MUSEUMS CH/\NGE LIVES*
ISSUE 0.1 BAISD
ART&DESIGN
CHELSEA COLLEGE OF
* (ADOPTED FROM, ‘MUSEUMS CHANGE LIVES’- HTTP://WWW.MUSEUMSASSOCIATION.ORG/MUSEUMS-CHANGELIVES/25062013-THE-VISION)
BA(HONS)INTERIOR AND SPATIAL DESIGN YEAR 1 2014_2015 TUTORS ASTRID BOIS D’ENGHIEN ROBIN JENKINS HARRIET LEE PETER MALONEY SHIBBOLETH SHECHTER CYRIL SHING
STUDENTS SARA ABBAS SO-HYUN AHN WHITNEY AKWE FATIMA AL-THEYAB ROSSANA ARGENTERO ANNA BALINT JAAFAR BERRAHO NATASHA BENBOW DOMITILLE BOULIN JULIETA CAPRIA BRCICH BETHANY CARR KAY CHAN PETER CHAN ALICE CHANNON LINDA DACOMI VICTORIA DE JESUS DAISY DOMVILLE-MUSTERS YUE DU NICOLE EDMUNDS TENISHA FRASER ELISA FRENAY CLARE GAN TOM GAO LULU GUO SONYA GURANG LYNN HADDAD YURIKA HASHIMOTO CHARLES HAYES JOANA HILGRAF
REBECCA HOLLANDS SHELLEY ROSSELL JOSEPH HUI FEONA SALEEM ERICA HUI YULIA SALNIKOVA LEANNA IOANNOU FERAH R SALYANCI CELINE JABAR JOEY SHU EMILIA JAROSZ GEORGE STORR JANE JIANG SONYA SUNG JAMES KAMEL KATHERINE VARRYDER KWONG NAVA YAO LAI ELEANOR WORT DIEPLE HAYLEY WRIGHTON LANXUAN LI ROSE YANG RICK LI EVAN YE JINGLAN LI KATTY YU ILAYDA LIPPERT YAQING ZENG ESTELA MAEDA HEIN XINGNAN ZHAO PAIGE MANDER DOMINIC MASSARELLA CHLOE MCFARLANE TRACY MOK MORGANA MORIERO JACKIE MU SARJE NAGDA SIN NGAI SACHA NICETTE JELEZAVETA ORLOVA VICTOR POLYAKOV CLARA REN JORDANIA ROCCHI REIS MOURA
EDITORS DOMITILLE BOULIN ANNA BALINT WITH SHIBBOLETH SHECHETR EDITOR AT LARGE: COLIN PRIEST MUSEUM. THE WORD ELICITS IMAGES OF THE LONG, PARQUETED HALLS OF THE NATIONAL GALLERY, WALLS SUPERIMPOSED BY PAINTINGS CENTURIES OLD. THE MAZE OF SCULPTURES WITHIN THE VICTORIA AND ALBERT MUSEUM. THE SPACE ROCKETS WITHIN THE SCIENCE MUSEUM: THE REALITY OF THE 1960S SPACE RACE HANGING A FEW METERS ABOVE. THE MUSEUM HAS HAD A LONGSTANDING REPUTATION FOR BEING A CURATOR OF THE PAST, AS AN INVALUABLE TIME-BASED MEDIUM ALLOWING US TO CONNECT WITH THE NOTIONS AND POETICS OF QUONDAM CENTURIES. MUSEUMS ALLOW US TO UNDERSTAND THE PAST THROUGH A SPATIALLY-ORIENTED LOCUS (DISPLAY SHELVES DOTTED IN THE GALLERIES, CAREFULLY ARRANGED ARTEFACTS IN SPACES DESIGNED SPECIFICALLY TO CATER FOR COMMUNICATION). YET IT IS STRANGE THAT TO UNDERSTAND THE PRESENT WE RELY ON MEDIUMS OF TV, NEWS, NEWSPAPERS, RADIO. WE ARE BOMBARDED WITH A WEALTH OF INFORMATION THAT REACHES US THROUGH A 2D SCREEN, OR NEWSPAPER. IT IS RARE TO HAVE HEARD ABOUT DEVELOPMENTS ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE, POLITICAL CONFLICTS, THE RISE OF POVERTY, THROUGH ANY VEHICLE OTHER THAN A TEXT BOOK, A NEWSPAPER, ONLINE NEWS, RADIO BROADCAST. THIS TYPE OF NEWS-MEDIA CULTURE IS NOT ONLY ILLUSTRATING OUR REALITY, IT IS OUR REALITY. AND SO THIS IS THE PARADIGM OF OUR INFORMATION-AGE THAT DOMINATES CONSCIOUSNESS: CONTEMPORARY ISSUES ARE REDUCED INTO PRINT, INTO WORDS ON PAPER, OR TEXT GLIMMERING AT YOU FROM YOUR IPHONE SCREEN. THE RESULT IS A SOCIETY WHO IS ACUTELY INFORMED AND PLAGUED BY DATA ABOUT OUR CONTEMPORARY ISSUES, YET DANGEROUSLY SEVERED FROM THEIR PHYSICAL REALITY. YOU MAY READ THAT THE FREQUENCY OF DROUGHTS IN EAST AFRICA HAVE INCREASED BY 5.3% WITHIN THE PAST FIVE YEARS. WILL YOU PROCESS THIS AS MORE THAN A FACT, A STATEMENT? WILL IT TOUCH YOU, ENGAGE YOUR SENSES, BEG YOU TO LOOK FOR MORE, TO UNDERSTAND THE CAUSE, THE SOURCE OF THIS FACT?
PERHAPS NOT. PERHAPS THIS 5.3% WILL JUST REMAIN A FACTUAL NUMBER, ALONGSIDE THE WEALTH OF INFORMATION THAT HAS BEEN ALREADY BOMBARDED AT YOU THAT DAY. AS LONG AS OUR AWARENESS OF CONTEMPORARY ISSUES REMAINS INGRAINED WITHIN THE MEDIUM OF THE PRINTED, DIGITAL-MEDIA, RADIO BASED FRAMEWORK WE WILL LACK A CRITICAL UNDERSTANDING OF OURSELVES AS A CONCURRENT SOCIETY. THIS IS WHERE THE VOICES OF THE FIRST YEAR BA INTERIOR AND SPATIAL DESIGN STUDENTS FROM CHELSEA COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN COME TO FORE IN THEIR LATEST PROJECT: MUSEUMS CHANGE LIVES. THE PROJECT CHALLENGED THE STUDENTS TO TAKE THE DNA OF THE MUSEUM (AS AN INSTITUTION BRED TO SPATIALLY COMMUNICATE INFORMATION TO A LARGE AUDIENCE) AND SYNCHRONISE THIS WITH CONTEMPORARY ISSUES. IN OTHER WORDS, TO CREATE A NEW SPATIAL PLATFORM WHEREIN REALITY CAN BE COMMUNICATED TO PEOPLE BEYOND THE NEWSPAPER, BEYOND THE RADIO BROADCAST AND THROUGH A SPACE THAT ENGAGES THE HUMAN SENSES. THE MUSEUMS CHANGE LIVES: SPECIAL ISSUE, IS A COLLECTION OF THE DESIGNS OF THE STUDENTS, WHO HAVE EACH DEFTLY RESEARCHED CONTEMPORARY ISSUES AND HAVE TAKEN IT UPON THEMSELVES AS SPATIAL DESIGNERS TO REDEFINE THE CONCERNS OF THE PRESENT. DOTTED AROUND LONDON’S MOST ABUNDANT MILIEU OF MUSEUM-CULTURE, THESE DESIGNS ARE LOCATED IN AND AROUND THE INFAMOUS EXHIBITION ROAD, TO EMBOLDEN THE DIALOGUE BETWEEN DESIGN:MUSEUM:CONTEMPORARY ISSUES LYING AT THE HEART OF THIS PROJECT. THE SPECIAL ISSUE IS A COLLATION OF AN IMAGE FROM EACH STUDENT THAT SPEAKS MOST BOLDLY OF THEIR INDIVIDUAL DESIGNS. BE IT A FOCUS ON TURNING RAINWATER INTO BEER, INSTALLATIONS TO MAP THE PSYCHO-GEOGRAPHICAL JOURNEY OF DIAMOND MINERS, AN EMPTY HALLWAY WITH SCATTERED WHALE BONES THAT GRIEVES ABOUT THE EXTINCTION OF OUR WILDLIFE, THESE DESIGNS BRING BACK WHAT IS LACKING IN OUR RECEPTION OF CONTEMPORARY ISSUES: AN EMOTIONAL RESPONSE. MUSEUMS CHANGE LIVES EVINCES THAT DESIGN IS FAR FROM FICTION: IT IS A RESPONSIBILITY TO ENGAGE PEOPLE IN A PURSUIT OF KNOWLEDGE ABOUT OUR PRESENT: TO ENGAGE WITH REAL-LIFE ISSUES BEYOND THE 2D FORMAT OF READING WORDS FROM A NEWSPAPER.
DOMITILLE BOULIN AND ANNA BALINT
CONTENTS DEMOGRAPHICS.......... 7 ENVIRONMENT...........11 FOOD AND BEVERAGE FROM SCRATCH..........17 GENDER................20 THE HUMAN PSYCHE......22 RELIGION..............26 WILDLIFE..............28
DEMOGRAPHICS
WHO WE ARE, AND HOW WE ARE, AS A SOCIETY ARE DRIVING CONCERNS FOR THESE DESIGNS. THE DESIGNS URGE US TO ANALYSE, AND THROUGH THIS ANALYSIS, UNDERSTAND OURSELVES AS INHABITANTS OF THE 21ST CENTURY. THESE PROJECTS DEAL WITH THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF OUR SOCIO-POLITICAL REALITY AND IN DOING SO PROPOSE DESIGNS THAT URGE US TO QUESTION OUR EFFICIENCY AS A SOCIETY.
REKINDLING THE LOST ART OF LETTER WRITING, THE DESIGN IS A NOSTALGIC AND INTIMATE SPACE ENGAGING ONE TO QUESTION HOW CONTEMPORARY MEDIA HAS MADE HUMAN COMMUNICATION REDUNDANT AND IMPERSONAL. ONE IS BOUGHT TO COVET LETTER WRITING AS AN ART THAT ALLOWS FOR AN UNDISCLOSED COMMUNICATION, REQUIRING A COMMITMENT ALMOST UNCANNY TO LETTER WRITING IN THE 21ST CENTURY. (ALICE CHANNON)
TOP TO BOTTOM: ALICE CHANNON (THE LOST ART OF LETTER WRITING), VICTOR POLYAKOV(ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION), JOANA HILGRAF (REFUGEES -WALLS OF FACES) & KAY CHAN (OVER POPULATION FLOATING ISLANDS)
TOP LEFT: JOEY SHU (RICH AND POOR), MIDDLE LEFT: SARJE NAGDA (SOCIAL MEDIA), BOTTOM LEFT: JAAFAR BERRAHO (PHOTOGRAPHY IN THE 2000’S), BOTTOM MIDDLE: JINGLAN LI (MEDIA MORALITY) & BOTTOM RIGHT: SONYA SUNG (ARCHITECTURE FOR THE HOMELESS)
EXPLORING FREEDOM AS A SPATIAL METAPHOR THROUGH DOORS AND LEVELS. CREATING A DESIGN WHERE DOORS REPRESENT OPPORTUNITY, VISITORS TRAVEL THROUGH ALLOCATED PATHWAYS AND LEVELS CONNECTED TO A DOOR THEY CHOSE TO GO THROUGH. THE DESTINATION OF THEIR JOURNEY BRINGS THEM TO THE END OF THE PATHWAY WHERE THEY ARE ABLE TO GLEAN HOW THEIR INSTINCTIVE FREEDOM HAS POSITIONED THEMSELVES ON THE DESIGN, WHICH FLOATS WITHIN A GALLERY OF THE VICTORIA AND ALBERT MUSEUM. (ERICA HUI)
TOP TO BOTTOM: ERICA HUI (OPPORTUNITY). RYDER KWONG (POLICE BRUTALITY - AN UNCONFORTABLE JOURNEY), ROSE YANG (COMMUNICATION) & JIXING GAO (SMOKING)
ENVIRONMENT THE REALITY OF CLIMATE CHANGE, ITS HISTORY, IMPLICATIONS AND ITS EFFECTS ARE EXPERTLY RECORDED, PENNED AND AIRED WITHIN SOCIAL MEDIA, EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS, GOVERNMENTAL AND POLITICAL SETTINGS. ALL IN ALL, AN AWARENESS OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE NEED TO REVERSE IT IS PEGGED DEFTLY TO THE 21ST CENTURY HUMAN PSYCHE. IT IS, HOWEVER, RARE THAT THE PHYSICAL EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ARE FELT, THAT THEY TOUCH INDIVIDUALS TO A POINT WHERE IT IS TRULY POSSIBLE TO GRASP THE SEVERITY OF THESE ISSUES. INDEED, THE MEDIUMS THAT WE ‘SEE’ OR ‘HEAR’ ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE THROUGH ARE COLD-HANDED AND OFTEN INEFFECTIVE. THE FOLLOWING DESIGNS NEGOTIATE SPATIAL CONCEPTS WITH ISSUES RELATED TO CLIMATE CHANGE IN ORDER TO RENDER THE NOTIONS OF MELTING ICE CAPS, DEFORESTATION, CORAL EXTINCTION ACROSS TO PEOPLE THROUGH A SPATIAL MEDIUM THAT EXERCISES EFFECTS NOT ONLY ON OUR CONSCIOUSNESS, BUT OUR SENSES.
THE PLASTIC MOUNTAIN: TURNING STATISTICS INTO SPACE: A PLASTIC MOUNTAIN COMPOSED OF THE YEARLY PLASTIC WASTE FROM HOUSEHOLDS WITHIN THE BOROUGH OF CHELSEA AND KENNINGTON, WHEREIN THE VISITOR TAKES A JOURNEY FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE EXHIBIT TO THE TOP FLOOR, WHICH IS WHERE THEY ARE ABLE TO GLEAN THE SIZE OF THE PLASTIC MOUNTAIN AND UNDERSTAND ITS MAGNITUDE IN TERMS OF THE JOURNEY THEY HAVE TAKEN TO REACH THE TOP FLOOR OF THE EXHIBIT. (JELEZAVETA ORLOVA) TOP TO BOTTOM: JELEZAVETA ORLOVA (PLASTIC MOUNTAIN), CLARE GAN (LIGHT POLLUTION), DAISY DOMVILLE- MUSTERS (PAPER FOREST)& REBECCA HOLLANDS (FLOODING)
TOP LEFT: ELEANOR WORT (PLASTIC WASTE WEB), MIDDLE RIGHT: PAIGE MANDER (CORAL EXTINCTION), MIDDLE LEFT: SHELLEY ROSSELL (WATER POLLUTION), BOTTOM LEFT: TENISHA FRASER (THE FUTURE OF AIR POLLUTION) & BOTTOM RIGHT: MORGANA MORIERO (MELTING ICE CAPS)
DEAD END: EXPLORING THE SCARCITY OF WATER RESOURCES, THE DESIGN OF THE FLOATING HOUSE SITS WITHIN A POOL, AND SLOWLY SINKS DOWN INTO A PIT AS THE WATER DRAINS OUT. THE MECHANICS OF THE DESIGN ALLOW THE CAPSULE TO SINK ONCE THE WATER IS DRAINED, AND RESURFACE WHEN THE WATER IS PUMPED BACK INTO THE POOL. ONCE SUNK, THE VISITORS ARE LEFT WITHIN A DRIED TRENCH, EXPERIENCING THE VERY ANXIETY THAT PLAGUES OUR REALITY OF DIMINISHING FRESHWATER SUPPLIES. EXPLORING WATER SCARCITY THROUGH AN EMOTIONAL LOCUS REPRESENTS THE ISSUE IN A MORE REALISTIC CANNON THAT CAN BE APPLIED TO PERSONAL EXPERIENCE. (EVAN YE) TOP TO BOTTOM: EVAN YE (WATER SCARCITY), KATHERINE VARNAVA (EXPERIENCING CLIMATE CHANGE), KATTY YU & NICOLE EDMUNDS (ATMOSPHERE)
TOP LEFT: LULU GUO (THE DYING ARCTIC), MIDDLE LEFT: JAMES KAMEL (DEFORESTATION), BOTTOM LEFT: LEANNA IOANNOU (VERTICAL TSUNAMI)& BOTTOM RIGHT: YURIKA HASHIMOTO (REBUILDING FORESTS)
SOUND POLLUTION: REPURPOSING EXCESS SOUND WAVES INTO KINETIC ENERGY WITHIN THE SOUTH KENSINGTON TUNNEL COMPROMISES A PURPOSE BUILT EAR-PIECE THAT VISITORS WEAR DURING THEIR JOURNEY THROUGH THE SPACE. THE EARPIECE EMBOLDENS THE ANALOG SOUNDS OMITED BY ITS COUNTERPART STRUCTURE: A MOVING PANEL HOUSING MARBLES. THE MOVEMENT OF THE MARBLES, AND THE STRUCTURE WITHIN WHICH THEY ARE HOUSED CULMINATE IN THE USE OF THIS EARPIECE OF AMPLIFY THE EXPERIENCE OF THE TUNNEL’S REVISED SOUNDSCAPE. (ANNA BALINT) TOP LEFT: DIEP LE (CLIMATE CHANGE), BOTTOM LEFT: VICTORIA DE JESUS (DEFORESTATION) & RIGHT: ANNA BALINT (SOUND CLOUD)
FOOD AND BEVERAGE
THE CULTURE OF FOOD, AND THE FOOD OF CULTURE, ARE NECESSARY VARIABLES TO HUMAN EXISTENCE. WITH OUR POPULATION ON THE RISE, ALONGSIDE THE CHANGING NATURE OF FOOD CONSUMPTION A CULTURE OF RETHINKING FOOD AND BEVARAGE WASTE AND MAKING FOOD FROM ‘WASTE’ IS ON THE RISE. THE QUESTION OF HOW TO MAKE USE OF - RE-USE - IS A QUESTION BEING ADDRESSED WITHIN THE FOLLOWING DESIGNS. BEYOND A PURE NECESSITY, EATING IS ALSO EXPLORED AS A VARIABLE THAT SPATIALLY ILLUSTRATES IDEAS OF GLOBALISATION.
UNITING AND CELEBRATING OUR MULTILATERAL GLOBAL COMMUNITY UNDER THE UMBRELLA OF TEA DRINKING ALLOWS THE VISITORS TO UNDERSTAND THAT SHARING EXPERIENCES AS A GLOBAL COMMUNITY UNDERSCORES THE MECHANICS OF OUR DAILY LIFE. (YAQING ZENG) TOP LEFT: CLARA REN (FOOD TO ENZYME), BOTTOM LEFT: ROSSANA ARGENTERO (PLASTIC RESTAURANT) & RIGHT: YAQING ZENG (INTERNATIONAL TEA HOUSE)
RAIN BEER: COOPERATING WITH NATURAL ENVIRONMENTAL CYCLES TO ACHIEVE THE END PRODUCT FOR THE PROPOSAL, ONE QUESTIONS HOW IT IS POSSIBLE TO REDEFINE CENTURY OLD TECHNIQUES OF BEER BREWERY TO
BETTER ASSOCIATE WITH THE CONTEMPORARY CONCERNS AND LOGISTICS OF THE PRESENT. (DOMITILLE BOULIN) TOP AND BOTTOM: DOMITILLE BOULIN (RAIN BEER)
GENDER
60 YEARS AGO, THE IDEA THAT WOMEN SHOULD VOTE WAS ABSURD. PRECURSING THE 1950S, HOWEVER, THE CRITERIA OF GENDER DIVISION AND ROLES HAVE ALWAYS BEEN IN PLACE.WE HAVE PEGGED CERTAIN ACTIVITIES, BEHAVIOURAL QUALITIES, TO THE MALE AND FEMALE RESPECTIVELY AND THUS THOUGHT TO LAY A FOUNDATION FOR THE WAY OUR SOCIETY SHOULD FUNCTION. NONETHELESS, THERE IS LITTLE COMPLACENCY TOWARD GENDER STEREOTYPES; DESIGN IS A TOOL TO FURTHER QUESTION AND CHALLENGE THE PARADIGM OF GENDER WITHIN THESE PROJECTS IN A SPATIAL CONTEXT.
THE FEMALE IN COMBAT: EXPLORING AND ADDRESSING THE IDENTITY OF THE FEMININE IN COMBAT AND THE GENDRIFICATION WITHIN WAR. A REVISION OF HOW CONTEMPORARY COMBAT IS CHANGING THE SEMIOTICS OF GENDER WITHIN WAR AND PUSHING TO DIFFUSE THE DISTINCTION MADE BETWEEN THE FEMALE AND THE MALE ON THE FRONTLINE. (HAYLEY WRIGHTON)
TOP TO BOTTOM: HAYLEY WRIGHTON (WOMEN IN COMBAT), PETER CHAN (PROSTITUTION), ILAYDA LIPPERT (THE FEMININE AUTHENTICITY OF NATURE)& YUE DU (WOMEN AND BODY IMAGE)
THE HUMAN PSYCHE
THE HUMAN PSYCHE IS AN INTIMATE REALM, ON WHICH OUR CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY EXERCISES EXCESSIVE CRITERIA. EXPECTED BEHAVIOURS, CRITERIA FOR ETIQUETTE IMPOSE A WEALTH OF SOCIAL PRESSURES ON THE INDIVIDUAL. FROM THE STRESS OF EVERYDAY LIFE, TO BULLYING, TO SUICIDE, THESE DESIGNS SEEK TO CREATE SPACES THAT ALLOW FOR AN INDULGENCE OF REFLECTION. MORE, THE DESIGNS CREATE MUTUAL EMPATHY WITHIN A SOCIETY WHERE THE INDIVIDUAL IS INCREASINGLY DISPARATE AND LONELY IN A STRIVE TO CONFIRM TO SOCIAL CRITERIA.
SUICIDE MUSEUM: APPLYING ARCHITECTURAL EMOTION TO THE CANON OF SUICIDE, THE FIVE PART MUSEUM DRAWS ITS VISITORS INTO THE COMPLEXITIES OF THE PSYCHE OF THOSE SUFFERING FROM SUICIDE, OFFERING A PAINSTAKINGLY REAL AND EMOTIONALLY-CHARGED EXPERIENCE, BREAKING THE TABOO AROUND SUICIDE. (RICK LI)
TOP TO BOTTOM: RICK LI (SUICIDE MUSEUM), TRACY MOK (SPACE OF FEAR), YULIA SALNIKOVA (THE SELF AND THE PRISON)& JOSEPH HUI (PSYCHOLOGY OF PLANE CRASHES)
TOP LEFT: BETHANY CARR (NARCICISM), BOTTOM LEFT: ELISA FRENAY (DOMESTIC VIOLENCE), TOP RIGHT: JANE JIANG (CYBER BULLYING), MIDDLE RIGHT: EMILIA JAROSZ (GREED)& BOTTOM RIGHT: DOMINIC MASSARELLA (THE THEORY OF SPACE)
A DECEPTIVELY BEAUTIFUL DIAMOND INSTALLATION TAKING THE VISITOR THROUGH THE DARK, UNDERGROUND AND UNCERTAIN JOURNEY OF THOSE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DIAMOND INDUSTRY: MINERS. QUESTIONING THE POLARITY BETWEEN THE BEAUTY OF A DIAMOND AND THE PSYCHOLOGICALLY AND PYSHICALLY STRENUOUS REALITY OF THE MINER, THE DESIGN ASKS US TO QUESTION THE ETHICS OF BEAUTY AND WEALTH TODAY. (FERAH R SALYANCI)
TOP TO BOTTOM: FERAH R SALYANCI (DIAMOND MINING), JACKIE MU (WORK STRESS - CALM SPACE), YAO LAI (TRANSPARENCY) & JULIETA CAPRIA BRCICH (MIND IN SPACE)
RELIGION
WHAT ARE THE FUNDAMENTALS OF RELIGION WHEN IT COMES TO COMMUNICATING THEIR ESSENCE IN A SPATIAL SETTING? THE EMOTIONS ASSOCIATED WITH RELIGION AND ITS DOGMAS ALL ENVELOP NOTIONS TO BE ADDRESSED WITHIN THE FOLLOWING DESIGN PROPOSALS THAT SEEK TO ELIMINATE THE BIAS SURROUNDING RELIGION. SPACE IS A CRUCIAL MEDIUM TO ACHIEVE THIS GOAL, WHEREIN SPATIAL EXPERIENCE ALLOWS INDVIDUALS TO INDULGE IN THE BEAUTY OF RELIGION.
NEGOTIATING THE BEAUTY OF ISLAMIC RELIGION WITH THE WESTERN WORLD THROUGH A CAFE, A VISITOR IS TAKEN INTO THE COCOON THAT IS A UNIQUE CAFE EXPERIENCE WORKING ON THE BASIS OF MIDDLE EASTERN HOSTING. THE VISITOR NOT ONLY HAS A POWERFUL SOCIO-CULTURAL EXPERIENCE, BUT ENGAGS WITH THE ARCHITECTURAL CANONS OF THE MIDDLE EAST WITHIN THE CAFE SPACE. (CELINE JABAR)
TOP TO BOTTOM: CELINE JABAR (INTIMATE CAFE), LYNN HADDAD (EMOTION AND RELIGION) & FATIMA ALTHEYAB (CULTURAL AVENUE)
WILDLIFE
THE WAY IN WHICH HUMANS HAVE EXCERCISED THEIR DESTRUCTIVE HABITS UPON ANIMAL POPULATIONS HAS ALL BUT EXACERBATED IN THE PAST CENTURY. DESTROYING THE HABITATS OF WILDLIFE SOLELY FOR OUR OWN BENEFITS IS LEADING TO DRASTIC DECREASE IN ANIMAL POPULATIONS. OUR PROTOCOL OF SELFISHNESS VIS A VIS DECREASING WILDLIFE POPULATIONS FORMS A CRUX FOR THESE DESIGN PROJECTS. THE FOLLOWING DESIGNS GRAPLE WITH THE QUESTION OF HOW DESIGN CAN BE APPLIED TO ADDRESS, AND CHALLENGE THE ISSUE AT HAND. CAN DESIGN EXACERBATE OUR CONSCIOUSNESS OF HUMAN FOOTPRINT ON WILDLIFE, AND POSSIBLY, THROUGH CREATING UNIQUE EXPERIENCES, PUSH US TO PARTAKE IN CAMPAIGNS THAT AIM TO SAVE WILDLIFE?
RECONNECTING THE VISITOR TO THE INTIMATE MARINE ENVIRONMENT, ONE IS TRANSPORTED INTO THE NATURAL HABITAT OF A WEALTH OF AQUATIC SPECIES NOW ON THE VERGE OF EXTINCTION. THE MECHANICS OF THE DESIGN UTILISE BIOLUMINESCENCE TO SCULPT A SPACE AKIN TO THE WORLD UNDERWATER. NEGOTIATED BIOTECHNOLOGY WITH SPACE AND DESIGN TRANSPORTS THE VISITOR INTO THE HOME OF ANIMALS MANY OF US NEVER SEE FOR ON TV/ IMAGES. EXCEPT EXPERIENCING THE HOME OF MARINE SPECIES CHANNELS AN EMPATHETIC RESPONSE, AND IN DOING SO MAKES US QUESTION THE MORALITY OF TREATMENT OF THE MARINE ECOSYSTEM. (SO-HYUN AHN)
TOP TO BOTTOM: SOHYUN AHN (BIOLUMINESCENCE AND THE MARINE LIFE)& LINDA DACOMI (PESTICIDES AND BIODIVERSITY)
MICRO TO MACRO: RHINO POACHING HAS RESULTED IN A CRASH IN RHINO POPULATIONS. THE DESIGN CELEBRATES THE BEAUTY OF THE RHINO HORN AS A SPATIAL ARTEFACT. TO COVET THE BEAUTY OF NATURE, IT IS NOT NECESSARY TO DESTROY ITS SOURCE. TO CREATE A CONSCIOUSNESS WHEREIN WE UNDERSTAND AS A POPULATION TO COEXIST WITH WILDLIFE, RATHER THAN EXPLOIT ANIMALS TO CREATE WEALTH AND PROFIT. (CHARLES HAYES)
TOP LEFT: CHLOE MCFARLANE (5000 BC), BOTTOM LEFT: CHARLES HAYES (RHINOCEROS EXTINCTION) & RIGHT: XINGNAN ZHAO (WHALE EXTINCTION)