Architecture 101

Learning Portfolio

Angelica Flowers Spring 2012 City College of San Francisco Instructor Jerry Lum

The Magnificence of Angels

Inspiration My inspiration for my designs was

initially a guardian angel artifact that my mother

brought me back from France. This artifact drove

every iteration that I have created in this portfolio. It’s power helped me explore the new possibilities of design creation.

Angels from the Vatican Museum Collection

Intentions I have always been inspired by angels. While most people believe

they are simple creatures, I believe the opposite. Everything about them is complex. I wanted to display this complexity through my work. I have always been fascinated by their colossal wings. The idea that they can expand and retract and be hidden in the folds of a celestial cloak when the angel chooses to appear mortal amazes me. Are angels human or are they immortals or both? I began my story here. In order to grasp a better idea of what these creatures may look like inside I did some research on not only the human skeleton but also on the wings of numerous birds and creatures that fly.

Research and Analysis Making the connection between human bodies and creatures that fly

Human Skeletons

Iteration No. 1

Bare Bones

Materiality - Bamboo skewers - Gorilla glue - toothpicks

Reflections When I designed my first iteration I thought of the bones inside of an angel, assuming there must be a million in each wing in order for them to be so flexible yet delicate. I tried to piece together the skewers to resemble the wings and the body of the angel but had difficulty with the placement and the type of glue I used. I learned that I needed to use a different adhesive in my next iteration.

Iteration No. 2 Reflection

Iteration two began with a drawing . After I drew this piece I went and bought new materials . My intention was to focus on the angels vertebrae as well as it’s wings. To me the backbone symbolizes strength and that is everything these majestic creatures stand for. My square vertebrae design gives a feeling of solidarity. I researched the wings of a crane before I began drawing and decided they were the closest representation to an angels wing . With angel number two I really tried to think deeper. I used a delicate material to make the wings flexible and give the impression they were in motion. I used wood glue and spent a great amount of time waiting for each piece to dry. The research I did before the iteration gave me less freedom because I felt my work needed to be credible .

Iteration No. 3

Conceptualization To begin this iteration I used a new material. I incorporated a thick silver wire to build the spine and halo and wings of this angel. I visualized a simplistic creation , yet still retaining all the strength of the original. It ended being a “cute” character although that was not my original intention.

Iteration No. 4

Joys and Pitfalls of Designing I had a clear idea of what I wanted to represent but the materials I chose would not cooperate. The wire would not stick to the wood no matter how much glue I used. I couldn’t get the base to stand upright. The whole exercise was frustrating and I ended the activity in tears. By morning I reviewed my piece which was in pieces, decided it was unacceptable, went to class empty handed and began working on a new piece. Though this iteration fell apart, I surprised myself with the next one.

Iteration No. 5

Understanding the Problem I wanted to build a grandiose guardian angel, complete with an avenging sword in hand. I knew it would be large so I wanted a solid foundation. I chose a mixture of wood and metal to provide strength yet an organic feeling. The base had to be wide enough to support the structure and provide a pattern that gave it a rhythmic flow. In scale a human would be 3 inches tall in comparison to the size of this statue. I used hot glue this time and I feel like the whole thing came together beautifully.

Iteration No. 6

Seeking Purpose At this point I was beginning to lose inspiration. I was getting overwhelmed with all of the details we had to take into consideration before we could begin designing. I wasn’t sure what the next step was that I should have been incorporating in my work and because of that I created an uninspiring piece.

Iteration No. 7

Reflection With iteration number seven, I incorporated surfaces too early. I had a need to develop something practical but beautiful that would be a pleasure to use. However, I did not follow the assignment criteria. I designed a bench with an angels wing wrapping around the left side, enveloping the sitter in a sense of protection. I had a vision of the bench placed in a garden or overlooking an ocean. After this iteration I had to find my way back to the abstract design development.

Finding More Inspiration The class was assigned gesture drawings. Not being familiar with them I drew a literal representation of a half breed angel/human. I was searching for inspiration to return to abstract representation so I did more research. I explored the idea again of angels being humans too and came across the Book of Eli where it explains that angels came down to earth from heaven and had children with mortal women. The offspring born to them were giants and a hybrid race. So I found what I needed in order for me to move forward.

Iteration No. 8 Learning Creative Play

After my new inspiration I still had difficulty designing so I picked up my materials and began to play. As I began to play I used the information I learned in class about patterns and spacing and I learned to let my work move freely but still maintain form. This was a breakthrough for me and at that point I realized that I was beginning to understand the design process.

Iteration No. 9

Reflection At this point I felt that I wanted to play a little more before I dabbled in educated design. I took all my previous thoughts and had my previous iterations in front of my work space and once again let my creativity flow without rhyme or reason not knowing that subconsciously everything that I had been

learning in class played a role in this design process. This piece offered complexity and reminded me of my first piece that I created. I used a wide variety of materials from wire to bamboo skewers, plastic pull ties, and wooden sticks. I had fun developing this and challenging my brain at the same time to see if I was understanding design order.

Iteration No. 10

Developing a Design Process I started with looking at iteration nine and used feedback to change my structure. I was told I should play off of the almost right angle located in the center of this piece. This time around I was focused solely on developing a process that I can use for every design. I used trace and followed the instructions Jerry gave us to critique our work. I was successful in learning from the assignment but not in the actual structure itself. It lacked character and imagination but I was able to identify the problem immediately.

Iteration No. 11 Effectively Collaborating Others Ideas I took the feedback from the last two iterations and incorporated them into this open design. I used thinner wire which had been suggested by another student and I kept the plastic ribs that were also liked in my last iterations. I tried to form a wing and arranged circular motions that demonstrate the passing of my grandmothers life and her spreading her joy into the heavens. On the winged side it is supposed to represent the guardian that has led her through her life and into this new Journey with it’s ribs showing a delicate power. I drew this iteration as a follow up from iteration 10 and used trace to track where I could place all these ideas with a balanced rhythm. The issues still lie within connectivity without using glue. In order to move into using joints to connect, I need larger and thicker pieces of wood to work with. Overall I am pleased with my progress.