Learning About Dirt

So, the slow stop that we had been experiencing this semester came to an end. It has been replaced with the work load that we have all come to know and love from last semester. I was waiting for the other shoe to drop and it did, only it was more of a boot.

We began over last weekend with an exploration of paper and topography. Whereas everyone in the class seemed to grasp the idea and run with it, I lagged behind and simply could not wrap my head around this exercise. Even though I could see what others were doing and had some somewhat decent attempts at almost getting it, I was never able to produce anything I was happy with (as well as something I was not embarrassed by). After creating three landscapes out of paper, we were to make sections from each of the paper models. I made mine from Chipboard and due to the ridiculous shapes I had created for the paper models, they looked quite peculiar. The final step of the project was to build clay models which pulled the ideas of topography explored in the paper models. The final two stages (clay and sections) I was able to grasp a bt easier but the issue was that all of the information I was absorbing and expressing came from the paper models which caused me to shudder each time I looked in their direction. I was unhappy about the work I produced for Mondays pin-up and was somewhat apprehensive of pinning up for all to see and compare with the work of my talented classmates. I did, however, pin up and was pleased with what came of it…I was able to step back and see things the way I should have been seeing them on Sunday night. It was definitely a case of hindsight being 20/20. I had a better idea of how to approach things and what I would have done with a second opportunity. Truth be told, I should have started the entire process over at that point but I would have never finished work for Wednesday had I taken that task on. The following assignment was something (especially after mulling over my failed attempt so much) I felt I had a better handle on and was excited to begin. Although I felt the work I produced was close to a complete failure, it was not a complete disaster as I was able to learn quite a bit from those mistakes and the poor level of work produced for Monday.

Next we built models that expressed where the structures and trees would be in our park.  From there we built models showing where the canopies created by these structures would  be.  This was extremely helpful as it was the first time we had to really consider this since we entered the program.   All in all, I was far more successful at this and it really helped me to envision the next step properly.

Finally, we built 1/10 scale models of our sites.  They were neither exact nor abstract rather somewhere in the middle.  Although I was building it until the last minute, I was pleased with my design and think it will propel me in the right direction with figuring out where things will go and in what scale they are to be.  I will upload photos in a day or so….

I created two posts on Wikipedia and hopefully they will not be erased as has been the case with other attempts by classmates over the weekend. I have yet to determine how to upload pictures and have them last for more than a week but hopefully will have that worked out very soon.

The links are as follows:

North End Parks: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_End_Parks

MacAllen Rooftop: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macallen_Rooftop_-_Boston

Take a look!

Another element I have been looking into has been the parterre gardens of the French and English.  Because the houses that are being rebuilt are being rebuilt on supports to raise them up away from the ground and any impending water damage from canals overflowing.  For example, Peggy’s house is set upon supports that aise their house a full story above the ground before one even enters the front door.  This will change the community in ways yet to be determined in my opinion.  Call it a new way to look at things as they will all be raised at least one to two more stories that they were prior to the flood.  This will provide an entirely different way to look out at the old neighborhood they had grown so fond of.  As if they were looking at things from a different angle or with “soft eyes”.  This approach often reveals things that were never seen before because of the way that people tend to follow patterns they have created for themselves.

Am I making sense anymore?

So, Brad reeled me in. I needed it as I do tend to jump ahead 14 or so steps whenever given the opportunity. While I was laying out the park as I envisioned things and tinkering away at a massive water feature which would act as both a really fun water feature for children as well as a memorial of the tragedy(ies) that occurred two years ago. I had something in mind that spoke of the flooding, decisions people make/made and how the victims carried on with their lives and showed the courage necessary to carry on and strive for a better future. I designed a water feature that would dispel water down a raised structure, meant to represent the canal. The water would drop off of the “canal” onto a flat area which had steps of various heights. The steps would be covered in water as the levels rose. This would force one to chose a different path dependent upon how high the water was. The steps would also represent the city of New Orleans. Once a year for a couple of weeks, the entire pattern would be submerged during the dates that Katrina’s aftermath held NO hostage as a reminder to people that they were able to overcome such an awful period of time.

Brad suggested that I go back and really dive into the idea of texture and patterns. Investigating the subtle and not so subtle intricacies that occur when patterns are manipulated both a small and large amount. I have printed out google-maps of the area as well as played with patterns in the grids of the neighborhoods and investigated the photos I took while visiting the area. What patterns are easily seen, which ones only stand out after longer periods of observations?

I have already taken some of the patterns found on the benches at the park and used them to play around with possibilities of how the orchards could be laid out if I decide to plant them..

Another thing I will do is to map out some sections of the neighborhood and it’s proximity to various sources of water. The lake, the canals and the destruction the water wreaked are all related and I want to see what patterns there are when mapping this info out. I am going to attempt creating a few sections on CAD as I am beginning to feel somewhat (stress the “some” ) comfortable with working on CAD.

funkybars

Once I figure out how to post pictures properly, we will truly begin to have some fun.

Truly…..

~tg

I’ve been thinking about what is desired on the site by the locals. The list consists of the following:

Space for children that is fenced in…similar to the toddler park across the river.

An area for community meetings…they believe it should be under the Live Oak where folks gather.

The swing-sets must stay where they are due to a grandfather clause. The backstop can be taken out if desired.

Older citizens wish for a walking path as well as the possibility of exercise stations.

A memorial for those who lost their lives during Katrina.

There is a desire to keep the plantings native as well as a desire for some type of orchard.

And finally, some type of water management system.

This is quite a list of both possibilities and parameters. I have been thinking a lot about the placement of each program within the park. Picturing different programs in different spaces throughout the park.  Of course, all the while I have been jumping ahead of where/what I should be concentrating upon.    I need to reel things in and concentrate upon patterns and textures (initially) and what happens when minute aspects of either of these become manipulated.  What are the outcomes of situations such as these?   Hopefully, i will have the answer for you very soon!

(This is a continuation of a post written a while back…I thought it would be posted as a work in progress but have since found out that is not how it works.  Lesson learned.)