March 9, 2010

Degree Project--> Mid-Semester Semation



I have spent a good majority of this first half of the semester researching, and trying to figure out how to reach an audience of college students some of whom may not be ready to listen to my message. I have had a difficult time pulling myself away and looking at my project from the perspective of someone who doesn't know anything about the subject. Since I am one who already cooks, and buys from the farmers market, etc, it has been difficult to understand the mindset of those who don't think like I do.

I began my experiments thinking about interaction: where/how is my audience going to see this message, and what are they going to take away from it? These first experiments: a reusable grocery bag, a poster, menu planner, seasonal info cards, seemed like good ideas, if you are into that sort of thing already. But...ultimately there was a disconnect between these experiments and the core of my message: to get college students to cook with fresh, whole ingredients. From a Facebook survey I created, I gathered that the majority of students don't cook due to lack of time and money. The resulting problem is not just lack of time, money, or skill, but lack of readily available information.






I still want to incorporate the menu planner if I can but my "solution" became a cookbook that would showcase the four seasons, everything one would need to know about fruits and vegetables, and quick, healthy recipes to tie it all together. I felt it needed to be more than a book, and so I decided to would also make some short videos on how to make small dishes, or even something as simple as cooking eggs. After I figure out the structure of the book, I am going to begin brainstorming how that structure can inform the format for the videos.




March 8, 2010

Spatial Ex.--> KC Auto Show


Practical
The description of everything the car has to offer economically such as EPA fuel estimates, safety ratings, pricing, etc.



Poetic
These old cars and accompanying personas were fenced off in the middle of the floor at the entrance to the auto show. Are they trying to preserve/protect the "ideal" image of who should be driving these shiny relics? And what is a business man doing with a Beetle?



Persuasive
After driving a Volvo for three years in high school, I know this statement to be true. The car drives and feels like a tank it is so heavy. Could it possibly be b/c of the 8 airbags?


March 4, 2010

Spatial Ex.--> The Museum of Anthropology barricade






In response to Arthur Erickson's vision of incorporating native architecture into the MOA building, I decided to do this visually by mimicking the art forms of the Northwest Coast Indians. The columns are representative of totem poles both stylistically and with their size, reaching a height of 30 feet. Red and black are the most common colors in native art because they were the easiest to produce without artificial dyes.