Evaluating...

My initial expectations of this project was to create a variety of samples and experiments that could eventually be turned into proposed ideas for the new building. This expectation didn't change throughout but it did become less important in the middle as I just focused on the sampling part.
During this project my experimenting with materials improved as I experimented with materials I normally would not have worked with such as acetates and transparent foils. My aspect of this project that could of easily been improved is my choice making in what ideas are better than others to be taken forward. My samples became and worked a lot better than I thought so choosing the best quality to take forward proved very difficult for me.
The materials that were selected and used repeatedly were acetate, foils and transparent plastics. I used the workshop of print only a couple of times at the very beginning but the outcomes were unsuccessful so I began doing hand processes in the studio and at home.
My sketchbook shows my thought process and in what order my ideas and samples came. My sketchbook always becomes a portfolio of research, photographs and images of samples that help me present my work in a thorough way so that I can understand it.
When working with acetate and transparent plastics the thickness and quality of the materials was a definate quality helped my sampling in whether they improved or whether that experiment just didn't work. What my work lacked was the media aspect as I didn't do many drawings, my work focused on using model-making as a way of drawing my designs.

 Presenting my samples has always been done through photography and this hasn't changed in this project, it is an understandable way of presenting my work clearly to me.
If I was to start this project again I would change my lack of drawings and maybe expanded my use of materials and tried more combinations of them. The materials used were chosen due to their properties and whether I thought they would what I wanted them too.

My contextual references became key in influencing my samples and what aspects were taken forward. My artist research in this unit has realy improved a lot, I used aspects of their work to influence my own, for example the tiesta floor from Think Tank influenced my project majorly as a floor being worn down became an idea I explored throughout, this aspect is even included in my final proposal.

 

Doing this Unit has made me realise the importance of contextual references, they really do further my work and my experiments.
I know many people started of with the concept of wear and tear but the differences that my work and there work turned out were completely different.

Overall this project has made me realise the importance of materials and the contextual influence that artist research gives off.

My 'Context' Sheet...

My Visualisation...

Below is my visualisation that has been put forward for my proposal. This visualisation was done using my very basic skills on photoshop, I am pleased with the outcome and how the perception turned out.
My final proposal is a room that has a singular running line of my spotlights which are made out of wood and acetate that have foiled patterns on them that have been influenced by wear and tear images from the old building. The flooring that connections this altogether is a foiled glass foiling that will start off with the glass being fully foiled to it being worn down by the students in the new building, students essentially become the designers. Some of the foiled pattern will still be there after it has been worn down, just to keep the element of pattern and the connection with the foiled spotlights.
What I like most about my proposal has got to be the glass flooring, it is stunning and one of the most professional things I have thought up. The idea of worned floors was inspired by the Tiesta floor in Think Tank and also a photograph I took in Hotspur of a very worned down floor. Glass was the perfect solution to not ever having the floor wear down but the material on top could be worn away, this way the floor will always be intact.
What I dislike the most is the patterns I chose from the old building to use in the new. They don't really stand out as much as I had hoped but they do make a connection with the foiled flooring.
This idea would definately work as a studio for people to work, especially in the winter when it gets darker earlier as the spotlights would make that area more comfortable and more approackable and useable to students. I would definately use a space like this.

Designing visualisations...

For my final proposal I have decided to include the spotlights aswell as the foiled glass floor as I think they have a relationship with each other. Putting these 2 pieces into a space in the new building from the images that were taken is really difficult as the building at the moment is still under construction. To improve my visualisations I decided to trace, cut and measure with the images I do have making the space look more presentable. All these images are drawn from images taken from the new building, doing this makes my proposal seem more real.

Proposal visualisation 1: the spotlights running up the corridoor wall with the foiled glass flooring running along the corridoor flooring beside the lights so the lights will create reflection and make the foils become more vibrant.

Proposal visualisation 2: Panelled glass wall running on either side of the corridoor below the wall that contains a numerous amount of spotlights, filling the wall and randomly placed.

Proposal visualisation 3: Spotlights running down the corridoor creating useful lighting especially in the winter. Even though this does not include the foiled glass flooring I think this piece would work independantly well.

Proposal visualisation 4: This is my best design out of the four. Setting these pieces so close together in a contained room works for this piece, it would be situated in a single room or the room could be created using partition walls.

Final Design????

As I wanted to change the materials I used and the patterns I created I did! It was ahrd narrowing down from all of my research, samples and experiments I had created but this final design works really well, at first I wanted to have them descending in order with stairs in the new building but now I'm not so sure. Even though I think they would really work as spotlights, the idea of loads of these attached to one wall really fascinates me. I am going to try these ideas on photoshop and visualise them in the new building to see which layout and design would work better. The wood that I used makes this design look more professionally finished.

Pattern related...

The patterns that are going to be used in my final proposal are influenced by wear and tear patterns from the old building. My main theme of wear and tear was hard to find in the studio so my pattern choices were limited, the patterns I chose don't look like anything specific which will get the audience thinking. These patterns of wear and tear in the old building were created by participating students, these patterns have history and a connection with the studio and the old building and students so I think these patterns are appropriate and relevant to being used and taken forward into the new building.

Pierre Mesguich...

Pierre Mesguich came to my attention through Charlotte through our group blog. Looking at his work I can definately see the connection between his work and mine through the reflective materials we both use. Mesguich's 2012 collection is based on traditional motifs that are all hand made. He mainly focuses on creating interior designs such as tile designs for pools and reflective floorings. He combines a number of methods such as print and digital. From his collection it is clear that he likes working with mosaics and reflective materials such as mirrors. Mesguich has many show room around the world including: London and Paris. I think his work is very floral and decorative, he concentrates and hangs on every detail. His work is stunningly presented and the materials he uses are beautiful. 

http://www.mesguichmosaik.co.uk/htmls/reflections_gallery.htm
http://www.mesguichmosaik.co.uk/htmls/powder_gallery.htm
http://www.mesguichmosaik.co.uk/htmls/pools_floors_gallery.htm

Foiling in the old building...

I thought that doing some foiling in the old building would benefit my research and experimental work but it would also give me some more patterns to work with that I could repeat for my final proposal. The first 3 images were done on top of masking tape so that I did not ruin the flooring but the other 4 were done straight onto the floor and the walls because I thought it would show the buildings textures more.

The image above and below are my 2 favourite out of all the images I took especially the one below. The image below looks worn down, I scrapped and walk over it for a while to see what patterns and textures would be created, these patterns however are still similiar to the others created. By how much this area has been worn down by me walking over it continuosly for 15 minutes, I reckon this as a flooring would not last long at all, the foiling would quickly disappear leaving a misty area.

Old building...

When thinking of my final outcome and putting it altogether in a story 1 problem occured and that is the connection between the old and new building. For me the connection is from the images of wear and tear that I took of the old building that influenced the foiling patterns, these patterns will be transformed onto transparent foils and made into spotlights. The patterns from the old building being used onto the transparent foils is obvious to me as the designer but not as clear to the viewers, this worries me slightly. However, what is obvious to any student and teacher in the building we are in now is that the lights we use and have here are very dull, plain and simple, they make the studio feel cold and not homely at all. I think my spotlights created from patterns from the old building and put into the new isn't going to be obvious but the connection is still there, I have also used wear and tear patterns from Hotspur, the old building and my house, all these patterns will feed into the patterns I create using foiling in my final proposal.

Today's tutorial...

Today's tutorial has been helpful for putting together what my next week's plans are. They consist of revisiting wear and tear in the Hotspur house and the universities stuido bringing forward the connection between the foiled markings that are going to be on the final proposals. Our group participated in giving each other a complement aswell as a constructive criticism. Lokking at the sticky notes, what I plan to do this week fits in with what they had suggested. 
I have also decided to change the materials I have previously been working with. As I've been working with foam board and the foilings, the foilings look modern and they look as though they are going to fit in the new building, however using foam board in my final proposal seems childish so I decided to change this material to light wood. Using this material might make creating the same shape hard enough but once done the effort but into the change will definately be worth it.
I am hoping to have the above done for Monday night so I will be ready and prepared to visualise my proposals in the new building space. Using photoshop is definately going to be a challenge for me as I'm not digitally equipped, I am hoping I will have at the least 3 final outcomes that will be ready to hand in to Mary on Thursday.

Changing the spotlight shape??

Since my work from the very beginning had involoved lights and wear and tear patterns and textures this idea would seem fitting and apporopriate to be one of my final proposals. I said in my previous post that I wanted to change my previous shape of cuboids to something else as the cuboids stood off the wall too much, this shape I created now works so much better and has better structure on show creating detail. I stuck to using foiling on acetate as I think it works well for reflections with light, foilings can also create any pattern I want aswell as random patterns, the foiling colours are limited but the ones I've chosen to work with reflect light really well.
I took pictures of the piece in different layouts and in different lights and all the images work, this piece would definately work as spotlights increasing with the stairs. This piece would have valuable use to the new building as it adds decorative detail and has the function of providing light.

Spotlights??

Are splotlights the way forward for my proposal?
Spotlights are definately something that interests me for my final proposal as the have a valuable function in the new building and the pattern I choose can range from all my sample work. The foiling creates really good patterns and relections through the wear and tear foiling but I do like how the transparent coloured foils reflect colour and could maximum the size of reflections through these spotlights.
What worries me about the spotlights is just the shape of them, I have been focusing on the shape of cubes-there simple, elegant and hold their shape well. But cubes like shown on my layouts post previously are too big and bulge off the wall and stand off the wall far to much, changing the shape of my potential spotlights would improve the quality, size and shape of them improving my proposal.

Attempted layouts...

If this experiment was to go ahead, below a few ways in which I would consider displaying it. I like the idea of using the way these are presented increasing up in height, I think this presentation would look good at the side of the stairs in the new building, especially if they were used as spotlights.
Creating spotlights would be a useful and colourful way of bringing something modern into the new building that was inspired by marks from the old building. Adding interesting lights would definately make the new building look a lot better than the old building as the old building lights were plain, simple and very boring. Spotlights are a way of adding extra detail to a so far plain but modern building. The Layout of the spotlights would coincide with how the stairs increase in height and width so it works well as an installation along with the stairs. I took some images of this prospected layout in natural light and in the dark with LED lights inside.

Doing these spotlights in the layout I said above however would make it look too connected with the building and not as much as a piece of art, this would be a good way of combining the 2. Even though I want my proposal to have a function I still want it to be seen as a piece of art, this is where my idea of placing the cubes randomly came from. Placing the cubes randomly makes this piece look more installation based rather than a functional base.