Category: Group 8 – Casey / Jeremy

feedback from last week:

• the proposal last week was too much like a shelter; not intentional enough; people passing by will look at it as a ‘shelter’ and not a medium to frame the shadows
• suggestions: maybe add holes or use repetitive shapes, something that is more intentional and will let people think that it’s not just a shelter
• how do you utilise holes without them blocking the shadows?
• another suggestion: research more into interesting materials that possibly interacts with the light

references

Rabbit and the Tortoise collection by Studio Juju

Manta by Ross Lovegrove

Fata Morgana by Teresita Fernandez

La Pineda by Javier Mariscal

Playground for Machida Kobato Kindergarten by Etre Design

material research

1   fluorescence

Fluorescence is the emission of light by a substance that has absorbed light or other electromagnetic radiation.

In most cases, the emitted light has a longer wavelength, and therefore lower energy, than the absorbed radiation. The most striking example of fluorescence occurs when the absorbed radiation is in the ultraviolet region of the spectrum, and thus invisible to the human eye, while the emitted light is in the visible region, which gives the fluorescent substance a distinct color that can only be seen when exposed to UV light.

Fluorescent materials cease to glow nearly immediately when the radiation source stops, unlike phosphorescent materials, which continue to emit light for some time after.

type: luminous

characteristic: lightly visible under sunlight, no effect in the dark or at night

2   phosphorescence

Phosphorescence is a process in which energy absorbed by a substance is released relatively slowly in the form of light.

This is in some cases the mechanism used for “glow-in-the-dark” materials which are “charged” by exposure to light. Unlike the relatively swift reactions in fluorescence, such as those seen in a common fluorescent tube, phosphorescent materials “store” absorbed energy for a longer time.

type: luminous

characteristic: clear in the day, visible in the dark or at night

both fluorescent and phosphorescent effects can be achieved by luminous paint – easily found in Singapore paint shops, Art Friend, Spotlight, Lazada

3   photochromic

Photochromic materials are colorless in their inactivated state and become colored when exposed to an ultraviolet light source. They will respond to natural sunlight, and darkens as the light level increases.

Common applications of photochromic materials include sunglasses and spectacles.

type: darkening/colour-changing

characteristic: visible under sunlight, clear in the dark or at night

effect of photochromic ink

online products:

Solarmax Series ink (used in the video)
SFXC UV photochromic plastisol

4   coloured glass

Colour Glass collection by Scholten & Baijings for Hay

coloured glass suppliers in Singapore:

LLumar Decorative Window Film

https://www.carltonglass.com.sg/painted-glass
http://www.synergraphic.com.sg/synergraphic/public/productMain.jsp ???

form development

similar concept to last week’s, but the shape is curved upwards to make the form more intentional and deliberate, unlike conventional shades

irregular and organic forms intentionally designed so as to not resemble a conventional shade/canopy

• draped fabric to show interplay between positive and negative spaces
• also allows interaction with the wind as the fabric is hanging freely
• the shadows interact with the curved planes and are distorted to give a different perspective and dimension

reference photo for proposal above:

feedback from previous weeks:

• the circular screen installation proposed does not fit into the site proposed
• how do you expect people to use the installation?
• make a specific proposal of the installation

when developing forms and functions for the installation, we were stuck on the idea of having the passerby notice the shadows (forcing it on them). benefit of doubt that the users see what we intend to do. so we decided to leave it open-ended.

we clarified that there are two directions we could take to use the shadows in the environment:

1   define a space. because the environment chosen is a common area and is too noisy, the aim of the installation is to tone down and create a neutral space. some examples of forms the installation could take are canopy, architectural pieces, tunnel, partition.

2   define a three-dimensional object. by placing an object that is out of context and stands out from the environment, people are more inclined to look at them as individual objects rather than objects that blend in the background to only serve a purpose (e.g. shelter)

another point we clarified was also to use simplified forms, because the aim of the installation is to make use of the shadows surrounding the site, and a form that is too complex will simply overshadow and dominate the shadows. at the same time, it cannot be too simple; it needs to have a character and intentional so that it does not blend in to the background.

curating light through space and architectural structures

(above) 5-metre tall structure with hanging polyester mesh. interacts with the wind and serves as a big canva for the shadows to cast and interact on. the takeaway of this structure is that it is simple yet the size makes it eye-catching, and does not take away from the shadow.

references

shade structures by MDT-tex

Excentrique by Daniel Buren

Le Refuge by Marc Ange

Virgin Lounge Melbourne by Tonkin Zulaikha Greer Architects

proposals

1

in regards to the character and intention, the curved structure vs the rigid structure of the existing canopy suggest that there is an intentional design process. it does not look like an off the shelf structure, but a one-off, customised, curated and specific.

material: polyester mesh, stainless steel structure to foundation

height: 3-4 metres

can be duplicated/arrayed along the stretch of the walkway

possibility of using colours for material

2

reference:

different from the previous idea in which we are framing the shadows in the environment, the second idea is more curated towards creating shadows with the installation. the installation provides a structure for vines and climbing plants to grow on them, where the structure creates rigid shadows while the plants curate more organic shadows.

feedback from last week

• consider using textures or 3D forms so shadow is distorted and cast at different angles, playing around with the 3D volumes instead of a flat plane
• think about the fallen leaves and how to get rid of them; the leaves may make the installation blend in more with the environment and less noticeable to passerby
• reflective material – must be above waist level; cannot be seats

site observation

chosen site: stair linkway between North and South Spine

shadow time-lapse (11.30 – 15.30)

material exploration
in relation to last week’s first form exploration (mirrored seat), thus we tested out reflective materials and how they interact with the shadows

(left) brushed aluminum sheet
(right) polished aluminum sheet

(left) reflective paper sheet
(right) glossy plastic sheet

interesting distortion effect of reflection on glossy plastic sheet, which reminds us of the shadows on the ground

references

Tom Fruin

Catherine Losing

In Flakes by Mount Fuji Architects Studio

further exploration and development

1

new light features from newly upgraded school infrastructure in North Spine

the shadow cast is an inspiration for our updated proposal found below, which is also relevant at night

an update from last week’s second form exploration with nighttime consideration of installation

2

emphasis on shadow

using coloured acrylic to cast colourful highlight, making the effect more noticeable

framing the shadow with the use of the coloured acrylic

next step

• further idea development
• constructing life-size mock-up to test effect
• potential consideration for wind interaction with installation
• EXPERIMENTATION!

Continuing from our concept of observing the ordinary in NTU and the inspiration of the rays of light caused by the dense morning fog and the trees around the campus, we decided to forgo our original idea of using fog as a medium and focus on the use of light as a material instead.

Focus

Interplay between light and shadow to create spaces

Spaces around the campus are molded by the lush greenery prevalent in the campus area. Layers of foliage is an everyday occurrence in NTU—we see them everywhere—but even something that we see everywhere everyday can be beautiful.

Purpose

Emphasising beauty of the mundane

Initially inspired by the light broken down into rays of light by the foliage of the trees, we are looking into using the tree as a form exploration through natural stylisation. We found the rain tree in particular to be interesting. The rain tree can be found not only in NTU but island-wide, and is well-known for its wide canopy that serves as great shade. Another fun fact about the rain tree: the leaves of the rain tree close just before sunset and open again as the sun rises. This little feature could also be incorporated into our installation in creating movement and dynamism in the changing shadows.

References

Forest Shadow, Tomohiro Hata and Takashi Manda

“in the middle of the flood of color, what about we imagine a colorless space? only shadows of the trees exist in the world. music of birds what we didn’t take notice may come to ears of us who have enjoyed by our visions. various fragrance of nature may come to our nose. our skin may feel gentle breeze. on the contrary, because of such a vivid season, we propose a place where our senses slightly shift to other one in exception of our visions.”

tomohiro hata + takashi manda: forest shadow

Stereographic Projection, Henry Segerman and Saul Schleimer

https://www.theguardian.com/science/alexs-adventures-in-numberland/2014/oct/30/pumpkin-geometry-stunning-shadow-sculptures-that-illuminate-an-ancient-mathematical-technique

https://www.arch.nus.edu.sg/news/light.html#

Louis Kahn on The Power of Shadow

“As identified by Leonardo da Vinci, we often encounter three types of shadows: Attached shadow, shading and cast shadow. The attached shadow falls on the body itself – like a cantilever roof causing a shadow on the façade. The second type belongs to bright and dark contrasts, which are inherent to the form and depend only on the source of light, e.g. a ball shaped pavilion, which even under a cast sky shows a darker zone in the lower part. The third, cast shadow, could be the result of a high house generating shadow on the street due to the projection of the building outline.”

https://www.archdaily.com/362554/light-matters-louis-kahn-and-the-power-of-shadow

Sublime Light, Anila Quayyum Agha

Photographic Exploration