Interesting project to get inspired by

Living Architecture - a room for London

This is an interesting project that you should read and check out - it has some similarities to our Cells project / space - as it is also in an unusual site/height etc., so perhaps this can help you to liven up ideas..?

I expect everyone to be engaged in design process and activities; model making, drawing, cad... organising files for presentations, digital, photographs...

Link to podcast / Wellcome Collection

Cells Complexity - Podcast - Wellcome Collection

May be of interest to those focusing on cells from a biological angle

CAD, model and maquette making

Cad drawings (including plan, elevations, sections) of your domestic cell space must be ready and in use for the development of ideas for the space for the Turbine Hall.

Maquettes and models also to be produced - this is a great way of actively producing ideas. This is a very important part of the design process. It must be taking place now and be a lively and innovative process. Think of using a wide range of materials for this. Look at current, smart technologies..

Include links to your research - pinpoint what you are taking forward from your research - lighting, cell formations, changing cellular shapes, colours, scientific links, emotional space etc. This all connects to what was said in today's group tutorials.

BRIEF

Inspiration - Architects working on small spaces

inside/outside, Fujimoto, Japan

This exhibition was shown in the summer at the V&A in London. There is a lot of images and information online that you can still look at, it is quite relevant in terms of small scale innovative spaces, so spend some time searching and reading about this..

Other articles/sites that may be inspirational - feel free to suggest/share info that you have found:

Tate Modern - The building

Shell Residence by Kotaro Ide

Pencil Sculptures (for a bit of fun.. but they are working on small spaces...)

Hanging garden

Image - Unusual tree house

Mineral House, Tokyo

inspiration - artists/designers working with cells

Some artists' and designers' links - all working with cells, in one way or another - may be of interest:

Kathleen Rogers

Submit2Gravity

Nanotechnology and Art

Architecture inspired by living cells

Cells inspired architecture

Butterfly wings/cell like inspiration for structures

Science inspires artists

Artist working with skin cells - Aikaterini Zafeiropoulou

Search books and the internet for more, and you can now start to look at cellular, small scale space - to get your ideas formed, drawn up etc., by next week's tutorials. It is really important that you progress, develop vigorous work at this stage of the project.

I look forward to lots of interesting work, ideas and discussions next Monday.

H

Tate Modern

Site for Cells - Turbine Hall and surrounding spaces

Ai WeiWei's Sunflower Seeds installation

Students participating in interactive technology with the artist

Dance Umbrella performance by Tricia Brown Dance on the Turbine Hall bridge

at 1pm today!

5des0063 cells

Reflecting from site visit 18^th October 2010 and ACTION TO TAKE

You have visited the site – this vast space that is the ‘heart’ of Tate Modern. Do some moderate research on this, so that you know what has been exhibited and happened in this space in the past. It is a thriving space, and you should be aware of this. Don’t spend too much time of this research – this is for your general knowledge and site research. Then you return to your cells research and focus now on design development.

The Natural History Museum gave insight to a certain amount of cells research but perhaps more interestingly, the Cocoon in the Darwin Centre – this structure is a ‘living cell’ in itself – with activities and departments – public, private and professional. Think about these issues in your own design development.. Also note the materiality of this space – and its connection as a new structure to existing structures and traditional materials.

You now need to action the following:

1. Site analysis, maps and information relevant to the site. Start to locate your ‘area’ for the cell you will propose.

2. Your own ‘domestic cells’ are complete; drawn up in CAD and have recorded information (photos, annotated text, visuals etc.,) about the everyday activity and experience within these ‘cells’. This is crucial to the rest of the project. You must understand the space and its limitations and possibilities. This analysis will form the core theme for your design project and proposals. See previous Task sheets for requirements.

----- To summarise the cell placement in the Turbine Hall –

You will propose a habitable cellular space, placed within the Turbine Hall area of Tate Modern – based on your domestic cell observations, drawings etc. This can be attached to existing structures or freestanding, low of high levels. You start from the domestic cell dimensions and like the Evolution Timeline (search this in images on the internet and you will get ideas to how to show your own design process timeline), you show how your own designs change and evolve with time through design process (= a commonly shaped room/space may start to morph into a cell shaped or curved space, as you have been research this theme, it may have influenced you.. etc).

Your research will inform the contents, activities and structure of your cell (link to your research and analysis of your own space – if your space is very limited at home, then design a space opposite to that – storage, activity, noise, private/public etc. It is still a habitable space, but will have new qualities attached.

This will be discussed at tutorials and lectures, so for now, you start this procedure and develop drawings of your new cell space, lining closely to your domestic cell drawings so there is clear evidence of connections.

3. ** Group Tutorials with presentations Mon 25^th Oct. Be prepared. Each student gives a 5 minute presentation of the work in progress, followed by a brief group discussion – this gets the group thinking collectively about the same problems/issues. This is also called a peer review, forcing self-reflection afterwards, important to evaluate your ideas and learning to be critical. SEE LIST OF GROUPS.

4. Start a power point/digital presentation – alongside sketches and CAD - containing research, site mapping, your process, cells; domestic cells - everything to date, edited. Get this started so you add to this as you go along. This is good to show on Mon next week.

5. Add HAND DRAWN analysis of cells and spaces. I did not see many students DRAWING today… This is a great way of collecting ideas; start using drawing in every part of the process. It will enhance your skills and thinking.

6. Produce scenarios – what happens in the space? How can you show user groups and interior ideas? Brainstorm! Use collage to create narratives.

(This info is also on StudyNet)

Cocoon Natural History Museum

In the lift going to the Cocoon entrance

Inside the Cocoon - displays

Old meets new

Inside the Cocoon at the Darwin Centre, Natural History Museum; site visit.

Designed by: C F Moller Architects, Denmark

End notes:

Some links mentioned today and partly relative to your thinking process and general knowledge:

Archigram

Best of Dreamspaces

Check out other similar videos on YouTube for inspiration...

SITE VISIT

5des0065 cells 10/11

heidi saarinen

am: Tate Modern – Turbine Hall

pm: Natural History Museum

Monday 18th October 2010

11am MEET AT THE ENTRANCE (side entrance, top of ramp),

TATE MODERN

Re-Creating Cells

You need:

Camera (video camera optional), tape measure, domestic cells dimensions &

notes, sketchbooks, pencils and drawing equipment, ID card & l imagination.

Entrance is free. There is a charge for special exhibitions if you want to see

something separately.

Agenda for the day:

AM – Tate Modern – Turbine Hall – meet 11am – investigate and analyse the

site. Place domestic cell dimensions and record using photography, sketches

to form initial ideas. These will be developed in studio.

PM – Natural History Museum, South Kensington, 2pm appointment

booked. See links for directions to both museums. Meet at the entrance.

THE SITE

We have moved the site for CELLS to the Turbine Hall in the Tate Modern,

London. This vast space is going to get filled with cells (through your drawings

and design development). You will design habitable spaces (working cells,

comfort cells, sleep cells, study cells, social cells etc.,).

You have worked on CELLS at home for over a week. These investigations will

start to move into the Turbine Hall at Tate Modern. You will allocate a ‘cell’ within

the space (on the ground, against a wall, above the space or beyond). This cell will

use the dimensions and observations from your domestic cells. They will morph

into new spaces, but are based on the domestic cell space and general cells

research (scientific, biological, spatial..).

Lectures and tutorials will take place next week and we will discuss and make

decisions on Monday at the site visit.

(These instructions are also uploaded on Studynet)

Links:

Getting there:

TATE MODERN

http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/information/#getting

http://www.tate.org.uk/ MAIN SITE TATE MODERN

NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM

http://www.nhm.ac.uk/visit-us/getting-here/index.html

Unilever exhibition TATE MODERN

http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/exhibitions/unileverseries2010/room1.shtm

http://londonist.com/2010/10/art_review_flower_seeds_tate_modern.php

NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM

http://www.nhm.ac.uk/index.html

http://www.nhm.ac.uk/visit-us/darwin-centre-visitors/index.html

DARWIN CENTRE

_____________

Sunflower Seeds installation - Turbine Hall - now closed to visitors

Photo credit Art Review

Sunflower Seed Exhibition in the Turbine Hall - Chinese artist Ai Weiwei's installation, Sunflower Seeds, the 11th in the Unilever Series - in the Turbine Hall covered the floor area of this vast space. Until this weekend, visitors could walk, sit, lay on the 'sunflower seeds' (they are ceramic, hand made..). Then Tate Modern decided to close this exhibit to visitors - now the installation can only be viewed from a distance (due to health & safetu issues with 'dangerous dust' from the ceramic objects).

Closely related to our theme of cells (see earlier blog on sunflower seeds), this would have been very interesting for the design project. Sadly, we can only view the art installation - and space - from afar.

seeds as cells

Get inspired by plants - this time of year, look at sunflower seeds, for example, and the way they form cellular spaces. Inspect a sunflower and see how the formations of 'cells' shape and morph spaces for the seeds to inhabit..

image source: Wellcome Images

Great online resource - http://images.wellcome.ac.uk/

there is also a library that you can visit:

Wellcome Library
Part of Wellcome Collection
183 Euston Road, London NW1 2BE, UK
T +44 (0)20 7611 8722
F +44 (0)20 7611 8369

Wellcome Images
T +44 (0)20 7611 8348
F +44 (0)20 7611 8577
E images@wellcome.ac.uk

They regularly have interesting exhibitions and events here, worth visiting.

Check rules for using images from any such a collection. Remember to reference all images.

Induction week TASKS prior to introduction to project brief

on Monday 11th October 2010

You need to produce an A3 research document entitled “Cells - research’

By Monday 11th October, 10am. Contents must cover:

(This is a working document and will be in a good draft version)

1. Cells research – all types of cells from biological cells to cellular, small

scale space (tents, bunkers, prison cells, hotel rooms etc.,), as discussed in the

lecture on 4.10.10.

This must contain text, information, images, and wide range of information on

cells – you need to start having a clear understanding of the variety of cells that

exist – as a design reference tool and as actual space, that has been based on

inspiration from cell formations/research. This will be basis for your design brief,

set next week.

2. Domestic Cells – record and document spatial cells

Part of the A3 document should be a documentation of YOUR OWN DOMESTIC

‘CELL’ – the room where you live, work etc., - your own very special CELL.

You need to –

Describe

Document

Record

Measure

Draw

Photograph

Film etc…

And spend time in this space – reflect on your experience – and how you might

find this space difficult, awkward, small, dark, light, bright, etc.,

What is your experience of this space? Does it work? If so, in what way, and as

with everything, it can be improved – HOW..?

Bring this in on Mon 11th Oct – for discussion and show

These links may help to get you started, as well as books from LRC:

Some initial reference

http://www.bacteriamuseum.org

http://www.rachelarmstrong.me/ (living architecture link)

http://www.designboom.com/weblog/cat/9/view/8111/9-h-nine-hours-capsulehotel-

in-kyoto.html

http://vanguarq.wordpress.com/2009/06/27/futuristic-cellular-structurearchitecture/#

more-344

http://www.emergentarchitecture.com/projects.php?id=11

You tube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdie_5-Ms5o&NR=1&feature=fvwp

(Bacteria/lab)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kIZ7PTRgVQ&feature=related (cell v

bacteria)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnlULOjUhSQ&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdwxIAfyE6s&feature=related

(red blood cells)

http://vimeo.com/10111938 (Protocells 3 / Rachel Armstrong)

Heidi Saarinen

October 2010

PLEASE NOTE:

As per email today, 12/10/10, this document must be complete by next Monday. You will add to this, but the core document of research to be finished, so you can move on with the project and especially your own 'domestic cell analyis'.