Verblist

Using the premise of Richard Serra’s ‘verblist’ as a conceptual starting point to making, studio members started the week exploring quick sketch making techniques translating verbs into three dimensional forms by manipulating and sculpting paper. From this there were a series of drawing workshops looking at form and tonal quality to explore how to represent their 3D paper forms in two dimensions, exploring different tonal drawing techniques and scales.

Assemble

This week-long project started with a research exercise looking at influential architects, spatial and industrial designers from the last 120 years – from Mackintosh to Bo Bardi, Dieter Rams to Hadid. Having explored different collage techniques and methods of communication, studio members then aimed to create collages exploring specific research elements from their chosen influential individual, exploring how collage can be used as a quick visual research and communication method.

I Don’t Think You Can Handle This

Following on from ‘Assemble’, this project aimed to explore their chosen influential individual further, by this time designing a door handle based on their research. This focussed on translating that research aspect into a three-dimensional object that conceptualised an aspect of their individual they focussed on. The project culminated in the making of a prototype of the handle, as well as exploring how to create a movement drawing – communicating the handle in motion in two dimensions.

Orthographic

Taking a toy, a shoe and a piece of fruit, studio members started the week by arranging their objects into a composition! From this, the week was spent exploring and drawing their objects in plan, section and elevation at true scale. For the sectional drawings, there was a session on the bandsaw to make sure their objects were cut to be accurately drawn. Throughout the week there were also some experimental and quick drawing workshops to explore rapid sketching and observing and drawing at different scales.

Camera Obscura

This project introduced the studio to technical drawing on the drawing boards. From dimensional information, studio members drew out and created a net to produce a card camera obscura. After exploring with different lens types, the task was to capture images with their cameras and attempt to draw them out as an observational exercise. The week culminated in a scaled sectional drawing exploring the construction and how the camera obscura works.

Form / Structure / Surface

Using a kit of parts, the aim of this project was to create a three-dimensional form that explored structure and surface details from an initial conceptual drawing. Using found objects and Kandinsky’s process of abstraction, studio members first created abstracted form drawings as a basis to explore their three-dimensional ideas. Through sketch modelling and maquette making, a final 3D piece was made to be able to then draw and collage detail information as a final elevation or plan drawing of their piece.

Balance / Raise / Suspend

Having each picked up a pebble from Brighton beach, the brief was to either balance, raise or suspend their chosen rock. Using similar elemental drawing methods to Moholy-Nagy, the studio started by experimenting with drawing out compositions of simple forms exploring the notion of balance. From these experiments, sketch models and maquettes were produced by translating their drawings into 3D to identity a simplified structure that could enable the pebble to be balanced, raised or suspended. Introducing the studio to the workshop facilities, the week’s project produced a series of exploratory models, a final model and an elevational drawing of their final functional model.

Strap On

Continuing designing for function, Strap On was a two-week project that tied together the skills explored in the first term. The project started by researching the user designated to each group – a piano tuner, private detective, metal detectorist, plane spotter and croupier. From their research, studio members explored sketch modelling and maquette making to design a functional piece that could strap onto the body to aid the user’s activity. Everyone started with a metal can to see how materials and form can change / alter / be explored differently, which needed to be included into the design. The project culminated in an instructional drawing, a physical strap on piece and a drawing exploring how the can had changed from its original form.