week 6 - DP2

DESN801 // 05/06/2026

Overview of Week 6 Progress

This week, I presented my work in the Summative Presentation on May 26th and reflected on the feedback I received during this session, as well as my own learnings completing this project over the course of Design Practice II and what I plan to take into consideration moving into the thesis component of my degree. As my last bit of making for this course, I also completed the physical scale model I had digitally created last week, photographed it and reflected on this method and how I might use it moving forward.

Table of Contents for this week's blog:

1. Reflection on Summative Presentation Feedback

2. Completion of Laser Cut Scale Model of The Strand Station

3. 400-Word Project Narrative

4. Final Reflections on Proof-of-Concept Project and Moving into Thesis Year

Reflection on Summative Presentation Feedback

During the Summative Presentation on May 26th, I received the following feedback from the guest reviewers and instructors:

• They suggested to consider the idea of the “timeline” of liminal space

  • In these spaces, there's a sense of history, abandoned in the present

  • Consider what the space could be used for, both in the present and future

  • This idea of "liminal” space thus indicates a transitioning point in the timeline

• They said to ask myself: how do I position myself in this line of work?

  • Installations offer a two-way conversation between the user/audience and the designer

  • Ask myself: what’s my intention with the work? How do I install it? What's the sense of timeline in this process and work as well?

  • They advised me to keep working through ideas till I arrive at something that’s really my language

• They suggested to consider scales of engagement with the site

  • For example, the platforms I've been looking at offer one (familiar) level of engagement in the site

  • They suggested to consider the etymology of “canopy”, and to perhaps elevate the experience, eg. above the canopies

  • They said it was good that I was thinking about a “networked site” such as by considering waka as a past mode of transportation there, but to consider further drawing on the energies of the city to this "stasis"/station

• Finally, they recommended to look at Folly for a Flyover (https://assemblestudio.co.uk/projects/folly-for-a-flyover)

  • A residual space underneath a motorway that was transformed into a public arts venue, its design "reclaim[ing] the future of the site by re-imagining its past" through drawing on the idea of a 'fairy tale' of a man unwilling to move when the motorway was built around it

Overall, I found that this feedback helped guide me towards recognising the need to clarify and cement my position as a designer and artist. Although I had hunches when starting out with this research, such as that tangible interaction could help facilitate interactions with wider audiences and foster connections with space, I still feel very all over the place in terms of how I'm bringing these ideas to life. Part of this feeling likely stems from the fact that I don't have a strong position in terms of the technologies I use or the sensory nature of my work; rather, I have so far worked with what is comfortable or quick for me to use (especially given the short timeframes of the projects up to this point). Although I don't feel I should be narrowing down to an exact design style or concept at this point, I do feel I should be branching out more in terms of what I create to explore different technologies, interaction methods, and sensory engagement. Doing so will likely help me determine my own positioning as I work towards completing the thesis component of my master's.

Completion of Laser Cut Scale Model of The Strand Station

To finish off my making for this proof-of-concept project, I laser cut the scale model of The Strand Station disused platforms that I had created in CAD the previous week. Photos of the assembled model, using 3mm and 6mm MDF, are shown below in Figure 1.

Figure 1. Assembled laser cut scale model of The Strand Station disused platforms based on CAD model completed last week.

Creating this model was quite an extensive process due to the number of pieces involved; I also mistakenly cut everything out of 3mm MDF when some pieces should have been cut out of 6mm to save assembly time and effort; I remedied this later in the week by re-cutting some pieces as well as replacing a few pieces that had broken. Additionally, although the press-fit tolerances worked well in allowing a no-glue assembly process, these tolerances made it extremely difficult to align the canopy roof pieces with the columns' tabs, so I had to leave the canopy loose on the top in the end. If I had time, I would probably re-cut these roof pieces to have bigger holes so that they could easily fit onto the tabs (even if loose, they would still be well-supported by the press-fitted columns). Other than this, I am quite happy with how the scale model turned out, especially with how it allows me to recreate photography from different perspectives at the site without having to visit the site itself.

If I continue with this site for further exploration after Design Practice II, I hope to add more to the scale model (such as figurines representing people, environmental elements like trees and grass, and lighting to simulate the sun) so that I can address some of its limitations in its current form, namely that the model is quite bare and doesn't accurately capture all of the features of the site that I noted through observation. Nevertheless, the model will also be a useful tool for further prototyping and concept development to get a sense of the scale and structure of the site without relying on photography alone, as well as trialling "dollhouse" methods of acting out interactions using representations of people in the model.

400-Word Project Narrative

This proof-of-concept project, centred around the question of how can tangible interactive technologies be used to transform residual urban space to support lingering as a form of engagement in such space?, explored the analysis of and installation concept development for two residual sites in the Auckland CBD region: Cruise Lane, an alleyway between Chancery and Shortland Street, and the disused platforms behind The Strand Station. The purpose of the project was to test and reflect on a variety of site analysis and installation concept generation methods to develop an appropriate approach within the context of this research topic. Methods applied in the site analysis stage of the project included conducting site research via aerial and historic photography, newspaper articles, museum artefacts, archaeological reports, and shade maps, as well as visiting the sites themselves, taking photos, photogrammetry scans, sound recordings and observations of people's negotiating moments with the site and my own sensory experiences while in the space. The application of these methods, as well as the methods themselves, reflect a shift in thinking throughout the project from a "bird's eye view" to a more first-person perspective, drawing on the methodology of phenomenology as practiced by William Whyte in site analysis of urban spaces (1980) and as applied in the theoretical discussion of a "sense of place" in both interaction and spatial design (Harrison & Dourish, 1996; Sime, 1986). This phenomenological approach carried through into brainstorming and development of place-based narratives connected to these spaces, using methods such as sketching onto site photographs, mindmapping around different arcs of inquiry, and noting past, present and potential future interactions between people and the space. The result of this process was the identification of several place-based narratives connected to each site: for Cruise Lane, such themes included highlighting past and present materiality of the site and embodying the site's past life as a transitionary space from land to sea; for The Strand Station, themes such as the compartmentalisation of transportation vs. the blurring of borders that occurs when spaces become residual, as well as the tension between being in stasis vs. in motion as is present in a train station. Through applying concepts of atmosphere (Pallasmaa, 2014), sense of place, and performance in tangible interaction (Hornecker & Buur, 2006), and drawing inspiration from media such as long exposure photography, multiple ideas for each site were tested and prototyped using physical experiments with caustics, fabric, projectors, sensors, and digital software (TouchDesigner) and, in the case of The Strand Station, communicated via visual representations, sketches and storyboards placing these concepts in their spatial context. In conclusion, the project enabled the development of methods and approaches to site analysis and installation ideation, drawing on fundamental theoretical concepts that the work aims to centre itself around, that will go on to support thesis research in the coming months.

Final Reflections on Proof-of-Concept Project and Moving into Thesis Year

Overall, I'm incredibly proud of the progress I made in learning and applying new methods throughout this project, especially with regards to site analysis, and the reflections I completed on the strengths and limitations of these methods in the context of my research. I started with site analysis methods that, in retrospect, offered a "bird's eye view" of the site by providing background context, such as how the space became residual throughout history and how it was affected by infrastructure or environmental changes. These methods included site research via historic aerial photography, archaeological reports, old newspaper articles and photography. After reflecting on these methods, I began transitioning to more "first-person perspective" methods, drawing on a phenomenological analysis of site, to imagine the site from the perspective of past and present (and potential future) users. Such methods included conducting site visits and taking photographs and sound recordings, noting observations of people's movements and negotiating moments with the site, noting my own sensory observations of sight, sound and smell, looking at shade maps and how these change across different times of day and year, and taking photogrammetry scans and making a scale model so that I can "revisit" the site as needed. From there, I was able to generate place-based narratives, drawing on this site research and practicing methods such as sketching onto transparent paper overlaid onto site photographs, mindmapping around arcs of inquiry, sketching different interaction possibilities through inputs and outputs of an interactive system, and writing down observations from these activities to formulate into specific themes. In the end, I feel I successfully accomplished the site analysis and brainstorming of place-based narratives aspect of this project, through testing a variety of new methods, completing an in-depth analysis of two different sites, and generating a multitude of place-based narratives that could be incorporated into an interactive installation. Not only was I able to recognise the limitations of some of my methods and adjust these so I could conduct site analysis in a manner that was more appropriate for my research, I was also able to recognise that the way in which I carry out these methods affects their implications and limitations for my project. For example, if I carry out a site visit without considering that first-person perspective, I may still gain a lot of information about a site, but may miss the personal interactions and experiences that take place there and are more relevant for my project. I feel much more confident in conducting site analysis in the context of my project as a result, and am grateful for the opportunity to have practiced these methods at both Cruise Lane and The Strand Station.

In terms of concept generation and development, as previously touched on, I was able to trial different methods for ideating concepts such as sketching onto photographs or identifying different interaction possibilities at each site. I also developed these ideas further by sketching and storyboarding, conducting physical experiments, and prototyping with interactive, projected visuals from TouchDesigner using hardware such as proximity sensors and microcontrollers. However, I wish I had more time to ideate and develop installation concepts even further, particularly by creating more physical prototypes and branching out in terms of interaction methods. I feel there is still so much potential with the sites I have analysed and the information I've gleaned from them, and although this site analysis process took much longer than anticipated, I'm glad to have spent the extra time really understanding these sites and the narrative opportunities they hold. These feelings also align with the Summative Presentation feedback I received, as touched on above: I feel I lack a sense of positionality around my own work, which may be contributing to my struggle to generate and develop concepts I am happy with.

Moving into the thesis component of my master's, including the break before the next semester starts, I want to address this lack of positionality in my work by giving myself the freedom to experiment with different interaction concepts, materials and technologies again. I plan to decouple these experiments from spatial considerations initially, partly for feasibility reasons so that I can develop these concepts in my own home or in the studio space, and partly so that I can focus on the interactions themselves rather than having to enforce an overarching narrative in the early stages of these experiments. I hope that by doing so, I can return to experimenting with the methodologies and concepts central to the interaction component of my research, such as perception, tangibility of interaction, performance and connection with the work. From there, I hope to reconnect the learnings from these experiments with the space-based research I've completed so far to help work towards the core of my thesis work: creating an interactive installation centred around a particular site. Additionally, I will take into considerations the learnings I have gained from this proof-of-concept project, particularly in relation to my site analysis methods, and apply the approaches I have developed if I conduct more site analysis on different spaces in the future. Particularly, I plan to continue applying my methodology of phenomenology in my site analysis and concept generation approach, allowing me to consider first-person experiences and interactions that take place or have the potential to take place in a space. Either way, I hope to expand my site analysis methods by repeating site visits under a greater variety of conditions, allowing me to further consider the temporality of my work and how spaces and interactions change over greater timeframes.

References:

Harrison, S., & Dourish, P. (1996). Re-place-ing space: The roles of place and space in collaborative systems. Proceedings of the 1996 ACM Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work, 67–76. https://doi.org/10.1145/240080.240193

Hornecker, E., & Buur, J. (2006). Getting a grip on tangible interaction: A framework on physical space and social interaction. Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 437–446. https://doi.org/10.1145/1124772.1124838

Pallasmaa, J. (2014). Space, place, and atmosphere: Peripheral perception in existential experience. In C. Borch (Ed.), Architectural atmospheres (pp. 18–41). Birkhäuser.

Sime, J. D. (1986). Creating places or designing spaces? Journal of Environmental Psychology, 6(1), 49–63. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0272-4944(86)80034-2

Whyte, W. H. (1980). The social life of small urban spaces. Conservation Foundation.