The Airliner : capturing the essence of experience in visual form

Transcription

1 University of Iowa Iowa Research Online Theses and Dissertations Spring 2015 The Airliner : capturing the essence of experience in visual form Justin Gray Bailey University of Iowa Copyright 2015 Justin Gray Bailey This thesis is available at Iowa Research Online: Recommended Citation Bailey, Justin Gray. "The Airliner : capturing the essence of experience in visual form." MA (Master of Arts) thesis, University of Iowa, Follow this and additional works at: Part of the Art Practice Commons

2 THE AIRLINER: CAPTURING THE ESSENCE OF EXPERIENCE IN VISUAL FORM by Justin Gray Bailey A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Arts degree in Art in the Graduate College of The University of Iowa May 2015 Thesis Supervisor: Associate Professor Monica C.G. Correia

3 Copyright by JUSTIN GRAY BAILEY 2015 All Rights Reserved

4 Graduate College The University of Iowa Iowa City, Iowa CERTIFICATE OF APPROVAL This is to certify that the Master s thesis of MASTER S THESIS Justin Gray Bailey has been approved by the Examining Committee for the thesis requirement for the Master of Arts degree in Art at the May 2015 graduation. Thesis Committee: Monica C.G. Correia Daniel Miller Steve McGuire

5 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to acknowledge the faculty in the School of Art and Art History for all of the work you do to make education possible. In particular, I d like to thank my mentor, Professor Monica Correia. Her critique, knowledge and support throughout my time here at the University of Iowa have helped to push this work and myself to take flight. ii

6 PUBLIC ABSTRACT By breaking design down from a whole composed of individual parts, I work to create user experiences derived from spaces and the objects within them. These spaces and objects are brought together in their relationship with the human presence. By translating an experience into a physical environment, I, as a designer, am afforded the opportunity to introduce my own perception into the minds of others who enter the space. In working with the idea of creating an experience as visual form, I wanted to create a space that evoked an experience we don t get in our everyday lives, a feeling of ascending into flight. Human designed environments have the ability to transport us from our current surroundings and into a unique environment that can affect us not just visually, but emotionally and physically through multiple senses of perception. iii

7 TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES... v Designing and Defining Space... 1 The Airliner... 2 The Façade... 4 The First Floor - Entryway... 8 The Second Floor Cloudscape The Third Floor The Airliner Chair Concluding Thoughts References iv

8 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Current Airliner Facade... 3 Figure 2: Longren Biplane Image... 3 Figure 3: Front Elevation... 5 Figure 4: North Facing Side Elevation Cross Section... 6 Figure 5: Airliner Facade... 6 Figure 6: First Floor Plan... 8 Figure 7: First Floor Entrance View Figure 8: Second Floor Figure 9: Second Floor Light Ficture Figure 10: Third Floor Walkway View Figure 11: Third Floor View Figure 12: Airliner Chair Prototype Figure 13: Detail of Airliner Chair Prototype Figure 14: Detail of Airliner Chair Assembly Numbering System v

9 Designing and Defining Space Walter Gropius of the Bauhaus spoke of design as having the ability to create a Gesamtkunstwerk, a total work of art. He interpreted this term as defining a space and designing every element that would belong to it.0f1 This term really defined some of the most notable works of Modernism. Designers like Gropius, Mies Van Der Rohe and Frank Lloyd Wright took the care to design all elements of spaces, in order to further define the feel and essence of their work. Van Der Rohe s Barcelona Pavilion or Wright s Robie House are masterful examples. This theory of design, this Gesamtkunstwerk, can also be looked at in terms of basic Gestalt Psychology. Gestalt psychology stems from a theory of human perception that we look at things holistic, that first we see the whole and only after that can we see the parts that make up the whole.1f2 In The Design Way the whole is further examined as a factor in the design process, A good design never exists in isolation. It is always part of a larger whole and is itself whole. In design, when we say that something is a whole we mean that it is a complex ensemble of relations, connections, and an underlying unifying force or principle that which causes things to stand together that when taken together results in emergent qualities.2f3 Relating this to the Bauhaus idea of a Gesamtkunstwerk, the individual parts, each created for the purpose of this space, work together to make up the entirety of the design. Even looking outside the design, a designer has to consider the design in the context of its intended environment or setting and how it functions in that sense of the whole as well. Using this sense of Gestalt and holism of design, I plan to express the essence of an experience in a visual form. Through this work I wanted to incorporate space, furniture, and objects into the human experience. By translating an experience into a physical environment, I, as a designer, am afforded the opportunity to introduce my own perception into the minds of others who enter the space. 1 p. 34 (Edwards 2011) 2 p. 68 (Stewart 2008) 3 p. 93 (Nelson and Stolterman 2012) 1

10 In working with the idea of creating an experience as visual form, I wanted to create an escape for people. I wanted to create a space that became transformative and took us out of our current surroundings and into a unique environment that can affect us not just visually, but emotionally and physically through multiple senses of perception. Thinking further into the applications of a space such as this, a restaurant is one such space where this idea could be explored. The aesthetic of a restaurant can relate to our senses through sight, touch, smell, taste and even sound. The nature of commercial design allows more freedoms so far as design goes, and a restaurant is a temporary setting for us as we dine, perfect for creating a sense of experience, which can be done through visual form as well as cuisine. The Airliner The concept restaurant I have designed stemmed from a redesign of a current Iowa City restaurant, The Airliner. Creating a new interior and facade for the existing space I started with a search for inspiration what was going to be the experience of going to this restaurant? What would the dining atmosphere be? What would it provide that is not already found in the city? Eventually I found myself wrapped up in the restaurant s current name and logo, The Airliner. The logo was a small sketch of an early bi-plane, it can be seen on the awning of the building in Figure 1. I was so drawn to the sense of adventure this created for me. Aesthetically, I was drawn to the craft of the plane as well, looking into further imagery like the Longren Biplane in Figure 2 helped to inform the design of the façade and many interior elements. The feeling of flight when it was new, and how open the planes were, I can t imagine the thrill of what it must have felt like. 2

11 Figure 1: Current Airliner Façade Figure 2: Longren Biplane Image for reference 3

12 I find that one of the biggest reminders that I am alive and human to be when I go outdoors and feel a breeze. It s a fascinating experience and I imagine this to be something like what flight must feel like for a bird. For centuries we ve dreamed about taking flight in all civilizations. The thought of transcending our normal realm, the ability to escape and rise above the normal human life seems so appealing to so many of us. I wanted to take that feeling and bring it into objects that we can surround ourselves with. An open space that made you feel light and transported. Next came the chair, then other objects to follow. The current design of the space didn t reflect any of this feeling that I had when I thought about the name, it was fairly indistinguishable from typical suburban sports bars. However the given space had a lot of potential to be unique due to its tall, long and slender dimensions, twenty feet wide, eighty-six feet front to rear and thirty-six feet tall. The chance to create this feeling of adventure and exploration seemed perfect for the small, Mid-western town. Just across the street from the location is Iowa s Old Capitol building, a landmark in the city and icon of The University of Iowa. This idea that the whole is the sum of its parts, it also extends into the greater scheme of things, and we must take into account that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts we don t design in a vacuum.3f4 It seemed appropriate to build on the sense of adventure in such proximity to a large university with a student body full of the dreams and expectations that accompany higher education. 4 p. 94 (Nelson and Stolterman 2012) 4

13 The Façade Figure 3: Front Elevation 5

14 Figure 4: North Facing Side Elevation Cross Section Figure 5: Airliner Façade, 3Ds Max Rendering 6

15 The plane in flight translated into the physical aesthetic and essence of the space. The path of ascending flight was drawn into how visitors progressed from the main entryway all the way to the third floor dining space as well as the shape of the new façade (seen in figures 3 and 5). The new building façade extends into the roof structure as part of a framework which travels a path with a gentle slope, creating a point of accent at the top, front of the building and then lowers in creating the roof. The shape of the slop follows the ascending and descending curves of planes as they take off and land, with the intention of taking the eye of the viewer outside the building and slowly drawing it upward to the accent of the curve (Figure 4). The façade is made up of a two layer metal framework that uses beams and cable to connect the two faces. On the front of the building the interior layer of the façade is a flat, vertical plane, while the exterior layer is stretched and pulled to create the focal curve, which extends into the roof. At this point of transition the interior layer becomes a horizontal, flat plane, which creates the ceiling of the third floor. Both layers are glass clad in hopes of trapping the air between to create insulation from the outdoor element. Leaving the façade structure uncovered and using glazing throughout open up the entire space up to a flood of natural light in the front of the building as well as on the third floor. This effect also gives lends itself to the sense of openness which is so integral to the design of early planes. The consistent use of class also provides a view, which overlooks the historical aspects of Iowa City, particularly as visitors travel up and around the main staircase. The main entryways are no exception to the combination of metal framework and glass. Within the façade, the outer layer of the structure is offset from the ground by 10 on the bottom southern half to create a shallow awning and entryway to the restaurant. Through there, visitors pass into the middle of the façade structure to a second door created to keep the cold of Iowa s winters out of the bottom floor (Figure 6). 7

16 The First Floor - Entryway Figure 6: First Floor Plan 8

17 The materials and design elements of the early planes and gliders transformed into the physical elements required of the space ranging from architectural elements such as stairs and floors to the chairs placed at each table. Gestalt theory played a key role in dividing the interior into functional components. Always keeping the whole in mind, visual relationships between architectural elements and necessary objects were created. Dominant, subdominant, and subordinate relationships were established within the space and played a key role in organization. Dominant, being the largest visual element, and demanding most attention, became the main staircase and elevator shaft, as they are the key to navigating the space. Subdominant objects, which compliment the dominant elements in nature, were realized as entryways to new levels such as the mezzanine dining are and the third floor walkway. Subordinate elements, which are dependent on other two, creates visual interest and movement with as the axes of the stairs moving up and around the space, connecting the verticality of the elevator shaft to the multiple level.4f5 Unity is the visual glue that holds everything together. You know that you have achieved it when all the visual relationships in the design are organized in such an exquisite dependent relationship that every element supports and strengthens every other element and any minor change would upset the perfect balance and tension.5f6 As these visual relationships are formed, so is the path that connects the interior space. Movement along the path from the front door up the stairs to the other levels creates a flow, bringing visitors upwards and further immersed into the experience being set up before them. By creating the vertical elevator shaft as a dominant visual element in the space, the eye is immediately brought upward upon entering, and can even travel along the flow of the subordinate stairs to the other levels of the restaurant. The ascending path is immediately visual this way even though other elements are present. It is important to note that the main stairway and elevator unit is offset so that it is closer to the southern wall of the building. In doing this, the northern side of the first 5 p. 50 (Hannah 2002) 6 p. 56 (Hannah 2002) 9

18 floor (also where the point of entry is located) is given more negative space, and a visual break from the demanding network of lines that make up the space s structure. The negative space is meant to create a space that feels more natural and comfortable for visitors just entering the space, so that they are not too immediately confronted by structure and potentially overwhelmed (seen in figures 6 and 7). Figure 7: First Floor Entrance View, 3DS Max Rendering The architectural components of the building, such as the main stair and elevator shaft mentioned, as well as the floor structure on each level, were all uniquely designed in order to follow the idea of the experience through visual form. For example the stairs use a system of lines and planes with planes as the dominant surface for the step and lines supporting below and diagonally underneath to connect. The use of planes and lines helps to create a sense of positive and negative space that relates to the use of the plane as positive, dominant form that helps to lead the eye upward to the next. These lines then connect upward to the railing in locations where a wall or surface is not available to connect to. By focusing detail on the small connections, the individual parts become intertwined as parts of the whole. The levels of flooring are very similar to the structure of the stairs, the floor is seen as a horizontal plane form which rests on a system of lines which repeats itself to 10

19 create a trussing structure which also leaves open, negative space to enhance the sense of openness in such a narrow, long space. Also located on the first floor is a small bar (figure 7), a handicapped accessible restroom as well as the restaurant s kitchen, which has access to the rear alley of the building (East). The kitchen area also has it s own stairway that can allows wait staff to get to the second and third floors. The Second Floor Cloudscape Figure 8: Second Floor, 3DS Max Rendering The second floor is the first dining space of the restaurant. Unlike the entryway of the first floor and the third floor, this space does not receive as much natural lighting. Therefore, it was necessary to create ambient lighting. This became an opportunity to create a more intimate setting, where after moving upward and into the space, patrons could relax in a more calming space (Figure 8). The second floor can seat up to eightyeight using a mixture of four person and two person table sizes. 11

20 In order to not let the second floor get lost to the dominant element of the western, front half of the building, it needed a subordinate visual element to create movement in the back, eastern half of the second floor. This created an opportunity to work with lighting as a visual element and the result became the defining feature of the floor, the Cloudscape of lights which suspends from the trussing lines of the ceiling to create ambient lighting and visual movement by using separate, staggered heights for each light extending back into the space (Figure 9). The Cloudscape lights grew from the desire to add some softness to the hard linear forms that make up most of the restaurant design. Combining soft curves and lighting presented an opportunity to make the serene and intimate space I wanted for the second floor dining space. The space they are placed in has informed their shape and scale; each light s length and width is a square two feet by two feet, coordinating to the cellular trussing of the ceiling they are suspended from. The lights as an installation element adopt attributes of clouds in the implied movement they give to the space as well as the clustering, color and feeling of expansion as the form bubbles outward. Figure 9: Second Floor Light Fixture Detail, 3DS Max Rendering 12

21 The Third Floor The Mezzanine, Elevated Walkway and Dining in Open Space Moving upward to the third floor of the restaurant, patrons will find two options. Stairs can be followed into the third floor dining space, or followed to a small mezzanine space that sits just inside the façade structure. The mezzanine seating is a small, specialized location that can only seat twelve, but creates the most unique dining experience throughout the restaurant (Figure 10). Figure 10: Third Floor Walkway View From Dining Area to Mezzanine, 3DS Max Rendering 13

22 Figure 11: Third Floor View From Mezzanine Dining, 3DS Max Rendering This small, 158 square foot area rests on a metal structure that supports a glassclad floor. The goal is to create open space that relies solely on the use of line to create visual form. Line is present here in the façade, the floor underneath, the tables and chairs and the railings surrounding the space. This effect it meant to highlight the negative space by subdividing it into sections. I want to create the feeling of openness, but with a comfort that everything is still supported, much how I imagine it might have felt to be in the air in one of the early 19 th century planes. The open feeling was continued through to the larger dining area of the third floor. As visitors walk up the stairs or exit the elevator on this floor, they have to pass across an elevated walkway that spans twenty-one feet across an open area of the floor to reach the dining area. This walkway, like the mezzanine, is on supported structure that uses glass sheeting to create the floor surface. The path relies on the negative space on either side as well as above to heighten the sense of escape and adventure through the use of interior elements (Figure 11). The third floor dining is slightly smaller than the second floor space. It seats sixty-four people, using the same system of tables with the middle two rows of tables and seating having the ability to adjust to accommodate larger groups. One of the separating 14

23 factors between the second and third floor dining is that the third floor looks above to the rafter lattice as opposed to the ceiling on the second floor. The roof being a glass-clad structure also allows for natural light to flood the third floor during daylight hours. Ambient lighting is also in place on the third floor in the form of wall fixtures that span the entire length of the third floor walls on both the north and south sides. The fixtures are a tetrahedron structure that stretches into the space from the wall, increasingly so as they recede into the space. The Airliner Chair Once the problems of laying out the space how people navigated it had been solved, then came the chance to show how people used it through functional objects. Both dining areas use furniture designed uniquely for The Airliner s interior. The first piece created in the series is the dining chair. The chair became such an integral piece to add to the restaurant, particularly in working to create the sense of a Gesamtkunstwerk. Chairs have such a unique ability to create a relationship with people in spaces. Figure 12: Airliner Chair Prototype 15

24 Figure 13: Detail of Airliner Chair Prototype Figure 14: Detail of Airliner Chair Assembly Numbering System 16

25 As said by Anne Massey in her book Chair, Because the chair is so closely associated with the body and with performing particular roles, it has been adopted by modern architects to represent their aesthetic credo. It is the essence of the designer, represented in three dimensions, often using innovative technology and construction.6f7 This statement does so well in capturing my mindset as a designer at the time I was creating the chair for The Airliner. I wanted to explore the same ideas I was using for the overall interior, but without creating a miniature of the space, making an object that could work well within the interior but also stand on its own. Anne goes more in depth on the use of chairs in interiors by architects, Modern architects conventionally designed furniture for their own buildings. Perhaps this was to ensure complete control over the interior space, to order and arrange the inhabitants within. [ ] In ideal representations of these interiors, whether architectural perspectives or public relations photographs, the chairs... often serve as stand-ins or rather sit-ins for human beings, representing abstracts of the bodies which are presumably intended to use and inhabit them. 7F8 This in mind, it is understood that the chair, out of all of the restaurants furniture, becomes a very integral part of the overall design and is an asset to establishing the needs and expression of the space. It is an object to be looked at in terms of composing visual relationships as well as a composition in and of itself that relays a specific message to users in a much different way than can be seen in ascending stairs or gazing on a façade. The chair grew from a methodology very similar to the rest of the space, translated into terms stemming from the function it must provide. It was no exception to the airplane inspiration, creating the essence of an experience in visual and physical form but in an object rather than a space. The rules for this design remain similar much like the rest of the space the thought for the chair was to build on the plane s systems of lines and surfaces, most evident in the wings, as seen earlier in Figure 2. Chairs, as well, follow a similar pattern of line and surface, so it evolved from the underlying structural connection; the lines would be used to create support for the surface, which would create the seat and back. 7 p. 53 (Massey 2011) 8 p. 56 (Massey 2011) 17

26 As the general form began to take shape a two-dimensional plane stood in for the surface, bending at an angle to create the seat and back. This angled two dimensional plane needed to be located at a height comfortable for users and use dimensions that were ergonomic. The problem to be solved became the structure of the lines, how much was necessary and where would they be located within the unit. The shape of bi-planes provided some guidance in placement of line framework. My interpretation of the body of the airplane is a widening progression that created an outer structure from lines. I used that for legs of the chair, moving lines to account for the human body as needed. I also wanted to bring in visual movement to the frame, helping to lead the eye through the framework in addition to highlighting all the necessary lines. As the design of the chair progressed, it became easier to imagine building as a physical prototype, as an object that could exist outside of the interior concept for The Airliner. Several prototypes have been made to configure the tangible problems to solve in creating an object that has to support the weight of a person. The materials it was to be made in were drawn directly from early aircraft: metal, wood and canvas. The canvas would provide the seat and back surface referencing back to how it was stretched over a wooden framework in early gliders to form the surface area of wings. Metal and wood would be the linear structure supporting the canvas. The linear structure of the legs posed a different problem to solve, how to assemble them easily while retaining the angles and movement that occur in the original design. The solution came in the form of material combinations. First the left and right profiles were united to create two sidepieces, along with connecting crossbeams linking the two profiles. I looked for materials that could provide stability in addition to slight flexibility for the subtle, widening angles as the chair builds upwards; the resulting combination was a sandwiching of steel sheet metal and quarter-inch plywood. Steel was placed on the outside profiles with two layers of one-quarter inch plywood encased inside another steel piece. Computer numerical control (CNC) technology was incorporated to make production easier used to plasma cut 18 gauge mild steel sheets and to laser cut plywood in the side profiles and linking bars. The individual pieces are assembled together using riveting screw posts placed at linear intersections and short intervals, also 18

27 referencing to the use of rivets in airplane construction dating back to the Second World War. The final version of the Airliner Chair is able to pack flat. The five front-facing cross bars can be removed with a flat head screw driver allowing the side profile pieces to collapse with the canvas held between. The cross bars use an icon driven numbering system to indicate their placement on the chair when assembling as well. A system of dashes at their centers relays the number of the bar, relating to its height and position on the chair. Additionally, in the final version of the chair the sheet metal has been powder coated white, preserving it as a material and also highlighting the use of line as it has been matched with the darkened, burned edges of the laser cut plywood. The powder coating also allows for variations on the color of the frame in production, which could be a great way to involve the chair in more dynamic spatial compositions. Concluding Reflection The Airliner, as an established business in Iowa City, IA was not involved in this redesign concept. As a designer, it s an incredible opportunity to be able to have the freedom of design without regard to expense or client needs, I am able to focus only on the feel of the space and what it expresses. I want to acknowledge that I have some understanding that the design, if fully executed to create a functional space would have some necessary changes. These might occur after consulting city code requirements; client needs and wants as well as structural engineering needs. Ordinarily, an interior design project such as this would involve a client, and that this project, done solely by me with no client to speak of, becomes my interpretation as a designer-artist.8f9 I have had full control of the design with no client input and in some ways have acted as an artist, with the intention of expressing my own interest through the design. This project as a whole encompasses a wide range of ideas that are pertinent to me as a designer, and playing that role it s necessary to understand what we bring to the world when we design and create. This interior redesign, while it covered a range of 9 p. 47 (Nelson and Stolterman 2012) 19

28 topics, at its core was an expression of understanding space and the place of the human within it. Design is the area of human experience, skill and knowledge which is concerned with man s ability to mould his environment to suit his material and spiritual needs.9f10 We have a very unique position in relation to the rest of our planet in how we carve out and establish our surroundings and civilization. Design always has been, and likely always will be part of our nature. At the most basic level, we as human beings are compelled to design it is our calling as agents of free well, who through design intelligence, can act with design will. As humans with design will, we are impelled to create new meaning, new forms, and new realities. 10F11 I want to, as a designer, affect change in our surroundings. I think design is an element of our world that can dramatically change our physical and emotional status in the world and that if we have the ability to alter that for the better then it should be taken advantage of. 10 p. 63 (Edwards 2011) 11 p. 13 (Nelson and Stolterman 2012) 20

29 REFERENCES Edwards, Clive. Interior Design: A Critical Introduction. New York City, New York: Berg, Hannah, Gail Greet. Elements of Design: Rowena Reed Kostellow and the Structure of Visual Relationships. New York City, New York: Princeton Architectural Press, Massey, Anne. Chair. London: Reaktion Books Ltd., Nelson, Harold G., and Erik Stolterman. The Design Way: Intentional Change in an Unpredictable World. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press, Stewart, Mary. Launching the Imagination: A Comprehensive Guide to Basic Design. New York City, New York: McGraw-Hill,