On Disassembly

The habitat is now fully dis-assembled back to its three basic parts: bamboo, fabric, and sisal rope. The Fabric will be donated next week to SU's printmaking program, and the bamboo and rope will be composted - with a few pieces here and there going to become walking sticks and a flute or two. While there was waste and scraps, we did our best to minimize this, and it is nice to see that some of the materials will have a new beginning at the end of our project. 

Final Photos

In Case You Missed it...

What it was like inside:

Reflection on Interviews

I did not expect to be so inspired by the interviews or discussion that we were able to have with people about our habitat. Without asking lead-in questions people's answers embodied much of the experience we were gesturing towards with our design. People also had constructive things to say about the ricketyness of the structure that made them less likely to lean or go in it. This will encourage us making sure the form is secure if up in the future. Hearing people affirmatively say that they would use the habitat if it were on campus makes me want to provide it to them. I recall someone even saying that it would help them relieve stress. If there were multiple structures around campus this would even allow for more people to take time during there busy days to relax and focus on something really simple. Hearing people talk about the structure was also really great to hear because its really cool to know that other people can and do appreciate things in the contemplative realm. I think part of this is helped by the fact that it does not look like your average zendo or chapel. Instead, it is quite unknown, yet the gesture is what leads the person to a contemplative type of practice. People's enthusiasm on campus gets me excited.

Reflection on Location

I think that using cues in the natural environment as ways to create a space can be really genuine gestures and make someone feel safe and protected. We notice that our piece is kind of secretive but i enjoy that because that makes it a different and more unique experience for someone using it. We would like everyone to use it, but I don't think that people would if it was simply out in the open. From a distance the habitat is actually hard to scout out and this was proven when asking people if they had seen the structures on the grass and them saying no. I think this is also an example of sustainability as we are using the outdoors at no expense to them in order to create a space as oppose to manufacturing and taking energy from another. This may be something that can get overlooked but may be considered in other definition of sustainability. I think had we not had those trees at Smith the project would not have been as successful.

Projection and Our Video

Here is a link to our sky video's. Nicholas and Yao also contributed to this part of the structure, and became part of the meditation habitat community. We don't have good quality video's of the live projection that do it justice. 

framing the sky: sky videos

With our sky video's we were intending to have people pay pointed awareness to the screen while still having an open awareness for the sky around them. This helped me the meaning of these two different types of focus. It is almost like this structure strikes some sort of balance or middle path. 

Observations on Usage

We were not at our site the entire time that it was up, so it is slightly hard to gauge the amount of people who entered our piece. However, when we were on site we noticed that the attraction towards our piece was often caused by others, either ourselves or not, who were using our piece. When inside people came up to me and asked questions about it. It was nice to have a brochure to point people to so that they could become more aware of the entire meditation habitat community and how the class was structured. It was really rewarding when people used the piece and actually commented on how the structure drew their attention to the sky in our interviews. 

Notice how difficult it is to see the person inside the structure. 

A constructive comment that we got was that the structure looked pretty rickety from a distance. This comment was said on both on the first and second days of installations. After adjusting it after these two days, we did not receive comments like this about the actual armature. It ended up being a matter of retying some knots due to them loosening and shifting during transportation. Something that we have to realize about our piece before we comment on people's reactions to it is that it is a form that people are not accustomed to seeing due to its minimalist structure and narrow base, along with the fact that it utilized materials that people are not used to seeing together. This means that there will most likely always be some initial confusion as to where to place yourself or lean back. This being said, people did express confusion about where to sit, but some eventually found the very angled wall quite comfortable. A couple adjustments that we would make to improve the comfort of the floor would be making it more rigid so that it doesn't slide out from under people and having the fabric come from directly underneath the floor so that your back comes in to contact with the fabric sooner. 

Luckily, our structure did not get abused by anyone. The solidity of the structure may have informed people not to abuse it. Also, we removed the structure from the site each night so as to avoid this mishap. It would be interesting to see what would happen if we had left it outside so that we could attest to it being able to be outside and unharmed in the future. The security of the structure in to the ground may also make it unlikely that someone would deface it. The only major concern would be the fabric which someone may feel inclined to make a piece of art with.

Observations on Craft and Aesthetic

The aspect of the piece that stood out the most was the silk screen fabric that we chose to use in an effort to use a material that was both reusable and in agreement with out thought given to creating a non-traditional meditation space that was both a part of its environment and created its own . It was especially beautiful among the trees where the reflections of branches shown in the sunlight on the beautiful days afforded to us. Due to the nature of the fabric and possibly our sewing skills, there was rippling at the seams that caused subtle variations in the fabric. However, the flaws were visually balanced with the minor lack of tension in the fabric that allowed the breeze to make the material flutter, complementing out fabrics rippling. In terms of our knots, we got some wonderful feedback from someone who mentioned that the knots initially drew them in as they could visualize us yanking on the knots and the time we put in to them. This is a testament to how the care in the piece can be seen and even visualized by others. One bothersome visual of the piece was that the wall fabric and the string pulling it together was visible underneath the floor. This eyesore could be avoided by paying more careful attention to where we end the fabric, having it be right underneath the first piece of bamboo. Throughout the project we were grappling with the idea of using grommets on our piece. In the end we only used them underneath the piece which I believe was really important. Here is an example of seeing all the possibilities in a given situation, as for a while we thought that grommets were the only way. However, in caring about the piece and what effect it had we were able to realize and experiment with other ways to attach the fabric. The sewing machine ended up being successful and lead us to our vision. Although the floor looked very beautiful and was kind of a showcase of the bamboo, it was also apparent when in use that it could have been tighter and prevented Kim from falling through. Here are some pictures that capture the qualities of the fabric, the craft in the knotting and sewing, and the overall presence of the piece.

                                       

Observations on Ware and Tear

The biggest factor in ware and tear was transportation, as we were carrying our piece to a garage near by each morning and night. Because we were carrying it at two corners the floor and the overall structure ended up warping. We were able to tighten some knots as we installed the structure, but it still was not structurally sound as time was a factor and we could not redo the entire thing. This was all before we had realized the wetting technique which would have been useful in our moving process. During each installation day we also noticed that the string holding together the two opposite fabric walls were loosening up. This was a quick fix in terms of tightening it up, but this could have been avoided by using a string that had less give. Also, when testing for safety, we kicked the side and a seam began to rip on one of the top vertical pieces. However this did not affect later use, as it was on a side that didn't involve people leaning against. If we were to build this structure again or multiple ones like it, we would find better rope for the bottom, and possibly for the lashing which their may be a more sturdy one, and would also time the sewing better so that we could put more time and energy in to it. We have learned throughout this process that the amount of thought and care that you put in to the structure is reflected in the outcome and longevity of the structure.

What we Learned About Safety

                                                                     

The legs of the structure that extend below the frame actually did add stability to our structure. However, it would have been even more sturdy had the wholes not been larger than the pieces of bamboo. The U-bolt stakes that we bought were obnoxiously orange but they did prevent a lot of movement and held the structure in place. One thing that could have been stronger during our safety check, which you can see here, SAFETY CHECK VIDEO, is the tightness of the knots. Here, transportation really affected the stability of the structure, and loosened the knots. Only until the last day that our structure was outside did we test out the method of wetting the knots which you can see videos for before and after, above. Another safety concern was the bamboo floor being slippery if it was wet from the rain. In testing the floor with water we came to realize that bamboo has a nice way of maintaining its grip when wet. One thing that we did not think about during safety was someone falling between the bamboo slats in the floor, which ended up happening on our last installation day, after the floor had been continually used and loosened. Fortunately, no one was hurt and we think that this could be avoided by changing the way we tie the floor together in a more tight and rigid way. One thing we had not even thought about during the process was that the safety people on campus would be concerned with the flamibility of the structure. Thankfully, Anne ended up calling the silkscreen company which she had our receipt for ( it helps to stay on top of purchases and receipts) and found out that the material will melt at 450 degrees before it ever catches fire. We were a little worried about the fabric ripping when people leaned against it, but it ended up not being a problem. We found that the stability of the structure could be proven when seeing people jump around on, almost as if it was a jungle gym. Just comparing the structure from the initial check to the final check, it appears more durable, probably having something to do with watering the knots.

Safety Check

Cut and Drape

Night View

Floor

Armature

Frame Making and Wayne's Tutorial

Wayne's Lashing Tutorial

We learned proper tying techniques from our friend Wayne - Many thanks!

And tested the frame for strength:

Still a work in progress - But well on the way.

Mock Up

Mark and Jeeho Test it out. Thanks Guys!

This week we made a full size mock-up in cardboard as well as trying out the lashing connections for the bamboo.

We will be using some type of sheer fabric similar to silkscreen material.

We will incorporate video when the habitat is indoors.

The View From Inside:

Bamboo Source

Elverson, PA

Models

Last Week

At the moment, here is what we are thinking for Installation:

1 Outside from April 12-16th for Green Days

2 Move it to Hendricks for the 17th Screening in the Chapel

3 Inside at Smith Gallery from the 22nd to 27th

We have made the design a little smaller to make it a little more practical, but are still thinking of using Bamboo and Canvas as the main materials. We are going to stretch the canvas over the bamboo frame (shown below), using grommets and elastic rope. The bamboo will still be visible at the corners to show people what it is made out of and to let in light. When outside, we will secure the habitat to the ground using stakes so that it doesn't blow away in the wind! We have been working how to detail the canvas wrapping over the frame, and look forward to meeting with our consultants next week.

We changed our initial idea from burlap to canvas due to canvas's ability to stretch, and its durability. If possible we would like to re-use painter's canvas drop cloths, and if not, we may just source our canvas from Commercial Art, and donate the material at the end of the installation.
Look for an Update next Monday!

Grant Draft

Location - Outdoor

Sketches