Rianna Desai_Portfolio

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INTERIOR DESIGN PRATT INSTITUTE

My name is Rianna V Desai

I am a detail-oriented creative that seeks to add poetry to function. My versatile design interests help me pursue problem solving through unconventional multi-disciplinary methods. Process, analysis and intentionality are key in my design ideation. Keeping socio-cultural and environmental needs at the forefront is an important goal in my process. I am interested in curating special atmospheres and bringing out my culture and personality through my creations. As a creative professional, I consider myself an empathetic designer, looking to constantly learn and grow.

BUREAU BETAK : JONATHAN SIMKHAI SS22 NYFW

Information

Project Type : NYFW Show

Location : New York, NY

Date : 2021

Type : Internship project at Bureau Betak

Skill : Vectorworks, Rhino, Photoshop, Ilustrator, On site installation

Description

This project was part of the NYFW 2021. The show was designed for Jonathan Simkhai’s Spring/Summer 2022 collection. The show was inspired by his new collection that looked back at past moments of culture shifts and progress like the space race in the 60s.

COLOUR PALLETE

SOFT

BENCH IDEATION

IDEATION

FLOOR PLAN SKETCHES

RENDER VIGNETTES

BENCH COVERING EXPLORATIONS (MATERIAL EXPLORATIONS)

This page showcases some of my creative explorations in searching for an ideal design for Jonathan Simkhai.

Catering to the raw look of the site we wanted to bring in colour in an exciting way by creating a carpeted runway that would complement the colours and forms on the collection.

The material exploration of the benches helped challenge the way in which we use common materials.

However, due to budget restraints, we decided to use black metal benches that were a nod to the existing architecture of the space.

FINAL FLOOR PLAN ROUND CARPET TO JUXTAPOSE LINEAR ARCHITECTURE

DESIGN THAT PUSHES THE BOUNDARY AND CREATES A TENSION BETWEEN THE INDOOR AND OUTDOOR

DYNAMIC MODEL WALK

RENDERS OF CAMERA ANGLE VIEWS

FIRST LOOKS

REHEARSAL WALK (HYPERLINKED VIDEO OF FINAL SHOW)

THE GUGGENHIEM INTERNATIONAL GALA

MADE POSSIBLE BY DIOR

Information

Project Type : Gala & Concert

Location : New York, NY

Date : 2021

Type : Internship project at Bureau Betak

Skill : Vectorworks, Rhino, Photoshop, Ilustrator, On site installation

Description

“The Guggenheim International Gala, made possible by Dior, celebrates the Guggenheim’s yearly accomplishments and raises essential funds to further the museum’s range of internationally acclaimed exhibitions, educational programs, and forward-thinking initiatives. Featuring a seated dinner and honored guests, it is our most glamorous night of the year.”

THE MUSEUM EXHIBITION

Etel Adnan

Wassily Kandinsky

Gillian Wearing

Jennie C. Jones

Cecilia Vicuña

INSPIRATION

CARPET & SCREENS | Geometric Composition

CARPET | Flooring pattern

Movement and flow of shapes around the rotunda.

Large-scale colorblock carpet on the Rotunda floor.

17RV D EVENT TIMMELINE

RAMP PROJECTIONS | Shape Form and Texture

STAGE & PERFORMANCE | Panoramic screen & color blocking

Movement and flow of shapes around the rotunda.

Dynamic shapes and colors with a play on scale, reflection and contrast.

Date: 11 5 21

Project:

Version: V1

Logistic:

Date: 11 5 21

Project:

Version: V1

Logistic:

ROTUNDA FLOOR PLAN

INITIAL RENDERS (a,b) & PICTURE FROM EVENT DAY

b

Form at: TabloidDrawn by: Bureau Betak

VAX / SETS / ELEVATOR / CLOSED SET CREW CHECK IN

CLOSED SET NO CAMERA

TAKE STAIRS

Form at: Tabloid

Drawn by: Bureau Betak

RV D 19 VAX / SETS / ELEVATOR / CLOSED SET

a CHECK IN

OVERNIGHT CARPET INSTALLATION

LORDE’S PERFORMANCE STAGE SET UP, LIGHTING & PROJECTION

STAGE CONSTRUCTION DRAWINGS

BY BUREAUBETAK CREATIVE TEAM

FLOWERS & PLATES | Colour clusters and naturally stained

TABLE SETTING & MENU DESIGN MONOCHROMATIC THEME Tables and menus matching the colour on the carpet pattern on the floor

Learning curve: Colour matching all assets to look the same. Each object (linens, menus, chairs) take to colour differently and hence are each a slightly different customised colour to matchperfectly in person

EVENT DAY SETTING UP

STEP & REPEAT MOCK UP Hand painted S&R to achieve a natural, brush stroke, painted effect An ode to the artists on display at the Guggenhiem

STEP & REPEAT

ROTUNDA PROJECTIONS

NYFW & THE EVENTS OF FALL’21

BUREAU BETAK

Information Description

Project Type : NYFW, Retail, Exhibition, Opening nights, Premieres, Gala & Concert

Location : New York, NY

Date : 2021

Type : Projects while at Bureau Betak

Skill : Vectorworks, Rhino, Photoshop, Ilustrator, On site installation

Working as Design Intern at Bureau Betak, under the Head of Design in a team of 4.

Designing, Overseeing, on site, Helping installation, Managing teams.

TORY BURCH SS22

MICHAEL KORS SS22

GABRIELA HEARST SS22

HERMES FIT POP-UP

SCHIAPARELLI DSM DIOR ‘DESIGNER OF DREAMS’ OPENING NIGHT

RODARTE SS22

THE SHRINK NEXT DOOR APPLE TV PREMIERE

CURATING URBAN WORMHOLES

Information Description

Project Type : Cinematic installations

Location : New York

Date : 2021

Skill : Model making, Rhino, Photoshop, Illustrator, Autocad

Curating urban wormholes invites the exploration of the city through a new lens, by inserting cinematic experiences in sidewalk freight elevators that connect invisible, disparate moments in the cityscape. These wormholes camouflage into the city fab ric creating tension between site and user while activating unused ‘other’ spaces in the city.

GLOSSARY CINEMA The art or technique of making motion pictures WORMHOLE

The wormhole theory postulates that a theoretical passage through space-time could create shortcuts for long journeys across the universe. Wormholes are predicted by the theory of general relativity

MULTI-VERSE THEORY

Multiverse, a hypothetical collection of potentially diverse observable universes, each of which would comprise everything that is experimentally accessible by a connected community of observers

WHY_CINEMA

DIAGRAM / MULTI-VERSE

MULTI-VERSE THEORY

Multiverse, a hypothetical collection of potentially diverse observable universes, each of which would comprise everything that is experimentally accessi ble by a connected community of observers

USER V PROGRAM SHIFTING PERSPECTIVE

CINEMA DECONSTRUCTED HISTORY OF CINEMA

DIAGRAM / CINEMA BREAKDOWN DIAGRAM / FLANERIE

CINEMA DECONSTRUCTED HISTORY OF CINEMA

At first, films were very short, sometimes only a few minutes or less. They were shown at fairgrounds, music halls, or anywhere a screen could be set up and a room darkened. Subjects included local scenes and activities,

At first, films were very short, sometimes only a few minutes or less. They were shown at fairgrounds, music halls, or anywhere a screen could be set up and a room darkened. Subjects included local scenes and activities, views of foreign lands, short comedies and newsworthy events.

THE EXPERIENCE

THE EXPERIENCE

EXCHANGES

EXCHANGES

SOCIAL CULTURAL EMOTIONAL

SOCIAL CULTURAL EMOTIONAL

Cinemas used to provide a social interaction in the pre cinema buzz and post cinema discussion as well as the quiet company of like-minded individuals engaged in the same activity

Cinemas used to provide a social interaction in the pre cinema buzz and post cinema discussion as well as the quiet company of like-minded individuals engaged in the same activity

Cinemas used to provide a cultural interaction in the viewing of the media itself bringing the world slightly closer each movie at a time

Cinemas used to provide a cultural interaction in the viewing of the media itself bringing the world slightly closer each movie at a time

Cinemas used to provide an emotional interaction through the power of the lens provided and the after effect of it on the human condition

Cinemas used to provide an emotional interaction through the power of the lens provided and the after effect of it on the human condition

visually accessible from one another ostensible/ to explor/

abiding

block walking diameter

Ratatouille Carol Whiplash Thedanishgirl WillyWonka TheGrandBudapestHotel Alice In Wonderland

The network map diagrams the finalised locations for the network, the chosen cinemas and the trace zones in the urban fabric.

Re romanticizing the urban landscape by curating wormholes of cinematic experience. The closer one approaches a wormhole it gets infinitely harder not to experience it. Using this as a graphic rule, dictates that the immediate zone outside the experience is “activated” by the presence of the worm hole. This space is activated by benches that are designed to create different interactions, hence putting the people using the benches on display (in a performative act) as well as providing a space to pause and observe their surroundings and experience the city through a changed lens. The idea is inspired from not only the social component of cinema that brings strangers together for a common purpose ie to observe, but also inspired by the specific selection of movies that all speak to an idea of performance.

/

FINAL NETWORK MAP / NODES SITE AXON VIEW

The map illustrates the 10 locations of freight elevators that comprise of one network of cinematic expereinces

The map depicts the effect of the wormholes’ trace effect in the urban fabric. Inspired by the quantum theory that states- the closer one gets to a wormhole it gets infinitely harder to not experience it.

Below are cinema vignettes in freight cabins, experimenting with material colour and methods

ELEVATOR VIGNETTES

The site plan reflects the sporadic bench placement activating the street zone as well as the way-finding graphic that con nects the network of elevators.

The collages show the scale change of benches

The street section illustrates the simulta neity of the freight and the urban scale

WHOUSTONST.

WOOSTER ST.

STREET COLLAGE

BENCH DIAGRAMS

NIGHT/DAY STREET VIEW

The location of freight elevators is chosen because of its heterotopic quality, its ability to camoflauge into the city fabric enhances its wormhole like quality.

The re-use of “other” under-used spaces in the city also adds to the expierience.

These context collages illustrate the juxtaposition between the urban landscape and the interiority of the cabin.

RENDERED AXON

NETWORK OF FREIGHT EXPERIENCES / WORMHOLE NETWORK

Through these lifts I hope to create pockets of socio-cultural exchange that paint the city creating a multiplying effect in thhe everyday. The proposal for the network of cinematic experiences is to have a temporary installation that would constantly move and shift in location, creating new nodes where it has been occupied. The aspiration is for this project to be cross cultural and global

FREIGHT_CAROL

CURATING URBAN WORMHOLES

FREIGHT_KUBO FREIGHT_DANISH

FREIGHT_BUDAPEST

FREIGHT_WHIPLASH

POLYMORPHING PETALS

Information

Description

Skill : Model making, Rhino, Photoshop, Illustrator, Autocad

Housing Works thrift store design that is inspired by the companies values. An installation design that is a nod to the interconnectedness of the Housing Works community. The design is meant to be an immersive experience that is derived from the structure of the organisatio. Polmor phing Petals is an organic aggregation of engineered petals that come together in varying planes to create a boundary con dition. This porous boundary is designed with the function of creating space and as a display system. The design is a confluence of form and function.

Project Type : Retail Location : New York Date : 2019 Type : Academic project at Pratt Institute

HOUSING WORKS

Housing Works is a New York City based non-profit fighting AIDS and homeless ness. The charity is well known for its entrepreneurial businesses including a chain of Thrift Shops, which supports efforts to end AIDS and homelessness. They are also known for their social justice activism.

Anthropometric analysis to understand retail displays to design for the Housing Works thrift stores.

Bass wood bending experimentation with scale, thickness and form

Thicker bass wood bent into a loop

Creating loops fastened with copper wire to create an aggregation of loops

POLYMORPHING PETALS

FRONT ELEVATION

LEFT ELEVATION

COLLABORATION

Housing Works as an organisation has grown exponentially over the years due to their business strategy of collaborating with different facets that could help them grow a larger revenue and ease their housing costs.

They have expanded their services to thrift shops, bookstores, cafes, medical services in several locations all around New York and Brooklyn.

HOUSING WORKS

COLLABORATED:

Housing Works as an organisation has grown exponentially over the years due to their business strategy of collaborating with different facets that could help them grow a larger revenue and ease their housing costs. They have expanded their

to thrift shops, bookstores, cafes, medical

in several locations all around New York and Brooklyn. Their company boards include experts from a large array of fields- media, retail to name a few. Hence, collaboration has been the key to their success and growth.

Final boundary condition // Polymorphing Petals

This design makes use of varying thickness, scale and axes to create an organic multiplying form.

The model is made from bent bass wood and copper wire connections

The building axon captures the essence of the swarm by illustrating how the petals inhabit the space.

The section is a detail view of the 3rd floor.

This section shows the functional use of the boundary in the thrift store setting. The petals at changing axes divide space but also form displays to hang clothes or to shelf objects.

The section illustrates the swarm of petals and the immersive nature of the installation.

CONCEPTUAL RENDERSThis section showsRENDERS

email: riannadesai1998@gmail.com phone: +1 (646) 683 2688 address: 303 Park Avenue South New York, NY 10010