A Record of My Work at UIC

PRESTON WELKER A RECORD OF MY WORK AT UIC CL 2105 NONBREAKABLE

Side 1

XLP 75526

1. FUNDAMENTALS OF ARCHITECTURE - Welker 2. HOUSE DESIGN - Welker 3. PAVILIONS - Welker and Guests

A RECORD OF MY WORK AT UIC. Music is a universal language that can be understood by all, regardless of origin.

The tones, rhythms, melodies, and vibrations project emotion and feeling.

When combining songs to create a record (EP/LP), artists often aim to tell a story. The organization of tracks becomes as important as their content.

Like music, Architecture is a universal language with the ability to reach any audience. It speaks through its form and materiality, through space, light, and texture.

SIDE 1

2.

HOUSE

THE PEAK OF THE MUSIC.

1.

It was the goal of the studio to develop a type of “house architecture� that is irreducible in form, seemingly underdeveloped, and created simply through the combination of the previously discussed architectural fundamentals.

FUNDAMENTALS THE INTRODUCTION.

Working from the belief that there is a finite number of architectural forms and compositional realities, an attempt was made to reduce these possibilities down to four elements: Planes, Corners, Openings, and Modifiers.

3.

PAVILIONS A TRANSITION TO STYLE.

Technology plays several important roles in the creation of architecture.

Studying precedents and applying a new understanding of systems to your own design allows for the creation of a more complete architecture. with special guests, Danny Travis, Rachel Schenk Alexander Culler Anthony Prom, Angela Ngo Teddie Goldenberg

Let’s take a listen to

THE FUNDAMENTALS OF ARCHITECTURE

1.

Track 1 was based off the belief that architecture can be reduced to a finite catalog of architectural elements. These planes, corners, and openings can be combined and modified to create an infinite amount of possible architectures.

Similarly, every building can be stripped of stylistic elements and fundamentally reduced to a simple combination of planes, corners, openings and modifiers.

Artist Management : Paul Preissner FALL 2013 UIC Records MANUFACTURED IN CHICAGO, IL Written/Produced by Preston Welker

PLANES There are five fundamental plane types: flat, half slant, full slant, double slant, and offset. A plane can be used to create a wall, floor, ceiling, etc.

CORNERS There are four fundamental corner conditions: two planes meet to form a single line, multiple lines or a curve, an implied corner, and a surface as a corner.

OPENINGS There are four fundamental opening types that can be used to create doors, windows, skylights, etc. They are: an opening that touches a single edge, no edge, multiple edges, or a perforated plane.

MODIFIERS There are five modifiers that can be used to manipulate any of the fundamental elements and/or their combinations. They are: orientation, module, mass, proportion, and twist.

PLANES

PLANES

P5

P4

P5v

P4v

P3

P2

P3v

FLAT

HALF SLANT

FULL SLANT

DOUBLE SLANT

OFFSET

P1 P2v

P1v

CORNERS C4

C4v C3

C3v

C4V

C2

SINGLE LINE

C2v

C1

CORNERS MULTIPLE LINES

IMPLIED

SURFACE

C3V

C1v C2V

C1V

OPENINGS

O4v

O3v

O2v

O4 O1v

OPENINGS SINGLE EDGE

O3

O2

O1

NO EDGE

MULTIPLE EDGE

PERFERATION

MODIFIERS O(R)IENTATION

5 fundamental planes 5 modifiers + M(A)SS

4 fundamental corners 5 modifiers +

(T)WIST

4 fundamental openings 4 modifiers = 8,000 Fundamental Combinations

(M)ODULE

(P)ROPORTION

Everyones favorite song

HOUSE DESIGN

2.

In Track 2, the fundamentals of architecture combine to create an ideal house. Individual combinations of planes, corners and openings were specifically selected to optimize the spacial qualities of each programmatic space. The goal was not to develop a fully refined house design, but to create a house that is ideally shaped and fundamentally irreducable.

Artist Management : Paul Preissner FALL 2013 UIC Records MANUFACTURED IN CHICAGO, IL Written/Produced by Preston Welker

P3.C1

P1.C2

Dining Bedroom

P3.C2

Fundamental Combinations

Bedroom

*Selected Combinations

NW Elevation

0’

2’

4’

8’

Entry Living Kitchen

P4.C3

Living Kitchen

P5.C4

Entry Living Kitchen

a

b

e c

d g f

First Floor Plan

N

0’

4’

8’

16’

a. b. c. d. e. f. g. h. i. j.

formal living living kitchen dining garage storage restroom bedroom 1 bedroom 2 master bedroom

j

h i

Second Floor Plan

N

0’

4’

8’

16’

a. b. c. d. e. f. g. h. i. j.

formal living living kitchen dining garage storage restroom bedroom 1 bedroom 2 master bedroom

Let’s mix it up with some Pavilions

The Transglass pavilion was a collaborative effort between Preston Welker, Danny Travis, and Rachel Schenk. Influenced by the works of SANAA, this pavilion uses several layers of glass in one direction to distort views in the perpendicular direction and provide complete transparency in the parallel direction.

TRANSGLASS

In collaboration with Alexander Culler, the Fiberduck pavilion serves as an all-in-one water destination; a place for boats to dock and people to swim and interact. In “Boat Mode,” the Fiberduck has the ability to travel from bridge to bridge where it can be suspended in a variety multi-functioning of positions.

FIBERDUCK Open Mode

Closed Mode

Roof Mode

Boat Mode

3.

The understanding and exploration of different technological systems is an important aspect of architectural education. Studying precedents and applying your research to a project allows one to further understand the systems, as well as provides an opportunity to expand upon them, creating new ways to achieve similar goals. These pavilions were designed as a means to further understand such systems.

Artist Management : Luis Ortega FALL 2013 UIC Records MANUFACTURED IN CHICAGO, IL Written/Produced by Preston Welker Special guests : Danny Travis Rachel Schenk Alexander Culler Anthony Prom Angela Ngo Teddie Goldenberg

The Skytree was a collaborative effort between Preston Welker and Anthony Prom. Organized as an artificial forest, the Skytree’s create a wildlife friendly environment that connects the earth to the sky and people to nature. With a variety of possible perforation patterns, each Skytree creates its own

SKYTREE

A truncated Octahedra is a fourteen sided mass created by six squares and eight hexagons. In collaboration with Angela Ngo and Teddie Goldenberg, the Octahedra pavilion was created as a module installation. At different scales, the modules take on different material characteristics, creating new possibilities.

OCTAHEDRA

Perforation Variations

Upward Views

x6

x8

Truncated Octahedra

skyTree Assembly 1

skyTree Assembly 2

skyTree Assembly 3

14 modules surround 1

Please flip record

Please flip record

PRESTON WELKER A RECORD OF MY WORK AT UIC CL 2105 NONBREAKABLE

Side 2

XLP 75526

4. UPHOLSTERY - Welker 5. PLASTER - Welker 6. CRETEUR - Welker and Travis

A RECORD OF MY WORK AT UIC.

“The highest purpose of art is to inspire. What else can you do?

What else can you do for anyone but inspire them?”

Bob Dylan

SIDE 2

6.

4.

CRETEUR THE SHOW STOPPER.

UPHOLSTERY A SOFT, SLOW SONG.

The art of upholstery is one that is often overlooked.

Techniques are handed down from generation to generation. The goal of this class was to explore these techniques and create our own. This is an exploration of actual softness.

5.

PLASTER LET’S PICK UP THE PACE. Transitioning from softness to hardness, the goal was set to achieve the appearance of softness through the use of fabric and other materials as a formwork for a plaster and concrete. This is an exploration of implied softness.

Using the traditional techniques of upholstery and idea of fabric formed concrete, a new style of furniture was created.

Creteur is an exploration of grotesque fabric formed concrete fused with soft forms to create an animal like piece of functional art.

The texture of the materials and free forming of the concrete combine with a new type of seam that allows an area of softness to penetrate the hard concrete and reveals a gross mess of fabric and string beneath the piece. All of these elements combine to give each furniture piece its own personality. with special guest, Danny Travis

Soft sounds in

UPHOLSTERY Lazy Cushion 2 inch foam

Polyester Fiberfill

Wood Structure

4.

Track 4 of this record introduces Artist Management : Molly Hunker the art of upholstery as a soft, FALL 2013 UIC Records smooth transition from technical to MANUFACTURED IN CHICAGO, IL creative. The Lazy Cushion is an exploration of literal softness in Written/Produced by Preston Welker a way that is meant to test ones perception of softness. The top portion is meant to look rigid when, in fact, the top is soft and unsupported. This transitions into a loose, obese, seemingly unrestricted area that is structured.

Sounds of solitude with

PLASTER

5.

While the previous track focused on the reality of softness, Plaster focuses on the implication of softness. Through the use of fabric as a formwork, the plaster forms take on the texture and sometimes, appearance of their fabric molds.

The fabric allow the plaster to form more freely, eliminating many of the perameters of normal casting. Error becomes a beautiful expectation.

Artist Management : Molly Hunker FALL 2013 UIC Records MANUFACTURED IN CHICAGO, IL Written/Produced by Preston Welker

Listen and re-play record

CRETEUR

6.

Creteur is the personification of form in a way that questions our perception of the material world.

It is the creation of a new world; an experience; a reimagination of reality. Each Creteur has its own personality. It portrays its own thoughts and emotions. They interact with each other. They are the perfect collision of grotesqueness and beauty; beauty and truth; disgust and allure.

Artist Management : Molly Hunker FALL 2013 UIC Records MANUFACTURED IN CHICAGO, IL Written/Produced by Preston Welker Special Guests : Danny Travis

Process

1. The fabric form was drawn up with chalk.

2. Multiple layers were sewn together for strength then two halves were attached to one another.

6. The form is then slowly filled with intermittent amounts of concrete mixture.

7. Areas where foam is exposed or concrete was chipped off during the process of removing the fabric are then excavated and filled with plaster.

The collision of two worlds

3. Parachute cord is sewn into the outside edge of the fabric to use as support and for controlling the final form of the Creteur.

8. Plastered areas are then painted accordingly.

4. Frame assembled at the shop.

5. Hang the fabric using the cord along multiple points within the frame.

9. Fabric is cut to size and placed into the seams in the concrete form.

The fabric is then stuffed with fill as needed for the size of the pouf.

10. Seams from below are pulled until tight and then more fabric is added, including cording for effect.

Beauty

Truth

END OF RECORD. THANKS FOR THE LISTEN. - PRESTON WELKER