Drawing is the lost piece of design. Innovative designs used to be instigated through art materials and hands. By encouraging myself to watercolor, draw, quick sketch and collage I push my creativity. Creating for the sake of creation verses outcome. When digitized we obsess over perfection. Drawing allows me to detach and create.
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My research lies within South American women's rituals which are exceedingly unsanitary and destructive to the health and future of all women in these rural communities. Curiously and openly investigating how these practices can be aided to ensure maximum health would be interesting.
Or, reflecting efforts back into the states. Diving into how nutrition can be used and taught as preventative care rather than a reaction to a symptom. The foods we consume drive our ability to function as humans. Would a nutrition-based public school curriculum change life-style induced diseases in the US? What community engagement can enhance the productivity of community gardens? The core concept of eating has lost it's purpose and potency in America. Using architecture to employ new ways of thinking is what is the most interesting reason to construct. I am compelled by projects that engage the user, asking what we can do for them. Within the world there are thousands of projects which need attention (such as clean water collection and sourcing, homelessness prevention, disease prevention in slums). The focus shouldn't be on fixing a problem; the focus should be on creating a ripple effect to start a conversation. Feeding America, an organization that connects people from all demographics with food from food banks. They specialize in children hunger, senior hunger, rural hunger, African-American hunger and Latino hunger. It’s it interesting that they separate ethnicities on their home page? The sociological threads of this are evident, and further examination needs to be had. They connect people with food, yes, but where are the food banks getting food? How far is the food shipped before arriving into a starving mouth?
Does hungry mean foodless? Most of the food banks I’ve personally green beans, which hold virtually no vitamins or minerals, how are they supposed to support healthy immune systems or have energy to work or school. At the slightest hint of stress they fall ill resulting in missed hours and sometimes, losing their jobs. Looking at Bellingham as an example. They are in the top 5 leanest cities in the US, 85% of the population are white, 40% have a Bachelor’s degree and the median house hold income in $42K, and 23% of the population are in poverty. Perhaps there is a connection with location and access to food. Examining their counterpart weight-wise, Yakima, WA just over 15% of residence have a Bachelor’s degree, the median house hold income is $40K, and 23% of the citizens are under the poverty line. The numbers are very similar except for the difference in education. The 30% gap is quiet significant, especially since the number of people in poverty are equal. Are food banks more prevalent in Yakima than in Bellingham? Has the city government created a paradigm that public assistance is accepted? Yakima is known for their farms, as such where is the produce being shipped to and what are the locals eating? Probing questions like these will help to lead me to my BFA Thesis topic of reconnecting Americans to the sourcing of their food. volunteered at distribute only canned foods. No fresh and no chilled. According to USA Today, 1 in 7 people rely on food banks for their main source of nutrients. If they are being fed boiled and sealed in metal DiBlasio, Natalie. "Hunger in America: 1 in 7 Rely on Food Banks." USA Today. Gannett, 2014. Web. 30 Nov. 2016. "Population Estimates, July 1, 2015, (V2015)." Bellingham City Washington QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau. US Census, n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2016. Lights, Camera, Action
By Carrie Gerstenberger What are objects? How are our actions changed when interacting with them? In Object Design that is exactly what we discover. In the designing process we use research as inspiration to influence not only the shape but the experienced-feeling of interaction. During one of the first full-scale designs, we were challenged to use an existing location as our spring board. I was assigned to research Bologna, Italy, a small, politically charged, cobblestone clad streets city in Italy. I chose their central plaza, Piazza Maggiore. History of this historic piazza told me that is had been designed throughout the centuries, partially being distracted and then rebuilt, resulting in an ensemble of diverse ornamentation along with it’s directional and geometric layout. Budding my design with assets of this piazza, I designed around three key concepts: contrast, gather and directional. Using the stringent directions given by my teachers of using only E-flute cardboard and adhesive, I was challenged to create a pendent light that offered the feeling of being in Piazza Maggiore. Each sophomore and junior in the Interior Architecture program takes Object Design as a part of studio. All students created dynamic and individual lights for this project, presenting case studies and study models in the process. The pendents are now on display in the case in front of the library, encouraging lookers to be curious as to the inspiration and limitations of the assignment. Through each challenge in Object Design I feel my capability as a designer grow. I am able to think calmly about new projects while crossing disciplines for inspiration. The workload is heavy, but falling into the thought process and programming of the design becomes enthralling. The Interior Architecture program focuses heavily on concept and builds on research and theory creating knowledgeable and grounded designers. The Woman Who Chooses Happiness By Carrie Gerstenberger 9.28.16 Heather E. Lowe is a visionary who’s career trajectory has taken left turns every step of the way. Her bold, creative and intellectual mind allowed her to wear a multitude of hats throughout her life. This morning she entered into the Experience Studio in the interior architecture department, brimming with happiness and excitement to be at Cornish. Excited and mindfully present, she set a shoe box atop a drawing table, scanning the room of curious, smiling students. As she began casually presenting she enthusiastically began with how she earned her degree in interior design and landed her first job as the receptionist at the infamous Angelo Donghia interior design studio. During the story of her career she carefully peeled back the tape from the box extracting a heavy, oblong object wrapped in a dish towel. Gingerly, she exposed an average-looking, charcoal gray rock a little larger than her hand. “You guys are visual learners, so I brought this with me.” Motioning to the ordinary rock she continued. “You have a choice in your career. “You can be ordinary and blend-in like this rock’s façade …” turning the rock in her hand she exposed the inside. Vibrant, real amethyst crystals glittered back. “Or you can use your unique talents to be extraordinary, shining like a gem in the world .” Heather’s path is inspirational. She worked for famous interior designers and then moved into consumer product marketing eventually rising through the ranks to be a Fortune 500 marketing/brand executive for Revlon and Nordstrom and creating two creative-driven businesses of her own. Her passionate stories uplifted the class as they hung onto every word. With a sip of water she concluded her stories an hour later, leaving behind her wisdom: “Be exceptional. Be awake in the world. Be present. Listen and experience everyday reality: Now. So many people plug-in and miss the best part surrounding them. The most important personal connection of your life could be standing next to you, don’t miss it. Cedar River Watershed Trip
By Carrie Gerstenberger, ‘17 Cedar River Watershed is 30 minutes outside of downtown Seattle and the Interior Architecture Experience Studio visited the site to gain inspiration for their upcoming studio projects. What better way to experience the extraordinary world of interior architecture than to be engulfed in nature, where design is unifying and complex. The language of the natural world builds it’s self into complex systems which are integral to human movement. Studying these systems strengthens the designer’s understanding and creative intelligence which can be directly related to programing space to function more efficiently and effectively. We toured both the interior and exterior spaces and spent time learning from the natural environment, taking field notes and observation sketches which will inform future inspirations and designs. Last week Cornish’s Interior Architecture Experience Studio student adventured to the San Juan Islands for a multiple night stay. The seniors and juniors stayed in cozy log cabins on the University of Washington’s Friday Harbor Labs campus, which is their site for this semester’s studio. During their intellectually stimulating visit they used hands-on learning to study how to assess and evaluate a site. “Researching a space online and actually experiencing it with all five senses is completely different. Getting to know the energy of the site and talk with the people is something you just can’t pick up on through the internet.” – Valerie Ross ’18.
Many school project sites are located across the country or even on other continents. The students generally can’t experience and participate with the culture of the site to understand it as a whole. Julie Myers, the chair of the department, truly believes that experience is the truest form of learning. Sunday morning students and teachers boarded the ferry in Anacortes, WA and sailed for an 1.5 hours to Friday Harbor to University of Washington’s Friday Harbor Labs (FHL) where they were welcomed to stay on campus and eat with the students. During the day the IA students toured FHL campus, sketching, collecting organic matter (where permitted), and taking notes from impromptu lectures. They even got to attend a fish lighting, which entailed the biology students submerging lights into the water to attract fish for their class. The trip was integrated with the Experience Studio. Seniors are designing a welcome center and student hub complete with a lecture hall, lounge and café. Working together the class is creating a base plan in AutoCAD and Revit, as well as sharing demographics of the users, photos and design ideas. Working collaboratively in the beginning stages of the design process will help the students produce more powerful individual concepts. The Juniors are immersed in the Design Development (DD) stage of architectural planning, where they are learning how to begin the process of ideation. Visiting the project site provided a tangibility to the project which would not have been possible otherwise. Interior Architecture can be taken in many directions for it is not simply decorations or surface finishes. Some students are interested in textile design, finding inspiration through nature; some are interested in product design and function, others want to program and synthesize data. Students are not limited by Interior Architecture, but supported in reaching each personal goals. The Experience Studio through the IA department links traditional studio work with experience enhancing the development of creative thinking. Architecture is directly related to crime rate. As human’s, our neuroreceptors are triggered by what we experiance through our senses, but especially from what we see. Architecture is the infrastructure of our lives. The construction of a place helps us determine how we feel about it. When someone has an increase of hormones, as a result of overstimulated neuroreceptors, we tap into our parasympathetic nervous system and enter fight-or-flight. Designing spaces to reduce crime can empower a community, creating more fulfilling and engaged lives.
South Park in South Seattle has a crime rate 26% higher than the city of Seattle, almost doubling the national crime rate. Cloverdale is a hub from criminal activity, and as such is the focus for my project. I want to create a safer environment to allow citizens to feel supported by each other and their community. Cloverdale will be transformed into a well lit, citizen-focused street. “Architecture can prevent crimes even when criminals believe the probability of enforcement is low… one feature of social norms strategies is that they are often self-enforcing.” (Yale Law Journal) "South Park." Guide, Moving to Seattle. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2016. Gardner, CPP By Robert A. "Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design." Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2016. Katyal, N. K. “Architecture as Crime Control”, Yale Law Journal, March 2002, Vol 111, Issue 5. I couldn't have asked for a more educational or meaningful summer than spending my work week at Perkins+Will Seattle. The opportunities and learning curves have been plentiful. Getting to work on client presentations, final concept renderings, LEED certification paperwork and infographs, building a 1/8" scale model of a 4 story building and working in Revit have been impressive. I feel honored the I was trusted with such vital work at the firm. Attending almost daily Lunch+Learns supplemented my foundation of materials and possibilities. I kept a notebook where I wrote vocabulary I didn't understand, in order to further develop my productiveness. Being a part of a firm who supports, spoils and challenges their employees is the culture that I fit into. It's a circle of expectation: we preform and they provide. I felt included and needed. Near the end of the summer I transitioned roles into that of the Resource Librarian. I've begun creating systems within the library to help the usability and functionality, in addition to rolling out the green-initiative. Perkins+Will is at the cutting edge of materiality and with so many LEED certified projects, we need materials to support our efforts. I have worked collaboratively with other Perkins+Will offices to create a data base of manufacturer's Mindful Materials Spreadsheets which clearly state their ingredient lists and which, if any, third party certifications they've recieved. Think of these like an ingredient list for products. Looking forward to this final year in school I am very excited to work towards earning my place in the industry. |
AuthorAs a student at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle WA I entertain a variety of factors while designing space. Archives
August 2017
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