Studio+Project+7

INDEPENDENT PROJECT 3

Voicethread Project Introduction/Summary:
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Description
This is a design for an office building, the original idea being an embassy/consulate complex. It is intended for a setting, such as small hill, or perhaps in the middle of a garden. I did not design it to be in city block, because it has windows on all its sides, and is not rectangular in shape. It is displayed using a 3D rendering and design program, called Google Sketchup, which was also used in the design process.

What were the artistic and/or cultural influences for this project? Who/what influenced either the composition and/or the style.7
This design was directly influenced by my design in the previous studio project. You can still see elements of that, when you look at the building from above, and how it seems to be two separate interlocking parts. This is similar to the previous design where there were also protruding parts like these, that were intended to give the same idea. In the previous design though, those areas were painted in a different color, and the whole idea was an interpretation of the De Stijl and Bauhaus design style. Some of those influences can still be seen here, but not as strongly, especially since there isn’t as much contrast in the color scheme.

What materials/media/processes did you use and or experiment with, and how?
It was pretty straightforward when working with this design, as I was building up the techniques I used in my previous design. However, in my previous design, I also constructed a wooden model, though this time I did not choose to do that. The reason I chose to display this model as a 3D rendering, was because I didn’t feel that the wooden model for my previous project, was accurate enough, nor that it gave full justice to the actual design of that building.

How do you think you have responded to advice and criticism during this project (and during the term), both from fellow students and the teacher. Did you actively seek advice? If so, was it useful?
When I asked people what they thought of it I to mixed reactions. In the classroom I was told, that people didn’t really understand some aspects of it, or that it simply didn’t make sense or was unrealistic; when I explained the design a bit, it began to make more sense to people, but I realized that they needed to see it in 3D to understand, as it wasn’t really clear (especially as complicated as it was), in 2D form. I was told that the appearance was good though. Outside of the classroom, I had some people who were extremely impressed by it, while for others it didn’t really stand out as interesting at all; and this was disappointing.

weaknesses/areas for improvement in the piece
I think that if such a design is to be displayed at an exhibition, it must be in model form, for people to get a better look at it, and understand it better; so I think there’s a big weakness in the way its displayed. I will also agree that the design is more interesting than the one before, it is less realistic, and is not particularly attractive; and what I mean by attractive is that it does not draw attention to it. I want it to attract everyone to it, if it were displayed in an exhibition, but I don’t think that it would.

strengths of the piece
The design is far more radical, and original than the previous one. I think that it shows real design progress, and thinking. One thing I could take a step further would be a ‘landscape’ design for the pavement/gardens around it.

What could you take through to the next project and develop further? This could be anything, from a technique to an idea, not necessarily just the theme?
I think that I want to take a break from such a designs for a little bit, or at least until I feel that I something worthwhile to display. I will keep practicing on my own. I will start by sketching ideas, as I did this time in 2D, then after looking at some buildings to take ideas from online, I can began playing in the software.

Description
This is a painting (using acrylic paints on canvas), that is based on a photograph, that I took in downtown Cairo. The photo was of a passageway or gallery through a building, in which there were shops and cafes. It is intended to portray Egyptian culture, through the scene, the people, the shops the cafes, and the historic building.

What were the artistic and/or cultural influences for this project? Who/what influenced either the composition and/or the style.
The style of the painting, is obviously influenced by modern art, especially movements such as surrealism and pop art. This is indicated, but the large spaces of solid color, and the bright colors contrast colors shown. Also, in the techniques of the drawing of the figures. The painting is not roughly painted, it shows blocks of solid color, separated by distinct lines.

What materials/media/processes did you use and or experiment with, and how?
I used acrylic paints on canvas. When experimenting, I used canvas boards, and tried both oil paints and acrylic painting. I also experimented, with different brushes, and also with a palette knife. I tried painting from the same photograph, in my final trial, which wasn't as detailed, but was very similar. In some ways I fell that my trial was more successful, or rather easier because of its smaller size.

How do you think you have responded to advice and criticism during this project (and during the term), both from fellow students and the teacher. Did you actively seek advice? If so, was it useful?
Since I was working on this painting at home, I got advice from my family members. My father, suggested that I look at Kazimir Malevic, a modern Russian artist, to give me ideas for drawing the figures. He also suggested (like he did in Studio Project 2) that I use surreal colors, so I exaggerated the colors a lot from the photograph, but they are not completely unrealistic.

weaknesses/areas for improvement in the piece
I feel as if the painting is still unfinished, and I will definitely come back and continue it later, and so it is difficult to judge it as it is right now, but I think that the main problems are: that the center is too empty, there should be more people in the painting, and also cafe chairs and tables, etc. and I also don't think that the solid color shop fronts, are very nice, I'd like to use a technique similar to that used by Hedayet, to have abstract shop windows. It is also possible, that I may go over the whole painting with oil paints later one, but this is unlikely just because of the difficulty of using the paints. The reason, I'd like to do this, is to get better colors, and also to try some shading.

strengths of the piece
I think that the image I chose/took was especially powerful, and the technique in which I have chosen to display is also very nice. The idea of using bright colors, and general shapes, without details has give me an extremely powerful painting, as a work of modern art.

What could you take through to the next project and develop further? This could be anything, from a technique to an idea, not necessarily just the theme?
I'd like to take forth two things, a) the idea of working from my own photography, from downtown Cairo, and from interpreting that as I like, and b) the painting technique, using bright colors, and also working on large canvases; this makes the painting especially striking in real life.