Final

Prepare to bind

Today, I've finished editing the photos and I'm thinking to bind a photo book for final.
Saw a really good book at my friends it's call Ernie A photographer's memoir by Tony Mendoza.

Got all the binding stuff from Shepherds, so, will start it tomorrow. fingers crossed

Buildings in Shoreditch

As I'd like to take buildings as my main object on this project and promoting abandoned buildings to be reused.

A triangle of influences have made Shoreditch into one of London's most distinctive and unusual areas.
The eastern streets of Shoreditch are now filled with a different kind of rebellion, as young artists take over abandoned buildings to stage spontaneous exhibitions of revolutionary new work and underground nightclubs are the hotbed of London's punk and New Rave scene. The buildings also represent the history, the background and the culture of this area.

what's next

After the meeting with David yesterday, we agreed to make this project the one. so, instead of doing one single building I am gonna open it up to find the buildings/station/ all sort of abandoned properties in Shoreditch/Hackney or even across the capital. Also, the intension now is not just to promote them or change the negative view of how we think of them, I am willing to go beyond that, and really extend the idea.

A lot to do and explore, I am quite excited to see how this will go and what i can achieve by the end.

Something I'd like to share,. its an amazing site of The Soviet Union, which is home many abandoned structures. Ranging from buildings to military bases they have collected a gallery of great photos showing some of Russia's most amazing abandoned projects.

Some nice work from Graphic Design (BA Hons) students graduating from University College Falmouth in 2011-Link below.

http://fromfalmouth.co.uk/

I think I've given myself the hardest challenge ever.
I went to the building management, there wasn't much information about this property, and called the local council and land registration they wouldn't be able to provide the ownership details that means I won't be able to get in to the building so, that stopped my further development of this project.

The background

Yesterday I went down to the local council the building management to find out the history of the building that i've been working on. there ain't much information as i expected as the building's been left up for quite a long time.. so over the last two decades from the 1990. Demolition of the buildings and redevelopment for offices, small units for uses within Class B1, housing, retail shop etc..( highlighted on the copy of the original doc ) as below.




Apparently, that's all i can find for this, but I am gonna call the council and land registry next Monday, hopefully i can reach to the owner and get assessed to the building and find out more about it.

I attach a link of a webpage called derelict london, which is an unusual photographic portrait (of approx 3000 pics by Paul Talling) of the nations capital. its really interesting to see and related to my building project.

http://www.derelictlondon.com/home_page.htm

Tate Modern & British Art Show 7

"Out of Place" exhibition.
The four artists in out of place explore the relationship between dominant political forces and personal and collective histories by looking at urban space, architectural structures and the condition of displacement.






British
Art
Show 7

As I'm thinking putting this project at the final degree show, some of artists' work and display I really liked and inspired me making thoughts about my space design.

Local Council

How to push the project more further?

As the building's all locked up, so I couldn't get side which is a shame. I called the local council to find out the history that what's been used for over the last decade, but for more details and paper documents I will have to go down to their office. Because if I could get more info about this building, then I can do more than just what we can see from the outside.

Also, it would be great if I could reach the owner then i might be able to get in to the building, for that i will have to contact the land registry.

Posters

For the structure of the posters I was very much inspired by my favourite architect Zaha Hadid's work. They're simple but very structural and shaped. Her design has also been used in other field (e.g Fashion and Product).



For the final outcome. I've made a series of posters, each of them represents a different angle of view of the building.
It's in a great location, that should let people to see that;
For where it is, it's got so much potential for turning it into anything for reuse;
The structure of the building is rather interesting, it's got this triangle-y frame, with two floors and a backyard.


As I've been told the numbers are the most obvious thing on poster so here's the new outcome.

Today, I walked around in Shoreditch, as was expecting to find something exciting and has a spark in it for my project.

Most of buildings in the area are lofts and warehouses which i liked and i think they've got more features and characters than Barbican. That I agreed with Val. yes.

There's an abandoned block on commercial street which it caught my eyes.






It's weird that even a friend of mine just lives around the corner of the street, and we hang out a lot in this area but i've never really stopped and had a proper look of this building.. yea, that's because it seems has been left up for a long time, it looks old and dirty, pointless that some people might say. so, how many abandoned buildings in london, do we all think them very negatively? would it be interesting to find out what's the history behind those buildings, and why they've been left up and never being noticed or used again?

No Barbican ! All change please!

Today I had a crit with Val. After presented what my intension of doing this brief was, she thought was not strong enough, and it didn't convince her in any ways. First of all, Barbican's been used for a million of times in design wise, so there's nothing really that people don't know about it yet, its a very commercial place with a lack of features, some people like some people don't. But what is my point of view for it? what am i designing it for? and what can people gain from my design? That's something I have to dig more and get more involved with, instead of just saying, I like it or I'm interested in. I am really glad that Val pointed out that for me !

What do I need to do in the following week?

I think it's good that I picked architecture for turning something 3D to 2D.
& I think I should put Barbican aside as I am now well stuck with WHAT I CAN DO.
Moving on from that, and nose around in my living area Shoreditch, where has got a brilliant collection of buildings, which have much more potential.
Keeping up with the three key questions above.

Venice and the Podia

"The best example of a city where foot and service traffic is completely segregated is Venice where all supplies are carried to the city on canals, while pedestrians walk on pavements which cross the canals by bridges. This segregation has worked admirably for many centuries and there is no good reason why the principle should not be applied equally effectively in City of London."

---The architects of Barbican Redevelopment April 1959.

So the Barbican is modeled on Venice

Barbican-"Podium" and " Highwalk"

According to one Council member: " Once people were up on the walkways there was no need for them to come down at all- until they wanted to go home".

Another said: " Young girls could be seen dashing across the traffic in Cheapside-it was a wonder they were not killed. The future would bless the Court if they approved elevated walkways".

That's what the most unique about the Barbican land is the podium covers so much of the estate that, once you are inside, it is effectively ground level. This new pedestrian level, which is generally 6 meters above street level, extends over 4.8 hectares of the site, in the form of terraces, linked by narrower high walks. The podium seems to be even higher when you lean over one of the balustrade edges to look at the lake or the gardens, which are in fact not at 'ground' level but several metre below it. The Barbican Centre famously has many levels which no-one can follow, but its 'ground level' is the below-ground level of the lake and the gardens. This adds to the psychological separation of estate and Arts Centre.

'Highwalk' is best used for the bridge-like narrow paths round the outskirts of the Barbican.

Exploring

After the 'p2p' meeting last week arranged by David. It's well nice just to get together with your group's people and have a little chat about how everyone's getting on with their current project before the interim crit.

I started to look around all the buildings in town that interesting me and inspiriting me. I showed some research that i'd done at the meeting, at the time, i was still on the stage of exploring things and looking around researching.

what can I do?

As we were told not to set your mind too early or into doing something you've already known, so I tried not to think about the outcome of my final design, how I would want it to be.

I was visiting the Barbican Centre the other day and I saw a poster, which was called "exploring Barbican architecture tour". First of all, I thought that was brilliant as I am doing something relates to buildings and personally I'm fascinated about the design of Barbican Art Centre and the structure of Barbican estates as well, I've been visited quite many times but never really had a change to know more about it, then, I booked and went today, it was interesting, a lot of history and things like how's been designed, redesigned and built, also what's so unique about it comparing to other buildings in london or even the whole europe.

Architecture on surface

Things you can buy
Things You Can Buy is a range of graphic illustrated cards and prints, designed and produced by graphic designer Stefi Orazi. The series is inspired by her local surrounding and love of modernist architecture.

Modernist London






Dot to Date - Start Each Day with a Dot

Each pack consists of 12 Dot to Date calendar cards (one for each month) and a couple of extras thrown in for good measure. Each calendar card has numbered dots, representative of each day in the month and a little architectural detail. Once completed each card will reveal a famous London landmark so at the end of the year you'll have your very own personalised London skyline.







Cityscape Stamp Set