most of us are okay with it
There is no guarantee of success Rachel McConnell 13090160
mcconnellssister.tumblr.com
//GENERATION Y// We are a generation of people who just don’t care that much. Everything is temporary; everything can be done later. We are a generation who filter our lives and show the world how beautiful we are, how much fun we have and how much of the world we have seen. We are a generation of perpetual liars, and that’s okay. This year, I wanted to create a project that would excite us, conceptualise a place that could realise your wildest fantasies and more; and for once, not have it published for the world to see, or to have to try to hide it from your daily reality. I hope to create an environment without the trappings of generation-y; a [con]temporary escape for the [con]temporary generation.
//THE THRESHOLD//
This short was both the turning point and the epitome of my project. I had wanted to describe how I saw the transition between our realities and the lives we lead outside of duty, using colour and environment to articulate this. In the film, the subject transitions between their day to day reality, and the hyper-reality that is provided or created for them; the origin of the space is not defined, nor is their role with in it. It is purely an experiential environment that allows fantasies to be explored with a safeguard of anonymity. This film marked the beginning of my project, and set the path for the remainder of my work. Key Piece: Please see attached: 01_The Threshold
As the lift descended, I could feel the warmth intensifying inside, melting the hard wax exterior that had formed over the course of the week. Eight, seven, six; as it grew with every floor. Five, four‌ the lift pauses and His flame went out long ago, his soul traded along with the securities in his care, caught up in a deal with the devil. Three, two, one; my tie, like a noose around my neck, becomes a little looser as the lift comes to a heavy jerking halt on the ground floor. As we step out of the lift and towards the revolving door, I extend an arm; it is quite clear that he is more in need of this freedom that I am. Schwoop, schwoop, schwoop. T I encourage it; taking a deep breath which I feel race through my body. I dream of apricity. in the middle of the open plan office I catch glimpses of it through the maze of cubicles, but the feeling of the sunlight on my skin seems like a distant memory. I can hear them in the distance; their low hum is distinctive and can just about be made out over the tired din of the city. Occasionally you might catch a glimpse through the buildings, swooping down to street level for a moment, before shimmering back up to its murmuring heights. I remember not knowing; of course people had theories, there were rumours of missing people, of falling bodies and whispers of power and debauchery. But never anything more than hear-say, no story ever came directly from the horse’s mouth, so somehow a cover of uncertainty always remained. Now the sound means something completely different to me; it is familiar. The package had arrived the day of my promotion, sat ominously on my desk when I arrived that morning, too early to be the part of the usual office delivery. I pulled at the tape and the contents dropped from the parcel, too heavy for what it was, like a sack of grain that had reached the top floor of the mill. Looking up at me from beside my keyboard, I slid the artefact into my pocket and out of sight; knowing instinctively that this was not a delivery that others needed to be made aware of. T
On opening my wallet this morning, I had noticed the dull glow coming from the slot beside my oyster card. Like a bioluminescent rod at the bottom of a deep hole, the logo usually only embossed on the opaque plastic was now an iridescent blue.
//THE ANIMALS OF CANARY WHARF//
London City Airport provides a threshold between daily reality and gen-y’s favourite form of escapism; travel. Its proximity to Canary Wharf makes the gen-y members who work there the ideal subjects for this proposal. They spend their week in high pressure jobs, acting the part of the professional and earning a salary that allows them to exit that role, come the weekend. I am taking this opportunity to provide the ultimate escape for them, facilitate the acting out of fantastical situations, without fear of their actions affecting their reality by coming back to haunt them through social media. I am to provide an escape from reality and the trappings of generation-y. Please see: 02_The Animals of Canary Wharf
//DEFINING THE BRIEF//
y initial thoughts on the classification of generation y centred around the notion of li ing for the weekend. ue to the pre alence of social media; keeping our working and personal li es separate has become more of a challenge. acebook allows us to be constantly connected to our colleagues, gi ing them a direct line to our pri ate li es; something that may not always be beneficial. This sketch mo ie e plores the idea of the transition between these two persona s, raising the uestion of how we keep these li es separate and e ploiting the latter when gi en the opportunity. lease see
efining The rief
//SENSORY DEPRIVATION// One of my initial lines of research was looking at the idea of sensory deprivation, and the effect it has on heightening the senses once the user emerges. s part of this e ploration, I e perienced a oatation tank for myself and was excited by the idea of exploiting the effect the isolation brings upon the senses and experiences. Common understanding of smell, light, sound and taste were a few of the senses that were challenged after my hour long session. This line of research led me to explore the idea of exploiting the senses, how this is being achieved currently, and how I might take the idea of exploitation further. Particularly in connection to the idea of generation-y and the notion of split persona.
//THE CLOUD// Social media generation-y’s corner stone. We publish the intimate details of our private lives online for all to see; all be it a very carefully edited ersion of oursel es, specifically for public consumption. This sketch video looks at my online persona at a glance, picking out the recently posted and easily accessible information that I deemed suitable for world wide publication. We can pretend to be anyone we want to be, and take full advantage of this opportunity. Please see: 04_The Cloud
//ESCAPING REALITY// The idea of sensory deprivation took on a new form in terms of the journey from London City Airport. Rather than being immersed in darkness and uiet, it is ones identity that is temporarily nullified. Passing through security, the passengers would remove all identifying objects, anything that suggests status, personality or interests; allowing them to pretend to be anything they desire. The passengers will not be reunited with their belongings until they exit the destination at the other end. This allows the entire experience to be carried out without knowledge of who the other passengers really are. Without identity, particularly access to their online self, comes the inability to document events which means that there is no chance of their actions coming back to haunt them. There will be no photos turning up on facebook, no videos or soundbites. Nothing to edit or beautify. The experience is to be lived and then forgotten. The ultimate escapism.
the journey
Back in the cold air of the night, I begin to walk. Not towards the underground station as would be the case on any other given day, but aimlessly. it is just a matter of wandering the streets and waiting for my lift. My years of observation had taught me that the swarm is made up of a collection of components; I’m not sure what it is exactly that they all do. They sit on telephone wires, electricity pylons and atop buildings; biding their time. You never see it coming. But considering they sweep me off my feet with such speed, and so little effort, I assume the lift has to come from one of the bigger ones. There are fewer of these, but they are noticeably larger, with extremities that hang below the body like the legs of a giant insect. and then in an instant, your feet have left the ground and your stomach is displaced, like when you drive over a bump in the road a little too fast, or a fairground ride that drops you from a height. I was scared of the dark as a child, but It is a welcoming, comforting darkness. Complete nothingness. I don’t recall how long it took me the first time, to feel smothered by my clothing, but now it is almost instantaneous. so I know In the dark I remove every thread on my body and let it drop beneath me. I am not suspended in liquid, yet I have no idea of the scale of this place, without light you can see no edges, no walls, no floor. I am floating in what feels like an eternity, and suddenly
Without stimuli, not only do It always takes a while for my mind to give-in to the isolation; in the past I have screamed into the darkness to pass the time and never received an answer, so I know I am alone here. Without time, it is hard to tell if you are awake or not, but the longer I spend in this environment, the easier I find it to relax. I feel the wash of calm come over my body and it could be hours that my mind and I spend in silence.
//LONDON CITY CIRCUS// This sketch video was created by overlaying footage of Ibiza, the colours of the circus and the return ight from our field trip to Ibi a. ea ing from and landing at ondon ity irport, I became interested in its pro imity to anary harf and the people who work there. The airport offers a uick escape for those working in the high pressure jobs there. eneration y ha e grown up in the knowledge that the world is a ery small place, easily accessible by cheap ights, and we are not afraid to make the most of this. Those looking to escape the drudgery of the working week can be on a ight and in Ibi a within only a few hours of lea ing work. lease see
ondon ity ircus
//TOURISM STATISTICS// The above diagram looks at the number of tourists visiting the island annually; specifically their geographical origin, with particular interest to the percentage coming from the UK. British tourists make up around 30% of all visitors to the island, which equates to roughly 600,000 people in 2014. Given that Ibiza is only accessibly by air or by sea, the number of people passing through IBZ is a commodity available to this proposal.
//ACCESSING EVISSA// This map looks at the movement of transport to and from the island of Ibiza by air and by sea. This includes both people and goods throughout the year; encompassing both the high tourist season and the winter months, although clearly the movement of people during these times would be drastically different. Ibiza is 571km2, and is home to roughly 130,000 people of permanent residency. The island sees an influx of around 2million people during the summer months of May to October. The majority of these tourists are typically generation-y, looking to experience the music and night-life that the island is famous for.
LONDON (LCY) TO IBIZA ,SPAIN (IBZ)// LCY-IBZ ights per week or annually ppro . hours mins ight time IBZ-LCY ights per week or annually ppro . hours mins ight time typical ticket price from erage appro . enerates appro . , km or ppro . ,
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//ZONE 5 STUDY TRIP// s part of our in estigation into the culture of generation y, our field trip was self organised. e took it upon oursel es to arrange a week in Ibi a, all aspect of which we tailored to our own re uirements. pending a week on the island, we created a roaming studio; taking time to e plore the island and immerse oursel es in our studio ethic. These stills are taken from a mo ie I made that documented our time on the island. The e perience was ery much about the natural en ironment and the company of others. It was a lease see
success. one Take Ibi a
//EVISSA// Annual Weather Statistics
//EVISSA// Monthly Wind Direction
//EVISSA// Annual Prevailing Winds
//THE CONTROL// As a sequel to The Threshold, I created a short to further explore the idea of escaping reality, particularly the idea of being able to in uence or control your surroundings in order to better appreciate them. At this point, the idea of the experience being orchestrated by an external party (the control) was a part of the research. The control aims to explore the idea that we publish aspect of our lives online, aspects of ourselves that we might not normally expose, yet we do it willingly. This information that we offer is rarely an accurate re ection of oursel es, it is highly edited to ensure that people see the best side of ourselves. This is a characteristic of generation-y. We lie. Key Piece Please see: 07_The Control
it is our vision and our creation
the destination
//ITS AMAZING WHAT YOU CAN DO IN 22 HOURS// We were set a challenge to create a drawing that took no more than 22 hours; that was our only brief. Although the image was curated and composed at random, the result is a playground of sorts, one serviced by a concealed engine room that separated from the playground by darkness and isolation. This drawing was the base for the animated section, above.
//ANIMATED SECTION// Having created an architectural drawing at random, this sketch movie explored the idea of separating the working environment and the light through immersion in sensual isolation. The two environments are made distinctly separate through the use of animated and real footage, combined with colour and monochromatic light. I wanted to describe the feeling of emerging from isolation and how it can change even a familiar environment. Please see: 08_Animated Section
For all I know, I may have been asleep for days. Perhaps it is because of this, not knowing how much time has passed, that the following events occur without sleep; without even a hint of fatigue. Concern is not a notion that even enters my thoughts here. Without warning or reason, the darkness begins to slowly disperse. With the new light I am able to judge the space I am in, and yet somehow I know that this is not the same space that I have been isolated in; there are people, there is movement. I It is like waking up from a long refreshing sleep, it takes a while for my muscles to adjust to the feeling of gravity again. Just as I regain my body, I realise the darkness has gone completely, as quickly as it arrived, it seems. But I am not the same, the view before me is crisper than anything you might see without isolation. ; before me is a vast shoreline, with water lapping against the rocks; rough beneath my feet. . The breeze picks up the sea-spray and sand, whipping it through the air and I can see every grain in detail. I can hear every impact as the breeze throws its passengers against the surrounding rock face. Every time I emerge it’s the same, although the scenery will be different; a woodland or a mountain top, but every time, I am overcome with the intensity of my understanding of the space. Around me are dozens of people, all stood in the same state of naked amazement, yet there is no indication of how we got here. Here we are all strangers. In the same way our isolation was scale-less, . The first time, I was sure that we had just been transported to a foreign landscape; but I know now that this scenery will change, morph before my eyes. You can always spot the first-timers by their reaction; I think it is the floor that does it… Seeing the horizon transform into a solid wall only metres from your face in a matter of seconds is confusing, but seeing the floor disappear beneath your feet is truly unnerving. I think I have decided that it must be some sort of a projection. . I don’t know how they do it, but I am so glad they do. Every time I emerge from the darkness, I am amazed at the beauty before me, for every scene is a replica of a destination or phenomena on earth, a sunset or lightning storm; natural but so utterly captivating in its perfect splendour. The space moves internally in the same undulating way it is observed from the ground; But the lack of sense of time means that these pulsations are not as rapid when inside the space, as one might expect. As the space warps, the projections change and the volume changes not only scale, but location and function. Suddenly, the space splits again, this time it feels more necessity than scene change. It is quick, jerky and the projection is for a fraction of a second, interrupted. Before I ‘knew’, I would sometimes watch as a bird, plane or some foreign object come into contact with the swarm. Rather than forming a solid obstacle to be flown into, the interlocking surface would split, creating a clear path for whatever was headed towards it, closing again once the obstacle had passed. Like a school of fish avoiding a predator.
//EVISSA// Site Location Plan
//SITE LOCATION// The destination is located on the southern boundary of Ibiza Airport, adjacent to the salt ats. The destination acts as an alternative arrivals lounge for the passengers and as with other arrivals lounges, the passengers will pass through all security checks as they enter Ibiza, only in this case, they will not be aware of it. Once the passengers board the plane, they will be unaware of their location until such time they exit the destination (through the maze - at the end of the journey .
//THE DESTINATION// Floor Plan in Context. Scale 1:500 @A1
//OCCUPATION OF SPACE// While the site is associated with the airport, it is not part of the existing building, allowing the passengers to enter Ibiza in an entirely new way. The passengers disembark the plane via the hyper-reality created for them, a series of spaces that challenge and exploit the senses and morals. Mirroring the notion of exposing yourself online, throughout the experience the passengers are being watched. The interior and exterior of the space are intertwined but utterly operate, the passengers and onlookers never coming into contact, the meandering lines on the drawing indicate these movements. The passengers activities are projected at locations around the site for the entertainment of onlookers. To what extent can anonymity protect us, and at what point does that disguise stop being effective?
//DESALINATION// ocated adjacent to the salt ats of Ibi a, the site uses this resource throughout the proposal. circuit of water is pumped and filtered to create different en ironments for the inhabitants of the building, desalination allowing for this. The e cess salt which is remo ed as part of the desalination process is then directed towards the oatation pools in which the passengers can oat in darkness and uiet, mo ing from pool to pool until they reach the lowest le el at which point the pools meet the salt ats and iews of the sea, or e en the setting sun. The clean water is sprayed as a fine mist into the main structure, into which images of e er changing en ironments are projected. t the mouth of the ri er, this mist is cooled and condensed, forming droplets of water that falls as rain before joining the salt pools in which the passengers oat.
//FREE TO WANDER// The landscape of the proposal is accessible to the public. Anyone can access the site, (not including the airport, past the point of security) and move between the structures that make up the atypical playground. The structures do not give away clues as to their interior, but give suggestions to the space. The central areas of the landscape can be accessed ia in atable slides and climbing ropes, giving the audience a taste of the experience; dwarfed amongst the giant structures and projections.
//SECURITY// The plane connects with the building in a way unlike any normal airport. ntering an in ated tube, the passengers bounce across the border, into Ibi a, passing through the security scanners located on the border of the airport. It is these images, of scanned, e posed bodies, that are projected around the site to the visiting audience. The passengers only join the audience at the end of their journey, when they collect their luggage ha ing passed security and officially entered Ibiza. The passenger can take any path through the destination that they chose. They can spend as much or as little time as they chose in passing through the different en ironments. The lack of scale of space and time making it easy to loose track of time.
//ENVIRONMENTS OF IBIZA// selection of images taken during the field trip, showing a few of the en ironments that we e perienced in Ibi a; water, light and colour being key to our e perience. The main themes that I took from the trip are the idea of community and being outdoors, atural light and in particular sunsets are key to the images and form some of my strongest memories of the place. ecreating and e tending the beauty of a sunset, the e citement of a con ersation, or the fear of an unsteady building or landscape are all emotions that could be re created and e perienced within the destination.
It must seem strange to an outsider, but clothes are too cumbersome and restrictive for this place. I dress myself for work, letting people know I mean business; silently suffocating in my sharp suit and crisp shirt. ; it doesn’t matter how we present ourselves or how we are perceived because here, we are no-man. However, on occasion, when the setting calls for it, costumes are provided through projections onto our skin. They are not physical or tangible, I do not have to get dressed, but they are real enough. It moves with me, fabrics draped over my body in glorious colour and sumptuous texture. Sometimes they are structures rather than mere clothes, great imposing creations that change my role within the space, becoming part of the environment rather than just performing in it. Suddenly, I am in a dark room with loud music that pulses though my body. Every harmony fills my head, every sound, and every instrument. The people that surrounded me before are closer and fewer; a body brushes past mine and I can feel every hair on their arm as it touches my skin; soft and intense. All around us, people are close, touching; the darkness seems to welcome this contact. Something I have noticed about these interactions; Every movement more graceful, every noise more considered and every action more beautiful. ; by who or what I do not know, but we are here at the invitation of someone, our presence is no accident. This space has been created for us; it is our stage, and every now and then I am reminded of this fact through the physical awareness of my counterparts.
//POOLS OF TRANQUILLITY// This section looks specifically at the connection between the main experiential space and the floatation pools. This connection is key because of the treatment of water between the spaces. By cooling and condensing the water, it is possible to change the nature of the water and transform the environments. The fluctuating shape forming the roof of the pools, is such that sound is absorbed and deflected to reduce its impact on the tranquil space. Reducing the impact of light and sound on the space enhances the notion of isolation and calm.
//DANCING IN THE RAIN// Each environment created within the destination is formed of light and sound to evoke feeling and emotion. Relating back to my experience of Ibiza, the connection with the earth is key to the success of the environments. For this reason, the ground within the spaces will remain untouched. As is documented in The Threshold, the passengers should be able to feel the earth between their toes... The pools with use a layer of spray concrete to create a water-tight, undulating surface to allow the water to pool and ow back down to the salt ats, while allowing the passengers to comfortably na igate the surface.
COMPLETING THE CYCLE// The water moves about the building in a cycle with varying degrees of concentration. While the water needs to be relatively pure when sprayed into the main space, by the time it has navigated the pools and reached the western opening, it will be mixed fully with the salt water from the ats and enabling the passengers to oat much in the same way as the isolation tanks mentioned previously.
//CONVERSATIONS WITH GOD// While the passengers are seemingly alone in their environment, there is of course a governing body that oversees and orchestrates events. The service hubs suspended from the structural intersections, and can be raised and lowered into the space as necessary, by means of the pulley system they are attached to. Each unit consists of a set of components, the functions of which are set out below. The main aim is to provide or facilitate anything the passengers could need while in the space. An intercom allows the passengers to contact the control for supplies such as food, medicine and even an early exit if necessary.
Attached to the structure of the main event space at roof level, the pulley system attached to the hub allows for the suspended services to be recoiled, out of reach of the passengers. They are located throughout the spaces, allowing for any eventuality.
praying the desalinated water, produced by the filtration system, the nozzles help disperse the mist in preparation for the emotive projections. While the majority of the mist will come from the external pumps, these additional no les help to fill the space e enly.
The suspended control panel provides all services that might be useful within the otherwise enclosed, unattended space. Plug sockets, USB ports, water supply and intercom are all located within the unit, accessible to the passengers.
Sockets available for the use of passengers within the space, as well as those occupying the space with environmental installations.
The environments projected into the space can be uploaded via the ports located throughout the space. They also allow passengers to download data from their experience.
Due to the duration of the passengers stay within the space; information and assistance can be attained through using the intercom provided within the service hub.
The passengers have access to drinking water from the taps provided, which can also be used for washing etc. While food and access to toilets will be provided sporadically/ on request, constant access to clean water is vital.
Having sanitary provisions fixed within the space would create obsticles for the passengers within. For this reason, toilets are suspended from the structure in much the same way the service hubs are, and are lowered down into place on request by means of a pulley system.
//JUST GOTTA POP THROUGH SECURITY// Nothing about this space should be ordinary. The entire experience should be unusual and exciting for the passengers, in order that they can experience an environment detached from reality. series of giant in atable balls will allow the passengers to jump from the plane as they pass through security. ncircling the tube, a scanning de ice will allow the security regulations to be adhered to when passing the border, without hindering the passengers movement. uch in the same way we post information about oursel es online, the passengers ne er know who is watching, and are obli ious to the show that hey are putting on, totally absorbed in their own actions.
//GLORIOUS GLITCH// The idea of a corrupted file puts fear in the heart of any generation yer. n this occasion, howe er, a collaboration between some corrupt photoshop files and renders, resulted in a selection of technicolour ersions of the proposal. fter all, WHAT IS LIFE IF NOT A SERIES OF FREAK ACCIDENTS...
Most of us are okay with it
//EVERYTHING EXPOSED// As the passengers actions are not concealed, neither are the structures facilitating them. The structure and mechanics behind the experience are exposed externally, maintaining a sense of mystery within the space. The nature of the building, however, would be unclear to those passing by air and landing at LCY. The desalination plant that feeds the aquatic system can be seen by all, adding to the intricacy of the building.
//THE GRAND EXIT// Exiting the airport is as much about ceremony as any other part of the experience. Having navigated the maze and having made their declarations to passport control (all be it a rather relaxed version), the passengers must then scale the mountain of suitcases in order to reclaim their belongings. The luggage is taken from the plane and passes high above the audience before falling to ground awaiting its collection. Nothing is ordinary, the chance of leaving with a co-passengers luggage, and therefore their identity is high.
, and the darkness sets in again. Like a mirror image of my emergence, the space seems to swallow me without any real indication of order or instruction. The darkness is not complete, nor am I weightless; I find myself sat in quiet privacy, warm and dimly lit. It is as if I have not been unreachable, there is nothing that needs to be ‘caught up’, leaving the come down as a chance to normalise my heart rate and process events; it is an alternate state where consent is law and actions are not judged. The effects of the sensory deprivation don’t take long to wear off, but the side-effects of the space endure for the duration of my stay. and I am enabled to I return to the street in one gentle movement; dressed and composed, as much a part of the city as anyone else the moment my foot touches the pavement. Just as the swarm arrived, so it disappears; a murmur of sound and movement that fades into the darkness that blankets the city. The swarm is secret. It is never spoken of; I have never mentioned it to anyone or heard of anyone who has. Nor is it worth testing this theory for we are the chosen few, and very aware of it. I return to reality as though waking from a dream.
//DESCRIBING SPACES// With a highly conceptual programme comes the issue of making onlookers understand. The spaces within my proposal are vast and empty, transforming continually to adapt to the passengers within. or this reason, the final mo ie of the project is a collage of the spaces; taking you through the building by room, by experience and trying to describe what it might be like to inhabit the space rather than articulate the structure. The video shows the loss of identity at LCY, disembarking the plane on arrival, the introduction to the space and the confusion brought about by it. It highlights the intended reality of the e perience; the emmersi e nature of the environments and feelings evoked by them. I ha e tried to con ey the use of light and colour, te ture and feeling; for it is the human experience of space that is vital to a concept such as this. Key Piece Please see: 09_Most of us are Lost. Most of us are okay with it.