Module 3. compelling Experience and Education #2(Architecture and Interior Design)

Last week, I talked about the insight for the clients when we design the spaces. Then, how should the designer consider these type of clients (teachers and students) for designing educational spaces (classroom)? What kinds of insight would help designers to create compelling classrooms? After I read several articles in this week, I think the following elements should be considered for in the design process.

First is the scale. Depending on the age of the students, the human scale is really important in designing space. If the scale is not appropriate for the students, they cannot feel stable and comfortable. The larger place is not always better. As Susanka said, the smaller/well scaled spaces provide comfort and efficient feeling. The right human scale brings rest to our body and it leads us to a calm and steady feeling.

Second thing would be the traffic. The efficient human traffic is always one of the most important factors in designing spaces. Especially for the public space, well planned human traffic is indispensible. For example, in the classrooms, the main traffic should not distract the student’s learning environments and keep the students safe. Dividing main traffic and second traffic also can be effective in reducing the congestion. It can be done by using different floor materials or furnishing arrangements. They provide not only the visual effect, but also affect the student’s learning environment. By using the right traffic line, the collaborations and independence can be simultaneously encouraged to the students.    

Besides physical factors, using the right color scheme is also crucial. While the warm color scheme provides brightness, and encouragement, the cool color schemes are more likely to enhance the focus and calmness. Depending on the goal of the space, choosing the right color scheme is essential. We cannot easily change the architectural elements, but changing the color scheme can easily move people’s feeling about the space.

There are many other factors which should be considered for designing compelling spaces. However, depending on the goal and main function of the space, the priorities would be different. I think that the space should contain all the details about the people who would use the space. The deep insight about the client would provide a good solution for all these elements.      

 

Module 3. A Tale of Two Retail Spaces

Module 3. compelling Experience and Education #1(Architecture and Interior Design)

This first week of Architecture and Interior Design, I would like to talk about the connection between the nature of the architecture/interior design and the educational space itself. The most important thing in designing space is to understand the clients. Without deep insight about the client’s daily life, it is impossible designing the right/compelling space for them, because the space should reflect the details of the client’s life. Depending on the client, the mood and feeling they desire for their home is totally different.  In the same context, I think the educational space should contain deep insight of the student’s life. What do students do in this space? How long do they stay here in a day? What are their positions? What does the human traffic look like? The educational space should provide the stable and calm feeling to the students. It should also enhance the student’s easier movements while at the same time facilitate not only cooperation, but also separation for effective learning experience. Compelling design comes not only with the architectural design, but also with the real insight of the client.     

Module 2. Compelling Experience and Education #2 (Film and Television)

            I concluded that bridging the making of compelling videos and an effective teaching experience is all about the design again. Mixing them well together is required for both making compelling videos and effective teaching. The component of mixing in making films (sound, light, angles, and actors’ expressions) can be portrayed by good examples, proper repetitions, and well organized materials in teaching. Both making films and teaching have each component, and designing the use of these components is what compelling experience is all about. I also realized that a good design comes from a real understanding of the subject matter. To express the perfect theme in the movie, we should completely understand the situation, the mood of the actor’s. Otherwise the movie fails in attracting the people’s attention. To teach the student effectively, the teachers should completely understand the subject matter. Otherwise the teachers fail in providing an impressive learning experience to students.

          Making a one minute-compelling video provides me a great chance to think about this fact. I found out that I was eager to understand my actor’s (“the fly” for my case) mood and draw the attention from the audiences. In teaching, the passion to  completely understand and to transmit the knowledge could bring the well-designed teaching experience and be able to leave a positive impression on the students.       

Module 2. Compelling Video

            Making a one minute compelling video is not as easy as I expected.

           I was inspired by my messy kitchen and a fly in my house. I tried to express the fly’s transient life through its perspective. From the fly’s perspective, the kitchen is a big unknown world to explore. The fly would be excited to explore the new world. Everything seems enlarged to the fly. To express this feeling, I started my video from the window seal (kind of weird place, but the common place for the fly’s perspective), and tried to keep the higher view point and focus on the enlarged food. I also hope that the audiences feel the fly’s free and light movements through the motion of the lens. By flying together with a fly, the audiences can equate themselves with the fly. Then, the audiences can have fun and enjoy the peaceful moment. When the fly finds the real food (pasta), they can be excited together. However, the fly’s view must be very narrow and limited, which also means that the fly cannot really expect their near future. For this effect, I never show any kind of threat or danger to the audiences so far. Then, I expect the audience feel the tension when the fly finds pasta, because the pasta is not only its real joy, but also its real trap. With a big smashing sound, the video reaches the climax. The slow motions and beautiful sunshine elaborate the last moments of the fly’s life. I expect the audiences feel both sympathetic and relief (as a human) together. The last scene (a boy with a fly swatter), is for the cute conclusion. The audience can realize that their perspective was the fly’s by seeing a boy’s naughty face. My original video did not have the fly’s sound. It was my choice to emphasize the smashing sound. However, I realized that it was not easy to express fly’s character without a sound. I was concerned about leading the audience on too long without some hint. (The audiences may not know what they are watching until the end of the movie.)

            Throughout the whole video, I expect the audience to feel curiosity, fun, and identification in the beginning part, tension in the middle, and the humor at the end. To make this video compelling in the given time, I used variety of angles, sounds, and slow motion function. I thought that was the best way to express the actor’s (the fly’s) character and the mood which I tried to created.               

Module 2. Compelling Experience and Education #1 (Film and Television)

Nowadays, we are very much used to being stimulated by all of our five senses at once. Our young students and children are a totally different generation from us, in that they are much more familiar with all kinds of different stimulations. My five year old son sometimes does not understand why the radio only has audio capabilities. When I try to listen to music or a podcast in the car with him, he certainly asks me to turn on the screen together. He thinks that the music/podcast always has some visual component as well. I have asked myself whether TV and Film are always more compelling than radio or the photograph, because they provide several sensory stimulation at once. However, my answer is “no”. I remember some stories that I heard from the radio, which is much more vivid and impressive than what I have watched from TV. What makes one more compelling than others?

Through this module, we have watched and read a few articles and videos about making films. How the directors and editors design their film is the key point of this subject. Using the same recipe of story, actors, light, and sound, they can create totally different films from others, depending on how they design the components. It was interesting to read how similar/different research from making films (Filmmaking and Research: An Intersection). I think this article shows great connections between making compelling films and effective teaching experiences. Both making compelling films and teaching require significant understanding of the subject matter: what to talk about, what the main theme is about, how to express it, which one should be emphasized, which one should be minimized for effective expression, and what the purpose about it is? There are some different parts between making films and teaching. The compelling films need to be neither necessarily, informative, or true.

However, if their unique nature is used in each other’s design process, both the making of films and teaching can be improved. Using intensive visual stimulations, auditory stimulations, and showing real social context about the subject through the video would bring great expansion in the learning progress. The most interesting thing that I found in this week from the readings is that the film contains the social context of the subject matter. It is an important factor of practical learning. Next week, I am planning to make a short video, and I am expecting that I can have a more close experience regarding this aspect.