During the Week 3 class we had a formative assessment where in we digested loads of creative practice made in Week 2. Week 2 was about cooking our 3 ingredients with 2 selected methods. We offered hospitality to our guests by providing a range of artefacts on a placemat. We presented our work done in Week 2. We shared our ideas about practice and received feedback from peers.
Reflections / Peer Feedback
It was wonderful to get positive feedback from my peers. The appreciation I received for my ideas and concepts motives me to do more! Some key questions and suggestions from the feedback I am looking into are –
- Introducing a new pallete of materials to explore textures and surfaces. Play with actual materials rather than representations
- Considering moving or manipulative parts like shapes, rails or puzzles – although already trying to include them in my elements for play.
- To slow down in my delivery so people can grasp my ideas a little easier.
- Locating my project. – this would probably take place at a later stage.
- Combining opposite ideas like hard and soft to exist in the same space to giving more depth to the experience. – although I’m already doing that till now. More focus on interaction with the environment.
- To add more gamificate elements to make the space more educational. – although for education the kids already go to school where its all structured.
- No complex (multiple functions) structures are not necessarily better than empty spaces. I have just tried to explore ideas currently for different types of play and I did not intend to show it as an actual single space.
- Exploring Singapore and its tree sculptures indoor/ moving nature indoors. Exploring how colors might stimulate creativity.
- Coherence of the whole space from these elements. Space and its elements itself are narratives and people using it form new narratives on every use.
- Looking into the playground designer who created a play area from an old factory in New York. (Domino Sugar Refinery transformed into Domino Park)
- Looking into the person who designed the playground in post-earthquake Chch Central city near the river – interesting story. (Compton-Moen’s team designed Margaret Mahy Playground)
Plating Up: Contexts for Practice
This week’s DP-2 class involves more making! But this time we can establish our own time, material and dimensional constraints. Along with the 3 ingredients and 2 descriptive terms for methods we had to now select 2 contexts and 2 distribution channels to advance our creative practice. These 4 terms had to relate to my current working contexts for my research and how my research is positioned.
My Over-arching Research Question (Version-9)
How can we create an experiential, dynamic, biophilic free play space for children in order to nurture holistic development and provide a prototype for developing a child-friendly community space?
Methods & Process:
The 2 descriptive terms which described my creative practice best –1)Amalgamate 2)Dissolve
Contexts: (methodology)
1)Interpret, 2)Compose
1)Interpret meaning to comprehend, explain, express or translate. This exercise in DP2 itself is an interpretation. Interpretation of words and ideas onto concepts in spatial design. I have also been in continuous process of interpreting contextual texts and case studies (conveying my understanding of the creator’s ideas) and assessing them to evolve my strategies. Interpretation is also expression of my ideas and how I put them together in the form of representations.
2)Compose meaning to formulate, bring together, create and frame ideas. Spatial quality of my project will be a composition of my ideas and concepts. It will be an integration of the three ingredients and how they can be framed together.
Distribution: (impact/reach)
1)Physical, 2)Augment
1)Physical meaning related to the body or related to things perceived through senses. End result of my research is about designing a physical space. Also through my research I am looking to explore multi-sensorial spaces which can be experienced through all the senses of the users.
2)Augment meaning to enhance, empower or make more efficient. Through my project I am trying to enhance the experience of the users through its spatial quality. I am aiming to empower children and enhance their well being. I am also looking to make the space more efficient with use of materials, energy and ecosystem. I am also aiming to explore how I can enhance learning and creativity in children.
Rationing Constraints:
The rationing constraints imposed on creative practice this week was to be established by ourselves. I decided to expand and utilize maximum amount of time in the making. Although reflecting and exploring on new ideas on creating the artefacts takes more amount of time for me than the actual making. The materials I explored with are purely based on each artefact and its representation. At most times I intend to use materials in house to produce my artefacts for exploration purposes rather than buying extravagant materials as I can closely relate with things in hand and making by hand. Since there are no dimensions constraints this time I have tried varied dimensions to suit the artefacts best.
The Making:
The Narrative (300 words):
During the past few weeks I have explored various elements for free play through my creative process. These spatial elements were made using Raw, Porous and Sticky as ingredients. Amalgamation and Dissolve were used as methods to cook these ingredients and create further artefacts. In this week we selected our contexts and distribution terms for exploring our research further. The two key contexts which I have selected are Interpret and Compose. In any design process we are continuously interpreting ideas and concepts. These could be derived from analogues of art, texts or simply words like in this exercise. Ideas are interpreted to formulate concepts in spatial design. I am also interpreting case studies and analyzing them to evolve strategies for my project. I am also trying to interpret environments through the eyes of children so that I could create better experiences through spatial design or them. Interpretation for me is also expressing in the form of representations by amalgamating concepts together. Along with interpretation I am also continuously composing my ideas. I formulate my thoughts together and analyze my interpretations to create the best compositions of space. The spatial quality of my project will be a composition of my key concepts. It will be important to explore how my 3 ingredients are integrated and framed together as a spatial narrative. The two key distribution terms I have selected are Physical and Augment. My research project is an exploration of a creative physical space which will be an experience for the users. Physical also relates to all the senses and I am investigating multi-sensorial spaces through my research. Through the spatial quality of my project I would like to augment the experience of the users. I aim to enhance the well-being of children and empower them. In terms of the usage of materials, energy and eco system, I would aim to make spaces more efficient. I would like to explore how creativity, imagination and learning can be enhanced through the spatial experience created.
Akanksha's Design Explorations 