Where Wildflowers Bloom

  Above are my initial overlays for the design of Castle Meads. The focus for this area was the urban-rural fringe in the masterplan Alney Island. Although this remains the same I will be rethinking my design to make Castle Meads the destination, rather than a gateway to greater discovery.  Following alongside the theme of 'Tides of Time' my design will be significantly inspired by the contextual heritage of the city and the site itself, paying homage to its seafarer history and linkage to the waterways and import and export trade. I began by locating the key nodes on site and attempted a couple of overlays to be further developed.

For Weekly Task 2 of ST3 we were challenged with finding five uses of concrete in the local landscape. Two in-situ, meaning poured and cast on site and three pre-cast. This was an interesting task, there is lots of concrete around, although I didn't find many colourful variations! I will keep an eye out, now that I am tuned into the world of hardscaping. 

Brick bonding refers to the arrangement and pattern in which bricks are laid in a structure, such as a wall. It plays a crucial role in the structural stability and the aesthetic appeal of the brick work. There are multiple brick bonds, variations and combinations of patterns, leading to a wide range of possibilities.  The above poster was created for Weekly Task 1: to correclty identify five different brick bonds during a walk in the local area.

  Adding lighting to a plan in Photoshop. A little too dull, there needs to be brighter areas. 

I tried to do both of these sketches as quickly as possible as I am not very good at that. I also tried out alcohol markers for the first time. There are lots of imperfections, I need practise using different materials and working quickly.. 

Sketch Up isn't friendly to me yet and I'm still getting used to the tools and possibilities. This is a simple modelling task that took longer than the suggested 20 minutes.  I need to practice and will use this process to develop my visualisations. 

 

Quick composition task: Add 5 more trees Add a hard terrace Add a pond Add a 3x4m pavilion  Quick Photoshop colour render. 

 

 

 

50 shades of GREEN!!! A quick task of applying the Crystallize smart-filter to different images in Photoshop.  Being the novice , I can woefully admit that I was yet to try  Photoshop filters before this task. I have since experimented with the other effects but Crystallize is a favourite.  Photo 1 - Outside my front door: By expanding the pixels in the photograph it highlights the prominent colours present in the landscape. I have always been a big fan of the baby Fagus but look at him now!!! A pixelated powerhouse in the urban scene.  The other images I experimented with include two local parks, a hospital garden and the Cotswolds countryside. 

I had two attempts at this activity, exploring transformations of form with 7 identical 3D objects. It is interesting to explore the differences in depth, shadows, light, texture and colour along with their shape, and spacial composition.  When exploring the form of a cashew nut I considered the beauty of its design. The smooth, untouched interior and organic curves. The natural symmetry of the identical halves and the variety in their shapes and sizes. They composed some curious transformations, though identical objects they are not.  I experimented again with seasonal clementines 👍 Transformation poem: Kaju I can’t quite believe my luck admiring your curves and voluptuous butt   But a poisonous sister and a toxic past I’m questioning now, how long could this last?   All was forgotten when I started nibbling,  swallowing, gasping, dribbling.   Grinding with haste. Eager to taste your sticky nut paste. I love you naked, nice and naughty,  Hot and spic...

  I played around with this picture for longer than I wanted to.  Too much time was spent searching for an image that matched the perspective of the sculpture, so I persisted until I was defeated by the shadow. It puzzled me that I couldn't find shadows to reference in the background, so a shadow is there, but inaccurate in this experiment.  Despite the stormy skies, I thought that the street paving had a brightness that indicated sunlight. This showcases the impact of material choice in the landscape. The rustic, terracotta townscape feels vibrant even on the darkest days.  The Chosen Ones: I have experimented at human scale and landscape panoramic scale.

The bark of a tree protects its core from the elements, much like a hard exoskeleton protects a snail. Sunflower seeds are a source of B vitamins that protect us against infection and amazonite crystals are said to enhance love by controlling negative emotions through spiritual energies.  Whilst there is an overall narrative of defence and protection from each of the objects, the whimsical, wonder of the organic articles juxtapose the eerie, endangerment that is forewarned in the pictures.  A daily, disposable thermal protection sleeve depicts the sophistication of our society. It represents the niceties that we consume and the attractions of the ideal. Whilst the pictures carry the trepidation of their capabilities and stand for the correspondent dangers that run parallel to the utopian endeavour.  There is no sorcery nor mighty protector of the realm who can right our wrongs. We must look to the earth for natural healing properties, to protect all life and finite ...