Unit X // Explorative Drawing

Some of my explorations from the '50 Drawings' task. I didn't have a particular concept at the time, so just selected shapes and lines from my everyday surroundings. I toyed with escaping the confinements of a square/rectangle, creating negatives and positives. I've also used scissors as a drawing tool, changing the final shape of my drawn surface. I would like to continue with this mixed media style of drawing in Unit X. Drawing comes quite natural to me as it is pressurised to be the starting point for our projects, however it did come apparent that it was alien to students who are not from a Textiles background. I like that there are no limitations to drawing and would like to push that through my material experimentation and 3-dimensional work.  

Unit X // Rooftop Visit

Fred Aldous, Neighboring Building

Wooden Boards

Wooden Shelter

Far Back of Rooftop

We visited the rooftop space on Thursday, located on 24 Lever Street, Northern Quarter. The rooftop is part of the N24 building, a collective of designer companies and studios. The space was larger than I imagined and has a decent amount of materials that were previously there. The owners were very encouraging about us re-purposing the current materials. For example, we are able to remove the boards off the railings to re-do/decorate/re-purpose however we would like. Surprisingly, it was a very sunny and warm day, making it appealing to come up with ideas. I do however need to consider what I design and the materials used, as Manchester's weather is unpredictable.

The large space allows us to push the possibilities of what we can design. It is somewhat ambiguous, which relates to our group theme, the unknown. We are still uncertain with what we plan to design and our concept, but will be thoroughly researched through the Easter break.

Unit X // UNCONFERENCE

'?' Theme Board

Unconference was the launch of the Rooftop Project. The aim of the session was to answer 'What is Design?' This was based off a number of post-it note tasks. Collectively, we had come up with four sub-groups, including 'Pleasure Beach' 'Sustainability' 'Building Ground' and '?' It was difficult to differentiate an overarching theme for the last and so, became the ambiguous unknown.

The boards were then used as heat maps, where we had to place ourselves in the area which seemed most fitting to us as a designer. For an odd reason, I gravitated towards the '?' board. It was suggested that we could focus more on a concept, which I found intriguing as sometimes my practice can lack in conceptual research. However upon reflection, I do think that the building ground board was more appropriate for me as I enjoy the physical side of making.

Once my group was established (consisting of Melissa, Laura and myself) we were allocated a wall space that we can use throughout this project. This will allow us to think visually in terms of our research and development. At the moment we have combined our personal research of rooftops and manifestos, extracting significant keywords and points. Overtime the mood board will grow and identify more specifically what our piece is.

Unit X // Manifesto's

Innocent

 A manifesto is a statement declaring its intentions, motives or views. It is especially found within politics, however is also applied to the art and design world. They are also found in our everyday lives, for example Innocent smoothies have a well known mentality and policy throughout it's products. Having a manifesto will help push along investigation and we will continuously question ourselves during the project. Above are some examples that have a lighthearted or alternative play on a classic manifesto.

Unit X // Peckham Rooftop Spaces

Peckham, South East London is home to some of the best rooftop spaces. This includes Frank's Cafe and Campari Bar, and The Bussey Building. I live incredibly close to Peckham, and so regularly visit both the spaces at home during summer. The most renowned and my personal favourite aspect is the view. Being that they are on top of tall buildings, you get a spectacular perspective of the the London skyline, especially during sunset.

Frank's Bar

Bar Area // Wooden structures

Yoga Session

Frank's is a Pop-Up bar at the top of a multi story car park. It is however a versatile space, which has been used for yoga classes and exhibitions. It is partnered with the Bold Tendencies Sculpture Project which showcases works from both local and international artists. The actual bar area itself has been constructed from wooden beams and tarp, creating a tent like structure. These are incredibly basic materials but hold a lot of stability, which is important as its a high building that picks up a lot of wind. This has helped me to think about what materials I could use, not only considering the sustainability but also what will with hold in the strong weather conditions of Manchester (Wind, rain etc.)

Rooftop Cinema

The Bussey Building is a converted 19th century factory. It is a multi-use space used for leisure, entertainment and creative arts, containing the likes of studio's, club nights, bars, and martial art classes. The top the building is a rooftop cinema, playing both classic and new films. The cinema has been removed from a dark room and instead placed onto a high, open space in Peckham. It involves you in this panoramic view whilst watching the movie.

It is intriguing to see how versatile these rooftops are. With being high up, they create a break or allow us to escape from the busy city life. They also involve and offer a lot to the community. This will be relevant for me think about the participants of the Northern Quarter and what I want the rooftop to offer or say in the area.

Unit X // Rooftop Art

Creatively revamped rooftop spaces. Really interested in the the bold, bright, graphical pieces as they stand out. Creates a vivid contrast against the dull urban landscapes.

Inspirer Talks // Liam Hopkins

Flow Desk

Liam Hopkins is the owner and creator of the product design company, Lazerian. His clients have included Habitat, Heals’s, John Lewis and the Craft’s Council. Hopkins did a Three-Dimensional degree at Manchester School of Art (Where I'm currently attending) This is inspiring and shows that there is hope to become just as successful as Hopkins. Hopkins initial interests stemmed from the simple processes of taking apart found objects and exploring the components. Giving him an insight of how and what they were. He enjoyed the transformation of 2D to 3D, with one of his early projects consisting of a 3D dinosaur created from cardboard. Immediately after graduating from university, Hopkins set up his own studio space to work from, as at that time he only felt the need to work independently. In the talk, he said to really connect with those around you so that you can take advantage of collaboration. 

Mensa Table

An early piece that he designed and created was a table based on bone structures. The legs/stability are an intricate design made using a combination of digital cutting and hand craft. It combines both form and function, with the contrast of a sleek glass top against the webbed wooden structure. He entered it into the NEC Design Competition in 2010 and won, even though there were problems with the stability of the table. He has now refined and perfected the problems, and selling them for a heavy price on his website shop.

Gerald

One of Hopkins most renowned project’s is ‘GERALD’, a collaboration between Lazier and Richard Sweeney. Gerald was a ‘make your own’ dog, constructed from a flat packed pattern. It pushed the simple boundaries of paper, allowing the dog to freely stand on it’s legs. It is made from 88 individual components, each cut and glued by hand. This shows the great skill of the design and development to create it. It can take time and practice to perfect pieces, and so I should consider this in my practical work. Lazerian gave the opportunity to 105 image-makers to customize the dog. They were then produced full-scale and presented in a private view. The success of Gerald was celebrated with a limited edition book, displaying each dog.