3D digital modelling, fabrication and installation for understanding space and place

Traditionally the teaching of history or theory on art and design courses often takes place in a lecture theatre. Space and place theory is integral to informing the practice led and practice-based experiences in architecture, interior and the built environment. The research team has investigated how digital modeling, fabrication and population tools can enhance the understanding of current theoretical debates surrounding space and place. The aim is to integrate inter-disciplinary practice allowing us to address key research questions relating to the emergence of digital fabrication and its potential impact upon art and design education. The purpose is to provide an engaging and informative situated display, offering an experiential and intuitive frame of reference for constructing and placing objects, activities or events into their spatial context. The research has potential to act as an integrative experiential framework through which we can learn more about different contexts or connections between themes or theories which provides a deeper understanding of space or place. In this new work with Taylor, Benincasa, and Unver evolve their practice through translating 3D research data for a series of new digital and physical experiments intended for enhancing or informing teaching and learning in art, design & architecture. The researchers experimented with a range of 3D software and the functionality of different tool parameters. Fabrication apps and 3D crowd simulation animation tools were used for the first time in this research to explore digital fabrication using cardboard in order to compose and construct 2D and 3D physical simulations of this well-known built environment in the landscape. The fabricated physical cardboard models we produced were located in studio spaces and 3D visual projection live drawing experiences were tested with students and staff working together. The 2D and 3D simulations that the team envisioned are both digital and real; and when installed facilitate a more kinesthetic experience of learning as students are able to create together, and interact with fabricated structures. This evolving research demonstrates how these 3D models, animations and fabrications have the potential to be used together as a catalyst to explore multiple projections of space, place identities, historical and cultural built environment concepts for art, design and architecture students at undergraduate and postgraduate level

Architectural Nous: How York Wrote its Identity Through Architecture During the 1951 Festival of Britain

Architectural nous: How York wrote their identity through architecture, during the 1951 Festival of Britain. York Festival was three years in the planning and held over two weeks in June 1951 as the city’s contribution to the nationwide call to celebrate the 1951 Festival of Britain. This paper looks at how York’s Festival Committee and Corporation actively used architecture to articulate ideas about its identity of place. The study will argue that York used the built environment in a number of ways during its Festival; it celebrated its ancient architectural heritage as a backdrop for events, used the Festival as a catalyst to speed up the restoration of one Georgian and one Victorian building and commissioned two sets of housing stock for its residents, which were in keeping with surrounding Georgian architecture in one case and gave a nod to Modernism in the other. York’s Festival Director, Keith Thompson planned to attract ‘five or more of the world’s leading architects’ to play a part in the Festival. He recognised the value of York’s ancient buildings but was keen to dispel the idea that York was a city stuck in ‘951’, so this paper uses minutes, planning notes and newspaper reports from the period 1948-1951 to show that York’s use of and attitude towards architecture in their Festival of Britain celebrations was centred around the present at the very least, but also to its future

What do they think? A potential research methodology for understanding identities of place from a community perspective

This research speculates that bringing together established and emerging research methodologies from brand ethnography, product design and community history could be beneficial to researchers working to understand communities’ relationships to place making and the unmaking of place The user as consultant or subject for observation is not new. Sensorial ethnographic data capture (Pink, 2013) and user-centered research methodologies for co-design are rich, efficient ways of capturing, interpreting and applying real-world strategies for responsive design iterations; work by Cooper & Press, IDEO, RCA and Huddersfield University Product Design students and staff attest to this. In the field of community history, collaboration known as co-production enables data capture strategies and their outcomes to become anterior to the historian (Lloyd & Moore and Pente et Al, 2015). A given community can negotiate what the outcome of their participatory research will be, e.g. digital oral histories, an exhibition, a publication. So what might this hybrid methodology look like? Researcher(s) could brief the user-community as to what they need to find out, but the methodology and output be negotiated between the parties involved. Researchers may need to re-present the data in alternative formats for post research analysis, for clients and other audiences. Academics and agencies working with(in) any community bring ethical parameters in to play. Some ethical and social issues can be anticipated but others may emerge and will need to be responsively negotiated and reflected upon (Banks & Manners, 2012). Within a built environment context where place making or unmaking data is sought from a user-community, a research methodology that melds co-design and co-production might be more efficacious than more common methodologies such as observations, questionnaires, focus groups or interviews. It is hypothesized that this hybrid methodology could empower the subject to communicate with less constraints, allowing for richer and thicker meanings to emerge

Material shifts in praxis: Projections of digital humanities embodied within space and place

The essential problem of man in a computerized age remains the same as it has always been. That problem is not to solely how to be more productive, more comfortable, more content, but how to be more sensitive, more proportionate, more alive (Cousins,1966). Through communication in physical proximity; the researchers’ experienced human connexions exploring the interplay between the real and the virtual. And these connexions became the potentiality of co-creative spaces, opening us to see, reflect and make new opportunities for exploring and developing innovative approaches. Therefore we experienced a deeper inquiry into encountering the relationships between theory and practice led research methodologies and pedagogic praxis in and across art, design & architecture. “For art practices to be considered research, artists-theorists need to engage directly with theoretical concerns that can be investigated in studio contexts as well as through other mediated forms and methods” (Sullivan, 2005) As a playful testament to the rapidly changing digital landscape, as practitioners, we observed a nascent desire to visualise our ever-evolving digital society. In this Transitional setting for Re-thinking Textiles and Surfaces; Taylor, Unver and Benincasa-Sharman, share evolving specular projections of praxis through re-transitions of megalithic materials, pre-historic digital surfaces, historical contexts, space and place theories, archive point cloud data, human population tools and 3D fabrication. “The question persists and indeed grows whether the computer will make it easier or harder for human beings to know who they really are, to identify their real problems, to respond more fully to beauty, to place adequate value on life, and to make their world safer than it now is.” (Cousins, 1966) References: Cousins, N.(1966).The Poet and the Computer. In Pylyshyn, Z.W., & Bannon, L. (Eds.) Perspectives on the Computer Revolution. Intellect Books, 1989. Sullivan, G.(2005). Art Practice as Research. Inquiry in the Visual Arts. Sage, 2005

Populating Praxis of Place, Stonehenge: An Interdisciplinary Collaboration

This presentation, discussed the potential and efficacy of undertaking a praxis based methodology to investigate a combination of new Computer Aided Design tools to teach theoretical concepts related to space and place making. Traditionally, History and Theoretical teaching takes place in a lecture theatre with students viewing 2D images. The use of the population tool in 3D Studio Max and 123D Make were discussed in the light of making an animated film, and 3D ½ scale representation of a trilith from Stonehenge. Testing phases of the animation, trilith manufacture and student feedback were discussed. The interdisciplinary team concluded that this kinaesthetic and holistic pedagogy was appropriate in the teaching of place making and suggested further contexts of use

Visualising & Animating Vectorthotic Products

Healthy Step has a successful foot orthotics and rehabilitation range. The company currently one of main manufacturer of a number of products and sells through distributers through them to the NHS. There is a growing area of business in the private market and internet (direct to the patient) sales. There is a perceived opportunity to develop a new brand of devices based upon the existing range that: • quality and performance – and would therefore carry a higher price point • available to clinics and clinicians – allowing clinics to set their own prices and be unaffected by Healthy Step’s direct to patient internet sales. • Focus on the business aspirations of the clinician and/or their practice. • Allowing them to realise greater profit by “selling”/prescribing quality, branded, performance devices that deliver adaptable clinical treatments with a quality retail feel and offering. The Company recently invested in a new mid range 3D printing machine to be used for mass customised product development and employed a Product Design placement student to further develop the services they offer. They also are keen to further develop 3D visualization of the web presence and exhibition through 3D Animation and Design visualisation

Design and Development of Alternative Vectorthotic Insole: Technical Report

This CVF funded product design and development project for orthotic range aspires to be as effective as a functional foot orthotic. It is adaptable and customisable to meet the needs of the busy clinical environment as an off the shelf solution. Healthy Step has a successful foot orthotics and rehabilitation range. There is a growing area of business in the private market and internet sales. There is a perceived opportunity to develop a new brand of devices based upon the existing range that: • Exude quality and performance – and would therefore carry a higher price point • Are only available to clinics and clinicians – allowing clinics to set their own prices and be unaffected by Healthy Step’s direct to patient internet sales. • Are not available direct to the patients. • Focus on the business aspirations of the clinician and/or their practice. • Allowing them to realise greater profit by “selling”/prescribing quality, branded, performance devices that deliver adaptable clinical treatments with a quality retail feel and offering. Heel, ball and arch orthotic components of the existing vectorthotic were improved during the this project. Completion was a great live experience for the team although some issue with the printing tolerances as it had an impact on the first phase of iterations especially the snap fit parts of the orthotic but with product testing and feedback from the client these were overcome. The project resulted the company investing in a mid range 3D printing device and relevant software & hardware,an a placement student. They also start offering customized products and bespoke 3D printing services to their customers

Digital sculpting for historical representation: Neville tomb case study

Despite digital 3-D polygon modelling applications providing a common and powerful tool-set for archaeological, architectural and historical visualisation over recent years, the relatively recent developments in high-resolution sculpting software allow for the possibility to create digital outcomes with a degree of surface fidelity not previously obtainable from the more widely used poly-modelling software packages. Such digital sculpting applications are more commonly applied within the video games and TV/motion picture industries, the intention of this paper is to show how such tools and methodologies together with existing scanned data and some historical knowledge can remediate and re-imagine lost sculptural form. The intended research will focus on an examination and partial re-construction of the tomb of Sir John Neville, 3rd Baron Raby located at Durham Cathedral, County Durham UK

The 1951 Festival of Britain: A Northern Perspective

A discussion of the types of events that the cities of York, Leeds, Manchester, Liverpool and Hull chose to explore for their own celebrations of the Festival of Britain and some of the rivalries that ensued

Signposts: The Festival of Britain 1951

A critical overview of available research material for the scholar or interested reader on the 1951 Festival of Britai