explorations: in_proximity

[drawing disruption]

[contents] research & clarify

eveloping a geometry archive at Tantallon

34-57

3-4

5-33

[duration immersion acuity proximity]

The first phase of In_Proximity called for investigation into the above four titles. I looked to clocks and in par-ticular the engineered mechanisms that drive them. I believe they are a physical synthesis of these four themes. One can’t help but look closer when a clock mechanism is turning inviting closer inspection, un-doubtedly an immersive experience. They also are the embodiment of the passing of time a link to the fourth dimension across the boundary of time.

[clarifying drawing]

[duration immersion acuity proximity]

The first phase of In_Proximity called for investigation into the above four titles. I looked to clocks and in par-ticular the engineered mechanisms that drive them. I believe they are a physical synthesis of these four themes. One can’t help but look closer when a clock mechanism is turning inviting closer inspection, un-doubtedly an immersive experience. They also are the embodiment of the passing of time a link to the fourth dimension across the boundary of time.

[clarifying drawing]

Faced with a bold site stooped in historical context, Tantallon Castle near North Berwick, one had to develop an attitude towards heritageand history.

How should we interact with a site such as Tantallon?Should we at all?

WhenWhen thinking about, hypothetically or otherwise, subjecting a site to an intervention first we must consider its existence. Any site will have many layers of history; one or many structures may have come and gone and as a result the location’s context is in a continual stateof flux.

It is possible to think of these variations of the site as disruptions. A once uninterrupted piece of ground is subjected to the vision of a designer,designer, reshaping the earth, uprooting trees and altering the skyline.

Time remains amid these iterations but the history is updated and a mark has been made on its ever-growing timeline. I am interested in cataloguing disruptions, how human intervention marks. These marks can last centuries or even millennia, be ephemeral or even momentary. Due to the timescale of this project I am restricted tothe latter and as such my model maps fleeting moments.the latter and as such my model maps fleeting moments.

My model is a mechanism, which can exist uninterrupted, operate autonomously and consistently, however like a site it is versatile and can be manipulated by a designer (by which I mean anyone who cares be a disrupter). It can react and interact. Marks from its historical timeline, can be viewed, documented and archived.

[disruption Tantallon]

Faced with a bold site stooped in historical context, Tantallon Castle near North Berwick, one had to develop an attitude towards heritageand history.

How should we interact with a site such as Tantallon?Should we at all?

WhenWhen thinking about, hypothetically or otherwise, subjecting a site to an intervention first we must consider its existence. Any site will have many layers of history; one or many structures may have come and gone and as a result the location’s context is in a continual stateof flux.

It is possible to think of these variations of the site as disruptions. A once uninterrupted piece of ground is subjected to the vision of a designer,designer, reshaping the earth, uprooting trees and altering the skyline.

Time remains amid these iterations but the history is updated and a mark has been made on its ever-growing timeline. I am interested in cataloguing disruptions, how human intervention marks. These marks can last centuries or even millennia, be ephemeral or even momentary. Due to the timescale of this project I am restricted tothe latter and as such my model maps fleeting moments.the latter and as such my model maps fleeting moments.

My model is a mechanism, which can exist uninterrupted, operate autonomously and consistently, however like a site it is versatile and can be manipulated by a designer (by which I mean anyone who cares be a disrupter). It can react and interact. Marks from its historical timeline, can be viewed, documented and archived.

[disruption Tantallon]

I was interested in the thought that human behavior and in-teraction can instigate communication and trigger my model. I began to work with an Arduino Uno microcontroller board which enables analogue and digital data to be fed in, inter-preted via computer processing, which in turn creates a digi-t a loutput.

I began with a simple task, creating a vu meter which inter-prets volume and lights up leds according to amplitude, thusachieving reaction via sound.

I wanted my model to react to human presence via sight and colour tracking seemed the most effective way to enable this.

[disruptive technologies]

I was interested in the thought that human behavior and in-teraction can instigate communication and trigger my model. I began to work with an Arduino Uno microcontroller board which enables analogue and digital data to be fed in, inter-preted via computer processing, which in turn creates a digi-t a loutput.

I began with a simple task, creating a vu meter which inter-prets volume and lights up leds according to amplitude, thusachieving reaction via sound.

I wanted my model to react to human presence via sight and colour tracking seemed the most effective way to enable this.

[disruptive technologies]

[disruptive technologies]

The plan was that the machine would not only interpret physical human gestures, movement speech etc., but also intangible datassuch as a live feed from a smartphone.

MostMost people today have incredibly powerful smartphones on their person at all times, devices that my machine aims to exploit. The motors that drive the trollies holding the mark making devices are controllable via bluetooth using an app I made to work in conjunc-tion with android. This application bridges a proximity betweenreality and the virtual.

On the opposite page are screen shots from the application, a control screen (top):

trollies in stop trollies outbluetooth connectinformation

And the information page (bottom)And the information page (bottom)

[disruptive technologies]

The plan was that the machine would not only interpret physical human gestures, movement speech etc., but also intangible datassuch as a live feed from a smartphone.

MostMost people today have incredibly powerful smartphones on their person at all times, devices that my machine aims to exploit. The motors that drive the trollies holding the mark making devices are controllable via bluetooth using an app I made to work in conjunc-tion with android. This application bridges a proximity betweenreality and the virtual.

On the opposite page are screen shots from the application, a control screen (top):

trollies in stop trollies outbluetooth connectinformation

And the information page (bottom)And the information page (bottom)

[analogous & digital draw]

Whilst still writing the code and having difficulty turning the heavy metal arms using a stepper motor, I made a large drawing using the bluetooth connectivity and splinning the arms by hand.

[analogous & digital draw]

Whilst still writing the code and having difficulty turning the heavy metal arms using a stepper motor, I made a large drawing using the bluetooth connectivity and splinning the arms by hand.

After a long and trying process I finally had a fully functioning machine. I invited fellow students to come and play with it to create disruptive drawings. It was fas-cinating to watch others interact with the machine, some tried to orchestrate the drawings being produced whilst others embraced the uncontrollable nature of the creation. I tried to tell viewers as little as possible prior to their encounter to observe a raw reaction and interaction with the model.

[disruptive geometry]

[drawings series_01]

[drawings series_01]

[drawings series_02]

[drawings series_02]

[drawings series_03]

[drawings series_03]

[drawings series_04]

[drawings series_04]

[drawing details]

[drawing details]

[key moments]From this exploration and experimentation, I was left with the drawings on the preceding pages. I spent a lot of time interpreting and interrogating them to understand the relationshipsand key themes present.

I found three key moments that are consistent throughout many of the iterations, and which I found to be particularly engaging.

Boundaries/Proximities

WhereWhere pools of ink have formed on already saturated paper blurred boundaries form within hard defined edges. I have drawn comparisons between the dichotomy of public and private where by the fuzzy grey area is the threshold between that which is public and that which is private.

Perception of depth

For flat seemingly two-dimensional drawings some posses a real sense of depth, streams of ink falling on earlier dried streams create overlapping forms which recede and advance. This isalso an occurrence within the language of the brush marks.also an occurrence within the language of the brush marks.

Tension & Release

Throughout the series one can observe forms narrowing and widening along their lengths, a characteristic that I have labeled tension and release. One can almost imagine being within these borders either in plan or section and feeling walls closing in almost to the point of contactand then widening to reveal a space with a tremendous contrast.

[drawing details]

[key moments]From this exploration and experimentation, I was left with the drawings on the preceding pages. I spent a lot of time interpreting and interrogating them to understand the relationshipsand key themes present.

I found three key moments that are consistent throughout many of the iterations, and which I found to be particularly engaging.

Boundaries/Proximities

WhereWhere pools of ink have formed on already saturated paper blurred boundaries form within hard defined edges. I have drawn comparisons between the dichotomy of public and private where by the fuzzy grey area is the threshold between that which is public and that which is private.

Perception of depth

For flat seemingly two-dimensional drawings some posses a real sense of depth, streams of ink falling on earlier dried streams create overlapping forms which recede and advance. This isalso an occurrence within the language of the brush marks.also an occurrence within the language of the brush marks.

Tension & Release

Throughout the series one can observe forms narrowing and widening along their lengths, a characteristic that I have labeled tension and release. One can almost imagine being within these borders either in plan or section and feeling walls closing in almost to the point of contactand then widening to reveal a space with a tremendous contrast.

[drawing details]

[overlapping & depth]Once I had identified characteristics I found particularly intrigu-ing I had to begin to think about architectural application. I looked first to the notion of overlapping marks and thought about how I might translate these marks intoa more three dimensional composition.

[path & pause]Due to the erratic nature of the movement of the machine, it would often sweep and stop, bouncing along the way pressing hard between fluid movements. Many marks possessed fleet-ing, impatient moments that skipped from stroke to press creating paths between pauses.

To me these moments were one of the most interesting aspectsas they also displayed depth and texture. I have decided to adopt this language as a method of delivering visitors to the archive, it enables a choreography of arrival, suggesting moments for reflection and observation along theundulating journey to the castle.

.gpx file of first trip to Tantallon

[overlapping & depth]Once I had identified characteristics I found particularly intrigu-ing I had to begin to think about architectural application. I looked first to the notion of overlapping marks and thought about how I might translate these marks intoa more three dimensional composition.

[path & pause]Due to the erratic nature of the movement of the machine, it would often sweep and stop, bouncing along the way pressing hard between fluid movements. Many marks possessed fleet-ing, impatient moments that skipped from stroke to press creating paths between pauses.

To me these moments were one of the most interesting aspectsas they also displayed depth and texture. I have decided to adopt this language as a method of delivering visitors to the archive, it enables a choreography of arrival, suggesting moments for reflection and observation along theundulating journey to the castle.

.gpx file of first trip to Tantallon

[contents] research & clarify

eveloping a geometry archive at Tantallon

34-57

3-4

5-33

[Tantallon Castle to North Berwick & Beyond ]

Due to the shear scale and inevitable growth of the collection at the archive I am proposing to build a port, a scheme that was planned in the 14th century but never completed.

This also allows for large scale exhibits to be delivered to the archive without major disruption to the existing built environment. I invisage the archive to notonly be a National one, but instead exhibit artefacts from around the world.

NorthNorth Berwick is the closest established port and has rail links to Edinburgh and the South. I would propose an extension to this rail line to make accessing the Archiveeasier and delivery links improved.

[contents] research & clarify

eveloping a geometry archive at Tantallon

34-57

3-4

5-33

[Tantallon Castle to North Berwick & Beyond ]

Due to the shear scale and inevitable growth of the collection at the archive I am proposing to build a port, a scheme that was planned in the 14th century but never completed.

This also allows for large scale exhibits to be delivered to the archive without major disruption to the existing built environment. I invisage the archive to notonly be a National one, but instead exhibit artefacts from around the world.

NorthNorth Berwick is the closest established port and has rail links to Edinburgh and the South. I would propose an extension to this rail line to make accessing the Archiveeasier and delivery links improved.

[intention for delivery]

[selected development sketches]

From the work of the first seven weeks eperimentation I had a geom-etry of disruption, synthesized by the drawings made by the machine. My aim was to achieve the characteristics present in those drawings in the intervention at Tantallon.

I first approached this in plan and sketched perspectives, squeezing the plan in places and releasing to create spaces.

The scheme proposes an intervention consisting of a public gallery and a laboratory type facility for scholars and scientists. The public gallery is located on the ground floor where shipping containers ,(sharing the conventional 40ft dimensions) however customised to suit archiving specifications, will be brought in and displayed on arotation of one week intervals.

DirectlyDirectly above the gallery is the scholarly research facility, this area is not off limits to the general public but subtle shaping of the buildings geometry suggests this area is not a public one.

The below extract from the drawing is one that I was immediately drawn to, for me it represents the large heavy form of Tantallon being penetrated by my fluid building. The red hatching (top right) is a subterranean entrance, an interpretation of the extract.

[selected development sketches]

From the work of the first seven weeks eperimentation I had a geom-etry of disruption, synthesized by the drawings made by the machine. My aim was to achieve the characteristics present in those drawings in the intervention at Tantallon.

I first approached this in plan and sketched perspectives, squeezing the plan in places and releasing to create spaces.

The scheme proposes an intervention consisting of a public gallery and a laboratory type facility for scholars and scientists. The public gallery is located on the ground floor where shipping containers ,(sharing the conventional 40ft dimensions) however customised to suit archiving specifications, will be brought in and displayed on arotation of one week intervals.

DirectlyDirectly above the gallery is the scholarly research facility, this area is not off limits to the general public but subtle shaping of the buildings geometry suggests this area is not a public one.

The below extract from the drawing is one that I was immediately drawn to, for me it represents the large heavy form of Tantallon being penetrated by my fluid building. The red hatching (top right) is a subterranean entrance, an interpretation of the extract.

[section development]

[section development]

0

10

section looking east

0

10

[‘Tantallon Port’ revised]

[final model, form study]

[final model, form study]