4.0 Ecologies
3.1 Brief
3.2 Requirements
3.3 Outcomes
29/01/18 - 18/05/18
For this project you are defining and refining the general theme of your research, working towards the main body of your output for the end of year show, and you will be engaging more closely with ideas of context through your design work. You will be taking the most fruitful and interesting aspects of your work in the first term, being critical and evaluative of that work and selecting an aspect to take forward, to develop and adapt the research you have already progressed to a more defined investigation, again with a tangible outcome, of a 1:1 human scale work that moves beyond furniture and device, by relating to some aspect of the built environment in a particular site. Your work will be dynamically responsive in some way to your site with its own ecology, be it very site specific, environmentally specific, such as changes of heat or humidity, interactive with users, or change over time. The responsiveness can be electronic, biological, chemical or kinetic, but must demonstrate some kind of very specific responsiveness, marking it out from other work that has been progressed in your field, of which you will be more and more aware as your knowledge of your chosen field improves. Be aware of what is entirely special about your work and develop it. You will increase your ability to make unique and well made artifacts which address a very specific concept or design, making intuitively from the body of knowledge built up during the first semester. You might develop your skills in detailed artful fabrication, prototype and iteration development, precise computer modelling and visualisation, futurecasting, working with immersive technologies and interactive electronics through coding and circuit building. What other fields might you start to engage with to create your own specialist niche? Ecologists? Historians? Neuroscientists? Material scientists? Game designers? It is up to you how you develop your interest but it should be rich and engaged with the experimental outer realms of contemporary design thinking. Make this design niche your home and adapt to it. UCA Canterbury School of Architecture // MA Architecture // MA Interior Design // 2017-18
3.4 Assessment
Completion of the Ecologies project will contribute 70% of the grade for the MA Interior ‘Project Development’ unit (CIND 7012) and the MA Architecture ‘Project Development’ unit (CARC 7003). Both units are valued at 60 credits. Assessment will be carried out at the point of submission via a final A2 paper portfolio and completed prototypes or models. Feedback will be verbal and written at formative stages and written at the summative stage for this project.
3.5 Duration
The project will run from 29/01/2018 until the portfolio submission on 18/05/2018 to campus registry.
3.6 Key Events
29/01/18:
Project Introduction 14:00
30/01/18:
Thesis Introduction
09/02/18: London Trip 12/02/18:
Thesis Review
13,15,16/02/18: VR workshop 12/03/17: Review
3.7 Staff/Guests
21/03/17
Thesis draft submission 10:00- 13:00
(written formative feedback)
23/04/17:
External Examination review
09/05/17:
Thesis Submission 14:00-17:00
14/05/17:
Final Review
(written formative feedback)
18/05/17:
Portfolio submission 14:00-15:00
(written summative feedback)
The project will be run by Lucy Jones (MA Course Leader) and assisted by Owain Caruana-Davies, visiting design tutor. JJ Brophy is also a crucial membr of staff who can help you with technical questions regardng your project. Chris Settle and Ben Westacott, departmental technicians are also avaliable for support. During the course of the unit we will be joined by key guests for crit reviews. In order to stimulate debate and discussion reviews will be held in tandem with the BA Interior Architecture and Design Stage 2 reviews.
Her ring e g gs in Alaska
Fungi Ger many
UCA Canterbury School of Architecture // MA Architecture // MA Interior Design // 2017-18
3.8 Deliverables
The following are minimum deliverable requirements for completion of the project. A good portfolio would be a least 25 detailed sheets. Drawing is an important aspect of the development of this unit, please pay attention to these deliverables. A 1:1 human scale intervention effectively addressing the laid out research aims at the beginning of the semester Diagrams and preentation information from Thesis Review process A2 site documentation A2 drawings of the chosen site A2 detailed drawing of context aspect of the project A2 drawing or render representative of interaction and change A2 portfolio showing design development drawings A2 portfolio records of all physical fabrication tests & prototype pieces A2 portfolio records of any simulation, or digital work A2 portfolio documentation of deployment or use of intervention Composed film of final installation outcome (memory stick) pdf of portfolio sheets NAME_UNIT_17/18 (memory stick)
Crow in the city UCA Canterbury School of Architecture // MA Architecture // MA Interior Design // 2017-18
3.9 Site work
It is up to you how much your site infiltrates your work, but context is of course of utmost importance in both Architecture and Interior Design. We cannot work without it. Think carefully about how you might like to document your site, through film, photography, drawing, are there other means of recording you might progress to help you? In what way would you like to work contextually? Bear in mind you are producing a site specific, dynamic, human scale intervention. The site might inform your work in a different way, through colouration, lighting, materiality, form or movement. But be a little adventurous, ask a few questions and see where you get to. You will be able to develop this in co-ordination with your tutor over the first few weeks of the project. We will be exploring the green spaces of Canterbury which are history laden and highly engaged with the city and the built environment. Please attend the sceduled site meeting at 2pm on 1st February to explore this further.
Canterbur y
River Stour
Wolf UCA Canterbury School of Architecture // MA Architecture // MA Interior Design // 2017-18
3.10 Site visit
On Friday the 9th of February we will be going on a day trip to London. Please make your way to London, the first train is at 9:23 from Canterbury West, arriving at 10:14 to STRATFORD INTERNATIONAL, please meet in front of the main departures board at 10:20. From there we will make our way by foot, but we will also be using public transport, so please bring Oyster Cards if you have them. Itinerary: 09:23: Canterbury West 10:20 Main station: Stratford International 10:30 River walk (sturdy footwear essential!) 13:00 Lunch 14:00 Hayward Gallery 18:00 Return to Canterbury To remember: Money for food/nibbles/coffee/other Suitable clothing (hats, coats, umbrellas if wet) Practical robust footwear for museum conditions (no stilettos!) Do not bring suitcases for museums Mobile phones - Lucy is on 07980021527 Sketchbooks, notebooks, cameras Boar field, Lithuania
Bird box, Lithuania
Deer, Lithuania UCA Canterbury School of Architecture // MA Architecture // MA Interior Design // 2017-18
3.11 Research Proposal revie w
On Monday 12th February you will be presenting the first version of your research proposal for the rest of the year. You have progressed a semester of your MA now, with two more to go. You have been exposed to and engaged with various media and ways of making and engaging and should by this point have some kind of idea of an area of thought and design you might like to push forward to the next stage, or at least strong feelings about what you do not! The Thesis Review is an opportunity for you to test those ideas in front of your tutor panel and get feedback on your first presented approach. You should bear in mind you are also going to be producing a long form essay in the form of your written thesis on this subject and this might influence your thinking and decision making regarding the direction you pursue. Do not take this as a moment set in stone and a final version of what you must do, more a presentation of the seeds of thoughts you have had over the preceding semester and thoughts as to how you might move forward. Research develops expertise in a certain field, and the initial thinking is often identifying gaps in knowledge and practice which will enable you to make something new in a field of thought and making. To help you with the task, we are asking you to present a ten slide, 5 minute presentation on your proposal. You might use some of the headings below to get you started, as presented in the course handbook and issued to you by email:
1. 17 Thesis Review There are two Thesis Review sessions which are assesed aspects of the units and therefore contribute to your overall grades. As such its important to prepare carefully for these sessions, one at the beginning and one at the end of semester 2. Diagram questions, in bold, as below incorporating thesis and practice, show images where you can and be as precise as you can, some diagrams might be more straightforward than others. 1. What have you tried out? What have you been doing in the workshop and what have you been doing in your reading and writing? 2. What is successful and what is going wrong? Be straightforward and honest here. 3. What have you found out? Even small, strange things, like how a material behaves strangely. 4. What are the skills you have developed? What have you learned so far on the course? 5. Why are you doing this? (not ‘its the brief’!) What do people think or feel that you hope to change? 6. Who is writing about what you are doing? Writing about theory and practice. Look at your bibliography. 7. Who is making the work like yours? Name names here. Who? Look at your bibliography and research. Try to show relationships. 8. Where is research on your area happening in the world? Universities/ industries/ design studio/ art practice? 9. How is what you are doing different? Small or large, what is nobody else doing? 10. What is valuable about what you are doing? How could it help? How could people think differently in a small way? What is successful and what is challenging? Practice
Thesis Arguement not clear enough Articles are hard to read
My bibliography is written
Sucessful colour management
Takes a long time... time management
I have written well about my design
3d making
Knowledge of Field
Body Space
Utopia
I’m not sure I have found all the right information I have read a lot now!
Presenting technical aspects of interactivity on paper
Technical investigation
Virtual world working
Sucessful colour management
2d representation
Allegorical Architecture
Lots of large files, how to manage?
Relates to theory: Marx/ praxis/ Candide/ Jameson
The area is interesting to me (phew!)
Some nice details emerging: hand drawing
Work has gone through a lot of development
Conceptual Location It takes a long time to explain
Difficult to manage lead time on parts
Budgeting for materials
Hard to find a workflow that amagamates hand work with the computer
I have found enough precedents, just
Getting something to work
Good progress with materiality decisions
Design development
Lots of meaning
Relates strange things together
Needs more spatial complexity, hierarchy
Conceptual rather than spatial?
UCA Canterbury School of Architecture // MA Architecture // MA Interior Design // 2017-18
UCA Canterbury School of Architecture // MA Architecture // MA Interior Design // 2017-18
3.12 Lear ning Aims
The aims of this unit are: A1. To develop a critical and contextual understanding of the agreed project proposal. A2. To achieve conceptual clarity through experimental practice and research methods. A4. To utilise and gain further competency in the skills and processes required for the development of the project. A4. To research and develop the project proposal towards an interim outcome. A5. To develop as an independent researcher and practitioner. A6. To develop an understanding of theoretical concepts in relation to the project.
3.13 Lear ning Outcomes
On satisfactory completion of the unit you will have: LO1. Engaged in experimental and exploratory processes in the development of your MA project, both practically and theoretically and critically reflecting on that process. LO2. Developed an advanced knowledge and use of materials, processes and techniques appropriate to the project proposal. LO4. Gained a clear understanding of the critical context of relevant contemporary practices and the particular significance within this of the individual research proposal. LO4. Developed writing and reading skills in the formulation and understanding of ideas. LO5. Presented your research in writing in a structured form, showing a clear and coherent series of arguments and themes. LO6. Demonstrated the ability to work independently, set goals, manage workloads and meet deadlines.
1. Visitors' activity tracks in exhibition space.
2. Different players' activity tracks in the game.
Previous MA work : Site Specific VR installation, Dungeness UCA Canterbury School of Architecture // MA Architecture // MA Interior Design // 2017-18 Explanatory Drawings
3.14 Reading list
Brooks, Rodney. A. (1999) Cambrian Intelligence: the early history of the new AI. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press. Brown, Kathryn. Interactive Contemporary Art. 1st ed. Haque, Usman. (2007) ‘Distinguishing Concepts: Lexicons of Interactive Art and Architecture’ In: Architectural Design 77 (4) pp.24–31. Harari, Y.N. (2015) Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow. London, Harvill Secker Harari, Y.N. (2014) Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind. New York, Harper. Hofstadter, Douglas. R. (1999) Gödel, Escher, Bach : an eternal golden braid. (20th anniversary ed.) New York: Basic Books. Mauss, Marcel. (2011) The gift: forms and functions of exchange in archaic societies. Mansfield Centre, Conn.: Martino. Muick, P.C. (1994) The Ecological City: Preserving and Restoring Urban Biodiversity. Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press. Pask, Gordon. (1971) ‘A Comment, a case history, a plan’ In: Reichardt, Jasia. (ed.) Cybernetics, art and ideas. Greenwich, Conn.: New York Graphic Society. pp.76–99. Rawes, P. (ed.) (2013) Relational architectural ecologies: architecture, nature and subjectivity. London ; New York: Routledge. Taylor, Mark. Interior Design And Architecture. 1st ed. London ; New Delhi [u.a.]: Bloomsbury, 2013. Serres, M. 1995. Chapter- ‘The Natural Contract’ in The Natural Contract. Translated by Elizabeth MacArthur and William Paulson. Ann Arbor, The University of Michigan Press. Pp. 27-50 Simanowski, R. Digital art and meaning: reading kinetic poetry, text machines, mapping art, and interactive installations Minneapolis : University of Minnesota Press, 2011. Pallasmaa, Juhani. The Architecture Of Image. 1st ed. Helsinki: Rakennustieto, 2001. Todd, J. and Todd, N.J. (1993) From Eco-Cities to Living Machines: Principles of Ecological Design. (2nd edition edition ed.) Berkeley, Calif: North Atlantic Books,U.S. Yiannoudes, S. (2016) Architecture and adaptation: from cybernetics to tangible computing. New York: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.
3.15 Useful web-links
The following are a first primer for useful materials and know-how resources: Kobakant - http://www.kobakant.at/DIY/ Arduino - http://www.arduino.cc/
- Tutorials and more relating to textiles and interaction.
- Popular cheap open source microcontroller.
Freeduino - http://www.freeduino.org/ - Knowledge base for the Arduino. Cool Components - http://www.coolcomponents.co.uk/ - UK Store for component supplies. Rapid - http://www.rapidonline.com/ - Key online supplier of basic kits including gear and electronics.
Previous MA work: Proposal and 3d scan, Folkestone UCA Canterbury School of Architecture // MA Architecture // MA Interior Design // 2017-18