“'The Pendulum Between Digital and Analog Pedagogy'/ (written by Deniz Aslihan Soydan)”

In early architecture discipline, space was derived from artistic approaches such as collaging, folding paper, photography, painting, etc. Today students of architecture advance in the discipline with less time dedicated to these explorations. Losing their drive for creative solutions and resorting to limitations that include modeling, code, and building.

Initial objective of this project was to explore artistic physical and digital processes to experiment how they can be implemented into designing 3D spaces. The study revolved around combining imagery to provide creative freedom to achieve dynamic spatiality. After the more artistic/traditional approach of collaging (from photos relating to the urban city), the collage was turned into a composition using the mediums of graphite and plaster. A digital structure was designed based on this composition using 3D modelling software and explorations were made in space, form, light, and material to establish a result that harmonizes these elements.

These explorations are intended to create a dialogue between the physical/digital techniques. Parameters were set to design 3D spaces resembling the compositions characteristics.

These parameters are.

Ø The top view of the structure had to look the same as the composition.

Ø Opacity of the graphite determined to shape and height.

Ø The opening on the solid was determined by the changing perspectives of human proportion. 

Ø Materials were chosen based first on the original image used for the collage and second on overall harmony of the rendered scene. 

Ø Rather than choosing realistic size construction materials, texture mapping was either oversized or minimized to create large contrasts in the scenes.

Ø Same logic was applied to the color of materials.

Next step from these parameters (1-6) was to try designing another space using the same methods and putting different parameters into how the space is designed. One of these parameters could be the composition changes perspectives instead changing the human scale.  Using the composition to create a 3D collage and modelling the end result brought the methods of collaging in full circle into the 3D space.

Another objective was to switch between physical and digital techniques so that there was continuous dialogue between the artistic and pragmatic processes. Thus far I think that this objective was met with satisfaction. I have learned that the physical portion of the project is uncertain, and restarting is time consuming. On the computer you can delete something or work off on an older copy if you do not like the result.  However, in physical craft it is more intuitive, thus fixing a failed result takes much longer than expected. The decision making takes longer but the product usually ends up in a better state than digital. 

I applied how I craft in the physical into the digital craft, when I put the first collage together, I made sure to scrutinize every picture and cut out the parts like I would have done in real life. I made the board big enough to look at all the images as if they were cut out in the physical realm. Due to this method my collage process was slowed down. I ended up making decisions that I would have as if it was a physical craft. Of course, it is not as spontaneous as the physical craft.

Next time I attempt to do this, I have to give physical composition more time because mishaps cannot be fixed quickly. Spontaneity of the physical craft is the only thing a digital craft cannot replace but spontaneity might not occur, if there is not enough time allocated to it.

After going through this process, I realized that I have only made a dent in the exploration of the dialogue between digital and physical methods of craft. Which has led me to conclude that; I need to be less rigid about the digital parameters. The freedom to create spaces using large contrasts showed the different spatial qualities I would not have discovered otherwise.