Which projects have you enjoyed? Why?

The project I have enjoyed the most is the shape of words. This task has taught me a lot about process, because we started off by doing as many sketches as possible in the beginning which is something I wasn’t used to do.  I always started by planning everything ahead and then creating my idea. It has also helped me decide the most appropriate approach for communicating my message. Following this process, I was able to choose what fit my aim best in the end and I was really satisfied with my experimentation using screen printing and materials. 

Which projects have you loathed? Why?

The project that I disliked the most was the change it now project. My time management wasn’t good. I kept changing my ideas a lot throughout the whole task, in the end I found the idea I liked best but I felt like I could have gone a lot further with it. I ended up creating an online flip magazine, if I had more time I would have printed it for sure.

Is it more important to you that your work is entertaining or informative or shocking or beautiful how?

What is more important to me is that my project has a purpose and delivers a message to an audience, not just a piece that people would contemplate only. I don’t want them only to be looking at it passively, but rather with questions in mind about the ideas behind what is being portrayed. However, my aim is to also deliver a message but through a way that is pleasing to the eye in order to grab peoples’ attention.

During the course of Part 2, has your approach to working on a brief changed? How?

Yes, the typography project has taught me to experiment and research a lot before creating. Also to my surprise, I created one of my piece using salt. This has also taught me to experiment with materials I wouldn’t usually use.

When presented with a brief, how do you get started? Are there other ways to get going?

When presented with a brief, I usually start by research on the topic that is concerned, to get more knowledge and inspiration for the task.

What are some of the best ways to develop your initial ideas?

Sketching and answering the 5 W’s really helps me get my thoughts clear, and putting them into writing.

What are your particular skills? Do you draw on them all? How? What other skills would be useful to learn?

I don’t know. But for each project I aim to be as organized as possible and this helps me process in a better way.

How much use do you make of the research you do? Which aspects if your research are most useful?

Research is important for me to get inspired on the project, however I tend not to write things down and keep copies to myself, which is what I need to work on for my fmp.

Do you find contextual research useful? Why? Why not?

Yes, because projects should be based on contextual research. Contextual research has led me to learn things I didn't know before about the nubians, and also include these facts to my projects. Like why triangular shapes are very common in Nubia as well as their purpose. Why their homes are frequently painted with drawings of the nile, palm trees and colors. 

Which have been your most successful ways of visualizing your ideas and developments?

Sketching and writing things down. Also for this project, samples really helped me visualize my idea and bring it to life.  

Who do you go to for feedback during a project? What effect does this feedback have on your work?

For feedback, I usually go to my classmates first, preferably people I don't know so I can get their honest opinion. I try to adapt my project on the feedback I receive, and if I encounter any problems doing so, I immediately ask a tutor. I have frequently visited the 3D workshop for this project to get more in depth help on building and architecture for my model. 

What would you like to achieve in the course of your FMP?

In the course of my fmp, I would like to focus more on research and feedback. Also make use of the facilities and seek help from the people who work there. Look for the right material and sources in order for my final outcome to speak for itself and have a purpose.

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What research do I need to do for this project? Where will I find the information I need for this assignment? 

Primary/Secondary & contextual research (ex: talks, live shows, movies, documentaries, books, podcasts, magazine articles, interviews etc.)

What are my goals for this assignment?

Sharing one community's ongoing tragic story in displacement. And to also give people the chance to visualize what the Nubian village looks like, its history, traditions, beauty and colorfulness and how easily it could be destroyed for the fourth time. To do so, I wish to build an installation to represent my own experience during my trip to the Nubian Village and share a piece of my culture with my audience.

What do I need to do in order to meet those goals?

In order to meet those goals, I will need to look for as many useful information about the Nubian's to make sure I tell their story in the most efficient way. Also to build my model, I will have to experiment with different materials, test each one and look at its the positive and negative aspects. I will then have to make a selection of the best materials. While doing that, I am also planning to build samples in order to visualize my idea before building the last piece. Feedback will also be essential, as I want to make sure that my audience can clearly understand the idea that i am aiming to portray. 

Research/Influence of artists' work on my fmp

One thing I would say I have been struggling with in the first period of the fmp, would be finding books in London that talk about the Nubians. I checked in all UAL libraries and I couldn't find anything, this is why I directed my research more towards photographs, sketches, paintings and also architecture inspiration. What I found most interesting was seeing buildings entirely made out of triangular shapes such as the Farm House by Studio Precht and the Rock climbing gym by new wave architecture in Iran, which has inspired to do the same for my model because all of the Nubians' homes have open windows in forms of triangles. During Easter break, I will try to nourish myself and find books that discuss the life, struggles and history of the Nubians to make sure I communicate my message as well as possible and not to share false news. I have already found a few shows I will be attending in April that are related to Nubian musicals and traditions.

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Nubian music also had a huge impact on why I chose this project. Just hearing their music you could feel their joy of life as a community, through the different instruments, such as tambourines, drums, castanets or even their hand-clapping. The joy on their faces is indescribable. 

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Here is a glimpse of what I got to experience during my trip to the Nubian

Village. This music is full of happiness and positivity that is easily spread

to everyone around.

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The movie Jareedy really changed my perspective about the Nubians and has given me more knowledge about their history in displacements and its' tragedies. The movie talks about a little boy called konnaf who is guided by Adraf to achieve his goal. Throughout the movie, we learn more about Adraf's past during the displacement that has occurred in 1964, which I didn't know about. This helped me visualize and feel what the Nubians' situation was like, and motivated me more to share their story with my audience. (Fathy, H. (2017). Notes on Nubian Architecture Fernea (Ed.), Contemporary Egyptian Nubia. [eBook] Cairo (1969): A Symposium of Social Research Center of the American University in Cairo - Moharam Mahgoub, Y. (1990). The Nubian Experience: A study of the Social and Cultural Meanings of Architecture Nubia, Egypt. The University of Michigan.)

 

I have also found in Egypt, a lot of dissertation done by Egyptian professors on this topic, which were very helpful. They not only mentioned the several displacements but also talked and explained a lot about Nubian architecture. By learning more about the Nubian's architecture, I was able to ameliorate my sketches and work with different types of vaults.

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As I was building my model, staff members gave me references to look at such as the eden project, a popular visitor attraction in Cornwall, England by Nicholas Grimshaw in 1998. 

I was also very inspired by Buckminster Fuller's domes and his series of triangular shapes formed in a circular installation. His ideas and willingness of neo-futurism to influence everything from environment and science to design and architecture. The elements used in the artists's projects inspired the details included in my architectural model. The similarity in our work is building "geodesic" domes that are lightweight and large except that Fuller managed to build his structures without using any internal supports. 

These artists' have both inspired and interested me to achieve a better outcome for my project.

Which parts of this assignment are challenging for me?

One thing I had always been worrying about was if I am answering all parts of the questions completely. This is why I kept digging for more, which might have confused people, because during the crit, I was told to focus more on one point. 

In order to solve this problem I went to academic support to make sure that I am on the right track, and since then I have decided to update my blog with all the essentials, and most of the research in my sketchbook, so things can be more clear.

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Cutting the acrylic sheets was the longest and most difficult part. It definitely took longer than expected because of it's thickness. Which has left me no time to print on them. I thought I could cut them using a knife but it didn't work. So I had to use a handsaw. Although I didn't print on the sheets, I am very happy with what they looked like. The first ones I did always had bumps and weren't neat enough, but after trying several times I was finally able to cut them as I wanted to and they also fit perfectly in the triangles.

How did I move through roadblocks or challenges?

In order to create the most effective outcome, I was constantly looking at ways that could help me improve my work practically and contextually especially during the model's development time because it was the time when I had to make the most decisions and I needed advice. To do so, I asked for friends, tutors and strangers for feedback. I went to academic support. I was also given a lot of guidance and ways to develop my ideas by the 3D workshop staff.
Also, reflecting upon my sketches and previous models, I was able to sort to positive and negative sides. Which was a huge factor in helping me make better decisions everytime.  

Scale
I was planning on going big with my model, making it at least 1mx1m. However, as I started building, it didn't turn out to big as big as I wanted it to be. I was really inspired by the work exhibited at the serpentine galleries. And the fact that people could walk into the exhibitions and see the work from different perspectives, to engage with the work on show in greater depth. But another thing that has stopped me from doing it on a very big scale was space. I didn't have enough space at home to start building it, and also since the university is closed during easter break. I couldn't possibly do it anywhere. 

I am still trying to figure out how I can overcome this problem. Possibly by placing the model on a high level, so people can see it clearly from within. Or also, I have seen people take photographs of their work, and happen to make it look bigger in photos by photographing it from different angles and zoomed in. So this is probably what I am going to do. It would look good if I get to take the photos in the sun, in order for the colored acrylic sheets to create colored shadows.

But I am very happy with the shape of the piece. It was not easy getting the circular shape of the model.

How were my ideas developing?

My ideas started to develop little by little through my experimentation and mostly sketches. At first I never taught I would be using basal wood for my final piece, I did not even know what basal wood was. I also had never experimented before using metal, actual wood or even thick plastic. I have been working on this project with the concept of "thinking through making". By making I get to make decisions and decide what is best for my final outcome. Moreover, without having built my samples, I wouldn't have been able to visualize my ideas. 

By making the models, I was able to improve any defaults in the next one. And I am still doing that as I build my final model. Before sticking the pieces together, I aim to set everything up first then start to glue the triangles together. 

How do I feel about how this is going?

I wasn't feeling very confident about my work until I started putting all the pieces together and and actually seeing it come to life. The acrylic sheets really changed how the wood looked at first. The model became much more colorful and fitting to the context. It made more sense to me. 

As I started showing people the development of my final piece, I got so much more advice and positive feedback which made me feel confident about my work. I was happy that people were interested in what I was trying to portray and that they were asking questions about the Nubian village. My goal is to make people reflect upon the work that I am displaying rather than just looking at it passively.  

What I enjoyed the most during this project/ What surprised me about what I learned?

I was surprised to learn more about myself. My culture and also my passion for handiwork. The time I spent in the workshop was by far the time I have enjoyed most during this project. I really felt the happiest and most productive while trying out different materials and learning more about each and every one of them. I also learned how to use many tools that I have never tried before, such as heat press, handsaw and also learning how to drill in soft metal. Knowing that what I did would benefit me in the path I want to take in the future, motivated me more to keep trying and experimenting. It gave me a sense of ambition to go as farther as I could.

How will I present my work to the audience? 

For my presentation, since the final piece was not as big as I planned. I am planning to locate it on an eye level so people get the impression of being inside it and be able to inspect it. To do so, I will be using a plinth. In order to accentuate the colored acrylic sheets, my plan is to also integrate some led lighting above the piece. 

Next time/ What will I do differently in the future?

What I will definitely change next time I start a project will be not too rush myself too much in making decisions. I really liked giving myself the most time to research, experiment, analyze and receive feedback but I never gave myself enough time to make decisions. Sometimes I had to compromise my goals because of time, such as the scale of my final piece for example. If I had more time I would have unquestionably built it again from scratch. But I am still happy that my idea still turned out good and that it's scale could be changed once I do it again. 

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Self Assesment Sheet - (Also available in sketchbook)                     How have I got here?

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