INVESTIGATION

When looking back on the project as a whole, there are certain stages that stand out to me and key points of development and investigations:

Health and safety problem solving: The problems we incurred when originally putting together the shelter structure before our pitch are definitely a significant part of the process of creating a piece for a public exhibition. Despite us not actually completing the structure due to the conceptual approach not being great for a rooftop space, the group solved the issues of health and safety in terms of stabilising the silk screen structure, by working closely with the metal workshop technicians and using steel hinges and weights to ensure stability and safety.  Problems like these would occur in any public exhibition in the professional world and therefore these hurdles which we faces and overcame where definitely valuable to us as students.

Experimentation and up-cycling materials : Using found and recycling materials to use in creating this urban sensory experience we intended was also a key development point in the collaborative project. As textile students, myself and two other members of the group didn’t really want to take the typical “textile approach” but felt we were expected to do it by the others as they believed our “material knowledge” in terms of the psychological effects and impacts of material and structure. However, these sensory impacts of materials where as new to us as the others, and so as a group we should have researched and planned this much better in order to make this experience and relaxation zone as successful as possible.

Client Pitch: Pitching a presentation and explaining an idea for a piece that hasn’t been fully constructed proved a difficult task to get people to visualise and understand. Having members of the group from interior design was a definite aid in this pitching process, due to the visual diagrams, drawings and model that they put together. However, having the pitch so late in the project a week before the planned exhibition definitely led to unexpected developments and changes in the whole outcome and put strains upon the group as a whole.

The clients had concerns about the whole experience we were creating and questioned as to whether creating a shelter would enclose people and restrict the experience of the rooftop rather than accentuate that experience as we originally intended. Being completely honest, looking back now I don’t feel that the silk screens and the large scale weavings where the best choices, and where very “textiles” which we should have been more firm in avoiding and resisting. Hearing these views made us think a lot differently about the way the shelter would actually make the viewer’s feel and therefore I am much more happy with the sensory experience that we went on to produce on the stairs structure on the entrance to the rooftop.

This professional pitch and last minute change of plan was definitely an eye opener as to how it would be to work for a client in the outside world and therefore in terms of context a very Valuable experience.

Splinter Group formation: This was definitely a key point of the project as the development of the project and the size of the group changed massively, due to complete lack of communication and consideration from other group members. This proved the best course of action after a talk with Kate Egan, and looking back in reflection I am really glad it happened as the outcome was much stronger than it would have been if we were still in such a large group, we were able to be much more productive in much smaller time.

So development turned too creating this sensory experience and engagement with the audience on the actual journey from the building up to the rooftop space which consisted of three works; hanging structures and washer wind chimes under the stairs for visuals, a sensory rolling wall to be touched and played with by the viewer immediately when making the journey and another sensory wall at the top of the stairs to feel which contained a range of different textural qualities and techniques. This was a much more sensible, realistic as well as successful creation of an experience which we intended from the very start of this project.