Chen Yue & Matthew – Week 11

One of the biggest concerns for our installation is how the whole system operates and how to ensure safety of the passengers . We came up with the concept of locking the boat in place at the platform when passengers are embarking and disembarking by stopping the pulley system. There are two buttons used, one on the platform and another on the side of the boat. These info-graphics show how it works.

  

 

 

Below are some renderings after added design and modification.

Lastly, we placed the installation on the screenshot of the map of Nanyang Lake. To make the trip more interesting and provide passengers more view of the surrounding, we decided to create a slightly longer distance (70 meters).

Besides, we are also considering on which design to adopt to make the gate/entrance to the pedal boat more visible.

Chen Yue & Matthew – Week 9

 

After consultation and discussion, we decided to focus on refining our boat design. We wanted to make the design more unique and site-specific to the lake, instead of one that is commonly seen elsewhere.

Concept Sketch

 

Inspiration & Concept
 The main objective of this project wasn't to put a recreational boat on the lake, but rather, to rediscover the Nantah spirit through an experience of team work, effort and communication.

The installation acts as a connection between the passengers and the story in the past and is also an iconic symbol that only fits the selected location. Therefore, we want to proceed the concept of two pedal boats on a pulley system as it conveys the message well across.

As mentioned before, we intended to create a mechanical-feel to the boat as it ties in more with the context of being placed in a technological university. And referring back to the story of the Nanyang lake, we sought inspiration from the heavy machine:  Excavator

An excavator is used for digging. It has a great significance to the site as the Nanyang Lake was first build using manual labor from students and faculties. Now as technology advances, it shows how technological advancement has progress and made things easier for mankind. It depicts us as a technological university which is research intensive and always innovating breakthroughs to benefit the society. We would like to use the shape of the excavator to pay tribute to those who manually dug up the lake but with a modern twist.

 

Concept Design
   

The boat will be constructed on an existing compact pedal boat. The design resembles distinct features of an excavator with its iconic yellow & black color as well as conveyor belts. The light design follows the one of the excavator and plays an important role for communication.

Dimensions & Specifications
 

Plastics can be considered as the material for the outer casing of the pedal boat. It has a high strength-weight ratio and also very resistant to weather. Plastics are lightweight and moisture resistant, which are good properties for making a boat. Some of these plastics include ABS, HDPE, LDPE and PP.

These plastic sheets can be easily moulded and fabricated into our desired exterior shape using CNC machining. Industries provide a full range of plastic products from tubes, rods and sheets.

 

Interaction & Communication

There will be a push switch inside each pedal boat that allows user to notify each other. Below are some possible scenarios. The two boats are connected with cable on a pulley system and therefore, their movement affect each other.

 (1) Green light meaning both boats want to continue pedaling and move along with the pulley
  (2) Red light indicating disembarking at the next platform, and the other responds with green light, willing to help pedal along
 (3) Both boat disembarking at the next platform
 (4) No respond from the other boat, only passengers on the disembarking boat pedal and they move at a slower speed

Chen Yue & Matthew – Week 6

Continuing from previous posts and feedback from the class, we decided to further develop the concept of a pedal boat, which incorporates the idea of team cooperation and provides a shelter for people to sit and enjoy the view of the lake.

Some concerns about this concept were:

1. What if some one pushes the boat away from the platform

2. The circumference of the ride would take up too much area of the lake

3. The connection below water might disrupt the natural environment

Therefore, we came up with the idea of implementing a pulley system into the concept.

Two boats would be tied with ropes that suspend above the water to avoid disturbance of the environment. Besides, the boats can only be moved when people sit on it and pedal. There are platforms installed at both sides of the lake to provider easy access. Similarly there are solar panels installed on top of the boat to provide light at night. Besides, two fixed pulley component in the lake also have solar panel and lights on the top surface.

Below it’s a video showing how the installation works:

The boat can be constructed using existing pedalo and we modify it by add more comfortable back support as well as a nicer and durable shelter. In terms of the rope, we are considering buying steel cable with Teflon coating as it is durable, waterproof and sufficient to withstand the force needed.

In addition we also looked at some different projects that aimed at revitalization of a location that was forgotten over time.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/theater-art/2014/09/11/interactive-art-piece-swing-time-lights-lawn/4UQQCGiRZ0lPDysO4IYxNK/story.html

1. Swing Time

Bridget Hunter-Jones (top) and Anna Kaertner (above) check out “Swing Time” adjacent to the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center.

It’s a very simple yet interesting concept of a ring shape swing that emits light and changes color when people sit and use it.

2. Pop Rock

3. ParKIT

All the projects above are different approaches artists take to bring attention to a mundane or ‘boring’ places. There are all site-specific as they are not too obtrusive and out of the place, yet they create a comfortable environment  with some surprising elements for people. Thus, people will go and  spend time in the places.

 

Other references 

Interesting  water bike!

 

 

https://www.treehugger.com/green-architecture/jellyfish-barge-solar-powered-floating-greenhouse-studiomobile.html

We will then focus on developing the form of the pedalo to make sure it fits in nicely with the surrounding and provide a comfortable ride experience for the people.

Chen Yue & Matthew – Week 5

Based on the concept of Nantah spirit of team work and feedback from last week’s presentation, we went on to explore more about the space, especially focusing on the essential element, the Nanyang Lake.

The photo below provides a clearer view of the lake and surroundings:

The narrow pathway embracing the lake, and the benches are all exposed to the scorching sunlight during the day. At night time the place is dark and quite. Despite the peaceful and nice natural environment, people seldom visit the place.

Our concepts will incorporate the element of play and team spirit to create an installation that is site-specific and provide an attraction for people.

Inspiration – Water Game

There are various types of water games where people cooperate and play. Most of these installations are made of inflatable materials and require high level of sport involvement. Among all these, the concept of a water roller and pedal boats seems pretty interesting.

Inspiration – Bridge

Bridges would also fit nicely as suggested in last week’s class. There are many fascinating bridge designs that inspire our design as well.

https://www.archdaily.com/543458/friedrich-bayer-bridge-loebcapote-arquitetura-e-urbanismo

This is a bridge with two halves that rotate to join or separate. The design allows canal navigability. Below it’s a kinetic bridge with the similar purpose. The design is iconic and dramatic.

https://mymodernmet.com/knight-architects-akt-ii-merchant-square-footbridge/

http://www.mostamazingplaces.net/some-unusual-bridges-in-the-world/

Unlike many bridges that broke into two, this bridge is unique in the way that it closed itself up into one piece.

 

Concept 1

The design is a shelter with seats and pedals of two directions installed.With the fixed track in the water, the shelter allows people to sit under it and step on the pedals/ cycle. The whole shelter will then move towards the direction. More people stepping, it will move faster.  They can use it like a bridge to cross the lake, or just seat and relax in the middle.

At night, the shelter will be lit up using power generated from the solar panel installed on top of it, providing a nice reflection on the water.

 

Concept 2

This concept is just slightly different from the previous one. Instead of moving in a straight manner, there are two shelters attached at two ends of the installation. The shelters will then rotate around the centre and transporting people to cross the lake.

 

 

 

Chen Yue & Matthew – Week 4 (Part 2)

Following the part one on research posted by Matthew: https://oss.adm.ntu.edu.sg/mong017/2018/02/07/chen-yue-matthew-week-4-part-1/http://click here

We came up with the idea of incorporating a see-saw into our design as it requires at least two people to cooperate to play. This represents the Nantah spirit of teamwork and it would also bring some fun element into the area where this installation would be placed.

Firstly we did some explorations of the form of see-saw. One of the inspiration came from the honey bees. These are great team players and creatures with perseverance. We thought about using the electricity generated from the usage of the see-saw to power lights that can be used at night.

 

After consultation with Prof Fabrizio & Ker Siang, we did some more research , discussed and decided to focus our designs on this direction:

Bringing comfort and coziness with the installation to attract people to go to Nanyang lake, creating a sense of belonging 

Below are some explorations of what the installation could be to provide a comfortable surroundings for people to spend some time in the Nanyang lake area. There are translucent plastic strips to keep out the heat from the sun and rain to act as a shelter, which will also create dynamic visual movement when two people sit and play on the see-saw installed beneath.  Shelter with solar panel could harness power to provide light during the night time, which will also reflect on the lake surface, bringing more attention to this location.

One idea was to build a small elevating platform as shown in the above image, where people can sit or lie down in a more relaxed posture to enjoy the surroundings. The other concept tied in with the see-saw that provide stillness for one individual user but become fun and dynamic when two people sit on it.

Project 3 The Library

Visual PROPOSAL

IMG_5607

The installation includes a pillow case with a speaker inserted inside that plays the sounds softly and constantly. 

The pillow was placed at the sitting area near the magazine racks. And a picture of the night sky will be placed above the pillow using blutac. (Refer to above image)

Final Installation

b a

Artist Statement

乡音 (Xiang Yin ), The Rural Sound

Xiang Yin is an installation project that expresses the artist’s memories of the soundscape from her rural hometown in China. The sounds from life in the rural area such as rooster crows in the morning, cries from children playing in the yard, etc. are sounds that make her feel at home and at ease.  She hopes to share the soothing qualities of her home town with her listener. Through the images and sounds, the listener may start to picture the simple and peaceful rural life, all of which now though distant, remains a wonderful memory for the artist.

 

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The night sky picture attached above the pillow

 

c

Screenshot of the soundtracks

Clik here to listen to soundtrack!!