Color Week

Color week (also known as color bootcamp) was an exciting week of learning about color alignment and creating compositions using 220 hues of Color-Aid paper. 

The colorful hallway: classmates' work on display

2 colors with a middle mix in between 

2 "overlapping" colors and their middle mix

4 colors with a shade in the center and their middle mixes

After the first two compositions, I got used to cutting the color-aid paper and learned how to dry mount; my craft improved a lot. 

3 triangles with their three-way mix

Color Palette

An abstract, artistic composition of spring, summer, fall and winter using the colors from my palette.

my body of work from the week

Nigeria and Social Media

When you think of social media, you usually do not think of Nigeria.  However, Nigeria is perhaps equally affected by social media as many of the more developed countries.  In fact, there are over 1 million active Nigerian Facebook users, including the Nigerian president.  A site called newint.org  states the Nigerian social media status like this: “To put social media into Nigeria’s context, it is important to note that out of a population of around 150 million, between 70 and 80 per cent of people live on $1 a day. Around 43 million people in Nigeria – almost a third – are estimated to have access to the internet. However, this figure doesn’t break down into those who have internet access at home or at work and those who occasionally use it in public cafés. Nor does it correlate with the numbers living on $1 a day or the literacy rate of 50 per cent.”  Contrary to this poverty-stricken demographic, there has been a “blackberry buzz”, where Nigerians popularized gaining access to social networking sites on their cell phones, much like most of America. Several online articles showed the areas social media affects the most.  Most Nigerian students have Facebook pages, and a concern continues to be its detrimental effect on education. A site called allafrica.com posted an article stating that the social networking craze “if left unchecked could further affect an already collapsed education system.” Another site notes the significance of social media in Nigerian elections, political parties using Facebook and Twitter to promote certain candidates. This without a doubt shows social media’s impact on individual countries and the world. 

http://allafrica.com/stories/201010040385.html

http://www.newint.org/blog/majority/2010/10/21/use-and-abuse-of-social-media-in-nigerian-elections/

http://mobilitynigeria.com/2010/12/28/mobile-phones-and-social-media/

Reading Response 3

Blog Post 3: 10 Architectural Ideas Applied to UNCG's Campus

In class we analyzed the Xianyang Palace and the Acropolis in Greece for ideas of space, power, experience, precedence, principles, site, order, scale, technology and surface. These Architectural concepts can also be applied to UNCG's architecture.

SPACE
UNCG is a collection of many buildings laid out in a very functional arrangement, with many parks and green areas in between buildings which gives students the feeling that they are in nature while still being on campus. Many smaller buildings rather than a few large buildings shows the idea that the university values each academic school and major equally by giving each school their own building. There are clearly certain zones of buildings throughout the campus, with all residence halls generally in one location, most academic buildings off of College Ave. , Sports courts and fields in one area, and perhaps the most common buildings (Jackson Library, EUC, and dining hall) in the same central location.

POWER

Hierarchy is definitely seen with the Jackson Library, being the tallest building on campus. This shows that knowledge is the first priority of the university. The EUC is also a good example of power due to its large size compared to the other buildings on campus. This shows that community is important to the university as well.

 

Photo Credit: carolinianonline.com

EXPERIENCE

At the Main entrances of UNCG, you see the university seal of a spartan head that is very ornamented on an engraved brick and stone wall. This shows a visitor two important bits of information: when the university was founded and what our mascot is. This formal entrance also gives a good first impression to anyone coming into the university. The portion of Spring Garden Street going through campus shows off the more ornamental buildings, such as Curry and the Foust building. The views of these landmark buildings shows off the history of the university and contributes to the experience one has when coming to UNCG.

PRECEDENCE

I learned that many of the buildings of UNCG such as the Curry and Forney buildings are true to Neo-Claudian style. This is appropriate because it is a Greek influence and this is a major theme, our mascot being a Spartan. I also think about how the buildings are spread out, being a complex rather than singular buildings. The Acropolis could have been and an early influence for these complex-style institutions.

PRINCIPLES

The main purpose of UNCG is to provide education/give knowledge to its students, and the architecture reflects this. Most importantly with a centrally located library and easy access to academic buildings by way of College Ave. The closeness of the residence halls as well as the centrally located EUC promotes community.

SITE

The site of UNCG is very important, located in close proximity to five other colleges. Since Greensboro is the 3rd largest city in North Carolina and UNCG is located in the downtown area, the urban location is important to student life. The expanse of green area at UNCG within the city acts as a green oasis and promotes preserving nature and sustainability.

ORDER

Order is seen again with the proximity and scale of the Jackson Library as well as other landmarks on campus. The height of Minerva overlooking the campus shows her importance and implies the meaning and significance of wisdom to the university. The "zones" of certain types of buildings mentioned earlier also contributes to order.

SCALE

The campus is perhaps the most intimate in the quad and residence hall area, promoting community. The EUC also promotes an intimate gathering place by providing a space for many functions within the same building. On the contrary, the size of the EUC entrance hall is grand and impressive and implies that is a main area of ceremony and important functions. 

TECHNOLOGY

Technology is what sets UNCG apart from many other buildings and makes the university what it is. Many of the newer buildings on campus are sustainable or "green" buildings such as the new Jefferson Suites, the new School of Education building, and the Gatewood studio. Green building is a key priority to the university for staying up-to-date with current technology as well as being an example for other buildings in the area. 

SURFACE

A variety of surfaces are utilized for buildings at UNCG. Many buildings are brick, old and new. Some buildings incorporate stone which gives them a very distinguished appearance. Perhaps the most stark contrast for building surfaces on campus is the original Jackson Library compared to the new tower addition. This shows the transformation as well as the concept of old vs. new throughout UNCG. 

Light Box

Our assignment for this project was to make a five-sided box (12x12x18") with one side open for viewing. By using a remote light source that shines through a series of openings in the box, we were to create a pattern of light [illuminated space] within the box that divided it into four parts. We were then told to articulate and modulate the planes of light using bristol board or bamboo skewers to reinforce or compliment the illuminated spaces. 

I approached this project by experimenting with cutting alternating notches on the top and sides of my box. I wanted to create 4 fields of light that would be projected on both the walls and floor of the space, to think three-dimensionally. Into the project I realized that smaller notches worked better and created sharper and more defined areas of light, so I taped over the larger notches I originally cut. This also made the edges of the foam core more defined. I used bamboo skewers to suggest the idea of columns in the space, which aided in the simple, minimalistic feel I was going for. I wanted the bamboo "columns" to look grand in height so I made my scale figure accordingly.

Final Project with scale figure

first introducing skewers to define the space

Box with original slits and non-point source lighting

The original slits

The starting point

Blog Post 2: Circles, Groves, and Stacks

On Friday we took a class trip to observe architecture around campus in order to locate objects, spaces, buildings, and places in the shapes of circles, groves and stacks. We learned that repetition of these elements leads to principles of contrast, emphasis, unity, harmony, balance, and proportion.

Curry

The Curry building has windows that are grouped in pairs, relating to the idea of groves. Columns emulate human forms. The Curry building is also symmetrical which contributes to the idea of balance. Repetition of columns leads to harmony.

Alumni House

The Alumni House has many examples of stacks. The brick facade is an example of stacks as well as the shutters and stairs. The Alumni House also has columns which relate to human forms. There is symmetry in this building as well, giving balance. 

Faculty Center

The faculty center also has columns, relating to groves and human forms. We also learned about porticos and the idea of a transitional space- which is a feature of the Faculty Center. 

Jackson Library

The tower addition to the back of the Jackson Library is another example of stacking. This could be symbolic of gathering resources, which would be appropriate for a library where many resources are found.

EUC- Back Entrance

EUC-Front Entrance

There were many examples of circles in the EUC. Circles are symbolic of the sun, the moon, and unity. The EUC seems to be a good place for there to be a symbol of unity, since it is a main gathering place for students in the UNCG community. The placement if these circles at both entrances as well as the circle of windows in the ceiling gives an open, airy feeling when you walk in.

A main idea we were to consider was do environments influence rituals or do rituals influence environments. I believe that these elements of circles, groves, and stacks and their surrounding environments influence the rituals that happen within them. An element was put into place based on the function it was intended to serve, for example circles indicating sacred spots.

Reading Response 2

New Blog Header

I decided to do a hand-drawn blog header because I am not yet comfortable with Photoshop or other similar programs and I thought this would be a good opportunity to work on my drawing as well. I have always loved to create and doodle patterns when I get bored so I thought why not invent a pattern that represents myself as a designer. I have always loved damask-style patterns that are very elegant and classic but this pattern is very whimsical and fun to me which could describe myself as well. I was inspired by the pattern on my comforter in my room but I decided to do my own take on a damask pattern. The Lucinda Handwriting font was the most appealing to me on Microsoft Word probably because it is very pretty yet casual at the same time. It reminds me somewhat of my own cursive handwriting, which I thought would be a good reflection of myself.