CHARRETTE SIMULACARUMTHE OBJECT OF THIS CHARRETTE WEEK WAS TO PRODUCE AN EXHIBITION OF WORK IN THE FORM OF A SIMULACRUM. BY TAKING IMPRINTS FROM AREAS AROUND NEWCASTLE SUCH AS THE COAST, AND HISTORICAL AREAS, WE WOULD BE MAKING PLASTER CAST BRICKS WHICH WOULDWOULD THEN BE ASSEMBLED INTO AN EXHIBITION PIECE. I WAS PART OF A GROUP WHO WENT TO HISTORICAL AREAS, SUCH AS ST. NICHOLAS CATHEDRAL AND CASTLE KEEP. ONCE IMPRINTS WERE DONE, BRICK MOULDS WERE MADE AND PLASTER WAS POURED IN AND ALLOWED TO SET. MY GROUPGROUP WANTED TO PORTRAY THE ELABO-RATE ARCHWAYS OF THE HISTORICAL SITES WE VISITED SO CHOSE TO CREATE AN ARCHWAY OUT OF BRICKS WHICH CAN BE SEEN. THE EXHIBITION PIECE WAS A WALL, COMPROMISING OF OVER 200 BRICKS. THE WALL WAS A CAVITY WALL WITH TWO LEAFS. I LEARNT ABOUT VARI-OUS THINGS DURING THIS WEEK SUCH AS AN UNDERSTANDING OF CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES AND TYPES. AFTER THE WEEK HAD ENDED THE WALL WAS DISMANTLED AND BRICKS ARE STILL ON SHOW.

IMPRINTING CASTING ASSEMBLY

A ROOM BEYOND THE FRAMEAN ARTISTS STUDIO FOR DE HOOCHLOCATION - AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDSBRIEFYOUYOU ARE REQUIRED TO DESIGN A NEW ROOM BEYOND THE FRAME OF THE EXISTING PAINTING. IT SHOULD BE LOCATED ADJACENT TO THE FRAGMENT OF THE PAINTING YOU ARE STUDYING. YOU SHOULD TREAT THE PAINTING AS AN INITIAL STATE FROM WHICH TO BEGIN, DESIGNING FROM THE INFOR-MATION YOU FIND HERE. THE EXERCISE ASSUMES THAT THE SPATIAL QUALITIES FOUND IN THE ORIGINAL PAINTING WOULDWOULD BE ACTUALIZED IN THE ROOM BEYOND THE FRAME. THE NEW ROOM WILL BE A ‘PAINTING ROOM’ OR STUDIO WHERE DE HOOCH MIGHT WORK AND EXHIBIT HIS PAINTINGS. IT WILL HAVE A MAXIMUM FLOOR AREA OF 18 SQ. METRES. THE HEIGHT OF THIS SPACE WILL DEPEND ON THE HEIGHT OF THE HOUSE YOU HAVE STUDIED. IT WILL HAVE GOOD NATU-RAL DAYLIGHT, ALTHOUGH NOT EXCESSIVE. THE SIZE AND STYLE OF THE WINDOWS (AND DOORS) IS UP TO YOU BUT THEY NEED TO BE DESIGNED. YOU WILL ALSO NEED TO SUG-GEST WHAT FINISHES ARE ON THE WALLS, FLOORS, AND CEIL-INGS.

PROJECT ASSESSMENTTHIS WAS THE FIRST DESIGN PROJECT OF THE YEAR WHERE WE WERE REQUIRED TO DESIGN A PAINTING ROOM BY LOOK-ING AT A PIETER DE HOOCH PAINTING. I STRUGGLED AT FIRST TO BE ABLE TO GET CONCEPTUAL IDEAS FROM THE PAINTING HOWEVER AS GROUP WORK PROGRESSED I GAINED A BETTER UNDERSTANDING. I HAVE DONE A LOT OF MODEL-LING BEFORE, HOWEVER USING LOTS OF CAD AND CAM, SO USING SCALPELS AND HAND CUTTING MODELS WAS A BIT OF A CHALLENGE TO GET NEAT MODELS TO START OFF WITH. AFTER SOME PRACTISE I FELT I GOT THE HANG OF IT AND IT HAS BEEN LARGELY BENEFICIAL TO THE LAST 2 PROJECTS.