Technology Addiction (2) GIDE

It was interesting to see that many people said they could live without technology, so we decided to create a timeline of all the major technological discoveries - this ranged from fire to the most recent developments such as 'facetime' on the new iPhone 4 this year.

We then created a wall of images of different types of technology (and not just the obvious things) and we ask again - can you really love without technology?

Are we addicted to technology?

GIDE continued..

We are currently researching into Domestechtopia, and through this, technology addiction. Technology is becoming a more and more prominent part of our everyday lives, and many people will admit that they cannot live without it. Our generation has grown up with technology as part of life, and with more new technologies being discovered all the time, it is hard not to become caught up in it. But has it gone too far? Technology addiction is now being known as a real medical condition, especially in teenagers and young people, and therapy for this addiction is becoming more common. The Capio Nightingale Hospital in London was the first hospital to create a clinic to deal with the addiction of technology in young people. It admits mainly 15-7 year olds, but even children as young as 12 have been accepted. The clinic provides therapy for young people struggling with a continued addiction to technology. Patients are made to go 'cold turkey' from all technology, often causing symptoms typical of addiction, such as restlessness and stress. Individual and group sessions are in place to encourage them to interact with others and to address social issues that people with this addiction often face, like difficulties in social situations with other people.

We carried out a couple of surveys to see how addicted people around the art school were to technology, and what items they could not live without. The questionnaire results were interesting, with some people appearing very addicted to technology, and others not so much. Some students admitted to spending more time on social networking sites than with real people, and checked their emails "far too much", on excess of five times a day. Some pointed out that with the technology of smartphones, their emails get sent directly to their phone so are as available as a text message. Others said they could live without technology, although they wouldn't necessarily want to, and that their idea of utopia would not centre around technology. Some said they spent nothing on technology each month, whereas some said they spent on average of £50 - a lot of money for a student!!

We asked people to write down a piece of technology they could not live without, and the most popular results were laptops, hair straighteners, internet, iPod (or other music devices), and mobile phones - with iPhones appearing to be the most commonly mentioned, but there were many items of technology mentioned:

Whether iPhones seemed to be mentioned most could be for more than one reason: are they the most common type of mobile phone used these days, or are they simply more addictive than others, and people feel they cannot live without them due to the fact that they are useful for more than one thing - they have an integrated iPod, camera, text, phone, email account, internet, and thousands of apps to choose from.

The most visited sites seem to be Facebook and design sites (although the people who filled out the questionnaire were mainly design students), which poses another question - is the internet addictive, or are social networking sites?

Bomb Project

‘The problem is never how to get new, innovative thoughts into your mind, but how to get old ones out. Every mind is a building filled with archaic furniture. Clean out a corner of your mind and creativity will instantly fill it.’ Dee Hock

Over the last 3 days, all four years of IED have taken part in a group project called 'Bomb Project'. The idea was to create "a 3D reinterpretation, or a conceptual ‘portrait’ of a building typology." Each group was given a building typeology, either: care, learn, play, dwell or shop. Our group got dwell.

Through thinking about the word dwell and its meanings, the double meaning of the word was discovered. Dwell - a space or place, and dwell - to think, remember, ponder. Through this, the idea was to create a 'dwelling' in which to 'dwell'.

Our final design was a box which was covered in paper. The paper would be ripped down to release balloons into the air, which symbolised happy thoughts, and the escalation of them when a person's imagination and mind are left to wander.

The balloons had happy words on them, such as happiness, joy, glee and many more. In the centre of the box was a smaller carboard box, inside which was a single balloon with a question mark on it, asking the question: What is your happy thought?

GIDE: Group for International Design Education project

Our newest project involves 7 design schools in 7 countries: Scotland, England, Belgium, Italy, Slovenia, Switzerland and Germany.

The final outcome will be presented in Magdeburg, Germany, in February 2011. The project title is Expo / Exhibit / Exhibitionist and has to be based on one of the following topics:

Domestechtopia

Occupation

Fabrication

Interiors + Product + Interaction

We have been given one of the gallery spaces at the DCA (Dundee Contemporary Arts) for this project, a space which consists of two large rooms, joined by a sliding partition, with two very small rooms off one of them.

Me and Emilie have chosen the theme of Domestechtopia, and so far have been researching into the meaning of the term, through looking at the three words which make it up - domestic, technology, utopia. We have been looking at how domestic life and utopian ideal has changed through the development of technology, from where the centre of the family home was a few hundreds of years ago, and how this has changed into the centre of the home now. The relationship between families has changed dramatically because of technology and changing times, which is interesting to look at and is conjuring up a few ideas for us.

I will keep updating with how our project is developing over the next couple of months.

Modern Age: RSA Project, 4 weeks in...

Many elderly people who move from their own home into a care home are able in some areas and not in others. They may be at the stage where they cannot live themselves, but do not need constant help with everything, and everything provided for them. Through research of care homes, I have discovered that many do not cater completely for the needs of this group of elderly people. The elderly brain needs activity, and without this activity it can regress, making dementia more likely. Challenging the elderly brain by encouraging people to carry on with hobbies they have, using their personal skills, helping others and getting other people involved in activities plays an important part in keeping the brain healthy.

Through this design, I want to make the transition from home to care home easier for the elderly by keeping some of their independence in areas they are more able in, as well as keeping the brain from regressing through activities and using skills, along with interaction with other residents.

By creating an installation which provides a small kitchen, this gives residents the opportunity to carry on their hobbies and skills in the kitchen whilst they are able, but in a safer environment with minimal supervision. Having the option of a few people cooking at a time means that they are also interacting with one another, passing on tips and skills – another way of keeping the brain active. It also provides an area for classes and small contests between residents, activities which have been shown, again, to help prevent regression in the elderly brain.

Consisting of three islands, the installation is designed for any care home, for around 2-4 residents at one time. By keeping the numbers small, this will keep noise to a minimum, something which can disturb people as they get older, as well as being easier for care assistants. There will be an area for preparation, an area for cooking and a washing up area, the three main parts of a kitchen. It is designed to be placed in a small space within a home. Storage will be integrated in the design through pull-out cupboards, making things easier to find and safer. An anti-roll lip will be included on the islands, to prevent the user from having to pick things up from the floor. By making the islands as easy to use and safe for the elderly as possible, this brings the need of a carer down to a minimum. This means the user can do as much as possible themselves or with the help of friends and other residents, which gives them more independence and makes them feel less of a burden to anyone.

Bouroullec Design

"Clouds coats architecture in a fluid yet chaotic way; bringing surprisingly colourful fabric windows to your place" (Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec)

Through our current project, Modern Age, I have been looking into the designs of Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, mainly in the design they did for Kvadrat, 'Clouds'.

Clouds is a tile concept which is designed for use in homes, and is vey versatile in what it can be used for. When hung from the ceiling, it can provide a partition to separate rooms or areas, whereas hung on a wall it can simply be art. The tiles are attached by rubber bands, to make it easy to change and rearrange the tiles when desired, giving the opportunity to change the look of the space as many times as you want.

The idea is that new tiles can be added or removed as required, to create an ever-changing look, and the tiles come in 7 different colour schemes.

Designers, Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, have been working together for ten years and have won various design awards, including the New Designer award at the international contemporary furniture fair in New York in 1999, and Designers of the Year in 2002 at the Salon de Meuble, a trade show in Brussels showcasing interiors, decor, gifts and homeware. They have also done a few architectural projects, such as Maison Flottante (Floating House) which is shown below.

www.bouroullec.com

So…third year has begun! In our first seminar group meeting, we looked at the areas of design we were going to be looking into. Between us, we will look into what crime, climate change, branding, critical design, research, gender and creativity are, and how they affect design.

Included are a few photos of us brainstorming each of our topics, and I will follow with a more detailed description of climate change and the affects it has on design. Through doing the mind map, I felt I got an insight into topics which I had not previously studied, and which I didn’t know much about. It was interesting to find that most of the topics overlapped, particularly branding. We found that because branding had a lot to do with the advertisement and identity of products and services, this linked with a lot, as the advertisement of products is important in most areas.

In climate change, the advertisement of products which are eco friendly, and the image that eco friendly and renewable products and services give across, is very important to designers when introducing new things to either clients or colleagues. The branding of a product has a huge impact on the success of that product.

Banksy in top 30 most visited global exhibitions

I have just seen on the BBC news website that a Banksy Exhibition held in Bristol was among the top 30 most visited exhibitions in the world, with only one other in the UK making it with him, which was the Saatchi Gallery. The exhibition, which was held at the Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery Event, attracted almost 4,000 people a day, despite there being no publicity before it started as it had to be prepared in secret.

The full story is on this is at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8595341.stm (again the link isn't working, sorry).

Disneyfication - Part 2

Recently I have been re-watching s few of my favourite Disney movies from when I was younger, including Bambi, The Jungle Book and The Little Mermaid. Watching these and being a lot older, I am finding myself surprised at how many parts of the films you don't notice (or understand) when you are younger. This made me think back to our lecture with Hamid Van Koten on Disneyfication and the hidden messages in Disney films.

Baloo and Mowgli, Disney's The Jungle Book

As a child, The Jungle Book was definitely one of my favourite Disney films - I watched it constantly! However, after watching it again I was surprised to see how many parts of the film I didn't pick up on when I was younger. I used to think that the story was very basic - a boy lived in the jungle and didn't go want to back to the 'man village'. Now I am older I realise how many hidden messages there are in the film, as well as picking up on comments I had previously been oblivious to.

The story of Mowgli and his journey, from being abandoned to being brought up by a wolf pack, to making friends who he feels then betray him, to finding his way back to where he belongs, goes through various aspects of life and puts across to children messages that they will probably have already been told, but in a way they are probably more likely to understand.

Mowgli being discovered by the wolves

From the start, where Mowgli is abandoned and taken in by the wolf pack, the film addresses important issues. The issue of abandonment is one, although it is only now I am older that I actually picked up on this, as is the way the wolves 'adopt' Mowgli. The way he is brought up as one of their family is showing that you can always feel as though you belong even somewhere where you may be out of place. Shere Khan the tiger, who everyone in the jungle fears, is a good example of sending a message to children that you should not speak to strangers as they can be dangerous, no matter what they come across as. Although Mowgli has been told that he should be scared of Shere Khan "everyone runs from Shere Khan", he stands up to him and says he is not to be scared, only to find out that this just runs him into trouble which he needs his friends to save him from. The story also puts across the message of being careful who you trust, and that you must be wary of new people. Kaa the snake is a good example of this. When Mowgli runs away from Bagheera and Baloo, he comes across Kaa the snake, who he trusts only to discover later that he shouldn't have, and that Kaa really only wants to hypnotise him and later eat him. King Louie is also a good example of this, as he tries to befriend Mowgli and although he is unsure at first, he falls for it even though King Louie just wants him there because he wants to be a man. Again, it is Baloo and Bagheera who save him from this. One of the positive messages the film puts across is that of friendship and the importance of it. No matter what he does, Baloo and Bagheera are always there for Mowgli, caring for him and thinking about what is best for him. In this respect, the film is maybe trying to hint at parenting skills,and that no matter how much you, as a child, don't want to do what your parents tell you to and think they are being horrible, they are always looking out for you and doing what is in your best interests. Bagheera the panther symbolises the more responsible parent, thinking sensibly and constantly worrying, but with a quick temper at times, whereas Baloo the bear is like the relaxed, fun parent, although just as caring, but who eventually realises that he too must do what is best for Mowgli in the long term.

Ariel, Disney's The Little Mermaid

The story of The Little Mermaid made me think back to one of the points made in Hamid's lecture about the women in Disney films. Ariel is a typical 'Disney Princess'. She has lovely long hair, a beautiful voice, an angelic look about her, and what is perceived to be the 'perfect' body. On the other hand, Ursula, the sea witch, with a more voluptuous figure, is the 'baddie'. I feel this is such a bed message to be sending out to young girls, like I mentioned in my last Disneyfication post.

One of Disney's newest films, Up, also covers a variety of life issues that children might face, from the obvious good and evil to divorce, loyalty and friendship. For those of you who haven't seen it, Up is the story of a boy who meets a girl who has the same interests as him, and they make a plan to travel to South America and go to paradise falls. The first part of the film is a little depressing, with a shortened version of their life together, from not being able to have children to her dying. The man turns very grumpy and, when he is told he must go to a retirement village, he fills his chimney with balloons and the house floats away. Little does he know he has brought a little boy with him by accident, who was trying to find a bird under his porch. Together they battle through the weather and make it to paradise falls, where they discover a bird which the old man's hero had been looking for years ago. However, when they come across the hero, he is not what they thought he would be like, and so the story goes on... (I don't want to give the whole thing away!)

Old Mr Carl Fredricksen and his floating house

The hidden messages in Disney's films are becoming more and more noticed. Recently a group on facebook has been created, in which you become a fan to discover Disney's most shocking message which apparently 97% of people don't notice. I, and a few of my friends, have found that this doesn't work and is just a con, but I can't help but wonder what it is...

After watching and re-watching many of Disney's animated films, I think they provide not only entertainment for children and adults alike, but they also put across important messages to children about life.

My thoughts on design

creativity. understanding. knowledge. constant learning. problems. solutions. research. artistic. sense. current affairs. ever changing. space. shapes. original. functional. personal. think. expressive. watch. listen. atmosphere. helping. decorative. inspirational. constructive. influential. stimulating. innovative. productive. fashions. life. colour.

We can never know it all...

Everything will be alright

Driving through Edinburgh a couple of weeks ago, seeing this made me feel instantly more positive...amazing how one little thing can make a difference...

This has been erected on the front of the Scottish Gallery of Modern Art, and was by Martin Creed, a Scottish Turner prize winning artist. This was also displayed on the 'pallazzo arengario' in Milan in 2006.

*Assignment 4 - Interviews*

*...What does the way someone decorates their living space tell you about them?...*

Being an Interior and Environmental Design student, the impact a space has on a person is an issue which needs to be thought about all the time. The atmosphere a space creates and the mood it puts people in is an important part of your designs. Through colours, furniture, size and shapes, the effect of the space can be altered and therefore can alter the atmosphere and the impact it has on altering someones mood.

I started by thinking about what a living space and the way it is decorated meant to me...

Living Space: live. relax. eat. drink. personal. watch. chat. listen. read. think. mood. warmth. comfort. family. friends. relationships. chill. atmosphere. decorative. feelings. expressive. learn. creativity. hobbies. laughter.

Through my mind map I looked at the different areas of a living space and the sort of things I wanted to find out about - sentimental items, where they get their ideas from, who or what are they influenced by, what colours they use, how much time they spend in this room, does it have one function or multiple functions. I started to think about not only how the decoration of someones living space reflects their personality, but also how it affects their mood. This then lead me to think about what I wanted to gain from these interviews. To get the answer to my question, I wanted to find out the main uses of their room and what they used it for, who or what they thought influenced them when decorating or choosing furniture (people, magazines, TV), where or who the decorations (paintings, ornaments etc) in their space came from, and how much the room reflected them as a person.

I realised that talking to someone about their home and main living space, especially when you had not been in it, was quite a personal thing to do, so because of this I tried to make my interviewees as comfortable as possible by chatting to them before, telling them a little about the course and design studies. Through doing this I found that they appeared to become more relaxed, partly because they were getting to know a bit about me as well and partly because they were learning more about why I was doing this research and the other sorts of assignments I had done in the past.

I spent a lot of time choosing my questions, and thinking about how I myself would answer them if I were to be asked one, as well as how close friends and family might answer them. I found that by doing this the questions I decided on worked better and provided people with the option for a more broad answer than if I had just thought about what I wanted to know. By thinking about how I would feel being asked these questions, I was also able to limit how personal the questions felt, but still making them so that the answers would give me the information I needed. In the end, my interview consisted of 8 main questions. I felt that although the guideline of 5 would have been enough, by adding a few more my end result was better, and by still keeping the number fairly low, the interviews did not take very long, which was what I had intended so as not to make people feel they were being interrogated and also so as not to take up too much of their time. On the whole, the people I was interviewing answered the questions the way I hoped they would - in detail, but keeping it fairly brief, and giving me the main points I was looking to get, with a few others too. Some of the questions required a little persuasion through other questions to get the kind of answer I was looking for but, by rewording the question, or asking one which was similar, I found that I got what I needed from it. Through some of my questions needing a bit of persuasion and for me to give the interviewees a different way of looking at them, I found that I was beginning to think about how I could have worded them differently to make them easier to understand, which I feel is good as in future I will now know more for when I next need to interview someone. I found that shorter questions were easier for people to answer and gave the most in depth answers, which was the opposite of what I was expecting, which was that the questions that asked more information would give the longest answers. If I were to do this assignment or any interview again, I would make all my questions fairly short to make them easier for people to understand. It was interesting to see that people sometimes only picked up on one element of the question, and I occasionally had to reword another element later on in the interview to receive the answer I was looking for.

An interviewee signing the consent form.

Although my interviewees were all female, they all led very different lives and it was interesting to see how the answers to some of the questions differed and how some were very similar. It was interesting to discover that whilst in my home TV is probably one of the main uses of our living space and the TV is on a lot of the time, in other people's it does not feature greatly in their lives, and one of the people I was interviewing didn't have a TV and hadn't for 18 months. She described this as 'difficult at first, but you get used to it' and went on to say that she realises now that she doesn't really need one at home and she does watch TV at friends' houses. All of the people I interviewed said that their living space was mainly used for relaxing, listening to music or watching TV, doing small hobbies such as crafts and sewing, and for comfort. Through the answers to the questions, I was able to determine who was close to their family and who wasn't. One of my interviewees mentioned, while talking about the main uses of her living space, that it was used as a place where the family gathered to eat, relax and be together. She also later mentioned, when asked about the sort of decorations and personal items she had displayed, that she had lots of family photos and things which she and her husband had gathered whilst they had been together. When asked to give a brief description of her personality and her life, she mentioned her family and husband in most of her main points which, along with the previous information, made me able to tell that she and her family were very close. In contrast, one of my other interviewees said in the description of herself and her life that she wasn't that close to her family, and that she 'was fond of them, but liked to keep them at a distance'. By receiving a short description of people's personality, I found I was also able to link it to the choice of colours they described in their living space. One person described herself as 'laid back, calm, sensitive and caring' and said she had a calming influence on her friends, family and the people around her. Her space was decorated in neutral colours, and had a relaxing and calming feeling. She had no bright colours in her space and the decorations such as cushions and curtains were also in neutral and calming colours. In contrast to her, another person who described themselves as open and friendly, and came across as quite chatty and bright, had her room decorated with neutrals (as her house was dark) but with splashes of very strong colours. She had two bright red walls, one with a mural on it, and the accessories in the room were all in strong colours. She also mentioned that she had a lot of sculptures and paintings. It was very interesting to see that with all of my interviewees, colour reflected their personality well.

Through my interviews I found that everyone I spoke to had a collection of decorations such as ornaments and paintings from around the world which they had gathered, or in one case made, themselves. They all also said that most of the things they displayed in their space were bought by themselves, or them and their partners throughout the time the had been together, and none of them mentioned anything which had been passed down or been a gift from family members, despite me asking questions which would have led directly to them telling me if they had. I found this quite interesting as it proves what I had originally thought about at the start of the assignment, which is that a living space is a very personal space, and although you may be influenced by magazines, family members or TV, the main decision maker and influence when it comes to decorating your home is you.

One of my interviews taking place.

Overall, I found that there are many factors of a person's personality which come through in the way they decorate their home. Colour, accessories, uses and influences all reflect someones personality well, and through asking questions about these, I found I was able to link the way people decorate their living space to how they described themselves, and also how they came across to me and my first impressions of them. I would definitely use an interview in future projects, as I found that it was a good way of getting a range of opinions and views on something, and you are able to gather all the information you wanted to, and sometimes more.

SCARF

As part of the renovation project that I am currently doing, we visited Dundee's Sun City Demonstration House. The house is run by Solar Cities Scotland in partnership with Dundee City Council and SCARF, which is an energy efficiency agency in Scotland. It was renovated from the old Janitor's house at Fintry Primary School, which was originally built in the 1960s. The function of the house is to inform people, schools and universities about the benefits of using energy from renewable sources. Whilst there we got a short tour of the building and as well as looking at the way they use renewable energy to power the house, we were told a bit more about it and how they work. The Sun City house uses three different types of solar panels, has a ground source heat pump, underfloor heating and a stove which uses wood pellets (made from compacted sawdust) as fuel. It was disappointing to hear that because Dundee has a clean air policy, that these sorts of stoves are not allowed at the moment, but hopefully in the future they will be.

SCARF is an agency which provides businesses and homeowners with free advice on sustainable energy sources, to help the environment and cut fuel bills. By working with Scottish Power, SCARF have started a Schools Energy Project, to put across the message of renewable energy to Primary 7 children. Through the Sun City Demonstration house and a head office in Aberdeen, SCARF run the Energy Saving Scotland advice centre for the North-east. They also travel to events around Scotland to create a wider understanding of sustainable energy. As well as this, they provide talks and presentations, a telephone advice line, face to face advice at events and they also work with companies to increase the awareness of energy efficiency among staff.

More information on SCARF, as well as fact sheets on various different aspects of sustainable energy and tips on how to save money on your energy bills are at their website: www.scarf.org.uk

Sustainabilty

Turning on the TV on Friday night, I was surprised to see them talking about sustainability issues on comedy quiz show QI on the BBC. The program itself was based on 'green' issues, with them discussing various aspects on sustainability including the methane emissions caused by cows and how it is being said that we should become vegetarians, or eat less meat. Half way through the program, one of the screens at the back was turned off and the guests all sat on one side of Stephen Fry rather than two, as Jeremy Clarkson pointed out that the screens were not sustainable.

This made me think of our recent trip to London for Ecobuild at Earls Court. During a short lecture on 'Cradle to Cradle' by Professor Dr. Michael Braungart, I was surprised to see that, despite the speaker being not very far away from us, there were two large screens behind him. I found this slightly ironic, as you would think that at an ecological event they would be trying to save on the energy they were using, not increase it unnecessarily. Surely one screen would have been enough. Prof. Dr. Braungart then went on to point this out further, by confirming our thoughts that the event itself was not eco-friendly. Many of the products being advertised had only one sustainable or eco-friendly part to them, but yet the companies were using the event to advertise their other products. As well as this, many of the stands and flooring were 1) not eco-friendly in the first place and 2) would be thrown out after the exhibition.

Seeing the issue of sustainability being brought up on QI made me think that the issue of sustainability is becoming more and more widespread and well known, but when ecological events are not ecological, is there hope? Let's hope so!

Nestle

I recently saw an article title Nestle: Creating Shared Value and after all the hype in the news at the moment about Nestle I thought I should read it. At the moment, Nestle are being slated because the palm oil that they use in their kit-kats comes from suppliers that are not preserving the rainforest - in fact they are doing the opposite and expanding their use of the rainforest into the habitats of orangutans. This particular supplier has done more than any other to wipe out the rainforests of Indonesia. Greenpeace released a report on this last week, entitled 'Caught Red Handed: How Nestle's Use of Palm Oil is Destroying Rainforests and the Climate'. The address for this report is below (couldn't get it to paste the link sorry).

http://www.greenpeace.org/raw/content/usa/press-center/reports4/caught-red-handed-how-nestle.pdf

Naturally, after hearing about all this, I was interested to look at this particular article, to see what Nestle were saying about their new 'Creating Shared Value' report. I agree that the issues that are mentioned in the report are very important, such as water and non-renewable energy use. In the 'Water and Environmental Sustainability' section of the report, Nestle states that they will be trying to cut down to a minimum their use of water, non-renewable energy and all other natural resources in order to attempt to cut down their environmental footprint. They have also started a project to cut down the use of lorries for transportation, and because of this 50% of their bottles in 2008 were transported via either train or a combination of trains and lorries. They are also looking into using more renewable energy, and they have a boiler in their Columbia factory which runs on used coffee beans, which provides 13% of the factory's energy, and has cut C02 emissions by 95% from the energy supply used before. I have to admit that these, along with other aims Nestle has, are good, and will make a difference to their Carbon footprint by a lot if they happen and continue to be used and grow. The report also states, in relation to the greenpeace report, that Nestle have no direct link with the palm oil plantation, and plan to have all their palm oil from sustainably managed sources by 2015. However, since this is 5 years away, how much can we believe? And is this enough when the orangutan is already being driven to extinction? A lot can happen in 5 years. I like to think that in a shorter space of time that Nestle will address this problem and stop destroying the habitats of helpless animals such as the orangutan.

Adapting Projects to suit Social Value Groups

As part of our last lecture of second year, we were asked to take a design project from this year, choose two social value groups from a table we were shown in the lecture, and think about how we would change and adapt the project to suit someone with the characteristics of these social value groups.

At the moment, we are in the middle of a sustainable design project, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle (or Upcycle). This project involves sustainably redesigning an existing property on Seafeild Road for a a client who is a book conservator. The existing building is a large victorian house with a big garden around it, and is currently derelict.

If I were to adapt this project to suit someone who fell into the Traditionalist group (averse to risk, guided by traditional behaviours and values, quiet and reserved, hanging back and blending in with the crowd) it would be important to have a traditional rather than contemporary approach to the design. Someone with these sorts of values would probably favour traditional and old fashioned designs over newer ones. For this particular project, the fact that the house is Victorian style would be of help, as keeping with this would be important to the person. This would mean trying to keep as much of the traditional look of the building as possible, therefore restoring the building to what it would have been like when it was first designed would probably be what this person would like. For this I would keep in all the original features of the building, such as the big bay window at the front and the large front door, as well as any internal features such as fireplaces, stairs and cornices and any original wooden floors and doors. By keeping as many of the original features as possible this would match the personality of someone in this particular group. I would also keep most of the outside and garden traditional by making any extra buildings such as sheds or extensions as in touch with the original architecture as possible.

To adapt this project for someone in the group Strivers (attaching importance to image and status, as means of enabling acceptance by their peer group, at the same time holding onto traditional values) it would again be important to keep some of the traditional features of the building but not as much, and it would need to be designed to look as grand as possible, and to have a feeling of importance and wealth about it, as these people want to look good in their neighbourhood and it is important to them for their neighbours and friends to know they fall into a high social class. Because of this, I would probably accentuate some of the original features, such as making the front door and maybe the bay window more prominent and grand looking, perhaps by putting pillars at either side of the door. The building could be painted white to stand out more, and the garden could be landscaped with an area for entertaining and maybe a garage. The gates could also be replaced to be more wealthy looking. Some of the interior features could be kept, again like the cornices, doors and wooden floors as well as fireplaces. The staircase could be rebuilt in a more obvious location such as in the hall which again would have a wealthy feeling.

The interior decoration and furniture would play a big part in the feeling of the house and designing it to suit each social type. The traditionalist would need old fashioned pieces, maybe antiques, as would the striver. However, the striver's furniture and decor would be more obviously expensive, and they would probably have quite a few statement pieces of quite a lot of value, whereas the traditionalists would blend in and be more subtle.

*Assignment 3 - The London Underground*

I chose to do this assignment on the London Underground after spending a few days there at the ecobuild conference. During our stay, we travelled on the tube around six times a day, sometimes more. We also travelled at different times throughout the day so it was good to experience and study the changes in peoples behaviour at various times. It wasn’t a surprise to realise that everyone gets a little more crazy nearer rush hour times! I had travelled on the underground before but it was quite a few years ago when I was fairly young and with my parents, so to have to figure it out myself was something new. Being a tourist, it was easy to spot the Londoners who travelled on the system daily, and also easy to spot those in the same situation as us.

Our ‘local’ tube station was the one at Russell Square - which is small compared to a lot of the other stations we passed through or got on or off at. Nevertheless, you still get a good feel of the Underground system of ticket buying while you are there. Our usual starting time was around half past nine. This is also when the morning peak time ends, so it didn’t come as a surprise that when we arrived at 20 past the station was crammed - not with people buying their tickets, but mostly with people waiting or queuing up outside to take advantage of the cheaper fare which would be available a few minutes later. As half past 9 came, everyone slowly started shuffling their way forward into a queue for the machines. A large group of foreign students were inside spilling onto the street, clearly confused by the whole system which to them was not only new but in a different language. A few people - obviously tourists like myself - had booklets out open at the page with all the different lines and zones of the underground system, trying to work out where they were going, what line they needed to take and what zone they were travelling to before they got to the ticket machine. This however did not seem to speed up the queue. As people got to the machine, they stared at it blankly, confused as to what they were doing. It didn’t help that there seemed to be a different machine for everything - one took only cards, one only cash, one gave no change - so innocent newcomers arrived at the ticket machine only to discover they needed to be at a different one. On the second day buying our tickets, there was a member of staff at the machines, there to help those lost and confused. On approach to the screen, he asked where you were going and pressed the buttons himself so all you had to do was put the money in. Needless to say this sped up the ticket purchasing process a bit - but didn’t cut down the queues.

After purchasing a ticket the next stage was to get to the right platform and wait for the train. People started to make their way from the ticket machines to the barriers, which you would think was a simple step but with masses of people in one small space - some going one way, some going another and some just standing - it was a task just to do that. People looked at you angrily if you so much as nudged them, despite the fact that you had said excuse me to them several times quite loudly, and a few people looked disapprovingly at you, obviously sticking to the stereotype that young people are rude and not for a minute considering that you were being pushed yourself! After getting through the barriers - which sometimes was a job considering that your ticket occasionally wouldn’t work - everyone made their way to the lifts to get down to platform level. Despite the lifts coming regularly (every couple of minutes) when one arrived everyone rushed to it, barging past others to get to the front and then cramming themselves in as if it was the only lift that would come that day. As you arrived on the lower levels, it was again clear as to who did this every day and who was a newcomer to the situation. Those who knew the system well and knew where they were going simply strode out the lift in whichever direction they needed to, without any worry or stress. Others milled around a little once out of the lift, looking a the signs whilst walking and trying to figure out where they were going.

Once on the platform, the screens suspended from the roof informed you as to when the next train would be arriving and where it would be headed to. This was usually 1 or 2 minutes and never longer than 5. Being a fairly regular user of trains in Scotland, this was a pleasant change compared to waiting for ages in the freezing cold while the waiting room is shut for your train which is delayed one minute, then 5, then 20! Despite the fact that trains were regular and rarely delayed, the same rule seemed to apply to getting on the train as to getting in the lift - rush for it as though it was the only one coming. The minute the noise of a train is heard, people move forward from their waiting space at the edge of the platform, and over the yellow line so that they are standing as close to the platform as possible. People rush in after running down the stairs, desperate to catch that very train and not to have to wait for the next one even though it is only a couple of minutes away. As the train slows down, people walk fast alongside it, trying to guess where the doors will stop so they can be first onto the train. Speakers overhead reminded everyone to ‘mind the gap between the train and the platform’ and to ‘allow passengers off the train before boarding’. I found that most people did generally stick to this, although when the train stopped people crowded forward to the doors, so although they may not have been boarding the train before other passengers got off, they weren’t leaving them much room to get off! Once on the train, there was more often than not one last person running to get on and almost getting crushed between the closing doors. After narrowly missing a very sore arm, they would cling to a pole or often another passenger for a second before catching their breath and glancing around to check for spare seats. Finding a seat is a tricky process - it is obviously the first ones on the train who manage to grab a seat first, but again the difference between regular users and newcomers is highlighted, as the regulars will get on and sit down as quickly as possible, whereas those who aren’t sure of the system hover uncertainly, unsure as to whether to take the seat which is in between two people they don’t know, or whether to remain standing. The decision, however, is quickly made for them, as if you do not move into that spare seat quickly someone else will! When standing, I noticed everyone else who was standing all seemed to gather in the same area around the doors so as not to invade the people who were sitting downs space by falling on them whilst going round a corner or braking, or treading on their feet. If sitting down, people kept themselves to themselves, businessmen and women usually reading a paper, others reading books or looking at magazines. Others merely gazed at a point above the windows or on the floor, trying to avoid eye contact with other passengers. Nobody made conversation with others. Safety being an obvious issue, women clutched their handbags to their bodies and men held their briefcases tightly on their knees to prevent the pickpockets and thieves the underground is well known for having. If older people got on at a stop and the seats were full, they looked expectantly at each person in turn until someone gave up their seats for them. Sometimes I felt they used being a little older to their advantage, as quite a few looked as though they would be perfectly able to stand for the duration of a few minutes. As I was travelling in a group, if we managed to get seats they were usually a few apart, and it seemed as though talking over people would be rude. The strange thing was that even if you were sitting together, talking still seemed to be rude, and if you did talk to each other it was quietly, as the thought of everyone listening to you was a bit strange. As me and a couple of friends found out, something that would usually send you into fits of giggles was hard to keep under wraps, especially when you are sitting opposite each other and making eye contact. But again, having your own private communication just didn’t seem like the right thing to do.

Getting off the train was the same rush as getting on, everyone cramming to the doors and shoving to get off first, and then of course having to push past the eagerly awaiting passengers ready to get on as soon as they saw a space. As you proceeded up the huge escalators to the upper levels, the rules were clearly marked with a ‘please stand on the right’ sign every few metres. Those in a hurry rushed past you on the left hand side and were clearly irritated at anyone not obeying the rules. As you reached ground level again and proceeded through the barriers to the station, everyone rushed forward to the exit and out, their experience over at least for that moment.

After the 7/7 London Underground bombings in 2005, safety is obviously a big issue. After being at a few stations, the change in not only the structure and design of the Westminster station, but the atmosphere in it was very apparent. Compared to other stations, the feeling of being safe was very much there. Between the platform and the tracks was a sort of glass barrier, which I assumed to be very tough and bombproof. This encased the train so that if anything happened to it the Houses of Parliament would be safe. Going through the station the whole place seemed a lot safer, mainly due to the design and the strong structure of the building, as well as the fact that nobody was rushing and there was no bustle and pushing and shoving, although this could have been due to the fact that we were there just after rush hour. After discovering that one of the bombings of 7/7 happened on the very line that we were travelling on daily, this was a strange feeling. If you didn’t know about the bombings you probably wouldn’t have found out, as the only thing to tell about it was a plaque outside the station.

Doing this assignment, I feel that I have learnt more about how important gaining experience in different situations is to design. By putting yourself in the shoes of the person or people you are designing for, this puts you in a better place to improve your designs and make them more effective as you yourself have an insight to what is needed. By researching in this way and trying to fully understand the needs of your client this will consequently make your designs better.

Banksy

I have always been a fan of Banksy’s work. For one, it is amazing art, and the fact that he himself is unknown to the public and has managed to escape being discovered by police (or anyone) since he first got involved in it which was allegedly during the great Bristol aerosol boom of the 1980s, makes it even more brilliant. Banksy's work has caused a lot of controversy in the past - is it condoning graffiti? Or is it art? I for one believe it is art - even if it is of the illegal kind - and to paint over it is the same as painting over any other artist's work - it shouldn't be done! Whilst in London last week, I wanted to go and see a Banksy piece so after looking it up and finding out that the closest one was only a 15 minute walk form our hotel, we set off...only to discover that when we got there the piece we were hoping to see (one nation under cctv) had been painted over 4 months ago!

Looking into this further, I discovered that the local council (Westminster City Council) had ordered that the artwork was to be removed to send out a message to other graffiti artists in London, as the artist did not get the permission that was necessary to do this. The full story on this particular Banksy piece being painted over is at

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7688251.stm

This is just one of a number of Banksy pieces which have been painted over recently, mainly for the same reasons and a few by mistake. Last year, a piece which appeared on the cover of Blur's 'Crazy Beat single' was painted over by 'mistake' by Hackney council. The owner of the building had given permission in 2003 for the piece to be done. It is said that Hackney council sent letters to the woman's previous address asking to paint over it, and when no reply was given they started. The woman managed to stop them half way through and save half of it.

In 2008, a Banksy piece of a small diver in a duffle coat in Melbourne, Australia was vandalised. The piece was painted over and the words 'Banksy woz ere' written across it.

The number of pieces being painted over is growing, with more councils claiming this is no better than kids tagging and vandalising buildings. I feel this is more than graffiti, as the messages put across in Banksy's pieces reflect issues in the world which he clearly feels need addressed (such as anti-war and anti-capitalism). Maybe councils should look past the graffiti and to the message underneath...

With the release of his film (Exit Through The Gift Shop) in cinemas just now and the growing number of articles about him, hopefully the knowledge of Banksy will grow further, and he will become recognised as an artist and have his works protected in future.