Project Project Project death

Tommorow is the last crit of our first project this term 'Specialist shop'. Its a four week long project where we have to focus on being accurate about materials, finishes and the general look/feel of the store. I was given Bookshops which, according to my tutor, is the most boring and predictable shop to have been given. Go figure.

I started the project by researching Books in a very literal sense. What are they made of? How are they made? when were they first invented. I really wanted to get a sense of the thing that the shop was selling and in the process i came across the recipe (or at least the ingredients) of ink.

"The ink used widely to print books is made from the soot of burnt wood. It contains various pigments and dyes, made from metals seeds and chemicals."

For the shelves i wanted to keep with the idea of processes and so i liked the look of archive shelving and the cyan colour. But when i put it into vector works it made the already clunky shelves look even more out of place, so, as suggested by one of my tutors, i should keep the shelves fairly neutral and introduce colour into the store by putting colour behind the selves. Therefor bringing colour into the space but subtly.

The 'mystery' of the book shop/book production process was the hinge pin to the whole design. This idea is most obvious in the back section of the shop where all the fiction books are supposed to be. I wanted to make the customer have a feeling of being totally enclosed within books, and i had an idea of putting a mirror on the ceiling to create a double height affect. Drew contested me and suggested that it might be a better idea to put a strip around the ceiling to create the same affect, but still leave space for the lighting.

Amata said something that i think sums up my shop 'It has so many little interesting points' although this was something the tutor told us to stay away from...i think it works well in a book shop because, they are all about exploring and finding things that excite you (just books hopefully).

I had a few ideas for the store frontage, i loved the style of 'low key' pornography shops that have a kind of two way mirrored finish. So that passers by wouldn't be able to see into the store but patrons would be able to see out onto the street, creating this kind of voyeuristic people watching element. But that bought into the question, how customers would know it was books. I decided to instead play on the shelving element and show the pages of the books stacked on the shelves, relating to the products kept inside.

I kind of wish i had more time to play around with the renders but....such is life!

July and im home for some time

Well first year has been over now for 1 month or so and between moving all of my possessions into storage (which in itself was a huge investment of time, money and energy) and then returning home to find that there was no Internet in the house and no hope of it till the end of June ive had no time to post. That's my excuse and im sticking too it.

Being back home for an extended amount of time is a really strange and to be honest un-comfortable experience, I had my freedom and here it is severely compromised. I feel constantly under my parents feet and the only thing i can do to try not to annoy them is to keep out of their way and confine myself to my room. One great thing to come out of no Internet is that i have been forced to read/draw/paint to pass the time and have been getting into a book called 'The architecture of happiness - the secret art of furnishing your life' by Alain de Botton. Its quite a tough read but very interesting none the less, it talks allot about the psychology of design which has always interested me and how we can create buildings in different ways which can affect us subconsciously. Its changed my view on the practice of architecture and my role within it and at the same time deepened my dislike for certain factions of modernism (i.e. Le Corbusier).

Apart from that book ive been reading some on Impressionism and realism in the 20th century and decided to buy another book by one of my favourite authors Haruki Murakami its called 'The wild sheep chase' ive only read the first few pages but im hooked all ready such is the power of Murakami. Im sure i will have finished reading it by next week depending on how i spread my time about. The great thing about having free time and no particular thing to do is ideas seem to flood to me...i have 3 ideas for installation pieces, 3 photography projects, 2 art pieces, various clothes and pieces of furniture. I HAVE TO DO THEM. Someone please force me to make something this summer otherwise i will be really depressed at having wasted so much valuable time.

China looks like it will have to wait till next year now because of money issues and i missed the deadline for application, but instead my parents suggested a trip to Canada to visit my relatives, and i jumped at the opportunity. Apart from not seeing my Canadian family for over 6 years i have really missed the place too, the fresh air and beautiful scenery is inspiring to say the least so im pretty pumped about the trip i even get to meet my cousins wife/husband/child (i have more than one cousin out there just to clear that up.

When i wasn't reading i was sorting out things in the loft into boxes of 'leave' and 'take to Glasgow' and i came across this old passport photograph of me (top) i think its 4 years old and well...its quite clear that i have changed quite a bit...even if the hair is a drastic instant change, by the by the other photo is probably the most recent one of me. It got me thinking about change and how much of it i have been through in the past 4 years....GCSES, AS level, Btec and the first year of my degree, what a whirlwind to say the least. This time last year i was so excited to go to Glasgow whilst at the same time working full time for Habitat MK who incidentally have refused to re-employ me on the grounds of company restructuring which sounds like a lie to me.

Apologies

Ah it seems that im slacking again in the post front, but i have alot of things to talk about and post about! Since getting my FMP grade i have been more and more excited about going to university, so much so i have been checking Track on Ucas on a day to day basis...to see if my grades have got through to the university and my place be confirmed for sure! As well as this it will be a weight off my mind to have my accomidation secured (Because i was given a conditional offer there is no certainty when it comes to having a place in the halls) and then i can continue to look for a job.

Today when i woke up at 11am (I have to try to stop doing this, its such a waste of time) someone directed me towards this website:

Golden Compass

This Film is an adaptation of the series written by Phillip Pullman known as 'His dark materials'. Now i can't remember much about this series because i read it about 4 years ago now, but what i can remember that it is an Epic story perfectly suited for the big screen. I only hope that they stay true to the story and capture the Dark Fairytale feeling that the book gave me when i was reading it. This film could easyly be a Blockbuster but at the same time it could be a massive flop although the Trailer looks amazing and sends shivers down my spine!