Drawing Time
Drawing Time; design and representation of a time-cognisant architecture of reparability, for an era of depleting resources.
The Drawing
Using Print The print version is a 1:100 scaled drawing of just under 2m length. The quality of a paper copy is never to be underestimated; without glare, or an infuriating lack of line definition, the eye can more gently rest and slide over this printed drawing, especially with the tranquillity that comes with a static image. However, especially with its weight of detail, I as illustrator have no option but to delegate the interpretation of the drawing to the viewer. I was interested in designing a way to counteract this somewhat in order to achieve as immersive an experience as possible for the viewer and attempt to convey the sense of the project as a ‘Gull in Flight.’ To do so I explored removing one obstacle from the viewer; the necessity to walk along the drawing’s length, unable to view the drawing as a whole without stepping too far back to perceive its detail. This led to the design of an armature for the display of the drawing with a curved surface, so that the viewer can absorb the full span of the drawing and its timescales from a single standpoint, and eyepoint, at least peripherally. See the EXHIBITION page for more on this armature.
The Film
Please play this narrative audio for full enjoyment of the film below >
Using Film The advantage of digital representation on the other hand is the opportunity for a dynamic entity. Considering the subject matter, Time, it became pertinent to explore film as a vehicle for communication. However, rather than divulge entirely to another process, this piece explores how the same drawings can be represented to an audience with the agency in the hands of the filmmaker, using time, sequence, movement, and scale change, to orchestrate the viewer’s interpretation of the research. Earlier iterations of the film were more rigid in their representation of time, with the sequence of construction accurately relative to the 5 year spans of growth and maintenance which followed. This meant that the film spanned 8 minutes, with the built proposal emerging within the first number of seconds. Having tested this to an audience at final review stage, it became apparent that it would be more engaging for an audience to be more liberal with the representation of time. The final film instead focuses on the narrative side of the design research in conveying the project’s rich storyline and hopefully enticing viewers towards the idea of an architectural culture of caretaking. The medium also allowed for a voiceover, which I recorded in replacement of the keynotes present in the print artefact. It is hoped that it will become clear which of the methods of representation an audience, or varying sectors of that audience, are drawn too, from observation of attendees at the exhibition.