I continued to investigate the impact of light on fabrics as well as different colours and the tones of light, textures, and effects that they would produce.
Another experiment that I decided to delve into was the effect strong lighting had on foliage and parts of nature and the sorts of dynamic shadows and moods it would create.
Lastly, I looked into the way light travels through solid colours. For this experiment, I coloured in different panels on a strip of paper. I would project strong light through these panels onto a solid white surface to examine the sort of effect it would create.
Coloured Strip
Lamp and Projection Surface
Light green and yellow tones of lightCalming, blue and purple tonesWarmer light with a slight hint of magentaMagenta tones of lightA light mix of tones
The video below conveys the possible change in light that could be used within my site intervention. The motion of the strip and small individual colours quickly changes the mood and sensation of the small space. Possibly blue and orange could be used in the final structure to create a sense of time change and contrast if it was to alternate between the two.
During the first class of week three, we began to work on a micro-ritual task. We were asked to construct a 1:1 scale model of how we could show the micro-ritual. Taking a Seat, was the micro-ritual we received and had to convey. Below is a whole range of quick-fire ideas we produced to get started.
Initially, we constructed a static frame, however, it didn’t really suit the idea of taking a seat. Which as a ritual should, implies a sense of action and motion. That meant we wanted to create a form of interactivity because of this we decided to look at folding chair mechanisms and developed our own simple idea where two beams either side of the seat would fold over each other creating tension.
Here is the final construction of the micro-ritual. We decided to create a folding mechanism to fit with the ritual of taking a seat. We used string and two main pieces which would fold the seat up into a flat structure and would fold into a self-standing seat.
Below, I began to collate ideas and construct a digital model for a 1:1 site intervention which reflected my chosen ritual. I chose to investigate a similar concept from my “generating ideas” stage.
During week 2 class 2, I produced a selection of “Mash Ups” within site. I wanted to explore both the idea of opening and closing to reveal something. I also wanted to show how nature itself can serve as a curtain for things which can often go unseen.
Mash Up #1
The video below is a short performance piece on the site location. Here I have chosen to draw the relationships between the ritual of opening and closing curtains with exploring dense foliage. A similar motion is produced as one pushes and grabs at the environment while exploring. In the video this motion can be seen as the foliage is pressed aside it creates a similar action and reaction to curtains.
The wind was quite prominent throughout the site. The Mash Up below is an example of how the wind would impact the fabrics and the type of effect it could potentially create in a real space.
Baker Polhill was among the group of early Wellington settlers. He arrived in Wellington during via the Oriental, according to the source the ship was bound to New Plymouth, however, Polhill decided to stop in Wellington in search of a suitable life. Once married and settled on the lower portion of the Aro area, he began searching for business opportunities. His searching brought him into the lumbering industry where he harvested native woods to sell on as either firewood or various parts for constructing ships. Although there was no evidence that Baker Polhill owned the land he was harvesting from, the area still became to known as Polhill’s Gully. Currently the entire of the forested area above Brooklyn is known as Polhill reserve. During 1849 Polhill decided to leave Wellington and move onto Lyttelton, it was at this time that an individual known as Henry Mitchell bought a section of land in the Polhill area and continued the harvesting and destroying what remained of the native forest. In 1860 the last of the original native forest in that section was destroyed, later what remained of the land was sold off and turned into a small housing section known as Mitcheltown.
Below I have found a series of aerial shots of Polhill Reserve and the surrounding area; each has been taken at a different stage in time. Although they have been taken quite recently in the grand scheme of things, they do show how little has changed in the area during the 21st century.
An aerial view of Polhill Reserve and surrounding area captured during 2013
An aerial view of Polhill Reserve and surrounding area captured during 2004
An aerial view of Polhill Reserve and surrounding area captured during 2017
Through looking at topography, I was unable to pick to out any recent change in the overall foliage from the first image taken during 2004 and one of the more recent taken during 2013,
One of the better-documented portions of the Polhill area is the gully’s rifle range. The rifle range was established during the 1860’s once areas of the bush were cleared away, coincidentally parts of the natural landscape served as an adequate location for a rifle range. Once the rifle range was officially vested into the area in 1968 once permission was granted from Maori land owners, it served as a prime location for local militia and volunteer corps to practice. As time progressed a petition appeared regarding the danger of rifle fire in the area, though the rifle range remained and was not effect. One development in the gully occurred during 1905. It was proposed that the gully could serve as a suitable location for a subdivision. However, both proposals during 1905 and 1926 had failed. It wasn’t until 1954 where ownership of the land was passed onto the Wellington City Council where the Gully finally had time to regenerate the bush the was lost during the intrusion of settlers. The Wellington City Council states “the gully began to regenerate from grassland and gorse into a low mahoe-dominated forest.” Personally, I found that although gorse and other pest plants are still prominent in the area the native plant Mahoe is also thriving, and it was one of the most common plants I came across during my site exploration.
Wellington’s city council state that “hundreds of years ago this valley was covered in dense rata forest with tall stands of kahikatea, pukatea, and rimu.” It is apparent that today the landscape has been altered by human intrusion. Erasing a large amount of the natural environment that existed. During my travel to the site location, I stumbled across a very limited number of native plant varieties and a large number of pest plants, such as gorse and broom. These pests would have been introduced hundreds of years ago with the arrival of settlers. In my personal exploration of Polhill, their was little to no sign that the Rata and Rimu trees are still prominent in the area.
Within week 2 (class 1) we were asked to partake in model making our site location that we had selected. Personally, I selected an aspect of Wellington’s green belt. The green belt is constructed of sections of native bush which have been retained. The sections of bush have many uses such as walkways, cycling tracks, and protection for the native flora and fauna. The part of the green belt which peaked my interest was the Polhill reserve as the landscape contains a large amount of diversity.
Following, are a series of models produced in class, the models are attempts to investigate the contours of the land and to highlight possible points of interest:
Here is the section of Polhill reserve which peaked my interest, due to a large amount of variety in such a small space. There are both elements of natural and unnatural within the landscape.This is a simplistic model capturing the different valleys protruding down the side of the slope below the wind turbine.
The following model was simply produced by altering a piece of paper into a three-dimensional form. I tried to shape it so it matched up with the similarly with the Polhill reserve. I wanted to create a sense of scale and analysis with my imagery below.
I have constructed a simple tree to a much larger scale than the rest of elements to show the significance of flora on the landscape.Following the previous models, I decided to take the modeling in a different direction and constructed a simple model resembling the wind turbine located above Polhill reserve, this is an iconic part of the environment and also an important one to consider when constructing my space.
The Sun Study: Here I have chosen to analyse the path the sun takes over Polhill reserve using the suncalc.net website. Higher points of the hill will be more exposed whereas the lower portions on the east will get a large amount of direct light from 7:00 am till 1:30 pm whilst the western side on the other half of Polhill will get direct evening light from 1:30 pm till around 6:00 pm
The Polhill reserve site location contains a large amount of green space, as shown by the textures that have been recorded. Along with green space came small sections of industrial intrusion in the landscape, I found sections of wire, sheet metal, and pathways.
I included large amounts of audio and video within the Polhill reserve site exploration, the first initial audio clip recorded was captured as I approached and entered the site location, the audio depicts the various types of surfaces that need to be crossed to explore the site to its full extent.
One key part of Polhill is the turbine, which is often considered to be an intruding structure as it sits within the boundaries of the reserve itself. It creates a sense of conflict as both it and trees around it compete for attention.
Here I have recorded the environmental sounds found within the site location whilst remaining stationary so that I did not conflict with the surrounding space.
Here is a collation of images of the Polhill reserve site. I found that the site had a very diverse landscape as shown by the images:
Below is maps showing the greenspace around the site location, the different tones of green show the variation in the density and variety of foliage.
Here I have produced a small series of illustrations, these are of creatures and plants found at the site:
Here I have produced a sound response to the site location, it evokes all of the emotions I felt whilst sitting idle in the site. Essentially it is what I heard and how it impacted me.
Along with a sound response, I also chose to record words which came to mind as I sat in the environment along with a section of text where I discuss what I physically felt and what I noticed while sitting there for a short period of time.
Here, I have begun to experiment with a series of fabrics and the way the natural light has impacted them whilst being held up to the window. This will be an ongoing investigation as more materials are sourced.
Below, I have chosen a few more images which depict the space in the vicinity of the ritual to gather a better understanding of the way the light is projected throughout the room with closed curtains.
Here is a short video displaying the way the wind affects the curtains when my window is left open:
Here is a slow motion video showing the movement my curtains produce when they are opened:
Shafts of light are often produced through the bottom of the curtains due to their curvature. This is a point of interest in the ritual due to the way these points of light create an eerie effect.
Below are a series of screenshots of a model produced in Sketch Up. The purpose of the model is to depict the space where the ritual that is being investigated takes place. The model was produced in an exact 1:1 scale, to show the true size of other elements which share the space with the ritual
I have chosen to examine a movement that is produced multiple times every morning and evening. The movement I am referring to is the opening and closing of my curtains hanging within my bedroom. The opening and closing of curtains is something that is not often thought about in detail and is a task which is usually produced sub-consciously. The majority of an individual’s life, including my own, includes both inviting the surrounding world and closing it off.
Below is a set of images showing the different levels of light in the room throughout the day, It is clear that the light is quite strong toward the early evening due to the orientation of the building and fabric used.
The following image shows the strong reflection produced by the curtains as the light hits the window. I could imagine a range of materials possibly being used within the space to create interesting or meaningful reflections. The same could be applied as light protrudes through the curtain itself as it would have some diverse effect on the natural light entering the room, this effectively would change the tone and temperature of the interior space.
Here I have documented the sound produced when opening and closing my curtains, this is a sound that I so often hear but rarely notice. I have also documented a sensory illustration as a response to the sound.
Below, is the sensory response to the sound that is produced when opening and closing my curtains. I found that the sound had multiple levels of interest, hence the different mediums. The paint represents a transition in multiple forms. The transition of exterior sound as the curtain was pulled away and the general feeling of movement created by the sound.
The following stop-motion depicts the change in light levels as the curtains are closed. When the video is slowed, it is easier to notice the slight change in light as they are closed gradually. I personally noticed that the light projected onto the walls through the material was a warmer tone.
A textured painting, showing a basic effect which the filtered light has on the walls
Below is a quick and simple painting showing the light being projected through the open curtains into the room.
Perspective imagery produced recorded just after sunset, the first image below is an observational drawing of the interior space completed with curtains open, whilst the second image is one completed with the curtains closed.
Spatial Design 