Week 9 – Tile Glazing

This week’s tile workshop consisted of pulling our tiles out of the kiln ready to glaze. I was really impressed with how my tiles came out after the first kiln heating, as I wanted the marble effect that Dale Frank has in his art work, and these tiles display that really well. Before glazing the tiles, I added colour of yellow onto some white sections of the tiles to experiment and see how they would turn out in relation to the marble effect. I then decided to dip my tiles into clear glaze, so that after they come out of their second heating process, the colours are hopefully brighter and pop out more. As comparing my tiles now to how they were before the went into the kiln, the red clay is much more prominent than it was before it was heated.

Stair Surface

This weeks in class exercise involved testing different surface treatments on the 1.20 scaled model of the staircase that leads into the apartment. The staircase is an important part to construct with detail as is the first space a person enters into and sets the tone for what the space of the apartment consists of. My first lot of surface treatment I experimented by cutting out a painting I perviously did which is inspired by Dale Frank, and placing them on each step on the first flight of stairs. I then cut out sections of mirrored paper on placed it on the vertical part of the step, which reflects the pattern of the painting creating an almost illusion look as you walk up the staircase. I thought I would also test this surface with another painting with different colours that Dale Frank also uses to see how the colours would contrast with each other and what different moods they would enhance for the person entering. After testing the blue and yellow colours together (below) I liked the look of these two colours together with the yellow and reds but on different flights of stairs as it creates the idea of not knowing what to expect inside.

I also tried other surface tests with the windows which are located at the very top of the staircase that leads to the rooftop garden. I used the same painting technique as Dale Franks again but this time I tried it on perspex as an acting glass window for the model. The idea around this was to create the painted glass which shines colour down on to the stair case when the natural light shines through. I tested this with again with similar colours that  Dale Frank uses, and thought this idea related well to his paintings as his art work is all about movement and the colour shining down would be as though the guests of the apartment would be moving through the patterns and colours as they are walking up to the apartment. I noticed how when the natural light shines through these windows the colour completely changes for example the soft reds and yellows convert into bold and fiery colours as well with the blues, which I though was interesting and would be a cool feature to have in the stairwell.

 

 

 

Week 2 – Colour Study

 

Model M

Model E

Model C

Model D

Model A

Model K

Model F

Model B

Model S

Model G

Model R

Model T

Model N

Model H

Model O

Model P

Model I

Model L

Model J

Model Y

Model Q

Model W

Model U

Model X

Model V

 

For week two we were required to get together in our group of five and investigate histories and theories of colour and their application in spatial design contexts. For my group we were given the topic of research – The histories of colour in relation to spatial practice, with our colour being red. As a group we worked together and equally divided up our given research questions. We decided to allocate the questions to the group members who thought was their best strength as a designer. I was quite interested in the different shades and tints of the colour red so I chose to research into question 3,

Q.3: Research into the different tints/tones and shades of the colour red and the names of these. Further, consider how different paint companies brand/ curate their strains.               –Shades, Tints and Tones

Varieties of the colour red may differ in hue, saturation or lightness. Variations in value are also called tints and shades, a tint being a red mixed with white and a shade being mixed with black. Different names for shades, tints/tones of red vary from ruby, wine, maroon, cherry, rose, auburn, magenta, blush, bloody and many many more.New Zealand paint companies curate their strains of red to differentiate themselves from each other. For example Dulux’s different shades and tints are named as a cluster of New Zealand locations, like K Road, Cherry Bay, Napier etc. They also suggest interior and exterior colours that would suit that particular shade of colour. Resene tells you the complementary colours for each colour shade, and they also give you information and values of that colour such as RGB and CMYK values. Apco paint company don’t have any info on their site such as complementary colours or suggestions for what colours to use. They only give you the name of the colour and style number. Apco is more of a paint manufacturer for the specialists such as swimming pool paint, floor and roofing.

http://www.resene.co.nz

http://www.dulux.co.nz

http://www.apcocoatings.co.nz

As a group we also decided to each analyse a designer for questions 5,6,7&8: An analysis of key design precedents that use red to represent and/or construct spatial design.               –  The Red Sun Pavilion – Jean Nouvel 2010

The Red Sun Pavilion was designed by french architect Jean Nouvel. The pavilion was built in Hyde Park, London, and was designed to fit in with the citizens who visit the park and with the season summer, as more people go to the park in summer. The pavilion is seasonal, as is the colour red in nature. Its existence is often short and temporary. Jean Nouvel expresses how “Colour becomes bolder in the summer, greens are greener and flowers are brighter. The summer pavilion is like a beacon, a celebration of summer. Red is Summer heat. Red complement’s green and red is bright, alive and piercing.” The striking red catches the eye and interests people as to what it is. The pavilion is made from red steel framing and retractable red canvas awnings, with red rubber floors on the inside as well as red table tennis tables, red hammocks, red tables and chairs, and red chess sets. Jean Nouvel states how he wanted the pavilion to do more than just catch the sun, he wants it to catch and filter emotions, to be a little place of warmth and delight. Nouvel’s pavilion is a simple yet striking construction that, on closer inspection, proves to be far more than a brightly coloured sculpture. Some of its red surfaces absorb light, others reflect it; some glimmer, others are translucent. What inspired Nouvel to design the pavilion as a bold red, he said is the moment when the summer sun catches you full in the eyes, and as you blink, the world dissolves into red. http://www.jeannouvel.com/en/desktop/home/#/en/desktop/projet/london-united-kingdom-serpentine-gallery-the-red-sun-pavilion1

https://www10.aeccafe.com/blogs/arch-showcase/2011/07/23/the-red-sun-pavilion-in-kensington-gardens-london-by-jean-nouvel-architect/

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2010/jul/06/jean-nouvel-sepentine-pavilion

Along with this research we were also required to create a series of 2 drawings each as well as 25 conceptual models as an in class exercise. Above are a series of models I created for the exercise, I used materials such as card, wax, wire, mesh, paper, balsa wood, reflective card and mesh fabric. I personally found it quite difficult to keep up with the time of making 1 model in 5 minutes but towards the end I found it a lot easier. I liked the idea of creating a model by adding aspects from two other models together as I found it easier to develop ideas for each model.

Here is a link to the group powerpoint presentation that shows everyone’s contribution to information, models and drawings: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ggq-U_KEDLv9Ls45ql9ejQxG_ZasQ0rMF02OiGMUbCE/edit#slide=id.g240f601340_0_0