Learning Log.

Learning Log.

Sara Coppa.

MA Narrative Environments.

March 2019.

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•2•

Index.

Introduction.

.4

Collaboration.

.6

Research.

.10

Analysis.

.18

Experimentation.

.24

Subject knowledge.

.30

Final Thoughts.

.36

References.

.38 •3•

• Introduction •

Introduction.

This learning log represents the reflection and the discussion of the understanding and the creating of narrative environments. It refers in particular to the lectures, the projects and the collateral activities happened from October 2018 to March 2019, in relation to the course MA Narrative Environments. I’m going to talk about my attitude towards the design process and as well about how I developed my understanding of the it. Moreover, I’m going to explain which are the most important considerations I have achieved and that I will take with me for the future.

If we imagine the design process as a beam of light, where each stage blends to the other, we can consider this log as a lens that allows seeing each phase.

Collaboration Research Analysis Experimentation Subject Knowledge

Design process

These stages are not detached among them, but they are linked influencing one to each other. I see collaboration as a scaffold that contributes to the building of the project. I recognize the research, the analysis as the ones that allow to build the basis of the project. Adding experimentation is possible to build the following structure with an original and meaningful shape. I consider the subject knowledge as an everexpanding element that is necessary for designin but it is also something that you learn through designing.

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•5•

• Collaboration •

Collaboration.

Collaborative working is defined by Rubin (2009) as an intentional relationship in which each party decides to cooperate aiming to achieve a shared goal. This process allows the creation of a consistent outcome where the contribution of each member is however relatable. I see collaboration as a successful method for developing a broad and complex project. It allows the coexistence of different skills and knowledge that a single person does not possess. On the other hand, it is still challenging to understand and communicate with different people and cultures.

Collaboration is not hierarchical or democratic.

It is a stand-alone system.

Everyone contributes to the project giving value to others’ opinion and work.

This structure offers the possibility to learn and to progress.

Understanding diversity.

This course has been the most stimulating experience in my life in terms of interacting with people. I’m not new to team-working, but what I’ve experienced here is different from all my previous experiences.

I came across many diversities: the cultural background, the educational background, and the different personalities. I understood that people in the Eastern world tend to be more silent and reflective. This can sometimes be misread as a lack •6•

• Collaboration •

of interest in the project. It happened during the UCLH project that C. and I, both of the western world, had heated and excited discussions. For me, that was just a normal discussion, not a quarrel. But the other three girls in the group tended to be silent and not participate. I understood that these tones put them in trouble and that this led to an unpleasant situation for the group. This was a lesson above all to start on the right foot beginning the TEZENIS project, where now I tend to express myself with more calmly and diplomatically. With this new attitude in the group, we have mutual respect and we always value others’ opinion, also when they are different.

It was also interesting to find out how people with different training paths think differently. As an industrial designer of a polytechnic, I was educated to think with a certain logical and sequential structure. Getting in touch with people from other sectors has taught me to make this structure more flexible and fluid. It made me understand that there is no unique and correct process to follow, but that one must be carried along by the process. Finally, the hardest thing is to find harmony between the different personalities that meet in a group. This requires a certain empathy, which I believe I have also developed thanks to this path. I understood that we must find a balance between the different personalities. If someone wants to command and impose their decisions we must always find a way to mediate. I think collaboration is fair participation in the project, where no one commands.

Different ways of communication.

Sometimes group work leads to endless discussions. It creates interesting speculations that eventually make you lose the point of the situation. This happens for several reasons. One difficulty is speaking in a different language than the native.

Another one consists of putting together many different ideas. I discovered that visually expressing one’s ideas is the way. Expressing it with a sketch, a collage or a model. With whatever language one feels at ease. For instance, in the UCLH project T. hardly ever spoke during the meetings and had many difficulties in understanding.

After several mutual efforts, we asked her to explain her idea through a sketch. This completely changed the way we communicated. Her drawings had the clarity that her words didn’t. This also stimulated the group’s creativity and triggered a chain reaction. Communicating through something material also helps to make decisions.

When there are so many different ideas, to see them represented helps to take a direction. Surely this also requires understanding that a decision is for the gain of the group and not a personal matter. This helps a lot to bring everyone back on the same wavelength. Through words, everyone pictures in their mind a different and •7•

• Collaboration •

arbitrary image. With the representation of one’s ideas, one overcomes this obstacle and unlocks the situation.

Collaboration as a performance enhancer.

I see collaborative working as a structure that supports all members strengthening them. To achieve this condition however we must work on team building. First of all, creating trust among the members and then finding balance. These challenges are always different for each new group and require an endeavor. Once we have found this formula we have a stable structure but in constant evolution with the project.

In both projects, the collaboration was positive and was a source of learning. What is most important in my opinion is not to label people and confine them to what their expertise is. I think that everyone contributes with his skills and knowledge, influencing others too. For instance, in the UCLH project having C. as an expert in music we worked together to create a rain stick, to be integrated into the hospital environment. This required the intersection of skills concerning sound and materials, but also mechanisms and model making. The result was, therefore, a source of a common contribution. The end result is not a juxtaposition of everyone’s contribution but rather an apparatus in which everything links to each other.

This graph shows the evolution of my role as a collaborator. I am developing a positive attitude that is supplying me with more self-confidence. This has shaped my approach and my courage in expressing myself through sketches and drawings, and in general more visually.

Positive attitude

Making

Visual expression

Positive attitude

Research + Analysis

Making

Visual expression

Creativity

•8•

Research + Analysis

Creativity

• Collaboration •

Something I have learned.

After the first wash-up’s feedback and a self-evaluation, I have identified myself as the one who examines and links different issues. In both projects, I actively participated in the discussions and expressed my opinion. Perhaps also because of my nationality, I tend to talk with emphasis. I understand that this can intimidate people. Surely I have learned that giving value to the work of others and their opinions lead to mutual respect and trust. I can say that my belief is in the equalitarian system and in the acceptance of others point of views.. Understanding the different personalities and giving everyone their space helps to balance the group. The most important thing that I’ve learned is that when the group is working well the concept doesn’t belong to one person in particular. It comes from the layering and the intersection of the different contributions.

Aspirations.

What I look forward to in the collaboration is to be more involved in the representation and visualization of the concept. I will challenge myself sketching out ideas hence in order to improve these skills, in which I lacked before.

I think sometimes I was negative and discouraged. Maybe because I was immersed in a completely new environment, where I didn’t know anyone. Therefore I can say that now I am more positive and I aspire to bring enthusiasm to the project. I aim to change my attitude up to having a motivating role for the next group.

Finally, reflecting on collaborative working made me reflect on how I see myself in professional practice. I see myself working in a multidisciplinary company where the design team covers the whole design process. I think that it suits me because it offers the possibility to learn from the others but at the same time to have a whole view of the project.

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• Research •

Research.

Research is “the systematic investigation into and study of materials and sources in order to establish facts and reach new conclusions” (Oxford Dictionaries, 2019).

Researching we dig into a field to discover and collect quantitative and qualitative data. This material represents, therefore, the basis to build the project, and that’s the reason why it must be solid and coherent to support it. During these terms, I elaborated the recognition of the attitude one has toward the different methods and I identified the scope in three different areas: the subject-matter, the place, and the people.

Subject-matter

Place

People

My research process in Narrative Environments consists in starting from the three areas of interest (the subject-matter, the place, and the people) and expanding, discovering more to build the context, and narrowing down, discovering details.

In this graph I also wanted to show how these three realms are linked to each other, depending one to the other.

Through the UCLH and Tezenis projects, I opened my mentality regarding the approach toward research. In my previous studies, my focus was mostly on desk and material investigation, working especially on information gathering and on quantitative data with charts and statistics. Here I understood the importance of exploring the context we would work in and the value of qualitative data. To explain my progression I’m going to talk about the different methods I used, in relation to the attitude I had and to the knowledge I gained.

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• Research •

Attitude

Method

Scope

Desk research Study and Measure

Material research

Subject-matter

Observe and Feel

Site research

Place

Act and Surprise

Social research

People

Action research

Desk research.

Desk research is essential to understand the subject-matter of the project and the context of it. Overall I see it not just as information gathering but better it represents a source of inspiration for the following steps.

Desk research is both subject-related in a specific way and also, more interestingly, collateral to the brief.

It is important to build knowledge of the field we are operating in, both with facts and statistics. In fact, in the UCLH project, I researched a lot about hospital design, to understand which rules it has to follow and which could be broken. Case studies represented a good instrument for me. Reflecting and critiquing other examples is a stimulating process that triggers ideas.

In this process it is also important to be open and not biased, discovering random facts could be the key to the concept indeed. On the other hand, being too much absorbed in desk research could lead to shallow results: the searching act cannot continue forever and it is important to filter the sources and have a clear view of the insights to focus on.

Material research.

Materials play a vital role in a project. Looking for the most appropriate to use is multilayered, a web search or a scientific book reading is just one step indeed. For instance, in the UCLH project, we started researching online considering many different aspects (easy cleaning, sustainability, capacity to bear the weight of a person) of the supplies we needed. However, since the most interesting part about materials is perception we conducted also first-hand research going to the material library, creating a material board and also exploring several possibilities for the sound with our hands. It is important to touch surfaces, see colors in person and have a physical perception. Temperature, sound, and texture are emotional triggers.

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• Research •

Site research.

By observing a space, we not only collect dimensional, volumetric, altimetric data (quantitative research), but we observe, above all, how people behave to understand why (qualitative research). For example, during the TEZENIS project, we discovered how the more space around the shop was crowded how the fewer people entered the store. This can be interpreted as a result of the confusion, that possibly disorients people and makes unclear the threshold between the shop and the street.

Site research is also physical perception, in fact, it is vital to understand how space affects feelings. During the UCLH project, I experienced it firsthand. The smell, the colors the lighting made the place cold and detached almost suspended from the noise of the city.

I see site research as the most interesting course because it allows the interpretation of space and the discovery of stories enclosed in it. When I have a project I reflect on what the location says to me, and how I can tell something inside it.

On the ground for exploration and observation in both of the projects.

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• Research •

Social research.

With social research we can collect authentic information that is not written in books and toolkits. We investigate people, their feeling and opinions and how they interact with space.

For example, in the UCLH project our main target was the children one, so for our social research, we conducted many different session with different aged kids. It was remarkable to discover what they thought about the hospital environment and it was completely different from our predictions. In fact, most of the children declared that they would have preferred a relaxing environment rather than an overwhelming one where they could play.

You can conduct social research through interviews and casual talking, surveys and questionnaires but then the key is observing and creating empathy with the audience. Social research is looking for the unsaid, is discovering the hidden needs in order to return with original responses.

Social research was conducted in different ways.

We talked both casually and with interviews, but we also used digital forms to reach more people.

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• Research •

Action research.

An action is a deliberately significant motion, is doing something in the space to see reactions.

In both of the projects, we conducted action research stopping people in the streets and asking questions to them through the help of giants boards.

It was useful and surprising by giving us unexpected answers. For example, in the TEZENIS project, we discovered the majority of people didn’t know where and what tezenis is, even though it is in the most crowded spot of the city center (oxford circus).

However, reflecting on what I have done so far I understood that something was missing in this process. I see action research as an unexpected performance, where there’s is no need for asking questions in a direct way. I believe that affecting the dynamics of the space with one’s presence in a creative way represents the genuine expression of this method. That’s why I think I lacked in this research approach, and I aim to challenge myself in the next project in attempting in a more complete and immersive way.

Action research for the UCLH project.

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• Research •

Desk research.

Material research.

Study + Measure

Study + Measure

Observe + Feel

Observe + Feel

Act + Surprise

Act + Surprise

Site research.

Social research.

Study + Measure

Study + Measure

Observe + Feel

Observe + Feel

Act + Surprise

Act + Surprise

Action research.

Study + Measure Observe + Feel Act + Surprise

Evaluation of the different research methods in association with the attitude of the designer.

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• Research •

Something I have learned.

As a curious person, I enjoy the research process because I am pushed forward by the curiosity of discovering. Whatever I’m seated reading or on the ground talking with people I’m always actively involved. I’ve always found inspiring Bruno Munari’s thoughts about the design process, and this is the one that better represents my attitude: preserving the spirit of childhood within oneself throughout one’s life means keeping the curiosity of knowing, the pleasure of understanding, the desire to communicate. Munari ( 1971 ) During these terms, I understood how important it is to comprehend the audience through observing, talking and acting. However, I realized that social and action research could be restricting heading to non-spontaneous answers and acts. That’s why I strongly believe that before acting we have to study and understand the context. Random questions do not lead to blessed solutions. In addition, I learned that the more interesting insights occur to be drawn by spontaneous gestures.

Aspirations.

I will keep developing my interacting skills and moreover, with the new work with Flow Associates, I will be involved in the process of co-creation with the audience.

I see this experience as a learning process that will also help me in building up selfconfidence to better interact with people. However, I’m still a reflective person and I always need to think before doing the following steps. The methods that brings out my stronger skills are therefore documentation, observation, and physical perception. Considering my proclivity to the site research, I’m evaluating for my Major Project to start from an interesting space in order to deeply investigate its nature.

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• 17 •

• Analysis •

Analysis.

The analysis is the filtration, organization, and rebuilt of information. It is not one single stage, but it is an ongoing refining process that lasts from the beginning to the end of the project.

My analyzing process starts with the deconstruction of the brief. I look for keywords, their etymology and I ask myself why there is that particular word. Coming from a polytechnic school I’m very used to analyze problems and think solutions. I studied design thinking methods like the double diamonds, the atomic design, the SWOT analysis etc. and I directly applied them to the projects. Here I’m learning to question these methods and to build my own palette of tools. I’m becoming more fluid in shifting from one to another.

Key concepts

Finding patterns

Reconstruction

Analysis as the filtering to key concepts, the finding of patterns and the reconstruction of the material.

My tools.

Keywords and diagrams.

At the beginning of the project, I think through keywords. I write them on paper I link them and I move them. This helps in generating ideas and finding similarities between the different issues.

Mind mapping is useful for reflecting and expanding, but it could be limiting if it’s just text-based.

Mapping tools.

Story matrix and emotional map are two completely new mapping tools for me. I • 18 •

• Analysis •

see them one complementary to the other given that the first one is based on words and the second one on images. They both aim to synthesize what’s happening in the space in the theme of emotions, story, actions, prompts, and tone of voice.

The story matrix consists in a table in wich we unfold all the elements of the cocept (Austin, 2018). I usually use them as checking tools. In the Noel McCauley lecture (2018), we learned how to map emotions onto space in order to understand how to intervene. I see the story matrix and the emotional map as multipurpose tools, that booth allow to enrich the project adding layers and help in understanding if the story is flowing smoothly. For example when we applied these tools to the UCLH project we understood that the story was quite static and not unfolded onto space, so it was useful to rethink about the flow.

Story matrix, emotional map and reflections about the UCLH project in different stages.

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• Analysis •

Brainstorm/S**tstorm I found effective the visual brainstorm we had with Beth Sheperd (2018). At the beginning of the UCLH project we were just talking and writing, when we had the s**tstorm session we started drowing out all of the concepts we had. This unlocked the situation and allowed to combine both different meanings and different visual layouts.

During the s**tstorm we realized both sketches and models of rough ideas explaining it to the other people of the class.

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• Analysis •

Storyboarding.

I knew this tool before coming here, however, I have been using it in a weaker way just representing some scenes without a sequence. Thank to the workshop we had (Beth Sheperd, 2018) I learned that is way more effective when it shows a specific story.

Identifying a character and creating a storyline through some different frames is not only a communication tool, but it also highlights if something is not working or even missing. I see the storyboard both as a checking tool and as a creative tool. It can be expressed in different ways and it stimulates the creative process.

Talking through metaphors.

Thanks to Andrea Lyoi’s lectures I rediscovered the power of metaphors. Since the beginning of the course, I have been struggling in creating stories and giving them a sense. With this method, I started linking the issues with ideas from another semantic field. For instance, in the TEZENIS project, we used a metaphor to define our concept. It consists of using a snowflake to represent the uniqueness of the brand.

I think this method is really strong because it triggers a visual image, it suggests movement from one notion to another and fosters the development of a multilayered and non-obvious storyline.

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• Analysis •

Something I have learned.

I have understood that I need time to process and develop my thoughts. If I’m overwhelmed with information I need to take one step back, restart to make the point from the brief and have a whole view of the situation. It helps me in not losing track and it’s something I can do in my own time.

What I found helpful to unlock the situation is to think about ideas in spatial manners. In fact, now I always make plans to unfold the concept onto space. It’s more effective than an abstract thought because it takes a certain shape, follows a direction, and obtains a dimension. In addition, it is also a starting point to think more visually rather than just through words.

It is important to be aware of the process we have executed in order to be able to back-up a design proposal. As Bruno Munari (1981) explains, an idea is not a magical solution but is better a thinking process. An idea is not the end of a path, but it’s more all the steps made to walk the path. That’s why I prefer to call this process “creativity” rather than “having an idea”. It’s a gradual layering. Thinking about the TEZENIS project, the snowflake concept emerged during a tutorial with Beth and Claire, where we were asked to clarify the content of our message. The snowflake was already there, but it was confused with other things. Through the talk with the tutors, we realized that we needed to focalize on one meaning and develop it.

As I said in the beginning, analysis not only consists of deconstructing, highlighting and finding connections it is truly a creative process, analysis is a rebuilding scheme.

Aspirations.

I see myself as an observer and a thinker, strong in making links, finding patterns and discovering new points of view. From childhood I’have been stimulated by solving riddles and puzzles and somehow I see analysis similar to this habit. It is a challenging process where not only I have to find some responses but also some right questions.

However, my analysis is mostly based on words and schemes. In the course, I’ve understood the importance of thinking visually and I have started to implement this way of thinking mixing it with the methods I’m familiar with. My goal is to use more visual-based analysis tools (rather than text-based) such as photography and sketching. My will is to improve my sketching skills and to develop my visual thinking in a way to make it spontaneous for me and part of my practice.

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• 23 •

• Experimentation •

Experimentation.

“I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.”

Confucius Experimentation is doing with our hands. It’s parallel and joined with the thinking process that’s why they proceed together. Throughout experimenting we learn both from mistakes and from successes. We understand the physical perception of materials and how they perform. I see experimentation as the effort of transforming an intangible idea in a tangible experience.

I see experimentation as the layering of different attempts to express an idea. Each attempt is part of the final version, even if it is not used. Every step guides to the final creation contributing to its expression.

UCLH project.

In the UCLH project, we decided to design a rain wall to create a relaxing environment with sound. Our experimentation has been focused on creating these sounds in an anagogic way. We started using many different materials such as rice, little pearls, and seeds. Since the noise was different from our expectations we used bigger materials such as coffee, grains, and nutshells. We understood that the sound was varying significantly according to the dimension and the lightness of the grains coming through the nails. The physical approach was necessary here, also because • 24 •

• Experimentation •

we needed to test the rainstick with other people to see their reaction.

We also tried to understand how to fix these sticks on the wall. First of all, we started sketching, then we did a few 3D models and after we went to the workshops to actually make it. We were concerned with how much we could make the stick roll because we didn’t want to allow the kinds in making too much noise in using them.

We discovered that having a block not only stops the sounds mechanically but also coveys the idea of a more controlled and calm activity.

Different experiments to obtain the sound we wanted and to create the rotating mechanism.

• 25 •

• Experimentation •

In the UCLH project, we did and experimentation with colors to understand how they could influence the perception of space. We started from the physical model juxtaposing different colored shapes. Then, for the final version, we used a specific software to model it and create a render.

TEZENIS project.

During the TEZENIS project, we experimented mostly with finished products, in our case underwear. Starting from the idea of creating a snowflake, we tried to use knickers and bras to create the shape. In this way using the actual products to create the snowflake we have been strengthening the idea of the uniqueness of the brand.

We began in a digital way, both creating vectors of the knickers and downloading them from the company’s catalog. Then when we had understood that the idea was working (at least in a digital way) we started to work the printed versions of them • 26 •

• Experimentation •

and in after with the real products. This shift has been crucial because it allowed us to understand first of all the actual measures of the snowflakes and also the physical perception of them. Considering the tactile and the stretchiness, the look and feel, is impossible from a 2D representation.

Selected the shapes we wanted, we started experimenting to understand how to hold and fix the underwear. We created both virtual layouts and physical ones. To start we used spare materials such as foam board and cardboard and then we began to think about what kind of material we wanted. Since the purpose is to choose the support in a meaningful way, we are planning to experiment with acrylics and transparent elements to recall the idea of ice. Materials matter and all the little details (such as color, textures, opacity etc.) contribute to final perception.

• 27 •

• Experimentation •

In this project, we did our experimentation going back and forth between digital and physical. I believe these two processes support each other. Here the physical one has been used to test the idea and to communicate it when the physical one has been a reality check to understand the function and the perception (touch and feel).

• 28 •

• Experimentation •

Something I have learned.

Finding a balance between digital and physical experimentation is essential.

First of all the biggest matter is sustainability. There is an open debate about which is the edge between the utility and the pleasure of experimenting. I think, as designer, that it is on one’s sensibility to act in a responsible and balanced way. For example, reflecting on my practice I discovered that I feel more comfortable in starting my experimentation a digital way after when I’m more confident with the concept I experiment in a physical way. On the other hand, I think that sometimes starting from real material can be inspiring and meaningful. The physical perception gives deepness to the projects adding layers of meaning.

When we experiment we need to consider that it takes time. Things don’t usually work at the first try, and also they need to be refined and perfectionated. I never see it as a waste of time, even if I fail in something I can learn from that experience.

However, it true that having time limitations and deadlines it is vital to understand how much time allocate for this part. This is also a discriminant to choose the method I feel more effective in expressing myself.

Aspirations.

For my next project, I aim to experiment more about printing techniques with different kinds of paper. I find it an interesting way to give a 3D life to a 2D object. In general, I’ll try to experiment more with visual materials such as collage techniques, videos, and photography.

I also will try to bring experimentation in the presentation’s format. What I mean is that I aim to link the presentation with the mood and the vibes of the projects. In these terms, with my groups, we have always tried to bring something else than just slides, and I will continue to make this effort.

As an industrial designer I often think through models (both digital and physical), and in general, I can say that I think in a 3D way. I believe that to create a successful design it is essential to think through your hands. I believe that with this approach I can have a better understanding of the physical perception and the relationship between the people and space.

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• Subject knowledge •

Subject knowledge.

After this first two terms, I developed my understanding of a Narrative Environment as an intentionally built setting, where a certain story is narrated with the intention of offering some transformative experience.

Certainly, we can subjectively read stories, both deep and shallow, everywhere (Austin, 2018). For instance, a walk in the woods, with its vibrant atmosphere, triggers emotions and memories and offers a cathartic experience. However, from a practitioner point of view, I believe that the subjective interpretation has to be controlled to effectively convey a specific message. In fact, when we design, we act intentionally, we make choices and we select carefully every single detail of our narration. The aim of this is to create an ecosystem that the audience is able to read and decode (Lioy, 2019). Considering this perspective, I’m going to talk about narrative environments in relation to the spatial, the narrative and the experience dimensions.

Experience Spatiality Physical Digital Mental reality

Combination Narrativity

Content

Expression

Story Message Theme

Visuals Texts Tone of voice Mood

Audience The transformative experience is given by the combination of the spatial element with the narrativity.

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• Subject knowledge •

The setting is not a background.

Where the story takes place is not just a location, it’s part of the story itself. The identity of an environment is generated both by the story of the place and one of the people.

Coming from the industrial design field, the introduction to various spatial theories has been helping me in the understanding of space.

Understanding the politics of spaces is the most interesting way of reading architecture. I’ve been introduced to this idea with Elain Gurian (2018) when she explained how spaces dictate behaviors. After, I strengthen this concept in my mind through the reading of Foucault’s Panopticon (Foucault, 1975). As he points out it is the shape that conveys the purpose of the space, bringing along some unwritten rules. In the text we are introduced to the idea of control as the condition of being seen with the impossibility to see. It has been stimulating for a reflection about how structure influence behaviors. Applying these ideas in the creation of a narrative environment we have analyzed the different forms that a narrative environment can take to support the flow of narration (Gardon and Gray, 2018).

In the spatial theories lectures (Austin, 2018/2019) I had the possibility to explore and understand some thoughts. The most important aspect for me is the connection between the body and space. In the inter corporal approach with the idea of the body schema formulated by Merlau-Ponty we understand how we extend ourselves in space and how we understand our position within it. It’s interesting how humans develop situated behavior corresponding to a particular situation ( a church, a tube, a lecture).

In my interpretation, I see that our body finishes where mental comfort finishes.

The more we do not allow to extend in a space the more we are hostile to space, assuming a rigid posture. When we are fluid with space we find an expression of ourselves through movement and we allow the connection with it.

Starting from the idea of the relationship between body and space I do believe that an environment it’s not necessarily a physical space where you can walk. In fact, it could be digital or use digital features, and also it could be the setting of a board game, that creates in the player’s mind a new reality. The essential point is that it allows an extension of the body.

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• Subject knowledge •

The narrative is layered.

When we talk about narrative in this context we are implying a sub-structure. The first is the storytelling one and its interpretation by the audience. However, when we create a narrative environment we also want to convey a message, to set a theme and a mood and to use a certain tone of voice. I see all these aspects contributing to the delineation of the content and its expression.

Before coming here, I had no knowledge of how to build a story, although I was familiar with the various underlying layers. The lessons with Andrea Lioy were fundamental for me to first understand and then try to express myself through this medium.

The very first idea we have been introduced is the dramatic conflict one. It can be explained as the constant tension that generates a story (MANE course compendium, 2019). Robert McKee (1997) states that “Nothing moves forward in a story except through conflict”. Moving through conflicts is moving through ups and downs, that it’s representative of life.

Then we went through the story structure to understand what a narrative arc is (Austin, 2018). Freytag (1863) defined it as a pyramid of five stages. My understanding of this led me to include it in some reference axes where variables are represented by time and space and by the engagement of the audience. A narrative works when it is fluid and sweeps on time, with the increment of the listener’s desire along with the tension’s growth.

Climax

Freytag Pyramid

Rising action

Falling action Resolution Denouement

Exposition

The narrative arc is useful not only to define the story but also to understand how the audience would engage with it and how it unfolds in time and space.

Inciting incident

Climax

Visitors’ engagement Rising action Inciting incident

Falling action Resolution Denouement

Exposition Space + Time • 32 •

• Subject knowledge •

To apply this narrative arc to a story you need to have a protagonist that can go through it. It is what we call the hero’s journey. As Lioy explained (following the studies of Propp (1928)) this follows a circular and symmetrical structure in which we can recognize some main elements: a call to adventure, a descent into an unfamiliar place, a kind of success and a return with a gained knowledge. To understand this concept it was useful to apply it in the reading of some movies and novels but especially in everyday life.

In stories, the stages and the arc are not original, but they are repeated in the different narrations. That’s the reason why the quality and the effectiveness are in the shape in which they are told (Lioy, 2018). It is crucial to stop thinking about objects and spaces in a static way (Lupton, 2017). The perception of what surrounds us happens over time, it is a sequence of frames.

Telling stories is part of human nature, it is an activity that has accompanied us since childhood. For this reason, storytelling is a powerful tool that allows expressing a concept without having the need of explaining it.

“Storytelling reveals meaning without the error of defining it” Hannah Arendt

The experience is empowering.

As a practitioner, I do believe that a good project does not arise from the purpose to leave a sign and the ambition to be noticed as a designer. It should be driven by the desire to establish an exchange, with the user who will interact with it.

I believe that a narrative environment can be called like that when it offers a transformative experience. I do not mean that it is meant to solve a problem and to change people, but I mean that it has to foster a reflection. A narrative environment wishes for a change, offering to the hero (the audience) the possibility to go through their journey.

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• Subject knowledge •

Something I have learned.

I came here with the belief that a project is successful when it fulfills a function and follows dimensional rules. The Modulor from Le Corbusier has been my bible.

I felt safe to know that you could sit on a 43 cm high stand and place your arm comfortably on a 70 cm high support. Now, I understand the importance of different questions. Why should a person seat? What have they been doing before? How long are they staying? etc.

The watch of a TED talk by Scheeren (2015) has been stimulating for my understanding, as he explains: industrial design and architecture have been for centuries “under the spell of the famous doctrine form follows function”. Of course, this aspect is undeniable, but at the same time this practice shouldn’t be limited to “utilitarian rigor and restrained purpose”. In the rewriting of this slogan as “form follows fiction”, Tschumi introduces another layer of meaning to this practice.

If we believe that form follows fiction, we could conceive spaces as stories’ containers (of the place and of the people inhabiting them). Moreover, we could arise new experiences with our intervention without changing the nature of spaces. If form follows fiction we do not just assolve a function in a technical way, we justify the reason of it creating connections.

Aspirations.

Reflecting on my journey, I understood how much I care about the identity a place brings along with it. My interest is in discovering and understanding how this influences relationships with people and among people. As a practitioner, my aim is to create environments where the narrative is not glued on it, but where it is the essence of it. Furthermore, I see my interests in narrative environments defined by a critical, cultural and social nature.

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• Subject knowledge •

My interest in Narrative Environments Economic

Educational Cultural Technology’s impact

Issues Political Ecological Historical Social

Story writer Illustrator

Italian culture and costume Domestic spaces

Practitioners Industrial designer

Interaction design Museums

Airports

Tube stations Nature

What I care

Spatial Designer

Photographer

Talks Exhibitions Events Conferences Walks Shapes Role games Pop Ups Workshops Campaigns

Project Manager Content creator

Curator

Hospitals

Places Urban spaces Private spaces Schools

Non-Places

Self-Identity Censorship in countries AI and privacy Sterotyping as a social issue

Alfonso Cuaròn

Bruno Munari

Italo Calvino Orhan Pamuk Ettore Sottsass Renzo Piano Fan Ho

Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky

My Thinkers

Maurice Merleau-Ponty

Narrative Environments as Visitor Experiences • 35 •

• Final thoughts •

Final thoughts.

The reflection on what and how I have done has been a learning experience in itself. I have come here as a very methodic and sequential person. Now I am gaining fluidity and flexibility. I do not see myself in a completely new personality. The beliefs I had before have not been erased. I still believe in method and organization, as well as in studying and in designing feasible projects. I am layering my being by adding new shades and connections and as well by smoothing the boundaries.

This is the reason why this critical approach has been overall an instrument to better understand and redefine my value system.

My belief system.

Humilty Open-mindedness to news

Equalitarian system

Thinking through your hands

Knowledge comes from sharing

Study

Intuition • 36 •

• 37 •

• References •

References.

Books.

Rubin, H. (2009) Collaborative leadership : developing effective partnerships for communities and schools (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Corwin.

Munari, B. (1971) Codice Ovvio [Obvious Code]. Turin: Einaudi.

Munari, B. (1981) Da cosa nasce cosa: appunti per una metodologia progettuale [One thing leads to another: notes for a project methodology]. Bari: Laterza Foucault, M. (1975) Surveiller et punir : Naissance de la prison [Discipline and Punish].

Paris: Gallimard.

McKee, R. (1997) Story: substance, structure, style and the principles of screenwriting. New York: Harper-Collins Publishers.

Propp, V. (1968) Morphology of the folktale. Translated by L. Scott. Indiana: The American Folklore Society and Indiana University.

Lupton, E. (2017) Design is storytelling. New York: Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.

Web. Oxford Dictionaries (2019) English Oxford Living Dictionaries. Available at: https:// en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/research (Accessed: 1 March 2019).

MA Narrative Environments Course Compendium (2016) Dramatic Conflict.

Available at: http://compendium.kosawese.net/term/dramatic-conflict/ (Accessed: 1 March 2019).

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• References •

Scheeren, O. (2015) Why great architecture should tell a story [TED Talk]. Available at: https://www.ted.com/talks/ole_scheeren_why_great_architecture_should_tell_a_ story (Accessed: 1 March 2019).

Lectures and Workshops.

Austin, P. (2018) Story Matrix. Internal Lecture. London: MA Narrative Environment, Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts.

McCauley, N. (2018) Emotional Map Workshop. Internal Lecture. London: MA Narrative Environment, Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts.

Sheperd, B. (2018) S**tstorm Workshop. Internal Lecture. London: MA Narrative Environment, Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts.

Sheperd, B. (2018) Storyboarding Workshop. Internal Lecture. London: MA Narrative Environment, Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts.

Austin, P. (2018) Narrativity. Internal Lecture. London: MA Narrative Environment, Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts.

Lioy, A. (2018/2019) Serie of four lectures: The Hero’s jouerney. Internal Lecture.

London: MA Narrative Environment, Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts.

Gurian, E. (2018) Museology. Internal Lecture. London: MA Narrative Environment, Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts.

Gardon, T. Gray, A. (2018) Storyshapes. Internal Lecture. London: MA Narrative Environment, Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts.

Austin, P. (2018/2019) Spatial Theories Lecture Series. Internal Lecture. London: MA Narrative Environment, Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts.

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Special thanks to both of my groups that made this pathway more interesting and stimulating. • 40 •

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