Investigations

In the original larger group of 7, working on the shelter idea I found I developed the skill of thinking more constructively rather than through a textile style of working. I found myself thinking not only about how it would look but how it would connect together. This was something I was not used to but is a skill I have acquired through choosing this project.

I found the collaborative experience as a whole very interesting and definitely an eye opener. Something I have loved about it is being able to bounce off other peoples ideas in order to come up with something brilliant.However at times it was clear this did not always run smoothly. In our case, it resulted in the break down of the group only a week before the deadline. Not only was this a shame, but it also meant we needed to then work effectively as a smaller team of 3 in order to produce something in time for the installation. It also led to the unexpected development of quite interesting ideas from the 3 of us; focusing our attention on fewer elements and being able to sample these before moving forward with them, and taking care looking back over the brief to respond in a way that would be fit for the rooftop. It would have been interesting to see what we could have come up with if we had started as this group from the beginning.

Given the time the 3 of us had, there wasn't the opportunity to develop our ideas further physically. However, we did come up with a couple of ideas we would have liked to have had the chance to experiment with. For example, we wanted to make our installation as interactive as possible, keep it sustainable and with low costs so that the tenants would be able to add to it however they liked. Our main developed idea was concerning the hanging nests/baskets. We wanted to use this design to create discrete bird feeders, which would encourage the development of the natural environment around the city. Below shows what we would have been aiming to achieve, pictured next to one of the nests/baskets we made for the installation.

potential bird feeder idea, developed from 

what we made photographed below

nest/basket made for part of the installation

 This type of work is not very similar to the way I would usually work apart from the materials. I am not usually working to such a specific brief for a specific client, which has been a different experience for me. I hope to be able to take the things I have learnt this unit with me into my final year of university.