Category: Noora Hijra

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A10 | Noora | Taste Rave & Drinking Object

In-class: recording the smell and taste of clove, as well as its container.
In-class: Mapping the taste of clove and how it travels through the mouth.
In-class: recording and mapping the smell and taste of fennel seeds (although perception was impaired by previous interaction with the clove)
Drinking Object: A (beer) can to reduce volume consumed while providing a complete consumptive experience.
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A6/7 | Noora | Tactile Body Spaces & Movement

In-Class Activity for A7: Quick sketches to record and communicate design deficiencies in my bedroom door. These could be developed further or – more importantly – to begin making proposals for improved design.

Some possible proposals: change the door knob; refit the strike-plate to lie flush with the door frame; change the direction in which the door swings and switch the insulation to avoid pushing dust into the room; raise the insulation slightly to reduce friction. These could also be drawn.
A6: An analysis of noises in my bedroom, as well as some design proposals.

The mapping on the left records the distribution of some key noises in my bedroom. Given the quiet COVID-19 weekday evening context, there was little activity and only the most consistent noises were heard.

The plan on the top left further spatializes elements identified in the mapping. A ‘problem wall’ which propagates and amplifies noises in the room is identified.

Two simple drawings on the bottom right diagrammatically elaborate on the ‘problem wall’ in relation to the furnace and lamps as key noise sources. Proposals are made to resolve these issues.
A7: An analysis and proposals for my work desk. Although this assignment emphasizes movement, I selected a space of stasis where I spend most of my time. Here, even the smallest movement makes a difference, and small discomforts build up over extended working periods.

While I find these drawing quite successful and think they can speak for themselves, they would benefit from supporting drawings:

Drawings of the (decidedly plasticky) textures at a high spatial resolution, and where exactly they contact the body would be beneficial. A series of body-position drawings could be produced to illustrate the awkward positions assumed in navigating the desk. Perhaps additional position drawings with my laptop/wired-headphones/wheeled-chair as targets I actively manipulate which also limit/enable my mobility.

These were all considerations on my mind, but I skipped the step of drawing them – potential materials for a more robust analysis.

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A5 | Using Your Hands | Noora

A wireless mouse usually serves a visual function, and was interesting to approach without vision.

Weight, hollowness, heat, sounds, textures, seams and moving parts became became more apparent. The ambidextrous design of the mouse was also apparent through touch when holding the mouse.

The shallow engraved labels and small blue light to indicate that the mouse was on were no longer legible, but still palpable through textures or heat.

Inferences about internal components could be made more readily without vision (e.g. the weight of batteries, the clicking of switches, the heat of wired components, etc.)
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A4 | Above, At & Below Ground | Noora

Repost from A3: Based on feedback, I attempted to draw the upper level with more context and greater clarity for the roof garden. However, I found that this cluttered the drawing, and that I wasn’t able to find a good perspective efficiently enough. Instead I’ve attempted to create a series of diagrams that work collectively to show the space.
This sectional diagram builds on the above axonometric to show key spaces and context. Perhaps the largest limitation of this drawing is the failure to show the ramps, and the omission of the slope which moves laterally in front of the roof garden area.
Diagrams to show the movement of stormwater from the roof of the museum through a constructed wetland.
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A3 | Mapping | Noora

In-class exercise drawing clouds. The value of the cube in spatializing the mappings was a key take-away.
A plan of Beaty Biodiversity Museum. This is not an analytical map, but it’s a simple record of structures, entrances, and circulation routes.
An axonometric evaluative map, communicating how the museum’s placement and signage are potentially confusing due to their relationship with Main Mall as a primary circulation route. The map also raises questions about the mysterious greenspace hidden behind the museum.
An axonometric analytic map of circulation through the museum. The relationship between the building, the underground collection, and the roof garden are shown. The experience of moving from the well-lit atrium to the dark collections is suggested in the circulation.
An evaluative plan of how the outdoor passive space (seating & greenroof) is largely unshaded. The shade from tree canopy couldn’t be shown at this scale, but their shadows are also notably cast away from the seats.
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A2 | Adding Dimension | Noora

There are many approaches to drawing a cube: starting by drawing the axes, drawing the outline in a single stroke, drawing each face individually…
Lineweight, shading, and hatches helps to communicate depth. Leaving faint guidelines also helps communicate dimensionality.
Drawing household objects is a different exercise from drawing spaces. The scale and level of detail is different. I found using a bounding cube as a guide to draw curved objects (like the wireless mouse) an interesting and helpful process.
Attempting to understand the space outside Beaty Biodiversity Museum using drawing. Diagramming the space as a series of cubes helped think more abstractly about how things come together.
(I ended up developing this further in the Assignment 3 mapping exercise, but completed this drawing before the mapping lecture)
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A1 | TIME TO ALIGN | NOORA HIJRA

Drawing Lines with attention to weight, length, density, and technique

What does it mean to fill a page? Are there unintentional lines? Can negative space be a line? Where are the borders?

Drawing lines to represent emotions. Some lines are personified. Some lines are etymological diagrams. No spatial context is given, allowing the lines to speak for themselves.

Redrawing some of the emotional lines. Maybe this is too cautious? Lines are powerful in communicating quickly, so it’s important to keep things loose. When does this project move from the world of design into the world of abstract art?

Exercises during class. The third piece is perhaps the most successful in using emotive linework to represent space as a drawing, as opposed to a diagram.

Trying out the Sketchbook app as a drawing tool. Thinking in terms of lines helped produce this drawing relatively quickly, and encouraged a formal understanding of spatial elements.

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