Studio Research Research Articles

Pulp ‐ Studio‐Based Research in Thin‐Shell Cast Paper Structures

This paper reflects upon a sequence of seven research studios, taught within a six-year timespan in three different architecture schools, in which we developed approaches to casting thin-shell (monocoque) paper structures at full scale. Processes of material selection and material harvesting/processing, formwork design and fabrication all informed the formal expression of the shells. In the context of architectural education, fabricating at full-scale can make structural principles accessible, but large constructions can be expensive for students, and can also create unnecessary material waste. This sequence of studios, called PULP, allowed students to fabricate spatial structures at full-scale using materials available at little to no cost. The large structures have the potential to biodegrade completely, creating no landfill waste, and no adverse impact in their final resting place. The dearth of research or precedents in cast‐paper‐as‐structure offers a unique opportunity for novel, basic or “blue skies” research in this area. Processual knowledge gained through leading this studio‐based research over several years has allowed us to focus more recent research on scaling-up and using material combinations and fabrication techniques that are simple and effective. The increasingly focused investigations and larger scale of the paper cast structures in the most recent (last two years of) studio research suggests that there is something like a paper-specific formal vocabulary in thin shell structures.

Upcycling of solid waste for furniture production: an environmentally sustainable solution for waste disposal

Purpose. This study aimed to demonstrate, using studio research approaches, how solid waste in Kumasi Metropolis, Ghana, can be innovatively recycled into aesthetically pleasing and functional furniture pieces as a waste management strategy to achieve environmental sustainability. Results. Environmental sustainability and the economic profitability of solid waste generated during furniture production go hand in hand. By using recycled or reclaimed materials, implementing sustainable production practices and responding to the demand for environmentally friendly products, furniture manufacturers can contribute to a more sustainable future while receiving financial benefits. The study showed that upcycling is an excellent waste management strategy that creative persons and other innovators could use to help in the management of solid waste that have become an environmental nuisance. Also, the study revealed that creative persons could potentially train others in their locality to be more creative-centered so as to innovatively transform solid waste materials into more aesthetically relevant and functional items for environmental sustainability. Scientific novelty. The discarded solid wastes were repurposed to create new, functional and aesthetically pleasing furniture. The process of upcycling not only reduces solid waste but also minimizes the need for raw materials and energy consumption in furniture production. This is a new and an innovative concept in the field of furniture in Ghana. Practical value. Upcycling of solid waste for furniture production in the Kumasi Metropolis offers usable relevance by reducing waste, conserving physical resources, and creating economic opportunities which is mutually beneficial for both the environment and the community. Applying sustainable practices in furniture production can improve the brand image and attract public or consumer attention to environmentally conscious people.

Influence of AEM Model on the Sustainable Development of Traditional Ethnic Handicraft

This study, based on a transcontinental perspective, establishes an AEM model aimed at fostering the sustainable development of ethnic handicrafts. The objective of this model is to facilitate the development of ethnic handicrafts from three dimensions: artistic creation, education, and the market economy, while simultaneously promoting cross-regional integration of ethnic cultures. Throughout the research process, the researcher primarily employed field surveys, literature analysis, and studio research methods.

Photographic Doings: Considering the Force of Photographs in Early Childhood Studio Research

Photographic Doings: Considering the Force of Photographs in Early Childhood Studio Research

Exploring the redesign value of Chinese traditional Auspicious patterns in the context of modern design

Chinese traditional auspicious patterns have a history of thousands of years since primitive times. After the Ming Dynasty, auspicious patterns with multi-element combinations appeared and were widely used in people's lives, but nowadays, their application in life is very scarce. Because their style no longer aligns with the modern aesthetic, they must be redesigned. This paper studies the transformation from traditional Chinese auspicious patterns to modern patterns, mainly using qualitative research, expert interviews, studio research, and questionnaires. The three principles of Chinese traditional auspicious pattern redesign and the APR four-step method summarized in this study can provide a reference value for other auspicious pattern redesigns. It is conducive to their promotion and application to promote the application of auspicious patterns in daily life.

The Influence of the Integration of Transcontinental Traditional Craft on the Development of Ethnic Culture

This paper mainly analyzes the feasibility of the integration of different ethnic traditions from the perspective of transcontinental. The main research object is the weaving and dyeing craft of the Malay, Dong and She ethnic groups. In order to demonstrate the view that "integration of traditional craft has a positive role in promoting the development of national culture", the researcher used field research, literature analysis, studio research, etc., to make a comparative analysis of the dyeing and weaving craft of the Malay, Dong and She ethnic groups. The research shows that there are similarities in the traditional dyeing and weaving processes of these three ethnic groups. No matter the production techniques, pattern elements or color matching, they can be restructured and integrated in the process innovation. Therefore, through the fiber creation experiment, the researcher demonstrated that the application of contemporary art creation concept can not only improve the artistic taste of traditional craft, but also enrich the transmission channels of ethnic culture and enhance the self-confidence of culture. The integration of traditional crafts promotes the political cultural exchanges of different nationalities and promotes the development of ethnic culture.

METASCAPES | ARCHITECTURAL QUESTS IN THE METAVERSE

The paper investigates the appropriateness of CAAD software and computational design tools for the creation of metaverse content along with the workflows and limitations involved. In parallel the research aims to assess the validity of architecture design studio research in the context of the metaverse, and its capability to produce results that justify further explorations in such direction.

Metal Craft Studio Development: An Idea to Prepare a Teaching Factory Education Concept Model in the Craft Education Study Program, Yogyakarta State University

This study aims to prepare a model for the development of a metal craft practice studio which includes space, equipment, maintenance and occupational safety and health. This study uses a qualitative method with research locations in the metal craft studio at P4TK, Vocational High School 5 Yogyakarta, BRTPD Bantul, and the Indonesian Institute of the Arts Surakarta. Research time March-July 2018. Research instruments are interview, observation, and documentation guidelines. The validity of the data used the validity of interview data, observation, and documentation. Data analysis of data collection, data display, data reduction, and drawing conclusions. The expected result of the research is the realization of a Craft Education studio that is representative and relevant to the world of vocational education and the world of the craft industry. The development of Kriya educational studios refers to existing studios in training institutions and vocational schools. The expected product is the formulation of the Craft Education studio as a studio learning guide. The realization of a studio arrangement that makes it easy for users to produce and manage craft studios. The results of this studio research are expected to be used for the development of the Craft Education studio, Faculty of Language and Arts, Yogyakarta State University.

Budaya Berhibur Menerusi Aplikasi Smule Dalam Karya Arca Instalasi

This research project is an interpretation of a societal phenomenon in terms of the culture of using digital application for leisure and entertainment especially regarding the human behaviour and its obsession of using these applications in the social media platforms. This idea was translated by using the idea of an installation of a fabricated sculpture. The idea of how the digital media plays a major role for leisure and its obsession was inspired by the artist Scott Snibbe. This reference includes on how netizens utilize and share their interests and interactions with these digital media, games and other kinds of digital media entertainments. The method used for this practical studio research are through self critical evaluation, studio experimentation and contextual reviews. This research project was intended to contribute to the field of fine arts in terms of collecting symbolic visual narratives and its issues of the collective culture in regarding of leisure and entertainment and its popularity as a life style today. With hope this research project will give a major impact in terms of understanding towards its trend and the digital entertainment itself. The variation, the ever changing content of its application has impacted the popular culture itself through its spirit and behaviour, the wants and needs projected by the new expression of consumerism.

'Floating Public Space for Birds: Design Research and Prototype Fabrication in Haliç

Purpose This text intends to discuss the outcome of the graduate design studio titled ‘hydrophilic structures’. Studio research is organized on two primary axis; revealing the potentials of floating spaces as an extension of public spaces on one hand, and digital design and fabrication technologies for prototyping on the other. Concepts such as floating structures, water interaction and public space may initially refer to human utilization however, non-human living organisms are critical for their decisive role on the qualities of the water and the urban environment. Design/Methodology/Approach Design of floating structures and water interaction had been a niche inside the traditional culture and practice of architectural design, whereas design and production skills in connection with water had historically developed mostly in the field of engineering and transportation. Floating structures and their potential for unconventional spatial experiences have recently engaged in the focus of contemporary design culture, mainly due to the increasing density and lack of public spaces on the land. Findings The proposal, designed through computational tools and fabricated through robotic technology, concentrates on various ways of interaction with water and acknowledge research on the spatial requirements for the birds, as the users of space. Research Limitations/Implications Fabrication of the floating prototype is assumed as a primary target for its observation potential enabling an original discussion of the design parameters for bird species. Limitations of the existing fabrication tools and sustainability of the practically available materials were assumed to be out of the scope of this study. Social/Practical Implications Design-research presented here covers principal case-studies of floating spaces, the buoyancy principles, material tests and essential variables of ecological dynamics in Halic as a general framework. Originality/Value The subsequent prototype serves for a specific bird population utilizing Halic as a part of their life cycle, rather than human utilization.

Between Borders and Bodies: Revealing the Architectures of Immigration Detention

Canada has adopted stricter immigration policies within the last thirty years, which criminalize forced migrants. This has resulted in the construction of immigration holding centers (IHCs), buildings built exclusively for the detainment of undocumented individuals. As part of a directed design studio research project, the Laval IHC in Quebec, Canada, was examined by reconstructing government-issued design guidelines obtained using public access to information requests. The resultant project employs architectural documents as evidence to rebuild the interior spaces of the building through conventional tools of architectural representation, such as drawing, photography, and physical and computer modeling. By unveiling architectures shrouded in secrecy, this article illustrates how the design of these infrastructures legitimizes the narrative that undocumented migrants are “illegal” and should be incarcerated.

Visualising Home in Australia


 
 
 In Visualizing home in Australia, I describe my studio research and how I develop my artworks in relation to my experience of migration, displacement and my idea of home. Being an Iranian in Australia, my experience of displacement does not cause me to think of returning to my homeland in the future. Instead, being a migrant here evokes the idea of home, and brings my attention to my everyday life and how repetition in daily household tasks can bring the idea of home into practice.
 I refer to the use of handwriting and screen- printing in my artworks to reflect my idea of the physical impact of displacement on my ideas and personality. Through analyzing my artworks, I explain that my engagement with the process of screen- printing and handwriting reminds me of the early days of settling into life in Australia and learning English, and how these two expressive tools brought my attention to something still, a personal silence, determination and satisfaction in exploring and finding my ideas.
 
 

Multifunctional Product Design Concept in Mixed-Media Textile Lampshades

Ghanaian society and the world at large have shown a strong interest in the use of lampshades with evidence from hotels and residential dwellings. Table-top Lampshades direct the rays of light to make sight easier for reading whereas bedside lampshades provide romantic illumination and beautification in bedrooms. This art studio research sought to examine lampshades on Ghanaian market; their qualities, significance, shortcomings, etc. as the basis to design and produce inventive lampshades for private and public use. The study was conducted at an art studio condition using Practice-based research design method. Findings show that lampshades serve functional and aesthetic significance in public dwellings and the hospitality industry. Nonetheless, available lampshades on the Ghanaian market lack the multifunctional property as well as a local touch which arguably makes them misfit in Ghanaian context in terms of usage. The innovative results of the studio-produced lampshades revealed the possibility of creating symbolic and multifunctional lampshades which suit specific space and tradition. The study recommends the adoption of such innovative design approach in the creation of interior design and decoration artefacts for residential and public edifices.

Soliloquies: A Movement-based Approach towards Beckett’s Waiting for Godot

The research entitled “Soliloquies: a movement-based approach towards Beckett’s Waiting for Godot” examines my understanding of the play, which is manifested in the form of a dance piece along with a writing component. The conceptual foreground is drawn from the circumstantial analysis of a duality of human’s strategies confronting the difficult situation in their waits. “Waiting for Godot” (WfG), the biggest iconic of modern theatre, is the baseline to address the pragmatic understanding towards human condition and human self-reflection. The research aims to discover an alternative way bringing the abstract concept of human condition into a tacit understanding of the dance performance as well as the writing component. Both literary investigation and artistic-based research are processed simultaneously to discover the coherence, through which the creative process would find the equilibrium in both practical and academic. The observation of WfG’s dramatic tension leads the choreographic process in focusing kinesthetic exploration to represent ‘body and mind’. The idea is manifested through the dance performance entitled “Soliloquies”, which uses the presence of Balinese and Javanese elements as a starting point as well as the development of individual aesthetic experiences of the dancers. The results of the research generate distinctive movement vocabularies to convey its choreographic structure, while they also challenge an intercultural dialogue in the process of studio research. It draws the conclusion that such investigation could articulate the manifestation of movement-based approach towards Beckett’s WfG, that is the absurd of human condition. It also brings out a hermeneutic sphere in the art process, which works for me, as a female Indonesian dancer, to reconstruct identity within Indonesia contemporary state.

Contemporary landscape urbanism principles as innovative methodologies: the design of an armature of public spaces for the revitalisation of a shrinking city

<p>This paper explores the potentials of a series of Landscape Urbanism strategies for the revitalisation of a 'shrinking city', through the construction of an armature of public spaces and the reactivation of collective activities and social encounters. Looking through a series of theoretical approaches and case studies, mostly associated with Landscape Urbanism theory, this paper looks for typical interventions in the design of public spaces in a pattern of decreased socioeconomic activities. In addition, the paper provides an original contribution in the form of a review of a Studio research project developed during a Master of Science in Architecture and Urban Design at Columbia University, New York, in 2008. In more detail, the first part of the paper introduces the theme of shrinking cities with a series of theoretical approaches and a toolkit of possible interventions. The theoretical approaches derive from a new consideration of the contemporary city in the light of its spatial morphology. This is described through an excursus of previous studies and contributions to the analysis of the urban form and to the change of state that many cities are experiencing together with the decaying of their economic activities. A few case studies, beginning with the project by Oswald Mathias Ungers on the city of Berlin, further explore the role of open, 'left over spaces' in providing opportunities for a networked system of public spaces in contemporary urban conditions. The last part of the paper introduces a series of strategies that respond to similar situations on Governors Island, in New York, and the small town of Cohoes, in the State of New York. In particular, in the case of Cohoes, the proposal looks for opportunities in the existing downtown area- and articulates a series of strategies focused on the reprogramming and conversion of the existing 'left-over' open spaces- to turn them into 'public spaces'. These mechanisms aim to trigger several micro processes within the project, in order to follow through on the shrinking pattern in a positive, ecologic way. The last part of the paper offers a critique of the theories and case studies analysed, using these case studies as a way to test the theories already reviewed. Moreover, the conclusions introduce some definitions of networks from the theory of Space Syntax. In this way, the paper offers itself as a theoretical tool for the approach to shrinking cities and their evolutionary patterns through the design of an armature of public spaces.</p>

“Camera Eye”: Cinematic Studio Research into Architectural Practice

ABSTRACTThis article deals with the process and results of an experimental research studio called “Camera Eye,” which has been conceived and executed at the Faculty of Architecture of the Delft University of Technology. This project departed from the presupposition that the relationship between architecture and film often has been construed through a very narrow window. The main issue at stake is that too often the emphasis lies on the differences between these two modes of expression. This essay elaborates on three vital errors in reasoning, each generating a number of consequences that bifurcate into the realms of philosophy, media theory, filmmaking and, ultimately, architecture itself. The first misconception is that of overrated medium specificity, which addresses media on their strengths and not on their weaknesses. Second comes the fallacy of shallowness, which prevents research looking for the real common denominators and thus remaining superficial and meaningless. The third delusion is that of the myth of representation, which contains critical flaws as it disregards the irreducibility of the complexity of reality. The description of the studio work offers some suggestions on how to reboot these misconceptions and demonstrates the effectiveness of “cinematic thinking” in architectural research.

Embodying the dynamics of the five elements: A practice dialogue between Body-Mind Centering® and Tibetan Buddhist philosophy

This article presents a contemplative dance/movement research practice, based in the somatic approach of Body-Mind Centering® (BMCSM), exploring the dynamics of the five elements (space, air, fire, water and earth) according to Tibetan Buddhist philosophy. This research practice is a component of the author's current doctoral study in performance, which includes a dialogue between Tibetan Buddhist perspectives on the dynamics of the body's formation, and the BMC approach to embodied embryology. The article briefly outlines the significance of embryology as a field of study within BMC and Tibetan Buddhism, and introduces the Buddhist pedagogical model of the three prajnas as a framework for experiential research. It describes a research methodology in which dance/movement practice, and the direct kinaesthetic experience of dance/movement practitioners, is the site of investigation, suggesting movement research as a method of both bringing theory into physical practice and generating theory from that practice. The final section details the studio research practice itself, including an introduction to the dynamics of the five elements, examples of how these were investigated in movement research, and excerpts from participants' reflective writing.

Recent Research in Applied Studio Instruction: Evaluation and Assessment

The purpose of this paper, the third in what has become a three-part series, is to examine recently published research in the area of assessment and present findings across an international platform in the context of the applied studio. In keeping with Kennell’s (2002) work, previous research can still be grouped across several broad categories: the roles of student and teacher, their behaviors, their interactions, and evaluation. Research conducted in the 21st century can still be categorized loosely into these strands which, for the purposes of this series, have been clustered into three papers. The first paper (Parkes, 2009) examined characteristics of the applied setting and shared the work of several researchers (eg, Burwell, 2006; Colprit, 2000; Duke, 1999/2000; Duke & Simmons, 2006; Fredrickson, 2007; Gaunt, 2008; Kurkul, 2007; Laukka, 2004; Mills & Smith, 2003). The second paper, (Parkes, 2010a) focused on the use of practice in the applied studio (eg, Barry & Hallam, 2002; Byo & Cassidy, 2008; Jorgensen, 2002; Jorgensen & Lehmann, 1997; Kostka, 2002; Lehmann & Davidson, 2006; Madsen, 2004; Maynard, 2006; Miksza, 2006; Nielsen, 2001, 2008). This third and final paper examines a body of research concerning the use of assessment and evaluation in the applied studio. Additionally, several authors (Bennett & Stanberg, 2006; Fallin & Garrison, 2005; Parncutt, 2007; Sinsabaugh, 2007) have recently highlighted a more collaborative approach to the current modus operandi of the applied studio. There has been some interest (Parkes, 2011, in press) in the dual roles that applied teachers undertake as performers and/or teachers which will also be explored in this paper in summary of the applied studio setting. Recommendations for the future of applied studio research will also be given. In preparing this extensive literature review for the three articles, relevant works published in English language journals were chosen to be represented, along with salient dissertations, and many databases were utilized, for example but not limited to; Academic Search Complete, Cambridge Journals Online, EBSCOhost, JSTOR, and SAGE.

Doctoralness in the Balance: The Agonies of Scholarly Writing in Studio Research Degrees

According to a canon that developed unchallenged for a very long time, academic research exists in fields of knowing and proof. It is identified most memorably and with the greatest severity in the physical sciences, which establish facts on the basis of observation, very often extending to empirical experiment, where circumstances are carefully created and controlled, and tests are reliably designed around an unsolved question. This method is reflected in the social sciences, which describe, quantify and model social phenomena - economic or behavioural - without experiment but with the same code of measurable rigour. The humanities, which are by and large non-quantitative and definitely present a greater kinship with the creative arts in their cultural subject matter and often in the ideological spirit of their contentions, also cleave closely to the motif of knowing and proof. Disciplines like philosophy, history and languages interpret and argue with the support of sources; a thesis in the field is held to be defensible when its conclusions and methods withstand the contrary argument.

Concrete abstractions — a Della Volpean perspective on studio practice as research

The Ph.D. in Studio Practice at the University of Leeds was set up on broadly Della Volpean lines. The programme is intended to embody and enable the dialectical interrelation of practical theory and theoretical practice so as to recognize the concrete materiality of studio practice as research, rather than envisaging studio work existing with an (often) under-theorized theory of theory ‘bolted on’ as cognitive support or intellectual crutch. The aim was to create an experimental space for high-level studio research, where the research-as-artwork would be recognized as cognitively equivalent, if methodologically and generically distinct, from research in other doctoral areas where the textual is the norm. This is not of course to preclude that a studio practice might indeed be primarily ‘textual’, but merely to emphasize the dialectics at play. In this conception, the work of the Italian philosopher Galvano Della Volpe (1895–1968) has served as a very useful methodological mentor. Della Volpe's work, mostly untranslated into English, encompassed three interrelating fields: moral philosophy, philosophical logic, and materialist aesthetics. The author takes the interrelations amongst these apparently discrete areas as paradigmatic of a method of conceiving studio work as material practice, on a par with, if distinct from, other epistemological areas such as the sciences.