Reflection Assignment 2 – Digital Presentation of Research

5th Apr 2019Leave a comment

My process for completing assignment two was initially to read the assignment outline, then read and read again to be sure I fully understood what I was to do. For some clarity I contacted my tutor about work which could be included.

Secondly, I undertook research into visual presentations and how best to present the message I wished to convey to my audience. My audience I considered to be my tutor, students and those who are interested in the history of Nottingham and or it’s Lace Market district and those interested in the design decisions behind the Nottingham Contemporary.

Further to this I wanted to display a variety of the work I had completed/gathered, whilst ensuring it related to relevant information and provide a narrative.

Lastly, I considered my design which I wanted to link to the building. This took some working until I finally decided on my final piece. This is based on colours of the Contemporary’s exterior, the angled walls, which I have referred to throughout my work on the Contemporary and I framed most of the images – like pictures in an art gallery.

I enjoyed the process, particularly as I was learning yet another skill – effective ways to present. Without feedback I am not yet sure I achieved this yet but it was helpful to consider it and play with different ideas. I feel I’m a little limited as currently I only have PowerPoint available, I expect it’s possible to create better quality presentations with a more sophisticated design package? I have however signed up for an adobe creative cloud course in July at which point I will purchase the software too.

The process has been valuable in furthering my knowledge and skills in; visual presentation, design styles and decision making – considering the most valuable and relevant visual and written information to provide.

One thing I’ve found disappointing about the process is that there is no assessment criteria yet available to check against, even though the assessment guidance tells students this is what we should do before submitting work to tutors? It worries me there will be key criteria which I have not quite hit the mark on.

I am pleased with the outcome but also feel it is a little basic and that it’s possible to achieve something much slicker and more minimal. This will probably take better software and more experience and confidence in design and presentation skills. When I was researching presentations, I enjoyed and admired those I viewed which were minimal yet conveyed their message well. I did not feel confident enough to leave too much information or images out, in order that I display a variety of work.

With continuing learning, skills and knowledge I hope one day to achieve the look and quality of some of the presentations I viewed – and create something minimal while effective.

I expect to incorporate this process in continuing practice in may ways; creating mood boards, presenting design ideas to clients and creating a portfolio of work.

Assessment 1

27th Feb 201914th May 2019Leave a comment

Assignment 1 Reflection

I was extremely pleased that my tutor found my work ‘exploratory, loose (I think) and questioning. This positive opening feedback was very welcome having undertaking, what was for me, out of the ordinary exercises and studying at a level which is a new and uncertain thing for me.

At the same time the tutor informed me of the things I ought to be doing at this level; such as colour coding, annotating images, using human profile figures to provide scale in models, all of which I can now see would benefit and enhance my work.

My tutor provided me with some research around a question I raised – ‘why did so many take to the right’. A question I asked myself about the direction people took through a gallery. I left this question open without trying to find an answer – something which I have been informed I should do. I read the research and again realised how much my learning can be improved by undertaking such a task. It allowed me to explore the question further and provided reason’s, in this case why people behave in a certain way and which provided me with a possible answer to the behaviour I witnessed.

For exercise 1:5 I was to visualise the space and experience through one sketch. I chose to complete this in monochrome, which my tutor felt was a poor choice, loosing some of the richness and visual contrast which had been provided in other examples. I think I may have felt this was the right thing to do because the examples shown in the course work are in monochrome. I probably thought monochrome would be a little more sophisticated and I was possibly a little concerned that adding colour would have created something a little too childlike. The feedback allowed me to see that I should not think in these ways, to push myself, not to worry and to experiment.

Although some feedback around my assessment piece was positive I am disappointed in myself that I did not continue with the first attempt at this piece or at least continue with a dual aspect piece which I originally intended. The tutor was dissatisfied that I did not continue with adding angles in this piece, angles which I had referred to throughout the exercises. My first attempt for this assessment piece was a tall diagonal wall like structure with a dangling ball of ‘fuzz’ to represent an audio hum. The ball had shapes and different materials sticking out from the fuzz to represent the different sounds which interjected through the hum. I however could not get the wall to stand tall enough at an angle to also hold the ball. Further to this I was unsure if the ball of sound was convincing enough, thus I ended up with the box of sound waves and representation of irregular noises. Having now had the feedback about this piece I feel I copped out and should have stuck to including angles as I had intended, in some form or other. I have no doubt this feedback will make me more persistent in future activities – to continue to portray the visual elements which affected me the most.

My tutor commented that I could be more balanced with observations concerning physical elements, materials and spatial layout in terms of function and how these contribute to the feelings you experience. Begin to draw in the views of others from research to develop your thinking. The last comment again is about looking for research and information around the subject, which I aim to do. I however felt I had observed the elements he mentioned so will ask my tutor to expand on this for me, so I can understand where my observations have lacked and what text he can recommend for me to research further.

The tutor commented that a gallery is perhaps not the richest of interior spaces architecturally, given that its design is as a bare canvas for other work. I fully appreciate this and initially did not think I would choose the gallery to complete this exercise but once I was there I was taken in by it’s height, space and those angles! Having a glimpse at further exercises I can see that this space may not provide me with such a productive subject?

Overall I was pleased with the feedback I received which was both positive and instructive. I am glad of the instruction and guidance received to help direct and push me on.

Work after feedback from my tutor

As mentioned above I felt frustrated with myself that I did not produce a model with angles, reflecting how I felt about the power of the angles in the Nottingham Contemporary. Therefore I decided to create another piece and, as suggested, add a human profile for scale.

This piece has many angles. I have tried with this piece to portray the varying shapes of the galleries in the Nottingham Contemporary and the angled walls ability to pull you in. Although there were no steps in the gallery I added these symbolically to represent the changing heights in the gallery but also that you are being lead/pulled into spaces, the way steps lead you to another level. I also aimed to illustrate the changing quality of light in the galleries by have some parts of the model open, others covered and gaps where it is possible to see in and out, as I was able to see in and out of the gallery window or through some of the gallery doors.

The folded paper represents the hum which could be heard in gallery 1 – and the greater tension I felt when I spent time in this gallery.

Photographs taken in the sunlight

Interior Design 1 Exploring Principles and Theories Exercise1

11th Jan 201914th Jan 2019Leave a comment

From this course unit I want:

To get a good understanding of the procedures and process I am expected to follow during my studies.
To be sure I am set up and have done all that I need to do and have everything I need to have to see me through the remainder of the course.
To have a resource that I can turn to when I need reminded of these procedures.
Support and helpful tips and information to assist me through my course.
To understand how to reference appropriately and be sure I am not at risk of accidentally plagiarising, getting this right concerns me.

To this course I am bringing:

Maturity and life experience.
Some relevant experiences and skills I have gained through work and short courses I have previously undertaken.
Enthusiasm, I am eventually doing something I have always wanted to but thought I never would. This hugely excites me and makes me keen to learn.
Concerns, contrary to the above I also have worries about some aspects of the learning. I am worried about the academic processes and learning technical software, which I want to learn but afraid I may not master it.

The Journey Begins

8th Jan 201917th Mar 2019Leave a comment

Exercise 3: Analyse, reflect and be critical

Before beginning tasks for assignments, I am to undertake an exercise: find and upload images of interior spaces designed by both interior designers and interior decorators. Analyse, critique and reflect on the images to explore their differences, in relation to this course and your own objectives.

Initially I felt a little frustrated by this request as I had spent a lot of time reading introductory material and undertaking the online introductory course to Higher Education. However, I soon understood this exercise was a good introduction to how I think and write and provides me with an opportunity to allow my tutor to assess my initial abilities in writing, referencing and this blog post, which is a first for me.

So here goes:

Finding interior specialists who call them self Interior Designers is easy, finding those who call themselves Interior Decorators is not.

Fig. 1 Is an image taken from Arco Decorations website. Being unable to find an individual who referred to themselves as an ‘Interior Decorator’ I found an interior decorating company and used this image to visualise the type of work an interior decorator might undertake; paint work, wallpapering, making a space look aesthetically pleasing through new clean décor on walls and floors.

Scrolling through images, I found Fig. 2, which made me think further about the word decoration. Just as we hang decorations on the Christmas tree, we use decorations in our home, not always because they are required but because they please us, they make it more beautiful, they are sentimental and they state something about who we are.

Once I was able to think about interior decoration a little wider I enjoyed looking into and writing up this exercise.

Fig. 4 and Fig. 5 I believe show design companies; Casazul Creative Studios and Casa Do Passadico Interiors, respectively, using decoration to complete their designs. Thus, I would consider interior decorating to be both the foundations required for a space; wall, ceiling and floor décor and the items, which are added to enhance and make a statement in a space.

Interior Design Fig. 7

Interior Design Fig.7
Interior Design Fig. 8

Fig. 6 shows the work of Interior Designer Jean-Louis Denoit. I believe there is more than just decoration in this space. To create a space like this takes knowledge, skills, understanding concepts and executing them to, or above the clients wish. Similarly, Douglas Mackie’s design in Fig 9 is sympathetic to its 19th century surroundings, which takes knowledge and excellence in ones abilities to carry out so faultlessly. Fig. 7 and 8 show images of Hangzhou Zhongshuge bookstore by designer Li Xiang. She has created not only a bookstore but also an extraordinary experience.

To sum up I would suggest that Interior Designers also interior decorate but Interior decorators alone are not Interior Designers. I expect to look at both aspects within the Interior Design BA and I will be interested to know if my thinking is along the correct lines.

List of images

Fig. 1 [Photograph] At: http://www.arcodecorations.com/house=painting-decorators/ (Accessed on 11.01.19)

Fig. 2 [Photograph] At: hdwallpapersrocks.com/wp-ontent/uploads/2013/09/Stylish-sofa-set-interior-designs.jpg
(Accessed on 11.01.19)

Fig. 3 [Photograph] At: awesome11.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Joyful-Home-Decor-For-Kids.jpg (Accessed 11.01.19)

Fig. 4 [Photograph] In: Martin, A. Interior Design Review. Pg. 77.
Germany:teNeues (Accessed on 11.01.19)

Fig.5 [Photograph] In: Martin, A. Interior Design Review. Pg. 119.
Germany:teNeues (Accessed on 11.01.19)

Fig. 6 Chicago apartment lounge by interior designer Jean-Louis Deniot. Photo by Jonny Valiant[Photograph] At: https://artemest.com/magazine/a-list/jean-louis-deniot (Accessed on 11.01.19)

Fig. 7 [Photograph] In: Martin, A. Interior Design Review. Pg. 66
Germany:teNeues (Accessed on 11.01.19)

Fig. 8 [Photograph] In: Martin, A. Interior Design Review. Pg. 67
Germany:teNeues

Fig. 9[Photograph] At: douglasmackie.com/projects/Chelsea (Accessed on 11.01.19)

Refection on this exercise

When I was unable to find individuals who refer to themselves as Interior Decorators I initially got a little concerned about how I was going to complete this task and grasping at straws thought I could only show an image from a decorator’s website. Decorators are of course ‘interior decorators’ but when viewing more images, I considered that interior decoration can be undertaken by designers and non-designers, Interior Design however is something much greater, conceptual and skilled.
Once I was able to consider and provide examples of the differences, I enjoyed undertaking the task, pleased that I was able to widen my thinking a little. I did not draw a mind map or spider gram for this exercise but I can appreciate how useful and thought provoking this could be and will aim to create these for future tasks.

This exercise has also been particularly useful for me to get use to referencing, something that I have to say I found particularly time consuming and am not entirely sure I have correct?

Further to this half way through writing the blog, text started to be overwritten/deleted, when I inserted new text into the midst of a passage. This has been hugely frustrating and time consuming and I have been unable to find a solution to this? Frustrations of being new to blogging and using WordPress!

Feedback from my tutor on all aspects of this exercise will be most useful for my work ongoing.

Lee's study journey

The development of my learning, skills and knowledge in interior design

Category: Research & Reflection