the transfer. I don’t even complete the transfer myself; I only make it possible. There was a time when this dependency on others and my obscure place in the creative process made me feel inadequate and impotent. But then, through the act of perforating the tracing paper below me and watching the tiny holes become filled with dust, by seeing the transfer completed and then watching the paintbrush gracefully follow the guidelines that I helped to create, I came to understand that everything is a process. Every act, every tool, every person depends on others to find meaning and make a difference. Nothing is an end in its own right. I now see my purpose clearly. I am an enabler, a conduit, a catalyst. Without me, the worlds of imagination and execution are closed off to one another. And I like to think that he and I are not so different. Through him will pass tradition and knowledge and experience that will guide others in the way to live a life. He, as I do, will provide the outline, the pattern, the trace. The iterations to come will follow the faint and fleeting lines or will deviate from them, but they will do so consciously, informed by his example. We are here to ensure that the next iteration does not have to begin from scratch. And in the end, there is no true beginning and ending, no before and after. It is all a process of transfer. I 31

Assignment 02 There were three aims of assignment 2: to practice critical thinking when we read, to better understand and explore the power of metaphor and to demonstrate that everything we create has the potential to communicate on many levels of ideas. A good designer can find opportunity everywhere - even in technical drawings, as was the case in part 02 of the assignment. PART 01 Serial Tools Part 02 Poster (Iteration 1 & 2) Part 03 Presentation Part 04 Essay

II 32

6200.02

Readings Climate and Culture by Tetsuro Watsuji (1961) Design Ethnography by Salvador, Tony, Bell and Anderson (1999) Critical Design Ethnography as Action Research by Peter Reason (2004) Critical Design Ethnography: Designing for Change by Barab, Thomas, Dodge, Squire and Newell (2004) Placing Resistance: A Critique of Critical Regionalism by Keith Eggener (2002)

supplementary Readings Adhocism: The Case for Improvisation by Jencks and Silver (2013) Towards a Critical Regionalism: Six Points for an Architecture of Resistance by Kenneth Frampton (2002)

II 33

6200.02.01

serial tools After we completed a wooden model and a plastic model of our tools, we were asked to make a third tool out of plastic that acted as a metaphor. Ideally, with the toolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s original function removed, the metaphor would illicit discussion about the meaning of the tool and the ideas its function, form or context could represent.

II 34

july 03

discussion 6200.02.01: Presentation & Discussion of Tools

Metaphor v. simile v. analogy

II 35

6200.02.02

poster: iteration 1 For this poster, we were asked to take the orthographic drawings that we made in assignment 01 as the basis for our poster. The outlines were to represent portals, making visible the function and inherent qualities of the tool. This presented us with two surfaces that were meant to have a spatial relationship, where one represented the foreground and one represented the background. This assignment challenged us to see the potentiality in everything that we create. The orthographic drawings began by communicating technical information in the making of things. In this assignment, they were transformed into a framework for communicating conceptual information embodied in the tool. The poster was another exploration in abstract representation, where we had to combine challenging elements in a meaningful way. It was an engagement with the idea of the field: there was no way this could be an iconic poster - it was instead an abstract collection of elements and ideas.

Line of inquiry What else serves the same function as the pounce wheel (ie. enabling the transfer of things, taking one idea and translating it into a more refined one, transferring between mediums)? What is compelling about the pounce wheelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s context with regards to the creative process? It canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t function without the help of other tools what relevance do tools of the transfer have in an increasingly digital age? What relationship is there between the various views of the orthographic drawings and the creative process?

II 36

In a way, the pounce tool is like a portal. It makes possible the transfer of materials and ideas between these two worlds. In this way, the pounce wheel can stand as a metaphor for the entire creative process: from the fragment of an idea to the final renderings. Sketchbook Notes, July 6

Finding Inspiration in the words of others “Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine, and at last, you create what you will.” George Bernard Shaw “Curiosity about life in all of its aspects, I think, is still the secret of great creative people.” Leo Burnett “One must still have chaos in oneself to be able to give birth to a dancing star.” Friedrich Nietzsche “The creative process is a process of surrender, not control.” Julia Cameron

II 37

line of inquiry How does oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s perspective view of an object impact how it is interpreted? Is seeing something from above different than seeing it at eyelevel? What is changed? How can this idea be used to assign meaning to the different diagrams of the tool?

II 38

LEFT Inspired by Chapter 4 of Yi-Fu Tuanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s book Space and Place. Diagram is from p. 35. BELOW Concept sketch for poster, 07/06.

II 39

II 40

july 08

submission & Critique 6200.02.02: Poster, Iteration 1

II 41

6200.02.o2

poster Revision

This assignment required an exploration of the concept of the â&#x20AC;&#x153;field.â&#x20AC;? We were forced to try and make something beautiful out of something that could not be iconic, something that was not immediately digestable. It was about communicating something fluid. This approach is challenging because it is so deeply rooted in the abstract and conceptual.

II 42

Christopherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s advice, 07/08

II 43

II 44

july 15

submission 6200.02.02: Poster, Iteration 02

II 45

6200.02.03

PresenTation For this assignment, we chose one article from the list provided to review and critically analyze. We presented a summary of the article and our analysis in a ten minute presentation. This assignment was meant to demonstrate our capacity for critical thinking and analysis.

Initially, I read Tetsuro Watsuji’s Climate and Culture. I found the article deeply engaging and interesting, but worried that my comprehension was not complete. However, the main thrust of the article (the function of climate as a key factor within the structure of human existence) informed my approach to this assignment and my line of inquiry for my thesis studies.

II 46

“Man discovers himself in climate. From the standpoint of the individual, this becomes consciousness of the body, but in the context of the more concrete ground of human life, it reveals itself in the ways of creating communities, and thus in the ways of constructing speech, the methods of production, the styles of building, and so on. Transcendence, as the structure of human life, must include all of these entities.” Climate & Culture, Tetsuro watsuji, 12

Research: Critical analysis Placing Resistance: A Critique of Critical Regionalism by Keith Eggener (2002) Towards a Critical Regionalism: Six Points for an Architecture of Resistance by Kenneth Frampton (2002)

line of inquiry Does regionalism have to be critical or confrontational? Does it have to be reactionary? Is there a way to incorporate, utilize or uphold tradition without romanticizing it? Without nostalgia? In an innovative and culturally-correct way?

II 47

photos of barraganâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work: Above: Gilardi house, mexico city, 1975-77 From http://www.o25.gr/blog/article/gilardihouseluis-barragan

II 48

page 50: Luis Barraganâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s House and Studio, 1948 from http://www.arquitecturacritica.com.ar/2012/04/ hitos-del-movimiento-moderno-parte-10.html

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The fundamental strategy of Critical Regionalism is to mediate the impact of universal civilization with elements derived indirectly from the peculiarities of a particular place.â&#x20AC;? Frampton, Towards a Critical Regionalism, p. 77

II 49

“There is the idea that to create architecture is to create ambience, an atmosphere, to make a place to be...[T]he architecture of Luis Barragán, without nationalistic program, is the most clearly Mexican.” quote from critic Jorge Alberto Manrique, in placing resistance, eggener, p. 231

II 50

II 51

july 15

presentation 6200.02.03: Critical Analysis

Critical Regionalism

Kenneth Frampton

“Towards a Critical Regionalism: Six Points for an Architecture of Resistance” by Kenneth Frampton

British architect born in 1930

Resistance or Engagement?

“Placing Resistance: A Critique of Critical Regionalism” by Keith Eggener

Towards a Critical Regionalism

Critical Regionalism: modernism postmodernism Balance between universalism (modernism) and nostalgic historicism (postmodernism)

From: http://www.corringham.eu/architect.html

Architecture of Resistance “The fundamental strategy of Critical Regionalism is to mediate the impact of universal civilization with elements derived indirectly from the peculiarities of a particular place.”

Keith Eggener

Placing Resistance Professor and director of Graduate Studies, American Art and Architecture, Stanford University Critical Regionalism as Imperialism Engaging with that which it stands against Nationalism - Luis Barragán and Mexico

II 52

LUIS BARRAGÁN, GILARDI HOUSE, MEXICO CITY, 1975-1977

“There is instead [in Barragán’s work] the idea that to create architecture is to create ambience, an atmosphere, to make a place to be...[T]he architecture of Luis Barragán, without nationalistic program, is the most clearly Mexican.”

LUIS BARRAGÁN, GILARDI HOUSE, MEXICO CITY, 1975-1977

JORGE ALBERTO MANRIQUE From http://www.o25.gr/blog/article/gilardi-houseluis-barragan

From http://www.o25.gr/blog/article/gilardi-houseluis-barragan

Eggener Asks “Does a system bearing so many exceptions and contradictory impulses, a system bracketing such a diversity of local examples within a broad, universal framework, tell us much of anything?”

A Framework, Not an Answer How can the framework of Critical Regionalism be used to establish place-based connections? How can the idiosyncrasies of place help to construct identities that are at once local and global?

II 53

6200.02.04

essay This assignment was an exercise in metaphor. We were to take the tool that has been informing our work for the duration of the course and consider it as a metaphor for the central argument of one of the assigned essays. We were to use the tool’s form and function to summarize and bring clarity to the essay.

How Frampton’s Six Points Relate to the Pounce Wheel 1) Culture and Civilization The pounce wheel has largely been replaced by more modern techniques. Its use is now relegated to the fringes–how can it remain relevant or important today?

3) cr & World Culture How could the pounce wheel redefine its role, function and relevance in a universal world?

5) Culture vs. Nature By elevating the process behind something you connect with its roots. With those things made by hand, it’s impossible to separate the process from the product.

2) The Rise of the Avant-Garde Because the pounce wheel was replaced by vinyl lettering, its use and the aesthetic it created (hand lettering) became more valuable to the few who still cared for it. The element of the handmade became a marker of defiance against modernization.

4) The resistance of the Place-Form Because the pounce wheel’s purpose is abstract, it has to be understood in relation to the entire creative process and the other tools involved in that process. Its purpose cannot be realized in isolation.

6) The Visual vs. the Tactile The incorporation of the handmade and the tactile allows people to experience visual culture in a deeper way–forming deep connections with it by more ways than through sight alone. This can be seen as an act of resistance against the universal.

II 54

The Pounce Wheel: A Tool of Resistance

july 17

submission

Kenneth Frampton’s seminal essay “Towards a Critical Regionalism: Six Points for an Architecture of Resistance” outlines an approach to architecture that is rooted in place and experience. His strategy of Critical Regionalism can be understood and explored by examining a tool that is also connected with place and experience: the pounce wheel.

6200.02.04: Tool as Metaphor Essay

The pounce wheel is a small hand tool used to transfer sketches or outlines from one surface to another. The tool, which has a wooden handle, a long neck and a spiked metal wheel for its head, is used in many art and design practices, one of which is hand-painted signs. In this process, a final full-scale sketch is overlaid with tracing paper and the pounce wheel is used to trace and perforate the outlines of the sketch. This pattern is then placed on the second surface (typically a wall, billboard or vehicle) and patted with a porous bag containing chalk or charcoal. The temporary outline this process leaves behind acts as a guide for the sign painter in the creation of the final piece.

advocating for any technological advancement that divorced the tool entirely from its original purpose and identity. Instead, he would engage indirectly with its innate qualities and heritage. He would choose to explore its idiosyncrasies: its unusual appearance or its curious function in the creative process, for example. Or perhaps he’d play with way the tool felt to hold and use or the perforated patterns and texture it creates. In the same way that the pounce wheel’s appearance is not immediate suggestive of its purpose, Frampton would likely find more subtle ways to engage with the tool and give it unique and experience-based relevance today.

In his essay, Frampton positions universal civilization as the antithesis of Critical Regionalism, which aims to “mediate the impact of universal civilization with elements derived indirectly from the peculiarities of place” (Frampton, 82). These peculiarities could include the way the natural light behaves, the unusual topography of a building site or a particular sound or smell. In the same way that universalism arguably leads to the diminution of place, vinyl-cut lettering and computer-controlled plotters can be understood as the adversaries that rendered the pounce wheel nearly redundant in a digital world. The rise of computer-cut vinyl lettering and digital graphic production in the late 1980s relegated many hand tools like the pounce wheel and practices like hand-painted signs to the fringe. Vinyl represented a universal approach that regulated the appearance of outdoor signage, moving it farther away from the handmade. Frampton argues that the tendency of modernization and the machinery associated with it to replace handmade, more local approaches can either revolutionize or encumber society. But he argues that in today’s climate of rationality, our automatized tools and ‘means and ends’ mentality risks circumventing culture and creating ‘placelessness’ (81).

Frampton argues that one way to employ the peculiarities of place to resist universalism is through an engagement with the tactile. By uncovering the subtle impact of tactile qualities of place (for example, the way footfall sounds in a certain space or the smell of a particular material), an architect can lead individuals through a complete experience, rather than resorting only to visual representation. The experience of using a pounce wheel can also be understood as a metaphor for this incorporation of the tactile. The sharp spikes on the head of the pounce wheel produce a jerking line as the wheel turns, one that is more difficult to follow around corners. The pounce wheel requires a steady and powerful hand to create a consistent and defined line. The wooden handle is shaped in a way that fits snug in the palm, in sharp contrast to the cold and shiny metal neck that creaks under pressure of use. This immersive, sensory experience connects the maker to the process in an intimate way and enhances or impacts the final product. The subtle irregularities that this handmade process results in are perceptible, albeit on a more unconscious level, to the audience. The way that the audience identifies and interacts with those irregularities has the power to elicit a deeper experience of place; one that is more tactile than visual, one that Frampton would argue is a defiant act of resistance against the universal.

The use of the pounce wheel in the creative process provides an example of how universalism can be circumvented by connecting with the qualities of a place. The patterns the pounce wheel creates are fixed to a specific location and the transfer and rendering of the final product is unique to that geographical location, the material behind the sign and the interaction of the sign with its environment (including both natural and human elements). By making this type of interaction possible, the pounce wheel can be seen as an enabler or conduit for Frampton’s idea of place-based architecture. Frampton sought to distance architecture from both “the myth of progress” and a “reactionary, unrealistic impulse to return to the architectonic forms of a pre-industrial past” (81). Frampton was adamant that Critical Regionalism was not about reviving a lost vernacular or engaging in wistful nostalgia for architectural days gone by. If the pounce wheel stands for architecture, how would Frampton have engaged with its history, function and contemporary relevance in a place-based approach? He would not glorify it as a testament to the golden age of sign painting. He would also avoid

Overall, the pounce wheel provides opportunity for an interesting exploration of the relevance and possible application of Frampton’s Critical Regionalism. Drawing on its history, its peculiar function and appearance and its connection to the handmade, one can see the ways in which the pounce wheel resists the universal and represents a more place-based, experiential design that has relevance in an increasingly global world.

Reference Frampton, K. (2002). “Towards a Critical Regionalism: Six Points for an Architecture of Resistance.” Labour, Work and Architecture: Collected Essays on Architecture and Design. London: Phaidon Press. Pp. 77-89. II 55

MDES 6030

Graduate Design intensive I

with Patrick Foster, Candace Ellicott and Roger Mullin (Freelab)

Overview

Key Questions

This course built on the foundations of the discipline of design: theory, history, applications and implications. It was comprised of three separate intensives. The first, with Patrick Foster, challenged our concept of design research and introduced a “research by doing” approach. It challenged perceptions of design as problemsolving and explored the process of amelioration. The second intensive, with Candace Ellicott, provided a quick-study in basic skills and theory in visual communication. It also offered a primer on the history of the discipline and its notable figures. The final intensive was a two-week design-build workshop held in conjunction with Dalhousie University’s School of Architecture. It pushed the boundaries of design, as it was primarily an exercise in the conceptualization and construction of the built environment. It offered the opportunity to explore the theories and skills learned in the previous two intensives in an entirely different context.

What does it mean to be a designer? What skills are necessary? How can I improve my ability as a graphic designer?

components intensive 01: Foster Part 01 Part 02

Concept Poster Process Book

intensive 02: Ellicott PART Part Part Part PART

01 02 03 04 05

Poster: Translating Emotion into Graphic Form Poster: Graphic Wit Poster: 3D Infographic Double Page Spreads: Grids Annual Report: Storytelling

Intensive 03: Freelab I 56

How do designers approach research? What different approaches are possible and what are the advantages and disadvantages of these different research modes? How can design engage with different disciplines? How can skills in design be applied to different scenarios? What the relationship between visual communication and the built environment? Can the two be mutually influential?

intensive 01 Patrick Foster “Design is not about problem solving; it is about making things better.” This is how Patrick Foster introduced this intensive. Critical to our understanding in this course was the idea that designers do not presume there is one solution to a given problem. Instead, they search for the best possible result. This course introduced a slightly different approach to design research, one that begins not with exhaustive research in the traditional sense, but with design itself. It starts by picking up a pencil and drawing the best possible result you can come up with. Then, you pause to reflect on what you’ve made. Is there potential for your solution to make the experience worse for people? What are all of the possible ramifications of this work? What does your research bring to light that you couldn’t see before? The next step is to do steps one and two again and again, until the result is the best one that you could reach. Be prepared that your first idea likely isn’t your best one. In the end, our time with Patrick taught me to value design research, done with a pencil and a sketchbook, as much as one values traditional research in books. The capacity for discovery and exploration that rests inside the designer’s self is tremendous and often overlooked. Good designers trust their intuition and are relentlessly curious pushing their own ideas hard enough that they arrive at something they couldn’t have known before they started. Part 01 Part 02

Collaboration & Concept Poster Process Book I 57

6030.01

warm-up exercise Find something that makes you mad. Realize that when you come up against things each day that annoy you, largely because their design is lacking, that represents an opportunity for design to intervene. This is the idea of amelioration: finding things that could be made better through design. For this exercise, we were asked to search out something that could be made better through design. Next we were asked to try and design it better.

I 58

I 59

I 60

The result

When you come to realize something, through your research, that you didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know before, you uncover the power of design research.

I 61

6030.01

Readings Theory construction in design research: criteria: approaches and methods by Ken Friedman The Nature of Research by Bruce Archer “Real Empathy for Innovation” and 50problems50days.com by Pete Smart Tail-wagging by Matt Gemmelll mattgemmell.com/2013/05/12/tail-wagging/

Doing something the way it’s always been done is not always the best solution. Patrick’s advice, 06/05 I 62

6030.01.01

collaboration & concept poster For this assignment, we split up into pairs and spent an afternoon exploring the city, using the tools of design research to identify a situation that demanded amelioration. We then considered the situation, the people affected and our experiences in an effort to come up with a plan that addressed the situation and proposed a resolution. To illustrate this, we were to come up with a concept poster.

My partner Anthony and I chose to address the confusing six-way intersection at North Park and Cogswell, which currently presents challenges for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists. We began our inquiry by trying to map out the existing intersection, which proved to be a challenge.

I 63

Exploring the potential resolutions

I 64

If a roundabout is the best option (which we concluded it was), how do you improve the situation for pedestrians? Walking all the way around a roundabout is hardly an improvement from the current situation. So, we began investigating the potential for a pedestrian bridge.

I 65

Sketch for concept poster

I 66

I 67

A roundabout way of pu The existing six-way intersection of Cogswell Street, North Park Street, Ahern Avenue, Rainnie Drive and Trollope Street is dangerous, confusing and difficult to navigate for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians. A roundabout would address the difficulty for drivers and cyclists, but not pedestrians.

june 03

The lights around the centre median would glow with a subtle rotating gradient. As emergency vehicles approached the circle, the lights would flash warning colours and emit a loud siren.

submission 6030.01.01: Concept Poster

The interior signage woul points of interest and bus An interactive feature wo learn more about nearby

Ramps leading to the tunnel ensure accessibility and safety. Their weaving layout discourages skateboarding and cycling and aids in interior climate control.

Statistically Speaking This intersection has seen more than 90 collisions in the last six years, which translates to about one accident every 24 days (CBC). It takes a pedestrian about 25 minutes to walk all the way around the existing intersection. I 68

utting pedestrians first. A footbridge would solve the problem for pedestrians, but would have to be very large in order to cross above the intersection. If the bridge went underground instead, it would increase safety for pedestrians and provide an opportunity for a new local attraction.

The dome covering the pedestrian tunnel would allow natural light to illuminate below. It would also include solar panels to power the lighting behind the glass mosaic inside.

ld indicate which streets, s routes the ramps led to. ould allow pedestrians to attractions.

In an effort to reflect the flavour of Halifax, the interior of the pedestrian tunnel would be covered in a responsive back-lit mosaic built by local artisans.

Other Considerations • Safety

• Public Transit Accessibility

• Vandalism

• Maintenance and Weather Proofing

• Signals and Signage

• Tourists’ Needs

• Public Education

• Connecting with Other Local Attractions I 69

6030.01.02

process book For the culmination of this project, we were asked to put together a process booklet that documented our design process and contained the renderings of our final design. We received feedback on our poster, which we incorporated into our process book design. We were meant to illustrate what we learned from design research and how those lessons were applied in the final design.

A Roundabout Resolution Redesigning a six-way intersection in Halifaxâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s north end

MDES 6030 June 7, 2013 Anthony Bellavia & Emma Lovell

I 70

june 07

submission 6030.01.02: Process Booklet

The best option for amelioration Roundabout

Intersection replaced with a roundabout with a bike lane + more efficient for drivers and cyclists + allows for access to every street + reduces speeds (increases safety) + provides opportunity for green space or something interesting in the centre median - learning curve: does not work with existing driving conventions - does not improve the situation for pedestrians (still have to cross many lanes of traffic)

Image: Google Maps

Introduction The six-way intersection of Cogswell Street, North Park Street, Ahern Avenue, Rainnie Drive and Trollope Street is a nightmare for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists. Not only is the layout of the intersection difficult to navigate, but the signage and signals are not clear.

But will it fit? We were worried that the circle would have to be too large to fit in the existing intersection, but after some quick math, we realized there is room for two lanes for traffic, a bike lane and a large median.

We sat at the intersection and tried to map it out for ourselves and struggled. Walking all the way around the intersection took us more than 20 minutes. We witnessed cyclists, pedestrians and drivers who were confused and uneasy about navigating the intersection.

In our research, we discovered that the city has plans to replace this intersection with a roundabout in the near future (CBC).

So a roundabout is an improvement, but... A driving circle addresses the needs of drivers and cyclists, but not pedestrians. How do we make the intersection more efficient for those on foot? How do emergency vehicles navigate the roundabout safely and quickly? This intersection has seen more than 90 collisions in the last six years. That translates to around one accident every 24 days (CBC).

Page | 2

How do we educate those who are intimidated, fearful or ignorant of how to use driving circles? Page | 4

I 71

intensive 02 Candace Ellicott This course was based on the foundations of design: history, theory, critical thinking and technical skill. It was stretched over the entire semester to ensure plenty of opportunity to continually improve our capacity for good, clear visual communication. The course involved projects that challenged us to explore literal or iconic representation and abstraction, to refine our skills in typography and layout design, to practice visual storytelling and giving presentations, to become familiar with important designers and the history of the discipline. The course offered opportunity to submit our designs, gather feedback, refine and resubmit. This provided a rare and welcome learning opportunity, where we could apply feedback directly and immediately to our work. Candace reinforced to us her belief that one must know the rules in order to break them. A solid foundation in theory and history is critical if a designer hopes to one day challenge the status quo. Candace often repeated a quote sometimes attributed to designer Paul Rand and other times to architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe: â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is better to be good than original.â&#x20AC;? PART PART Part Part Part PART

II 72

01 02 03 04 05 06

Object Poster: Emotion Presentation: On Reading Event Poster: Graphic Wit 3D Poster: Infographic Double Page Spreads: Grids Annual Report: Storytelling

6030.02

june 21

Reading

presentation 6030.02.01: Reading Summary

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Chapter One: Aspects of Information Designâ&#x20AC;? from Designing Information by Joel Katz

slide from presentation explaining types of information

TRUTH

Where the designer plays.

Information True. What you absolutely must communicate. Vitally important.

Uninformation Probably true. Possibly interesting. Probably not important.

Noninformation Possibly true. Possibly not true. Probably not important. Possibly confusing.

Misinformation Definitely not true. Likely to distort, confuse and mislead. Vitally important to avoid.

Disinformation Used tactically to mislead. Deliberately used to achieve a financial, political or military objective.

SERVICE TO AUDIENCE

II 73

6030.02.01

translating emotion into graphic form For the first assignment, we explored the idea of abstraction and how it can be used to communicate ideas effectively. To do this, we were asked to select a song that we like and represent one part of it in an abstract way. We needed to identify an element of the music (ie. the drumbeats, vocals, lyrics, etc.) and find a way to dissect and visualize it. The assignment was meant to strive for total abstraction without literal representation, visualizing something instead of describing or illustrating it.

I chose to analyze the lyrics of the song â&#x20AC;&#x153;â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Aint Got Youâ&#x20AC;? by Bruce Springsteen. It was a challenge to arrive at something abstract from something literal, like lyrics, since I was constantly being swayed to use something representational from the lyrics to illustrate them. In order to overcome this, I had to come up with a system or equation to analyze the data that I could use to create a pattern to visualize it.

This assignment began with a brief history of the object poster.

II 74

From â&#x20AC;&#x153;100 ideas that changed graphic designâ&#x20AC;? by Steven Heller and Veronique Vienne, p. 100.

II 75

line of inquiry How can abstraction communicate information in an effective and meaningful way? How can you take something literal and push it into abstraction? Why is abstract representation so difficult for me? How can I become more comfortable with it?

II 76

Ain’t Got You Bruce Springsteen I got the fortunes of heaven in diamonds and gold I got all the bonds baby that the bank could hold I got houses ‘cross the country honey end to end And everybody buddy wants to be my friend Well I got all the riches baby any man ever knew But the only thing I ain’t got honey I ain’t got you I got a house full of Rembrandt and priceless art And all the little girls they wanna tear me apart When I walk down the street people stop and stare Well you’d think I might be thrilled but baby I don’t care ‘Cause I got more good luck honey than old King Farouk But the only thing I ain’t got baby I ain’t got you

I got a big diamond watch sittin’ on my wrist I try to tempt you baby but you just resist I made a deal with de devil babe I won’t deny Until I got you in my arms I can’t be satisfied I got a pound of caviar sitting home on ice I got a fancy foreign car that rides like paradise I got a hundred pretty women knockin’ down my door And folks wanna kiss me I ain’t even seen before I been around the world and all across the seven seas Been paid a king’s ransom for doin’ what comes naturally But I’m still the biggest fool honey this world ever knew ‘Cause the only thing I ain’t got baby I ain’t got you

Concept One money riches

experience

social

relationships

material

property

celebrity

I got the fortunes of heaven in diamonds and gold I got all the bonds baby that the bank could hold

Concept two

I got houses 'cross the country honey end to end

genetic

talent luck sex appeal

And everybody buddy wants to be my friend Well I got all the riches baby any man ever knew But the only thing I ain't got honey I ain't got you

I got the fortunes of heaven in diamonds and gold

I got a house full of Rembrandt and priceless art

property

And all the little girls they wanna tear me apart

I got all the bonds baby that the bank could hold I got houses 'cross the country honey end to end

When I walk down the street people stop and stare

And everybody buddy wants to be my friend

money

Well I got all the riches baby any man ever knew

Well you'd think I might be thrilled but baby I don't care

But the only thing I ain't got honey I ain't got you

'Cause I got more good luck honey than old King Farouk

riches

But the olny thing I ain't got baby I ain't got you

material

I got a house full of Rembrandt and priceless art And all the little girls they wanna tear me apart When I walk down the street people stop and stare

relationships

I got a big diamond watch sittin' on my wrist

Well you'd think I might be thrilled but baby I don't care 'Cause I got more good luck honey than old King Farouk

I try to tempt you baby but you just resist

But the olny thing I ain't got baby I ain't got you

I made a deal with de devil babe I won't deny

social

experience

Until I got you in my arms I can't be satisfied

I got a big diamond watch sittin' on my wrist I try to tempt you baby but you just resist I made a deal with de devil babe I won't deny

I got a pound of caviar sitting home on ice

celebrity

Until I got you in my arms I can't be satisfied

I got a fancy foreign car that rides like paradise I got a hundred pretty women knockin' down my door

genetic

sex appeal

I got a pound of caviar sitting home on ice I got a fancy foreign car that rides like paradise

And folks wanna kiss me I ain't even seen before

I got a hundred pretty women knockin' down my door

luck

I been around the world and all across the seven seas

And folks wanna kiss me I ain't even seen before I been around the world and all across the seven seas

Been paid a king's ransom for doin' what comes naturally But I'm still the biggest fool honey this world ever knew

Been paid a king's ransom for doin' what comes naturally

talent

But I'm still the biggest fool honey this world ever knew 'Cause the only thing I ain't got baby I ain't got you

'Cause the only thing I ain't got baby I ain't got you

true love

Concept Three The Measure of Wealth “Aint Got You” by Bruce Springsteen, from album Tunnel of Love (1987)

I got the fortunes of heaven in diamonds and gold I got all the bonds baby that the bank could hold I got houses 'cross the country honey end to end And everybody buddy wants to be my friend Well I got all the riches baby any man ever knew But the only thing I ain't got honey I ain't got you I got a house full of Rembrandt and priceless art And all the little girls they wanna tear me apart When I walk down the street people stop and stare Well you'd think I might be thrilled but baby I don't care 'Cause I got more good luck honey than old King Farouk But the only thing I ain't got baby I ain't got you I got a big diamond watch sittin' on my wrist I try to tempt you baby but you just resist I made a deal with the devil babe I won't deny Until I got you in my arms I can't be satisfied I got a pound of caviar sitting home on ice I got a fancy foreign car that rides like paradise I got a hundred pretty women knockin' down my door And folks wanna kiss me I ain't even seen before I been around the world and all across the seven seas Been paid a king's ransom for doin' what comes naturally But I'm still the biggest fool honey this world ever knew 'Cause the only thing I ain't got baby I ain't got you

Unit of time (4 sec)

Material Wealth Bounty

“You” (Her)

Money

Self-depreciating bits

Property

Genetic Wealth Sex Appeal Luck Talent Social Wealth Relationships Celebrity Experience

MDES 2013: 6030 | Emma Joy Lovell | May 24, 2013

II 77

The Measure of Wealth | “Aint Got You” by Bruce Springsteen, from album Tunnel of Love (1987)

may 24

submission 6030.02.02: Object Poster

II 78

MDES 2013, 6030 | Emma Lovell, May 24, 2013

I got the fortunes of heaven in diamonds and gold I got all the bonds baby that the bank could hold I got houses 'cross the country honey end to end And everybody buddy wants to be my friend Well I got all the riches baby any man ever knew But the only thing I ain't got honey I ain't got you I got a house full of Rembrandt and priceless art And all the little girls they wanna tear me apart Well you'd think I might be thrilled but baby I don't care 'Cause I got more good luck honey than old King Farouk But the only thing I ain't got baby I ain't got you I got a big diamond watch sittin' on my wrist I try to tempt you baby but you just resist I made a deal with the devil babe I won't deny Until I got you in my arms I can't be satisfied I got a pound of caviar sitting home on ice I got a fancy foreign car that rides like paradise I got a hundred pretty women knockin' down my door And folks wanna kiss me I ain't even seen before

This is a unit of time. It represents 4 seconds.

When I walk down the street people stop and stare

I been around the world and all across the seven seas Been paid a king's ransom for doin' what comes naturally But I'm still the biggest fool honey this world ever knew 'Cause the only thing I ain't got baby I ain't got you II 79

Feedback on Poster 1

More Feedback from Candace, 06/14 As it is, it’s not an object poster. There’s too much going on–it’s more like an infographic. An object poster is meant to be one idea that’s illustrated. To improve the poster, focus on the main idea: wealth vs. love. Figure out a way to contrast those two ideas. Perhaps play with the balance–it’s too even. Make the colour blocks bigger and contrasted with the absence of the “you” part. Also, play with the contrast between the headline and the other text–make the headline much bigger and the lyrics much smaller. II 80

Comment from Candace upon receipt of revised poster, 07/08: “MUCHO BETTER!”

Social Wealth

Genetic Wealth

Relationships

Sex Appeal

Celebrity

Luck

Experience

Talent

Material Wealth

You.

Bounty Money Property

The Measure of Wealth â&#x20AC;&#x153;Aint Got Youâ&#x20AC;? by Bruce Springsteen From the 1987 album Tunnel of Love

july 05

resubmission 6030.02.02: Object Poster

II 81

6030.02.03

Graphic wit Great design does more than just inform, it compels people to pay attention. It enhances their experience in some way. Great design stays with a viewer long after their eyes have left it. One way to accomplish this is through the use of graphic wit.

Herb Lubalin’s proposed Mother & Child Logo, 1965, From http://farm9. staticflickr.com/8498/8256508155_0b95b 09a11_o.jpg

Candace describes the use of graphic wit as a clothesline, with a message sender at one end and a receiver on the other. Typical messages get clipped on the line and passed to the receiver, who can either accept or reject them. When wit is used, the message stops halfway across the line. The receiver must retrieve the message on their own accord. During the retrieval, the receiver discovers the idea in the same way that the designer did, only in reverse. Consequently, the message becomes more powerful because they found it. There are many types of graphic wit: incongruity, contradiction, bisociation, trompe l’oeil, puns, rebuses, homage and modification to name a few. For this assignment, we were to choose one form and employ it in a music poster for a CD launch or concert. The poster was intended to be an object poster, with one image or one idea and very little text.

band for poster 02: The Boss

“Wit doesn’t always work fast– sometimes the penny drops immediately, sometimes it takes longer and for some people it doesn’t happen at all. That’s why clients are scared of it. But when it works, it is really powerful.” II 82

Candace, 05/24

go-to resource on all that is graphically witty

II 83

Bruce Springsteen Tunnel of Love | 10.09.87

june 14

submission 6030.02.03: Event Poster

II 84

Emma Joy Lovell | MDES 6030 | 06.14.2013

II 85

june 14

lecture

Candace on Typographic Sins

Typography is two-dimensional architecture, based on experience and imagination, and guided by rules and readability. And this is the purpose of typography: The arrangement of design elements within a given structure should allow the reader to easily focus on the message, without slowing down the speed of his reading. Hermann Zapf

II 86

Typographic Sins Continued - Outline or stroke with software - negative letterspacing (beyond -10) - ragged edges or bad line breaks - stacking lowercase letters - failing to indent bulleted lists (use tab settings) - failing to add accents - baseline grids (use them!) - ligatures (turn them on in preferences)

II 87

june 14

lecture

Candace on Design Principles

II 88

engage inform motivate Poster design is about effectively communicating a single message.

II 89

6030.02.04

Big Idea

Poster: infographic

The sheer number of music festivals that the band has performed at. Across the country, there are hundreds of music festivals which feature combinations of the same musicians. How can the comparison of location, size, bands performing and dates be visualized in a way that is informative, visually compelling and threedimensional?

For this assignment, we were meant to take one set of data from our band (tour dates, song keys, number of band members, for example) and create a data visualization from it. The poster was meant to incorporate four components: graphic, text, data and dimension. The three-dimensionality could be in the construction of the poster itself, or added to the surface of the poster. The poster had to meet several goals: it had to communicate the data in a way that was clear and informative; it had to be visually compelling; it had to include subordinate information, in addition to the main infographic. Our first submission was a mindmap and moodboard, followed by the final poster.

Band: The Joel Plaskett Emergency

II 90

MDes 603

june 21

submission 6030.02.04: Moodboard & Mindmap (p. 92)

II 91

II 92

II 93

Data Collection, 06/20

Steps for creating a Data Visualization From Candace, 06/14 1) Gather data: cast a wide net. The full story is found in a wide array of sources. Read and look at everything. Digest it from all angles. Figure out where the substance might be. 2) Consume all of the info that you can. 3) Visualize all of the info: plot it out, break it up into sections and categories, find the connections, make a mindmap, diagram around an idea. At this point, it’s good to collate ideas and see what you’ve got to work with–get it all out there. No idea is a bad one at this point. 4) Locate the story: boring data = a boring infographic, so to make it interesting, you have to find a great narrative. 5) Identify problems: be honest with the data–if it’s not in favour of the company, find another angle. Make sure you understand the data in its entirety. That’s the only way you’ll know that it tells a compelling story. 6) Determine hierarchy: find the elements that are more important and bring them to the top. 7) Wireframe: Come up with iterations, build concepts. At this point it’s not about colours, fonts, etc. If you’re trying to get impact, you have to be able to sell your idea. The aesthetics will come later. Often, if you’re presenting to a client at the concept development phase, it’s good to do it in black and white so you don’t get hung up on aesthetics too early in the game. 8) Choose a format: this decision should be guided by your story and your data. 9) Develop a visual approach: this can be employing graphic wit, using a metaphor, making it beautiful. 10) Iterate, refine and test: make sure you check and make sure that people understand and enjoy what you’re communicating (preferably well before deadline). Refine, refine, refine.

II 94

identifying variables, generating concepts, 06/25

II 95

06.01 06.02 06.03 06.04 06.05 06.06 06.07 06.08 06.09 06.10 06.11 06.12 06.13 06.14 06.15 06.16 06.17 06.18 06.19 06.20 06.21 06.22 06.23 06.24 06.25 06.26 06.27 06.28 06.29 06.30 07.01 07.02 07.03 07.04 07.05 07.06 07.07 07.08 07.09 07.10 07.11 07.12 07.13 07.14 07.15 07.16 07.17 07.18 07.19 07.20 07.21 07.22 07.23 07.24 07.25 07.26 07.27 07.28 07.29 07.30 07.31 08.01 08.02 08.03 08.04 08.05 08.06 08.07 08.08 08.09 08.10 08.11 08.12 08.13 08.14 08.15 08.16 08.17 08.18 08.19 08.20 08.21 08.22 08.23 08.24 08.25 08.26 08.27 08.28 08.29 08.30 08.31 300,000

250,000

200,000

150,000

100,000

50,000

10,000

2000

II 96

II 97

july 05

submission 6030.02.04: 3-D Infographic Poster

II 98

II 99

july 05

lecture

Candace on Grids “Designers are not beautifiers. They’re thinkers. Always be strategic in your design decisions. But make sure you know the rules before you decide to break them.” Candace, 07/05

II 100

Book Suggestions The New Typography by Jan Tschichold Grid Systems in Graphic Design by Josef Muler-Brockmann Making and Breaking the Grid by Timothy Samara Stop Stealing Sheep & Find Out How Type Works by Erik Spiekermann

Grid Inspiration Massimo Vignelli Michael Beirut Jan Tschichold Frost Design

Types of Grids Manuscript Column Modular Hierarchical

II 101

6030.02.05

Big Idea

Grids: the dps

With layouts, the design of the spread is arguably as powerful as the content itself. The relationship between the two is mutually influential and when the design is concerned, the two should not be considered in isolation.

For this assignment, we were asked to make three douplepage spreads. For the first one, we interviewed a classmate. We were meant to find an interesting story to tell about them in a douple-page spread (DPS). We were to use text, imagery and colour to create a layout that was compelling and informative and applied what we learned in grids and layout design, as well as in typography. For the second spread, we were to choose a photo of our ourselves and design a grid based on it. Then we were to design an autobiographical layout using that grid. We were required to use a display font and a sans-serif font. Finally, we were asked to choose a landscape photo and find a grid within it. Content for this spread was meant to match the landscape we chose. Again, we were to combine text and imagery to create a unique and compelling layout.

II 102

below Lingfang Li, my interview subject.

july 10

submission 6030.02.05: Double-page Spreads

MDes 6030 | Emma Lovell

Page 1 | 07.10.13

THE POWER OF TWO

A story of parents who became renegades for the good of the family

Family Planning Growing up in a small tight-knit village, one couldn’t easily hide a pregnancy. And when Ling’s parents travelled to the hospital to give birth, there was no disguising that their family was defiantly growing. Out of a culturally-engrained and deep-rooted desire for a son, to help on the farm, to provide for them in retirement, to carry on the family name, her parents felt they had little choice but to try for a boy.

On the left is Lingfan Li. She was born in 1988 in a small village in southeastern China to a farmer and his wife. Two years after her birth, in the face of the country’s strict one-child policy, Ling’s parents gave birth to a second child, a son, her brother, Linjun Li.

They knew that there would be consequences. At the very least, they faced potentially exorbitant fines, which they could not afford, and at worst, forced abortion. But they risked it anyway. Ling says that by 1990, the policy had lost much of its teeth, so her parents felt it was unlikely they’d be penalized too severely. But the government had other ideas in mind. It wasn’t long after Linjun’s birth that government officials came to their small home and took any belongings of any value - mostly furniture and appliances. They were left with little save for their two children.

The Control of Birth When asked it it was worth it, Ling nods slowly. “Actually, it was a good decision, I think.” She says that her parents are depending on her brother, rather than her, to provide for them in retirement. As is Chinese cutsom, any support she will be giving to elderly

parents will be to her husband’s family. China’s one-child policy, which came into effect in 1979, stipulated that every couple must have just ABOVE: LINJUN (LEFT) AND LINGFAN TOGETHER IN HALIFAX. BOTH HAVE COME TO CANADA TO STUDY. one child. The rich remain capable of REFERENCE: NEW YORK TIMES OPINION PAGES paying a heavy fine “CHINA’S BRUTAL ONE-CHILD POLICY” BY MA JIAN to circumvent the PUBLISHED MAY 21, 2013 law, often between 3 and 10 times a family’s annual income. Alternatively, many the abandonment of the policy would lead to economic instability and an exploding expectant mothers travel to Hong Kong, population. However, China’s current Singapore or even America to give birth. birthrate is somewhere between 1.2 and 1.8, which is much lower than the growth rate In some small communities, familyplanning officials track the menstrual cycles of 2.1, which is necessary for population replacement. This could spell disaster for and pelvic exam results of every woman of the country in the coming decades, with childbearing age in their area. If a woman gets pregnant without permission and can’t an aging population and a diminishing pay the fines, she risks being subjected to a workforce to support them. forced abortion. In the beginning, the one-child policy was meant to be temporary. But the government has had trouble letting go of a practice that has generated an estimated 2 trillion yuan (around $344 billion CAD) in revenue from fines. Some claim that Since 1971, there have been 336 million abortions and 222 million sterilizations in China. Because of the strictness of the one-child policy and the strong culturally-rooted desire for boys, the rate of abortions and abandonments at birth for baby girls is higher than for baby boys. China’s ratio of boys to girls has now risen to 118 boys to every 100 girls.

II 103

II 104

“Adventure is a path. Real adventure – self-determined, selfmotivated, often risky – forces you to have firsthand encounters with the world. The world the way it is, not the way you imagine it. Your body will collide with the earth and you will bear witness. In this way you will be compelled to grapple with the limitless kindness and bottomless cruelty of humankind – and perhaps realize that you yourself are capable of both. This will change you. Nothing will ever again be black-and-white.”

MARK JENKINS

At heart, Emma is an adventurer and a storyteller. Since she can remember, she’s lived primarily through her imagination, reveling in wonder, discovery and magic. There’s nothing she likes more than getting to know a place she’s never been, meeting new people, experiencing unfamiliar cultures and tasting new foods.

She’s exlpored her own vast country at length and has visited all but one of Canada’s provinces. She’s a world traveller, having explored ten countries across four continents. She’s spent almost three of the last ten years on adventures outside of Canada.

She’s a storyteller-turned-designer, now working out how to put her background as a journalist to use in her new profession of graphic design. Currently living in Halifax, Nova Scotia, she’s studying to complete a Masters of Design at NSCAD University.

Emm

a’s le

ssons

When she’s not on the move, at school or abroad, she’s in her hometown of Huntsville, a small community surrounded by forest in central Ontario. Her backyard is Algonquin Park, one of the largest provincial parks in the province and ripe for adventures. Whenever she can, she’ll back a bag, grab a paddle and set out on one of the park’s thousands of lakes and rivers for yet another adventure. in ad

ventu

ring:

anyth

ing w

ith co

conu t

in it is

good

g for

• neve

ragin

r beli

eve th a

t the

defin

ition

of “clo

se-by”

is the

same

g nets

y • bu

tr coun every

pro

your

own fo

ess •

busin

ugh it

just la

off

st mo

an ju

ore th

inst m

ga tect a

fo oes • squit

sky d is ri

II 105

II 106

b ra K f so

Pa râ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

ise

e Th

if Cl

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Duis volutpat eleifend metus. Duis eu lacus sed justo aliquam suscipit imperdiet vitae dui. Duis scelerisque tortor odio, vel dapibus orci ullamcorper et. Phasellus auctor scelerisque est tincidunt rhoncus.

In posuere odio ac nibh varius, eget fringilla nulla vehicula. Aenean nec libero vitae elit faucibus porttitor.

Mauris consequat, quam id aliquam lacinia, dui est vestibulum velit, et tincidunt urna sapien in lacus. Praesent nec massa nec ipsum sagittis semper eu in magna. Maecenas quis dapibus sapien. Donec mattis scelerisque molestie. Vestibulum eget justo velit. Ut mattis magna blandit tellus scelerisque mollis. Aenean vitae aliquet quam. Nullam vitae hendrerit erat. Sed et arcu nisl. Nunc sit amet malesuada elit. Pellentesque ac felis eget urna bibendum accumsan. Proin sit amet rutrum lacus. Vestibulum eu justo eget turpis facilisis malesuada sed ut odio.

Climberâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Digest | Summer 2013

Donec orci arcu, mattis vitae eleifend sit amet, aliquet nec eros. Maecenas a urna commodo, accumsan mauris quis, cursus orci.

- 14 -

II 107

6030.02.06

annual report The final assignment for Candaceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s class was about compelling storytelling. We were asked to design an annual report for a fictional or hypothetical company and base it around a central theme. Candace explained that when annual reports are done well, they can be a very powerful tool for a company, not only for its current shareholders but for potential investors as well. The efficacy of an annual report rests on its cohesiveness and its ability to tell a compelling story. These stories can be found in data, in the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s employees or clients, in the places that the company operates. The opportunities are many. The critical point is to find a story and carry that story throughout the entire document. That is what we were asked to do in this assignment.

RIGHT Examples provided by Candace of effective and innovative annual reports. Top: Fitzroy for IMC. Bottom: 2007 annual report by Feltron.

II 108

Big Idea In the face of sweatshop tragedies and scandals in the media, how could a company like Block Shop use their annual report to celebrate the story of the maker? To highlight the ways in which their products contribute to the lives of the people who make them?

II 109

july 12

submission 6030.02.06: Moodboard & Mindmap

II 110

II 111

It takes two hands

Annual Report | 2012-2013

Block Shop | 2012-13 Annual Report

Page 3 | Executive Message

A Message from a Master At Block Shop, we take great pride in the hands that craft our products. In honour of that and on behalf of Block Shopâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s executive team, this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s message of growth, sustainability and a

eget auctor orci nibh vel nisi. Aliquam erat. Vivamus id mollis quam. Morbi ac commodo nulla. In condimentum orci id nisl volutpat bibendum. Quisque commodo hendrerit lorem quis egestas. Maecenas quis tortor.

committment to craftsmanship comes from the master himself, Vijendra Chhipa. His words have been translated from Hindi.

Lilly Stockman, owner and executive director, Block Shop

My name is Vijendra Chhipa. I come from a long line of block printers in Bagru, near Jaipur in Rajasthan, India. I know the value and importance of doing things by hand, as has been the tradition for hundreds of years.

II 112

Vivamus luctus urna sed urna ultricies ac tempor dui sagittis. In condimentum facilisis porta. Sed nec diam eu diam mattis viverra. Donec viverra auctor lobortis. Pellentesque eu est a nulla placerat dignissim. Morbi a enim in magna semper bibendum. Etiam scelerisque, nunc ac egestas consequat, odio nibh euismod nulla,

Quisque eget odio ac lectus vestibulum faucibus eget in metus. In pellentesque faucibus vestibulum. Nulla at nulla justo, eget luctus tortor. Nulla facilisi. Duis aliquet egestas purus in blandit. Curabitur vulputate, ligula lacinia scelerisque tempor, lacus lacus ornare ante, ac egestas est urna sit amet. Class aptent taciti sociosqu ad litora torquent per conubia nostra, per inceptos himenaeos. Sed molestie augue sit amet leo consequat posuere. Vestibulum

ante ipsum primis in faucibus orci luctus et ultrices posuere cubilia Curae; Proin vel ante a orci tempus eleifend ut et magna. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Vivamus luctus urna sed urna ultricies.

Vivamus rutrum nunc non neque consectetur quis placerat neque lobortis,

Vijendra Chhippa Master Printer

august 08

submission 6030.02.06: Annual Report Spreads

Block Shop | 2012-13 Annual Report

Page 5 | 2012-13 Highlights

Handed down from generations Block Shop works directly with a cooperative of master printers in Bagru, India, where artisans have been hand block printing with natural dyes for over 350 years. Pellentesque feugiat pulvinar nulla velore aliquam. Donec pulvinar imperdiet tellus, in molestie erat pulvinar at. Fusce fermentum mauris metus, non rutrum nibh faucibus at. Nam hendrerit mollis elementum. Aene et nulla egestas, faucibus leo eget lobortis.

Block Shop | 2012-13 Annual Report

Page 7 | 2012-13 Highlights

A helping hand This is the community that our textiles come from. Block Shop provides a hand in building its strength and resilience. Nunc id purus dictum, dictum magna non, dignissim urna. Pellentesque quis pretium turpis, sit amet luctus est. Vivamus suscipit vehicula. Pellentesque nec ultricies. Mauris lobortis blandit lectus, id consequat vulputate. Sed bibendum mauris.

II 113

intensive 03 freelab with roger mullin July 21 to August 2, 2013 Spencer’s Island, Nova Scotia Part of a joint program with Dalhousie University’s School of Architecture, Freelab provides students the opportunity to participate in one of a series of two-week design-build workshops. The workshops provided a glimpse into the possible applications of interdisciplinary design and required us to apply lessons we’ve learned over the course of the semester in a very different environment. The experience also taught us new lessons in collaboration, learning by making, interacting with communities and working with others’ agendas. The topics of the labs were diverse but in their overview presentations, many touched on ideas that are central to my thesis. One in particular, a project in Spencer’s Island led by architect and professor Roger Mullin, was exploring the intersection between history, sense of place and community development. The project has been a part of Freelab since 2006 and involves the ongoing construction of the Uncertain Centre of the Mary Celeste, an interpretive centre and artist’s residence. The site is located very close to the centre of what was a robust shipbuilding industry in the 19th century. It was on the wharf at Spencer’s Island that the infamous ghost ship the Mary Celeste was built in 1861. In its design and construction, the Uncertain Centre of the Mary Celeste engages with the story of that ship and the industry that defined the area, as well as the remarkable tides of the Minas Basin.

III 114

NOTES FROM FREELAB PRESENTATIONS, 06.21

I voted for Rogerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Freelab five times out of a possible nine. His presentation really resonated with me and I had a feeling that it would be a very memorable experience...It turns out, I was right.

From: Subject: Date: To:

Roger Mullin <Roger.Mullin@Dal.Ca> Freelab 2013 26 June, 2013 1:12:08 PM ADT emmalovell@student.nscad.ca, kt835934@Dal.Ca, as437313@Dal.Ca, mr609040@Dal.Ca, hy456466@Dal.Ca, kt471084@Dal.Ca, rl524030@Dal.Ca, br383887@Dal.Ca, ďŹ&#x201A;509319@Dal.Ca, ch468706@Dal.Ca

Hi Emma, Kaitlin, Ashley, Meredith, Hayley, Kaitlyn, Riley, Brent, Fallon, Christine! Welcome to the Spencer's Island Freelab group. I'm delighted that you have chosen to join in on the work. I aspire to shape the time and the activities into a highlight for the academic year. Because much of the success and pleasure of this type of work is dependant on the dynamics of group and how well we empower one another to learn and be productive I have our first creative problem at hand. I have been approached by several students who are inquiring about the possibility of joining our group. I thought we could quickly come to some consensus as to whether or not I should attempt to enable this transition. or if you as a group wish to stay at 10 people. Discuss among yourselves and/or simply drop a me note advising me to: 1) proceed with an attempt at enabling the transition 2) leave things as they are At the link below you can download the article, 'The Uncertain Centre of the Mary Celeste'. It should serve as a kind of introduction. http://dal.academia.edu/RogerMullin

http://rogermullin.wordpress.com/

III 115

connecting with the past “There exists two time frames for the project, historical time, late 19th century when the original shipyard was in full swing during the ‘Age of Sail’ and present time. At the scale of the community, the built works are loosely a symmetrical ‘reflection’ of the historical shipyard. Aspects of the spatial and material characteristics are mirrored and transformed to perform in new and familiar ways, programmatically, spatially and experientially. The structures built on site to date negotiate the landscape at a variety of scales as well as the immediate and longer term desire to develop programs that facilitate public gathering, making and the sharing of cultural experiences. Finally, with a place to work and play established, our task was to build an accommodation on site: a minimal dwelling that provides a temporary resident with a place to rest at an arms length distance from the public buildings.” From “The Uncertain Centre of the Mary Celeste, Spencer’s Island, Nova Scotia, Canada” by Roger Mullin, published in 2010 in issue 6 of Made magazine

advocate harbour at low tide

above painting of the infamous Mary Celeste, the first ship built at the Spencer’s Island shipyard in 1861 left plan view of structures, as of 2010, drawing by roger Mullin and published in made 06.2010

III 116

“The saga of the Mary Celeste is, of course, a mysterious and unsolved part of seafaring history. This openendedness is embraced and this spirit is the namesake of the current project. To date, this is also reflected in the pedagogical approach, where the results of each design/ build module are not determined a-priori and are the result of decisions made on site, factoring in available means and methods, skill levels, limited budgets, and materials found or donated, all within a compressed 2-week working period. With a substantial amount of the groundwork in place through several hard-won design/ builds a ‘masterplan’ for the site is beginning to emerge, from the ground up.” TOP LEFT A historic photo of the Spencer’s Island Shipyard.

Roger Mullin, Made Magazine, issue 6, 2012

ABOVE Today, the same site is home to the Old Shipyard Campground, our home during Freelab. Below Historical photograph hanging inside the lighthouse at the Old Shipyard Campground.

III 117

Drawing big, drawing together

Throughout Freelab, Roger advocated for the practice of drawing big with conte or charcoal. He believes that this type of drawing infuses the process with an open and public quality. There were many times where we would sit together and drawing collaboratively, providing feedback on each otherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work and making changes. The resulting drawings were more about the conversation and understanding they generated than a clear final product. Drawing become a way to connect with one another and to share ideas. I was surprised to find drawing being used this way in a group of architects and architecture students. Before Freelab, I understood architectural drawings as very technical, finite and detail-rich. The drawing we did during Freelab, which occupied most of our time in the first few days and continued to be critical throughout, underscored for me the importance and value of play and exploration. It opened my eyes to new types of collaboration and provided a model for bringing peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ideas together and making sure, quite literally, everyone is on the same page.

The photo above illustrates how the site looked when we arrived. The two sheathed pods were without cladding or windows and the third pod had only a basic frame. The fourth pod was only hypothetical, as the diagram on the previous page shows. Though most of our work was spent finishing and weather-proofing the existing pods, we spent a lot of time conceptualizing and eventually framing the fourth pod.

III 118

Conceptual group drawing, July 23

III 119

All of the wood we used on site came from Paulâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mill, located not far from the building site. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s something incredibly powerful in that connection to the material. Watching giant logs get stripped of their bark and milled into boards gave us an entirely different perspective. Getting to know Paul, hearing his stories and benefiting from his guidance on-site was one of the most impactful experiences of Freelab for me.

III 120

mother Nature plays her role Being on the Bay of Fundy, host to the highest tides in the world, provided some interesting lessons in observing and respecting mother nature. In its form, the site responds and reacts to the tides, which have played and continue to play a critical role in the area’s sense of place. There were several instances during Freelab where we came face to face with the magnitude of the changes in tide. Our arrival at Spencer’s Island corresponded with a full moon. Serendipitously, the area saw heavy rains on the days leading up to the full moon, our third night there. In the middle of the night, I awoke to find that the tent I was sharing with Christine was floating on roughly six inches of water. We quickly rushed out of the tent to discover that, with the full moon causing higher tides than normal and the deluge of rainwater, the ocean had broken over the barrier and flooded into our campsite. Bob, the campground’s caretaker, told us he couldn’t remember another time when that had happened in his 15 years there. The second instance that the tide made its presence known was on a day off. Brent and I decided to take out the kayak that Kaitlyn had brought. Eventually, we came to what appeared to be a tidal river. We entered its mouth from the ocean and slowly snaked our way into the belly of a marsh. When we had gone as far as we thought we could, with the belly of the kayak scrubbing the river floor and a fallen tree blocking our way forward, we stopped to talk about turning around. Suddenly, we looked up and realized that the tree had become submerged and we were floating freely. Our progress continued like this until the marsh was consumed entirely by the ocean. What had been a high-walled, winding river was now a bay on the ocean. It was astounding. I couldn’t believe that a place could change so dramatically, so quickly.

Above Our tiny yellow kayak is barely visible in this photograph of lowtide. A few hours earlier, when we initial pulled up to the beach, we dragged the kayak only about one metre up from the ocean’s edge.

This experience lead to a curiosity and exploration of how tides work. I continue to be astounded and enthralled by the phenomenon.

The Uncertain Centre of the Mary Celeste has been constructed in a way to reflect the fluctuations of the tide. Two-thirds of the site lie below the imagined high-tide mark. Image from presentation by roger mullin

III 121

III 122

III 123

connecting with community In an earlier phase of the project, Roger completed a collaborative drawing exercise with a group of students which resulted in two large panels that illustrate various components of the Uncertain Centre of the Mary Celeste. Roger expressed a wish to hang the signs at the entrance to the site in an effort to provide some explanation of the site and build public awareness of the project. To accompany the panels, he asked me to paint a sign bearing the title of the project. Throughout the project, I had a hard time reconciling the different aims of the project. On one hand, the project was a rare place for students to experiment and explore with designing and constructing a building. The structure of the Freelab gives students the freedom each year to determine aspects of how the project will take shape. This responsibility is both exciting and intellectually-stimulating. However, there is another aim of the project which is potentially in competition with the first. The hope for the future is that the Centre will function as a gathering place for the community and as an artistsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; residence. Several times over the course of the project, people came up to the site and asked about what we were working on. With some of the visitors, there were obvious undertones of doubt and mistrust. In another instance, when we visited the local market on the weekend, the woman who organizes the market was very keen to hear about our work. She informed us that the community centre, which is currently used for many different celebrations and events, needs a new ramp and has a leaky roof. If building community is the goal, could participating in a project like building a ramp for the community centre help to build bridges between the project and the community?

III 124

Line of Inquiry Can these competing objectives co-exist? When students make decisions about the site based on their experience and education, are those decisions truly what’s best for the future of the Centre? Isn’t community input important if the hope is that the community will one day feel some level of ownership over the site and use it for their celebrations or events? What are the dangers of a group of “outsiders” coming into a community and constructing something that is not directly linked to the community’s pressing needs? How can we strengthen public awareness and engagement? Is an abstract diagram the best solution? Does it help clarify or add to the confusion and potential alienation?

III 125

the fourth pod

III 126

Ideas for 2013 Image from presentation by Roger Mullin

Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s something so liberating in imagining, sketching and realizing something on such a large scale with your own hands. By learning the tools and techniques and hammering the nails yourself, you walk away feeling like you could do almost anything. Notes from sketchbook, 08/01

III 127

Day 07

Day 12

One of the lessons in all of this is: never get too comfortable. Incredible things can happen when you push your limits and keep your mind open. Notes from sketchbook, 08/02 III 128

III 129

thesis project development with advisor Christopher Kaltenbach

Overview

Key Questions

This semester was all about exploring and uncovering the various facets of the domain weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re interested in working in on our thesis degree project. We were encouraged not to think about design deliverables at this stage, but instead begin to develop a series of deep questions that begin to flush out the areas we may pursue in the fall. We began to locate sources that will inform our study. Through several very different assignments, we were able to look at our domain from many different angles. The final component was a poster and presentation to the Thesis Review Committee.

What is the field/area/theme/topic you would like to situate your research in?

components

Does this idea have the potential to define a new area of specialization for you as a designer?

Part PART PART PART PART

I 130

01 Research 02 Domain Introduction 03 Metaphor Descriptions 04 Graphic Model 05 Thesis Introduction Poster & Presentation

Why is this idea important to you? What are the precedents? Do you think your idea could improve or add to the body of existing design knowledge? What unique methods/strategies, through design research, will you use to acquire knowledge/understanding for your project?

thesis.01

research Our thesis work began with an exploration, through both design research and tradition research, of the potential for design to engage with the domain of our choice. I found the most enriching research at this point in my studies to be the kind that occurred while walking through the city, exploring its stories, meeting new people and coming to understand new places. The experience of moving to a brand new city has opened my eyes to new perspectives on connecting with history, the experience of place and space, placemaking and the magic of storytelling.

I 131

Prepared in preparation for meeting with Christopher, 05/24

I 132

Come From Away Places (and people) often define themselves by who belongs and who does not. The place means something very different for those who come from away and those who were born and raised there. What is behind this tendency towards exclusion? Does this line in the sand mentality damage the idea of place? Notes from Sketchbook, 05/25

Advice from Patrick, 05/28

I 133

I 134

I 135

Exploring Community What are the differences in placemaking and community building in rural and urban environments? How is the concept of the neighbourhood changed? Is that difference universal or is the concept of neighbourhood unique to each different place? Why is it sometimes a challenge to meet your neighbours?

Sketchbook notes, 06/06

critical terms Community Neighbourhood Space Place Placemaking

â&#x20AC;&#x153;An object or place achieves concrete reality when our experience of it is total, that is, through all the senses as well as with the active and reflective mind. Long residence enables us to know a place intimately, yet its image may lack sharpness unless we can also see it from the outside and reflect upon our experience.â&#x20AC;? Space and Place, Yi-Fu Tuan, p. 18

I 136

Duncan St. Community Yard Sale Every summer for over 30 years, Duncan, Lawrence, Allan, Chebucto, Harvard, Yale and Yukon streets have been holding a community yard sale. This year, Placemaking Halifax, a local community building organization, partnered with the community on the event and on June 15, the sidewalks were filled with shoppers, flipping through old records and casette tapes, thumbing old romance novels and surveying a host of 1970s cookware and pottery. At almost every house, whether they were selling or not, residents were on their porch taking in the event.

In speaking with several of these people, I came to realize that the oft-held belief of mine, that small urban communities are more connected and tight-knit than many rural communities, is at times inaccurate. It is important not to assume that the concept of “community” or “neighbourhood” is unfailingly good. Sean Phillips and his wife Sandy enjoy their privacy. They don’t like spending too much time with the neighbours. Sean only knows a handful of his immediate neighbours personally. But he could tell me the profession and personal details about almost every house on his end of the street. He had come to know these details from other neighbours, particularly the one Sean called the Street’s Story-teller who lived a couple of houses down.

I talked with Sean about the opportunities we get to meet our neighbours: often times of collective struggle, such as the time when Hurricane Juan swept through the city. Sean said everyone was on their front porch, sharing food and resources with one another. Sometimes, we meet our neighbours in good times, such as the community yard sale. Sometimes we meet our neighbours in private moments, perhaps an occasional hello at the front door, or worse: in times of annoyance or anger. Can design make it easier to build community and neighbourhood? Do relationships with neighbours strengthen sense of place or community? Are those relationships integral to the forming of a neighbourhood or is neighbourhood a concept distinct from human interaction? Who creates or defines community?

“Each intimate exchange has a locale which partakes in the quality of the human encounter. What are these places? They aren’t recorded like snapshots in the family album, nor perceived as general symbols like a fireplace, chair, bed. One can no more deliberately design such places than one can plan, with any guarantee of success, the occasions of genuine human exchange.” Space and Place, Yi-Fu Tuan, p. 141 I 137

Exploring history How can we engage with history in a meaningful and innovative way? In a way that enhances our contemporary experience and builds for the future, rather than resorting to nostalgia? What role does history play in the development of sense of place? How does an awareness of the historical narrative change our perception of the places we inhabit?

Sketchbook notes, 06/04

What stories do monuments like the 1812 monument on the wharf or the plaques on historical buildings really tell? Does it help us better come to understand history? Is it constructive, destructive or neither?

exploring, 07/15 I 138

Sketchbook notes, 06/11

I 139

I 140

Mindmap created over several days in advance of thesis meeting, 07/02

I 141

Resources to date

Davis, N. (2012). The power of place and data-driven storytelling. Retrieved from www.engagingcities.com/ article/power-place-and-data-driven-storytelling Jacobs, J. (1961). The Death and Life of Great American Cities. Toronto: Random House of Canada. Jones, M. (2012, March 27). Re-Imagining Community. Retrieved from http://tamarackcci.ca/blogs/michael-jones/ re-imagining-community Legge, K. (2008). An overview of international place making practice: Profession or ploy? Paper presented at the 2008 ICTC Conference, Sydney. McCabe, A. Space vs. place: Defining the difference. Retrieved from www.placepartners.com.au/blog/space-vsplace-defining-difference Project for Public Spaces (2012). What is placemaking? Retrieved from www.pps.org/reference/what_is_ placemaking/ Sandbach, K. (2011). Where is graphic design practice at today?: Graphic design and the aesthetics of place. Iridescent-Icongrada Journal of Design Research 1(2), 148159. Sanders, E. & Stappers, P. J. (2008). Co-creation and the new landscapes of design. Codesign 4(1), 5-18. Shyllit, R. & Spencer, G.. (2011). Water, Rocks & Trees: The Creative Economy in Muskoka. Toronto: University of Toronto. Sutton, S. & Kemp, S. P. (2002). Children as partners in neighbourhood placemaking: Lessons from intergenerational design charettes. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 22, 171-189. Tuan, Y. (1977). Space and place: The perspective of experience. Minneapolis: The University of Minnesota Press. Whyte, W. H. (1980). The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces. Washington: The Conservation Foundation. Wortham-Galvin, B. (2008). Mythologies of placemaking. Retrieved from places.designobserver.com/entryprint. html?entry=497

I 142

suggested reading Design for the Real World, V. Papanek (1985) Constructing Place: Mind & Matter, S. Menin (2003) Place: A Short Introduction, T. Cresswell The Practice of Everyday Life, M. de Certeau A Global Sense of Place, D. Massey Place and Placelessness, E. Relph

Suggested by Christopher, 07/17 Relational Aesthetics, N. Bourriaud The Experience Economy, J. Pine II & Gilmore Learning From Las Vegas, R. Venturi

influential ideas Building the Seed Cathedral, Thomas Heatherwick http://www.ted.com/talks/thomas_heatherwick.html Architecture for the people by the people, Alastair Parvin http://www.ted.com/talks/alastair_parvin_architecture_for_the_people_by_the_people.html

I 143

thesis.02

domain introduction Writing the domain introduction helped to give shape to the ambiguous cloud of ideas and knowledge I collected over the course of the semester. We had the opportunity to submit three drafts of this document before the final, which gave us the opportunity to explore, refine and crystallize our ideas. As our understanding of our domain became clearer, so too did our domain introduction.

I 144

Defining the domain with Christopher, 06/11

I 145

I 146

july 02

submission THESIS.02: Domain Intro, Draft #1

I 147

july 17/august 07

submissionS THESIS.02: Domain Intro, Drafts 2 & 3

Big Question How can I answer the question: why does this matter? What, exactly, does sense of place stand to impact? Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the point of this research? These are the questions I need to start trying to answer.

I 148

MDes Thesis/Degree Project Development Domain Overview

Connecting With Stories of Place: How Can Design Harness the Power of Placemaking? Every place has a story: one rooted in its history; in the dreams, aspirations and accomplishments of its inhabitants; in the visitors that the place attracts; in its environment and its economy. Both implicitly and explicitly, this story shapes and informs the lived experience and identity of those inhabiting the place and, if illuminated and elevated, has the potential to inspire and innovate, to build and strengthen community, to challenge the status quo and to help people better understand their reality in relation to history and the world. But place is not universally defined and is being abstracted all the time. Lines are being blurred between local, regional and global identities. Some consider these shifts to be a destructive force on sense of place. Some believe that the effort to stand out in a global world results in a flattening or commodification of the story of place. Others consider rootedness to place a hindrance in a globalized and modernized world. How can stories of place be used to inspire and innovative community development and economic growth? Do communities and individuals that foster a connection to place and heritage hold an advantage over those that do not? How can design be used to foster the development or maintenance of a connection to place? In what ways does design that connects with sense of place enhance or inform, alter or augment individuals’ and communities’ identity? For Chinese-American geographer Yi-Fu Tuan (1977), place is understood in contrast to the concept of space, where place is “a concretion of value” and space is a network of the distances and expanses that separate or link places (p. 12). For geographer John Agnew, place is identified as any location that is imbued with meaning. This meaning can be personal or shared, emotional, experiential or historical and the implicit apprehension of this meaning can be understood as sense of place (Bhreithiún, 2012, p. 255). What factors come together to create sense of place? Is it something that is fixed or is it fluid and changing? In his seminal book Space and Place (1977), Tuan provides a concrete example of how story, imagination and history can come together to impact sense of place. He describes an interaction between physicists Niels Bohr and Wener Heisenberg when they visited the Kronberg Castle in Denmark. Bohr asks Heisenberg, “Isn’t it strange how this castle changes as soon as one imagines that Hamlet lived here?” Bohr notes the scientists’ tendency to approach the castle first in an objective way, admiring its architecture, materiality

august 13

submission THESIS.02: Domain Intro, Final

and formal characteristics. The pair’s initial understanding of the castle should remain unchanged once they come to know that Hamlet lived there, yet the castle changes completely. Bohr remarks, “Suddenly the walls and the ramparts speak a quite different language. The courtyard becomes an entire world, a dark corner reminds us of the darkness in the human soul” (p. 4). An awareness of story, whether it is based in fact or fiction, has the power to alter experience, to augment sense of place, in a dramatic way. How can this power be harnessed to create more impactful and meaningful design? Although there are many layers (physical, social, spiritual, emotional, environmental) that contribute to sense of place, the importance of historical stories is particularly powerful, as the example above illustrates. When we understand the history of the soil that we’re standing on, are we able to better imagine our own place in the world, on a historical continuum as well as a geographical one? Can that connection to the past inspire, inform and innovate for the future? Does the understanding of a place’s history allow individuals to forge a deeper and more meaningful connection to place? Is historical perspective necessary in developing a strong sense of place? A place does not become historic simply because it has occupied the same site for some time, as Tuan describes in Space and Place (1977). The past has little or no impact on the present unless it is actively recounted in history books or celebrated with monuments or festivities. Why is a recounting of a place’s history important to its contemporary experience? Tuan writes, “To strengthen our sense of self the past needs to be rescued and made accessible” (p. 174). In this way, he links personal identity with sense of place. What is the relationship between personal and collective identity and the connection to place? There are many who advocate for a return to sources, the elevation of the vernacular and a celebration of the heritage of a place in an effort to rescue the past and strengthen sense of self, while others stress a more indirect and subtle connection with the implicit qualities of place. How can a place’s historical narrative be incorporated into contemporary experience without resorting to wistful nostalgia? A tangible example of graphic design being employed to share historical stories of place can often be found on the facades of historical buildings. In Halifax, plaques adorn dozens of historical buildings throughout the city that indicate the names of

I 149

the past inhabitants and the years that they lived there. Why is this information important to passersby? Does it help them connect with place in a more meaningful way? Do these plaques tell enough of a story to engage the imagination in an enriching way? What is communicated in the highlighting (and omitting) of certain buildings’ stories over others? How can this type of historical storytelling be done more effectively, having a greater impact on sense of place? Finally, is there a way to integrate the historical narrative with the contemporary experience in a way that inspires and innovates, builds and strengthens community and has the potential to challenge the dominant narrative? Most often, placemaking is discussed in relation to the built environment and less often in relation to visual culture. In his essay “Graphic Design, Globalization and Placemaking in the Neighbourhoods of Amsterdam” (2012), Bharain Mac an Bhreithiún makes the case for graphic design as a fundamental influence on how people connect with the city as place. He writes, “We can think of graphic design in the urban environment as writing a series of competing narratives of place, defining the city in different ways, some of which could be critiqued as exclusionary or as a means of approving or legitimizing aspects of the city’s identity, while others could be seen as more open and inclusive” (p. 255). He explores the capacity of graphic design to open up a public forum for the discussion of globalization and its effect upon a city’s sense of place (p. 268). If sense of place informs personal and collective identity, can design use the principles of placemaking to create work that builds community and/ or strengthens individuals’ identity or sense of self? How can design acknowledge a multitude of narratives of place or resist those narratives that might be damaging to sense of place, without being exclusionary? Most conversations that are taking place around placemaking relate to urban environments. Frampton emphasizes the necessity of boundaries when talking about place: boundaries that he defines by an urban density necessary to realize the public realm and, by extension, culture (2002, p. 85). But if placemaking is understood as a process of reacting and relating to one’s surroundings, then sense of place is everywhere and placemaking must occur as frequently in rural

I 150

environments as in urban ones. How is the process of placemaking changed in a rural setting? What challenges and opportunities do rural communities face that can be impacted by developing or strengthening sense of place? Many centres, both rural and urban, depend on a strong sense of place to attract visitors and new residents. For places with a heavy dependency on tourism, a strong sense of place is critical to the local economy. How can an authentic sense of place be developed and shared, without being commodified and consequently flattened? As boundaries and connections to place become blurred in a globalized and increasingly digital world, fostering a connection to place offers a way for individuals and communities to crystallize their personal and collective identity. Exploring how designers can engage with placemaking to create work that is at once connected to place, history, community and storytelling while remaining not only relevant but innovative in a global environment is critical in recognizing and understanding the power of place-based design.

References Bhreithiún, B. M. (2012). “Graphic Design, Globalization, and Placemaking in the Neighbourhoods of Amsterdam.” Imagining Global Amsterdam: History, Culture and Geography in a World City. Ed. Marco de Waard. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, 255-271. Frampton, K. (2002). “Towards a Critical Regionalism: Six Points for an Architecture of Resistance.” Labour, Work and Architecture: Collected Essays on Architecture and Design. London: Phaidon Press, 77-89. Project for Public Spaces (2012). What is placemaking? Retrieved from www.pps.org/reference/what_is_ placemaking/ Tuan, Y. (1977). Space and place: The perspective of experience. Minneapolis: The University of Minnesota Press.

thesis.03

Metaphor descriptions As we learned in our assignments for 6200 and 6030, metaphors can be a helpful tool for communicating and clarifying information. With this assignment, we were asked to find three metaphors that we could use to explain our thesis domain or topic. This exercise demanded we look at our domains from various perspectives and find compelling analogies that we could use to make our somewhat abstract domains more concrete.

I 151

august 07 August 13

submissions THESIS.03: Descriptive Metaphors, Drafts 01 & 02

Degree Project Development: Descriptive Metaphors

Metaphor 1: Lighthouse

I 152

A small white and red lighthouse sits on a point along the coast of the Bay of Fundy. Its existence is intrinsically linked with different aspects of its unique location: the geography, the people who live there, the climate and weather, the place’s heritage. In the past, the lighthouse served as a beacon, warning of dangerous conditions and acting as a guiding light for sailors making their way into port. It was a functional marker of place, underscoring the place’s climate, geography, industry and economy. Today, its original function has been rendered obsolete by changing industry and new technology, however it remains a marker of place. Its now serves as a different type of record–one of the way things were, a marker of heritage. The changing nature of the lighthouse’s relationship to the land, the people and history can act as a metaphor for understanding the many layers that contribute to a sense of place, something that is fluid and malleable. Preserving the lighthouse, despite its loss of relevance, is one approach to building and maintaining sense of place and a connection to the past.

Metaphor 2: The Silver Box Imagine a wooden box in a dusty attic. Inside the box is a silver case, with a lightly engraved cover and delicate hinges. When you discover it, you first behold the box’s form: its appearance, its materiality, its aesthetic qualities, its apparent craftsmanship. Next you pick up the box and experience it in a tactile way: the cool smoothness of its metal casing, the quiet creak of its hinges as you open it, the musty smell of its red velvet lining. You begin to imagine what it might have been used for, exploring its potentiality through movement, relating it to other items you know and use. You try to place it in historical context. At this point you have a certain understanding of the box, based on your sensory experience of it and your imagination. Then you learn that the box belonged to your great grandfather; he used it during the war to protect letters and photographs, to keep cigarettes, to collect trinkets. With each different layer of understanding comes a different experience

of the box. While the object itself remains unchanged, your relationship and connection to it is greatly altered. So it is with place. We experience place in many different ways and on many different levels, from a purely aesthetic and objective perspective to one that is deeply personal and emotional, from one that is contemporary and modern to one that is rooted in history. As our knowledge and awareness of the story of place is heightened, so too is our connection to that place. The practice of placemaking attempts to draw on the many stories of place (which can be historical, emotional, spiritual, geological) to enhance our experience of and connection to the spaces we inhabit. It is in the added meaning that would come from knowing the box belonged to one of your ancestors, that implicit emotional and personal connection, that the power and potential of place to impact our lived experience is realized.

Metaphor 3: Strangers Imagine yourself in a room full of strangers. They know each other but you do not know them. At first, you stand alone with your back to the wall, watching the way the people interact with one another. You observe subtle patterns and relationships between them, but you feel no connection to anyone or anything until you venture into the crowd. Perhaps you meet one person who introduces you to others. They tell you stories about themselves and you get a feel for their mannerisms. You study their appearance and begin to recognize individuals in a sea of strangers. You come to understand and explore the networks that exist between them. The better you get to know the individuals, the more comfortable you feel in the room; the more you feel you belong. So is the process of turning space into place–of becoming connected to your surroundings. When you find yourself in a new location, be it a city or a village or the wilderness, the area is simply space, filled with unfamiliar structures or topographical features that are yet to become personal landmarks. If you do not venture forward and explore your

surroundings, it is as if you stayed with your back to the wall in the room full of strangers. You are an outsider, you are uncomfortable and perhaps you wish to leave. But as soon as you start to explore, you being to develop a sense of place–a subtle understanding of the peculiarities of your surroundings. Sense of place is not always positive. You may find that you have nothing in common with the people in the room. Perhaps, the more people you meet, the stronger your urge to leave grows. In this way, sense of place is not only about coming to understand place, but also about coming to know yourself– in understanding the nature of a place, or the individuals in a room, you come to understand where you fit in. You’re able to recognize those places that make you feel at home and those places that make you feel alienated. In essence, sense of place is the understanding that comes from getting to know the many layers of a place. The deeper that understanding is, the stronger the sense of place and, by extension, the stronger your sense of self and identity. I 153

thesis.04

graphic model In a further attempt to communicate and clarify our thesis domain, we were asked to create a graphic model that plotted out the influences and areas of interest within our domain. This acts as a tool to identify potential areas of research that we may not have considered before.

Draft 01

This is meant to clarify the domain. Make sure you arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t further complicating it. Focus on what are the influences to placemaking and what is impacted by placemaking? And refocus the model to centre around your thesis question rather than the practice of placemaking. Draft 02 with feedback I 154

Feedback from Christopher, 08/09

Design Opportunity

Rural Experience

Reacting to globalization

Urban Experience

Connecting with history

Getting to know a new city

Potential focus of research

Global Citizenship

D Economy

How can design harness the power of placemaking?

Individual Well-being

Lived Experience

Tourism Risk of commodification of sense of place

Participatory design/co-design

Community engagement

Community development

Resistance to development

Connection to homeland

Creative Economy (job creation)

Branding and marketing

Community Identity

Personal Identity

possible link?

Emma Joy Lovell | August 13, 2013

Graphic Model of the Domain

MDes Thesis/Degree Project Development

august 13

submission

THESIS.04: Graphic Model

I 155

thesis.05

thesis introduction poster & presentation The culmination of the summer semester included the creation of a large poster that was to be designed as a visual aid during our final presentation to the Thesis Review Committee. The poster was to give a visually-compelling overview of the ideas we were dealing with in our domain overview. The work demanded that we apply all of the skills we learned over the course of the semester, including abstract communication and an engagement with the idea of the field as a mode of representation.

I 156

The inspiration for my poster came to me during a kayak day trip on the Bay of Fundy. The layers of rock beneath the surface of the earth were representative of the layers of stories that lie beneath places. Accessing those stories connects you to the place, in the same way that the trees are connected to the rocks below them.

I 157

LAYERS OF PLACE Beneath every place lie hundreds of stories, stories rooted in history, in the lives of the people who live there, in the visitors the place attracts, in the geology and the natural environment. The connections that individuals develop to places rest on the comprehension of those stories. Communities and regions depend on stories of place to define their character and uniqueness. When stories of place are made accessible, are told in a compelling way, they have the power to build community, to improve the experience and well-being of visitors and residents, and to strengthen the economy. From Presentation speaking notes, 08/12 I 158

Iteration One Feedback

Iteration TWO Feedback

Landscape should be raised up to highlight that the stories of place lie beneath, if that’s what’s important. Sans-serif fonts are better in titlecase as it allows their beautiful curves and delicacy to show through–they look to square in all capitals.

Because all of the background elements have a similar density (there is little contrast), the poster ends up look flat. If you can pull out some key elements and make them darker, it will create depth and relationships between the different elements, making it more compelling.

From Candace, 08/08 From christopher, 08/09

I 159

august 13

presentation THESIS.05: Thesis Introduction

I 160

thesis.05

thesis introduction presentation feedback

I 161

I 162

I 163