TANGGA HOUSE.

Again in my surgery induced searches, I came across a beautiful and interesting piece of architecture:

The Tangga House, a 7,663 square foot home located in Holland Village, Singapore was completed by Guz Architects in 2009.

I love how they mesh natural elements with geometric architecture. It makes the whole thing seem so organic yet structured:

TOO MUCH STUFF, NOT ENOUGH SPACE?

So, this week has been super hectic because I had to have emergency surgery on Saturday to have my appendix removed. But in my downtime here on the couch, I've managed to stumble upon some pretty interesting things.

Here are some awesome ideas for pantry spaces that I found. This is a space that's commonly overlooked and such a waste of an opportunity to be so creative!

I love the wall that faces this pantry. So practical and rustic.

Anything flanked by books is speaking my language.

Simple white.

Dark and multifunctional.

BLOG ASSIGNMENT 003.

On Wednesday, we had to present a speech in class about what we learned from the DC trip.

Initially I was so nervous because I absolutely hate public speaking. I get out of breath, my hands shake, and my voice trembles. I thought the speech center representative was helpful in the aspect of laying out the speech, however, I've never really had any trouble with that. I wish they would have focused more on what to do if you're nervous. I did not visit the speaking center since we had so little time to prepare the speech but I don't really see it being helpful in such a short time period.

I think for my next presentation I just need to really work on being comfortable in front of people and controlling my breathing and heart rate.

I felt I also talked really fast through my speech and I need to focus more on slowing down and really being clear and pronounced.


Here is the diagram I presented as my visual aid:

Basically, I decided to present what I learned about the "effective" gift shop because it had the most to do with the project that we are working on for studio, for the Weatherspoon Art Museum. I broke it down into three points:

1-Placement- A gift shop needs to be placed in an area of high traffic within the museum, well traveled, and frequently seen. At the Air and Space Museum, the gift shop was at the epicenter between the main entrance, food court, theaters, and exhibits.

2-Visual Appeal- The Air and Space gift shop has a glass front, allowing merchandise to be showcased, to entice people to come in the door and explore what the store has to offer.

3-Clear Definition- A simple, well lit or visually clear sign is a key. I also find it helpful to have some indication as to where the gift shop is on signs throughout the museum. That way, if people are visiting an exhibit they enjoy, they know where to find the gift shop so that they can buy memorabilia.

BLOG ASSIGNMENT 002.

This week we had to manipulate a photo from our DC trip in photoshop. I'm still confused on how to use it exactly but I keep watching tutorials hoping that one day I'll be able to use it without hesitation.

I took this photo in the Sculpture Garden in Washington of a steel tree installment:

Here is what I came up with photoshop. Not great, but it's a start:

DEE SEE.

Last week, we as a class, took a trip to Washington DC to tour museums that would help us relate to the projects that we are currently working on for studio. Here are some pictures of me and my "family" around our nations capitol!

CHANDELIERS.

One of my favorite things to browse, design wise, that I have always had immense interest in are chandeliers and other lighting installments.

This week for one of my blog posts I decided to post some interesting chandeliers that I have come across in my internet prowling.

It's amazing what a simple lighting fixture can add to an otherwise bland space and I enjoy the interest take these designers have on such a traditional object:

Butterfly Chandelier.

Gummi Chandelier

Made from exploded Party Poppers.

Octopus Chandelier.

THIN LINES & DANCING SQUARES.

Hello fellow design bugs, 

I was browsing the web today in Design Visualization, ever searching for the perfect diagram when I came across a company called, Nendo. They are a design company based in Japan, particularly one mans designs, a man named Oki Sato.

I found them to be an extremely inspiring company, giving a little "fun" to design.

Their company's motto is:

Giving people a small " ! " moment.
There are so many small " ! " moments hidden in our everyday.

But we don’t recognize them.
and even when we do recognize them,we tend to unconsciously reset our
minds and forget what we’ve seen.

But we believe these small " ! " moments are what make our days so
interesting, so rich.

That’s why we want to reconstitute the everyday by collecting and
reshaping them into something that’s easy to understand.

We’d like the people who’ve encountered nendo’s designs to feel these
small " ! " moments intuitively.

That’s nendo’s job. 

Here are a few photos of things that they have designed recently:

EVE OF DISCOVERY.

Now, if you know me you know that I love literature. I love any and all books but also share a special love for the people and places of books. Yes, bookstores. It is a quest of mine to have accumulated enough books at some point in my lifetime to have my very own library within my home. Either way, here are some bookstores that I have found that are just so interesting and quirky, I couldn't not share them.

Le Bal de Ardents - Lyon, France

Shakespeare & Co. - Paris, France

An unnamed bookstore in Calcutta - India

And a few cute in home libraries that I came across as well:

INSPIRATION EVERYWHERE.

Being a young designer, I think it is important to understand yourself and where you best draw inspiration from. Being a double major in English, I thought it was important to incorporate that into my creativity process. I have always been a lover of words, so I thought it would be fun to post a few of my personal favorites on my creativity hub:

"Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world." -Albert Einstein

"I have loved to the point of madness; That which is called madness, that which to me, is the only sensible way to love." - Francois Sagon

"The question that sometimes drives me hazy; Am I or the others crazy?"- Albert Einstein

"And then your very flesh shall be a great poem."- Walt Whitman

The Mad Hatter: Have I gone mad?
Alice: I'm afraid so. You're entirely bonkers. But I'll tell you a secret. All the best people are.

"It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live."- Albus Dumbledore

BLOG ASSIGNMENT 001.

When I first realized that we were going to the Industries of the Blind, I was excited but curious, mostly curious. Numerous times I have driven by this windowless, box of a building and wondered personally and aloud, what is that place? I was especially curious about the "Blind" part of the name. I've always been fascinated with the creative ways people have invented to help disabled people, such as sign language, Braille, etc, so I had always given this "Industry of the Blind" more than just a passing glance. When Patrick announced in class that we would be going there, I was more than ready to finally find out what lay behind those doors.

Needless to say, I was in no way shape or form disappointed by what I found there. Naturally, the lobby was extremely misleading. I felt like I was walking into an institution of some kind, stale and lifeless. I was extremely unaware and unprepared for the life that existed just up the stairwell.

Here’s a photo I took along the tour of our first glimpse of the employees at work:

I remember being in awe when he explained the statistics of production rates and the percent of defective units. Most factories with employees who are one hundred percent in all of their senses cannot even put up the numbers that they do at Industries of the Blind. I was impressed by the efficiency in the factory area, especially since they had little to no supervision. Everyone who was working seemed to be genuinely enjoying their jobs, just as the CEO had told us in the conference room before the tour. There were people talking, laughing, and joking with each other and with us. Most of the machines looked dangerous and intimidating, with fast moving parts and I couldn’t imagine operating them with my sight, much less without it. Surprisingly enough, in the first factory space we toured, I recognized a girl from my high school there working. Such a small world it can be sometimes.

Not only did I find the work ethic inspiring in the Industries of the Blind, I thought the range of products that they made there was awing as well. From when my brother served in the military, I was aware that government specifications for equipment, especially that is used in the field, had extremely specific specifications for production. I can’t imagine trying to comply to these regulations, as the production rate that they do (which was one hundred and fifty percent when we were passing through) and not have the sense that I rely on most, sight.

From the exterior, one would never guess that behind those brick walls workers are producing things to make our soldiers safe, something that I, having family in the military, greatly appreciate. I was especially inspired by the blast underwear that the CEO explained they were in the process of developing, that keep vital arteries from being severed if a soldier steps on a land mine or other explosives.

The overall atmosphere of Industries of the Blind really caught me off guard. You would never realize what happens in that building if you didn’t take the time to step inside. The people were so warm hearted and genuinely committed to the jobs that they perform everyday. I can’t wait to see the possibilities that our class comes up with to help these people invite Greensboro behind closed doors and to eliminate blindness as a disability.

Here are a few more photos from the tour. I forgot my camera that day, sadly, so these are from my cell phone.

GHM EXHIBIT VISIT.

[1] THE VOICES EXHIBITION:

 In my personal opinion, the "Voices" exhibition is the most informative and interesting part of the museums offerings. Unlike most of the other exhibits, "Voices" featured many interactive features including video and sound. Although the geometry and arrangement is curvature in nature, the exhibit circulation is very simple to understand, with panels creating passageways to follow through to the end. The collaborative accounts from Greensboro citizens from many walks of life really spoke to the overall theme, It takes a little bit of everyone's story to create the novel that is the founding and building of Greensboro. Although the objects displayed, clothing, everyday artifacts, and photographs, were noteworthy and interesting, I believe the points at which you could hear a retelling of someone’s personal story made this exhibit speak to the viewer. The transition into this exhibit is also more successful than those of the rest of the museum, you begin in a dark space, lined with important quotes in Greensboro’s history. As you follow these along the wall, suddenly you find yourself in a larger room, beginning the actual exhibit. I believe other exhibits from the museum would be much more successful had they began this way. The unit to the whole is one of the prominent themes in this exhibit, bringing together many individual stories to tell the story of a singular place. Another effective tool in place in this exhibit was artificial lighting, which the museum employs to show hierarchy within the individual showcases. The lighting is shined specifically on important artifacts, photographs, and paintings (mostly along the walls) and the center is kept dark to move you towards the objects themselves, forcing the viewer to take the time to explore them. This was my favorite exhibit out of all the museum offered.

[2] THE PERIOD ROOMS AND POTTERY DISPLAY:

The period rooms and pottery display was closely my least favorite of all the exhibits. I found it difficult to understand the pottery’s existence in the historical context of Greensboro. The lighting was completely artificial and extremely dim, making it somewhat hard to read all of the information behind the display case glass. The exhibit, however, was symmetrical and balanced, being circular in nature, which resulted in simple circulation and use. I felt that I was able to view the entire exhibit without worrying if I had missed any of it. I found the period rooms to be much more compelling than the pottery, as if it outshined the objects with which is shared space. I was disappointed that the rooms were on the outskirts and were dimly lit, as if the pottery were much more important in terms of hierarchy. I thought the rooms themselves were intriguing and were extremely beneficial to more visual people, such as myself, in really aiding in getting into the mindset of historical Greensboro. The concept that I got from this exhibit was the exposing of ways that Greensboro went about establishing itself in the world. It was about explaining how early citizens of Greensboro drew on successful ideas from already established societies and integrated them into the making of their own new city. My suggestion for ease of experience would be pulling key points from the lengths of text to display as importance rather than expecting people to read textbooks of information and to remind them, lighting makes all the difference.

[3] THE "GATE CITY" EXHIBITION:

Being a visual person, the Gate City exhibition was by far my favorite exhibit throughout the museum. I felt that the surprise of walking right into this large recreation of this old town was extremely, yet pleasantly, unexpected. I felt the form and finish of this was compelling, each part of the exhibit unique to the space it was trying to recreate, giving the feeling of being blasted back through time. I also appreciated the mechanics of this exhibit, employing the use of motion censors to sense when viewers were in the room, thus triggering the voice of the characters to activate.  There were also many other interactive features to this exhibit such as tangible artifacts in the drugstore, movie showings, telephone connections, and a working classroom. The circulation of the space was well understood, circular in nature, a viewer can move around the town square from building to building with ease, certain not to miss anything. The lighting  was purely artificial, dim to recreate a summer night in the historic Gate City. The most compelling part of this exhibit was the fact that it is unexpected, as a viewer enters this part of the museum through a churchlike second story, one does not expect to find themselves in a hotel lobby, ready to step out into a recreation of 1900s Greensboro. I think the overall concept of this exhibit is to transport people to a time separate from their own, allowing them to tangibly experience and understand, in life size recreations, historic Greensboro.

[4] THE "DOWN HOME" EXHIBIT:

finish feels very temporary in nature. The exhibit is made up of a series of white display cases and other various objects. Although small, the tectonic and mechanic nature of the exhibit consisted of a few videos and an interactive kitchen. They used these features to give the viewer much of the information, considering the exhibit is traveling and it results in less to move. The lighting in this exhibit wasn't very specific, as it was not permanent, it felt as if they didn't put endless effort into creating the right lighting for the objects on display. The circulation and use of the space, although clear, was somewhat choppy and I found myself and my party constantly split over what to look at considering there were cases all along the walls and in the middle. In those terms, there was no real symmetry and balance in the Down Home exhibit, more of placing things where there was room and in the shape of the room itself. I felt the overall concept and theme of the Down Home exhibit was the integration and understanding of different religions into the population of Greensboro, in an effort to display how diverse and forward thinking we are as a city. Not my favorite exhibit but also not terrible considering that it was strictly temporary in nature.

[5] GIFT SHOP:

Initially, it's obvious that the gift shop is completely out of place. It is placed in between two existing exhibits, causing a break in the museum experience. Generally, gift shops should be placed at the end of the museum so that viewers can buy things that they have learned about throughout. The items available in the Greensboro Historic Museums gift shop vary from small trinkets to dolls, books, scarves, educational things, to jewelry. I think that most of the paraphernalia in the gift shop has some correlation to the museum and helps in a viewers understanding and experience of it, therefore the shop is successful in that respect. However, I'm curious to know how the profit margin was affected upon its move from lobby to its current location.

Voices Exhibit // Gate City Exhibit

Pottery Room Exhibit // Down Home Exhibit

LEAPING.

First off, I have been unable to log in to my blogger account, it continuously redirected me to a blog that was linked to my email, which had none of my previous posts on it. So that was helpful...

The project that I feel I would be most excited to be involved in would be the Industries of the Blind lobby project. I really connected to the employees and felt that what they do there is something very special.

As stated before in my skills handout, falling on the more median side of the personalities, I bring organization and motivation to the group setting. I have a mediating personality, so I am good at balancing out other members of the group and allowing everyones ideas to be heard and acknowledged. I also try hard to incorporate useful and creative ideas into the project scheme. I am detail oriented, so keeping up with the ins and outs of the project for other group members is my specialty.

I can't wait to get started with the project group I am put into!

INDUSTRIES OF THE BLIND SITE STUDY.

Initial Thoughts:
I must start by simply stating how amazed I was that this extraordinary place has been right down the street from campus all these years and hardly anyone knows what it is.

The work that goes on behind those windowless walls is incredible. Having 215 employees, roughly 115 of them legally blind the level of craft that comes into production there is amazing.

Initial Entrance Diagram:

 

Narrative:
I was extremely curious as I came up to the building. Many times, I have driven by and wondering exactly what the goings on of this place were. It was like Willy Wonka's factory, no one went in, no one came out, there were no windows and it was shrouded in mystery. My curiosity was met with confusion as I went into the first of the entrance spaces. I felt compelled to go up to the sliding glass window and announce, "Hi, I'm Hailey Taylor and I'm here to get my teeth cleaned." Alas, I was shuffled into the stairwell, past a meditation garden (which was too awful to describe here), and then entered a new lobby space. I remember thinking to myself, what goes on here? Even as I was in the building I was still completely in the dark about what was occurring in the building around me. I can't think of a more appropriate or deserving place for the project we are taking on here.

Diagram:

 
 

Here are a few photographs I snapped from the tour:
 

GREENSBORO HISTORIC MUSEUM SITE STUDY.

Initial Entrance Diagram:

 

Initial Thoughts:

I was at first very confused about how to actually enter the building. Tuan and myself parked off of a side street, in front of the Children's Museum and there was no real defined way to go about locating the historic museum. Instead, we wandered around a side garden until we came upon a sign that eventually led to the entrance. It was all very confusing, and I don't know whether to attribute that to the fact that it is actually hard to find or the fact that it was 8:45 in the morning.

Narrative:

As soon as I got out of the car, I was confused. Here I was standing in the middle of Davis Street, glancing back and forth from the Children's Museum to some very old looking houses. Tuan voiced what we both were thinking..."Where are we supposed to go?" We chose to move our first chess piece by crossing the street and meandered along a path into a garden. "This isn't it, is it?" Now, I'm confused. It's hot and there are no real indications as to where I'm supposed to be. We follow the path for a bit, then turn around, considering it a lost cause. We try the sidewalk as option B. We finally found our way to the front of the building and were the first ones there, I might add. I thought the confusion would end once we got inside but I was very, very wrong....

Photographs:

Final Diagram: