PLAY | EXPLORE | CONNECT | DISCOVER | EXPERIENCE

jade downes

Models | Photo-shopped  into site elevations

Statement of Intent | 

I have selected The Auckland Fish Market for my site. The fish market is located at 22-32 Jellicoe Street within the new development of Wynyard Quarter. The building has a floor area of 2305 square metres with structural column around the perimeter and in the main area of levels one and two. Levels one and three have a stud height of 3 metres while level two has a stud height of 2.8 metres.


Level one – Auckland Fish Market, level Two – Seafood school and office and level Three – Sanford limited offices


The building’s exterior is dated and looks chaotic with advertising splashed everywhere. To me the building doesn’t sit well within its environment, it seems straight edge and harsh in comparison to the surrounding buildings. The low stud height, columns and windows do not help. Level ones interior is made up of concrete floors and painted plasterboard, and glass. Level two is much the same while level three has carpet, laminate wooden floors and painted plasterboard walls. The staircase is tiled from the ground floor up to the third, with a muted colour palette.


The site is located by Silo Park which has recently been redeveloped into a ‘fun zone’ bustling with numerous events and people. The neighbouring building is a new build for ASB which gives life to the area while the surrounding building have been refurbished to retain the history of the wharf. As the building doesn’t sit well within the environment I aim to design a façade / screen to the exterior of the building to increase the intended feel of the area.

For my concept to come to life I intend to completely transform and strip the building’s interior. My vision for this space is an interactive concourse that ultimately gets people to connect with one another while experiencing a sensory connection.


I envision this space to be used by all, young and old, male and female. This space will endeavour to excite and challenge visitors to step out of their comfort zone and experience the area with all their senses. My exploratory models provide inspiration for material such as wooden framing, netting and PVC pipes all which will be incorporated within my site. I plan to take away some of the floor to suspend large PVC pipes from the ceiling with netting so visitors can play in and climb through. The colours from my exploratory models will be taken into consideration as some area will enhance the sensory experience when dark and others light.


There are multiple areas of safety that will need to be taken into consideration such as staircases and fire exits. A kitchen and multiple bathrooms will be needed for the site. Where possible, sustainability practices will be incorporated.

Design Concept | 

In the last decade we have seen drastic developments of technology. Facebook, Instagram and twitter enable us to connect, express and share our lives with the online community. However while these social platforms allow us to connect and share information, author and cultural analyst Sherry Turkle concludes that our use of social media is superficial and diminishing the need for physical human connection. Turkle states “…we are getting use to a new way of being alone”, escaping the physical world to a virtual world where physical connections and emotional and sensory responses like touch are lost.


While exploring the basic need for human connection I found myself asking the question, "What enhances human connection?" What underlying influences are there? What influences and shapes our thoughts, our opinions about the world around us? Which bought me to our senses, - sight, smell, taste, touch and hearing.


Why is it that when we grow up we seem to forget what it’s like to be a child? Forget how to play and to have fun? Just because we’re adults, that doesn't mean we have to take ourselves so seriously and make life all about work. We all need to play. In the words of  George Bernard Shaw, “We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” I have been inspired by the concept of play and interaction between people and will be incorporated to my site.


Following on from my research I found an existing building the Auckland Fish Market located on Jellicoe Street, Silo Park. The location and surrounding environment played an important role as I wanted an area that was interactive and free reign for all. Silo Park, formerly used for timber trade and chemical storage the area has been revived into a vibrant industrial area bustling with new cafes and restaurants. It is a space to discover, explore and play. The development of Auckland’s waterfront has provided a unique space for numerous activities to take place, such as music concerts, markets and even movies. The area has multiple different playgrounds, a basketball court and a water feature that doubles as a paddling pool for the younger visitors. I though this space was perfect for my concept as it’s a fun active area and always has something to offer. From my research and exploration I aim to design a space that not only gets people to connect to one another but engages and enlivens the senses.


For my design exploration I created a series of tubular models with different common textures such as astroturf and sandpaper. In their respective contexts the textures are not unusual, however once I incorporated them into my models they evoked a different reaction through the isolated sense of touch. I was able to incorporate sounds into my exploratory work by including bells and chains attached to the inside of the models.

Developing my models further, I experimented with different types of netting and string to emulate the concept of connection. The perception of the context significantly changed with scale models when introduced. My exploratory models suddenly became an interactive setting, something to be climbed, felt and explored. One of my exploratory models is made with fish net stocking that is twisted and stretched over a wooden frame, when scale models are introduced you can imagine how interactive and tactile the installation becomes. When multiple people enter the installation it immediately impacts the other around you.


As I look forward to the spatial planning phase I will continue to explore and integrate the concept of play and interaction within my space.

Site | 22-32 Jellicoe Street

Exterior and interior images

Site | 22-32 Jellicoe Street

I chose the Auckland Fish Building for my site ......

Models | Final

My final exploratory models 

Sight and Touch
- I envisioned the string to be people and their connection
- Working with black netting in a tube shape but curving and molding the tube so it had fluidity. This model is really effective, its my favourite!
- Black netting curved and placed within the frame to be a slide? Interactive. I really like the walls - could be chains or guitar string (watch this space)
- Black fish net stocking stretched and switched over the frame. I love how it looks simplistic but shows connection at the same time. 

Sight and touch

- The idea of connection 

Sight and sound

- Cluster of pipes, chains, bells

Sight and touch

- Fur, fringing, astroturf, sandpaper, exfoliating glove, material

Models | Stage Three

  • Working with the PVC pipe, fish nets
    Working with the PVC pipe, fish nets
  • PVC Pipe and string - creating connection
    PVC Pipe and string - creating connection
  • PVC Pipe and string - creating connection - Green
    PVC Pipe and string - creating connection - Green
  • PVC Pipe and string - creating connection - White
    PVC Pipe and string - creating connection - White
  • The idea of connection using fish nets.
    The idea of connection using fish nets.
  • Inspiration
    Inspiration
  • Marked out the wood and cutting the block for the square frame
    Marked out the wood and cutting the block for the square frame
  • Sanding! Heaps of sanding to be done
    Sanding! Heaps of sanding to be done
  • gluing and nailing the frame together
    gluing and nailing the frame together
  • Painted black- Looks quite striking
    Painted black- Looks quite striking
Working with the PVC pipe, fish nets
Working with the PVC pipe, fish nets

Exploratory Models | Working with the idea of connection, using string, fish nets etc 

Models | Stage Two 

My pervious models were based on sight and touch, however as I am looking at the five senses I need to look at incorporating sound, smell and taste. Here are my examples of 'sound' (construction stage). Smell and taste will be interesting. 


1. A number of bells suspended by thread

2. Chains glued around the pipe

3. A cluster of pipes - when suspended and pushed together they create sound

Models | Stage One

I got standard white PVC Pipes from O'briens. I went out and bought a range of different materials that would provide a texture for the pipes. Materials that we all know but maybe wouldn't recognise if we were blindfolded (astroturf, sandpaper, fringing, upholstery fabric, fake fur, and a exfoliating glove). 
As PVC Pipes are used for plumbing there were black marks around the pipe that I couldn't remove when I cleaned them. It looked very messy. 
I decided to spray paint the pipes matte black - this made a big difference. The materiality pop - I suddenly had a colour palette. 

Interactive Installation | Black Netting Staircase

Major Inspiration | Numen / For Use uses ;height and wobbliness' in net staircase for Linz Gallery 

Interactive Installations | Woods of nets

The first crochet installation I came across was at a much smaller scale and in muted colours. After seeing Ms Mac Adam's work I am blown away - They are incredible! Her installations are intriguing to children and adults and invoke the urge to play. The installation is mainly made by hand and is  located at the Hakone Open-Air Museum in Japan. 

Mac Adams is intrigued by how form is created through tension and the force of gravity including the weight of the material itself and textile structure. 


She realised that she wanted to create a connection between her work and people. 


Arch Daily had an interview with Toshiko Honiuchi Mac Adams, her thoughts about tactility, movement and play not only as children but as adults is a good read. 

http://www.archdaily.com/297941/meet-the-artist-behind-those-amazing-hand-knitted-playgrounds/

Exhibition | Connection

These interactive installations is my inspiration to use netting in my exploratory works

42 Swings Swag Through Park Avenue 

A multi-sensory installation - Participants ride the swings while listening to readings, sounds and each other. Participants are swinging individually however they are also working together as a unit to move a massive billowing white curtain which divides the space from one another. Inspiring the relationship about life and human connectivity. 

I like how this installation 

Installation | Delirious-Frites

This installation looks really fun inviting. Love the colour
Hundreds of pool noodles were installed in an abandoned alleyway in Quebec city, Canada
The piece creates a total environment that throws passers into a completely different world 

Installation | Sensorium Exhibition

Sensorium - A space devoted to the senses. 

The designers, Celine Merhand and Analis Movel created an environment to explore all five senses. 

I really like the natural colour palette and the materials they have used. 

Feels inviting, safe and cosy. 

The concept behind the sensorium is to provoke interaction and surprise. 

Design Question | 

How can I design a space that gets people to connect with one another through a sensory experience? 

People | Food | Environment

Food brings friends, family, and strangers together 

Every culture is different - how they eat and socialise will be different to your own

Installation | Reveal

"Reveal was created as a response to the lack of tactility within objects. I feel that design objects are often focused on being more about visually aesthetic than an overall sensory experience. I believe that to fully experience an object, it has to be touched and engaged with. I wanted to create a piece that is tactile and gives the user a ‘reward’."


"Reveal is a interactive wall panel made up of felt flaps. The flaps can be stroked and brushed to uncover the reveal material and the pattern underneath, creating a sensory experience. The piece showcases the ‘flap and reveal’ technique, which can be applied to other surfaces. Reveal adds ambience and warmth to any room and engages the user." Samantha Grover


http://samanthagrover.co.uk/projects/reveal/

Installation | What made me

Quote | Leonardo DaVinci 

Technology take over | Why are we obsessed

Many of us think that it's ok to text, check social media, shop online during class, meetings, and presentations.

We listen to what we think is important 
Most of the time we need to be at that meeting or presentation but we still want to be connected to everything else, we weave between being present (in the moment) to being present online

It's like we are losing respect 

Connection and senses | Entwined together

How getting out and socialising engages our senses 

Sight - Friends and family, the surrounding environment 
Smell - Food + Drinks, the surrounding environment
Taste - Food + Drinks
Texture - We feel with our hands and feet, the walls arounds us, the ground, hugging - shaking hands (personal connection)
Hearing -  Conversations, surrounding sounds (trains, cars, sea, animals, people) 

It's interesting how smell, taste and texture can trigger memories 
Taste and smell are linked together because without one the thought of how that food tastes becomes impaired. 

"Taste itself is focused on distinguishing chemicals that have a sweet, salty, sour, bitter, or umami taste (umami is Japanese for “savory”). However, interactions between the senses of taste and smell enhance our perceptions of the foods we eat" 
http://www.brainfacts.org/sensing-thinking-behaving/senses-and-perception/articles/2012/taste-and-smell/


Colour | Visual Texture | Connection | Interaction

Senses | Connection

Quote | Marge Clemente

"Are we losing touch with one another? The more connected we think we are with the world the less connected we become to people" Marge Clemente


http://www.dailyeasternnews.com/2015/01/11/133759/

Quote | Sherry Turkle 

"What I'm seeing is a generation that says consistently, 'I would rather text than make a telephone call.' Why? It's less risky. I can just get the information out there. I don't have to get all involved; it's more efficient. I would rather text than see somebody face to face" Sherry Turkle 


For me, personally I don't agree. If I could have a face to face conversation with that person I would, if I couldn't I would rather a phone call over a text. It's more personal. You get a better understanding of what they are saying, how they are saying it, how they are feeling. 


Emails, texts, posts can be misinterpreted. 

Body Language  

Sherry Turkle | Connected, but alone?

Technology take over |

Does social media contribute to social isolation ? | 

Facebook was created to help us connect to people near and far, but is it causing social isolation??

Why are we comfortable sitting behind a computer screen "socialising" "connecting" but in reality we are scared to have a face-to-face conversation? 

I have read a lot of mixed reviews about this, some state that social media (Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram etc) are major factors contributing to social isolation. We would rather stay inside and scroll through endless social media sites rather than have a face-to-face conversation with friends or family. On the other hand some say that people that are active (social) on social media sites are more likely to have more face-to-face interaction. 

Social media connects us but also disconnects us. Disconnect to reconnect

"There is something imitable about smiling with a friend. There’s just no replacement for hugging someone. That does not mean that people cannot have meaningful interactions that are not face-to-face, nor does it mean that online interaction is causing less face-to-face interaction. (As I said, data shows that people who interact online socially *on average* also interact more offline socially. It is a more-more setting. More social people are more social—online or offline") Zeynep Tufekci 

Is it because "we expect more from technology and less from each other" Sherry Turkle

Senses | Ways we connect

As humans we have five well known senses - sight (ophtalmoception), touch (tactioception), taste (gustaoception), smell (olfaoception), listen (audioception) among others. Our five senses are constantly engaged and help us connect to the world around us. 


When one sense is lost the others become enhanced

 

Project | Mind map

Starting point 

I am interested in hospitality design in particular how people connect and engage with one another and the world around them. I will be looking at social interaction and senses.  And how to relate it back to food within a hospitality setting

And the year begins

 with a webs blog