Blog: Week 10 | Material Expression

Material Expression

PROPOSE | Finding the Materials Narrative

Key words: Connections, ethical consciousness, adaptive reuse.

"We are storytellers. We all live in a network of stories. There isn't a stronger connection between people than storytelling." - Jimmy Neil Smith

For our final task, we began to express connections between observation, experiments, theory and critical contexts for the IMP materials Task. This process aims to help us find a linking narrative for the design through its materiality.

Material Narrative

My story of materiality began when I first saw the Knight and Lee building. Although it was empty and disused, I saw so much potential with the space and I loved noticing small traces of palimpsest which communicated what the building once was. I felt a responsibility to bring the space back to life once again, as I began to envision how I could rejuvenate this space in an exciting way for the community of Portsmouth. The most prominent aspect of the existing building for me was the columns, which I was inspired to play around with. I could see them surrounded by energy and life once again, and imagined the ways in which the body could interact with them in a new, adaptive way. I was intrigued as to how I could make use of the height of the building by partially removing the floors, which led me to the idea of an indoor high ropes centre.

I sought to remain as ethical as possible throughout this process, as I worked with primarily natural/recycled materials during my experiments with foliage, clay, flowers, glass, and fabrics. These hands on making processes really inspired me to ensure my design wouldn't be impacting the world or its people in a negative way. I believe we, as students, have an ever prevalent responsibility to enter the design world with an ethically conscious mindset. Natural materials are also something which complimented the building so well aesthetically, which proved to me that we can not only create beautiful spaces, but we can take the planet into consideration while doing so.

This is how I came to the realisation of TreeTop Spot, an ethically designed oasis, filled with energy fuelled activities open to the community as a whole. The bespoke seating wraps around the existing columns, each featuring 8 seats, they serve as social hubs for the community of Portsmouth where people can enjoy refreshments and catch up with their loved ones. I chose bamboo as its structural framework, as it is an incredibly renewable and versatile crop which requires very little water and no pesticides/fertilisers to grow. This was a perfect material for my design, as it lines up with my ethically conscious mindset, and allows me to make use of the columns in a practical and poetic way. The fabric for the large leaves is all recycled, sourced from Offset Warehouse, a company with ethical values that align with mine.

This is the collection of objects which have inspired my material narrative.

Overall, this process was a very exciting opportunity for me, that allowed me to create a space in which people get to experience a light and inviting atmosphere filled with natural materials. TreeTop spot is an ethically conscious space in which people can live an adrenaline fuelled adventure, let their kids play, catch up with friends, bring their workspaces closer together, and bridge gaps between generations. For me, this project has been all about: developing an understanding for what already exists; using creativity to build upon this; whilst taking wider, modern contextual issues into consideration. Not replacing what was once there, but enhancing it with a delicate deliberation for the planet.

Atmospheric image of my reception welcome desk - primary source.