I'm coming every so often to a house that is under renovation to see the changes. Recently the crew has been expanding a deck and just poured concrete for the foundation.
Before and After the concrete: Some of the details of my internship are still being finalized, but I will be working with an architectural firm in Cornelius called Isaacs & Associates. My mentors will be Marcy Pelucio and the head of the company. My interest in architecture developed when I started looking at architectural artworks for a capstone project. My picture frames will be architectural follies that require planning and drafting in order to create, due to their large scale and the fact that they need to be sturdy and withstand weather and time.
Working at Issacs & Associates will offer me the chance to see how architects work and plan projects. This is a really cool opportunity to have before I create/while I am creating my project. I will be assisting the architects with a few upcoming projects they have, as well as working directly with Ms. Pelucio on my project. Through this internship experience, I will be learning the basics of drafting buildings and structures, as well as absorbing how an architectural firm operates. This element of my capstone ties together my interest in spatial and development concerns in regards to environmental friendliness, as well as my creative impulse and my interest in aesthetics. Architecture is a melding of 2D art and 3D space, and knowledge of this is essential to conservation. I also learned a great deal about LEED certified building designs last year in an environmental studies class, and I think understanding human-centered architecture is crucial to creating an efficient, green way of life for generations to come. I think this internship will serve me well not only for the time I’m working on my capstone, but for my life and future pursuits as well. My project ideas are all coming together. Finally!
We went through our ideation process in my elective, and I've come out with three main ideas. 1. A platform in the woods to be used for "celebration" and student events, or whatever else. 2. An interactive map of campus that can be updated with data about different parts of campus. For example, people could go out and measure water quality, then update the map with an image of the stream and numbers like the pH, O2 content, etc. Or, if a new wildflower patch was blooming, someone could take a picture of it and it would pop up on the map. 3. Large-scape picture frames around campus. Walking by, people could look through them and see the "image" change as the angle changed. Throughout the year, the image would change as well, documenting the changes on campus and maintaining awareness. I could also start a tradition where photos are taken through the picture frames at certain dates, so that the change is recorded. I like my last idea (picture frames) because it very well fulfills my original goal - to inspire conservation by making people think differently about the land on campus, and making people aware of the natural world around them. I think this is important because so often, people don't realize what's happening because it happens so slowly. Last year, there were trees in front of the Woods Hall parking lot and a few rolling, grass-covered hills in secondary succession behind them. My enviro class took walks there all the time and studied the area around there. This year, I came to school in August and there were no more trees by the parking lot. The earth was moved, concrete was laid down, and a track was put up. This is positive change for Woodlawn in many ways, but I can't help feel sad that the natural space is not there anymore. Around the high school, however, I didn't really find anyone else who felt that there had been a big change. I think that this was because I had simply spent more time there, looking at the landscape before it had been changed. If I can do anything with this project, I want to make people see the campus and remember it so they can tell when it is changed. The picture frames will connect to my idea about landscape aesthetics, they will draw attention to the land, and they will connect people to the campus in a dynamic and personal way. Earlier this month, I visited Colorado College and sat in on a 3D design class, in which the students were presenting ideas for "architectural follies and pavilions". These structures are meant less to serve a functional purpose, and more to provoke thought about the surrounding area/landscape. Some examples can be seen here: So, I'm thinking about doing something like this on my Woodlawn campus. It's a perfect way to merge aesthetics and land conservation.
I took the photos below this month on my way to class one morning. I'm trying to figure out what about the campus I want to include in this project, and where I want it to be. I finalized my interview questions and conducted all my interviews. My data can be found in the PDF file, and below are images of my planning process. We are all thinking in ideas now - little notes that can be stuck together to form something bigger. I outlined what I learned from the interviews in several categories in order to visualize what I needed to include in my project. At this point, I'm going backwards. I'm not sure this project will be a mural anymore. It will be whatever is fits the audience best.
I'm on spring break in Laguardia X, but I'm avidly designing these interviews so I can get them done once I am back!!
Here are some visual updates on my process. I'm trying to decide WHO I should interview to gain an accurate and diverse account of the Woodlawn Community. I'm choosing groups of around 4 people each for group interviews. I want to cover all the high school grades, MS and LS, and teachers. In my interview groups, I want to include someone who is apathetic to environmental issues, someone who thinks they are less important than other things, someone who thinks they are really important, and someone who would express the views of the entire community well. I've been doing a lot of work in my new design elective. We are following a process that starts with identifying a problem that we want to fix. My design problem is: People may be willing to change the natural parts of campus for development. Now I make Observations about how the community in question interacts with the ideas I'm tackling. Up next: Interviews. I need to pick people to interview and design interview questions that will give me insight into the relationship people at Woodlawn already have with the campus. I'd like to figure out whether my problem is actually a problem, and also how much people really care about the campus right now.
The trimester is ending soon, and I'm considering how my new elective choice could overlap with my capstone. I really want to create a final project, and hopefully something that can incorporate my artistic passion.
My ideas for the near future are: - Start planning a mural - depicting a landscape on campus as well as bringing in the people that make up the school - want to involve the students here with its creation - Look for an internship with the... - National or State Park Service - An Environmental Non-Profit - Local Farms |
Bella JacobyThis is the website for my senior year capstone project at Woodlawn School. I plan to explore the relationships between humanity and nature through the lens of conservation, and mores specifically national parks in a historical and modern context. Archives
May 2016
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