In Pursuit of Thesis: Week Eight

The moment you've all been waiting for is here...or more accurately...the moment I've been waiting for. I spent an entire afternoon sitting on the most comfortable of couches, sipping on a cappuccino and enjoying the sunshine reflecting off the building across the street. So what? 

So I've survived midterm week - not that it was an event I was particularly worried about. There's something so inexplicably wonderful about the minute you get out of your last class before spring break - no matter where you may or may not be going. It's certainly temporary, and there's definitely work to be done over the following week. But, for now, I'm basking in it. 

I always find this point of the year really refreshing - as I'm sure many people do. I don't know if it's the lack of sleep from the weeks prior, or the elating effects of a sunny day in Syracuse, but I'm feeling incredibly accomplished and at ease. I still have the ideas of finding a job, graduating, or even just finishing my thesis successfully in the back of my mind, but there's nothing about those that's causing me to panic...right now. 

After my second formal review in thesis, I'm more excited than ever to move forward. Something about hearing the words, you're actually ahead is incredibly motivating. Especially when, despite my constant progress I tend to feel like the work I'm producing isn't enough. Call it a curse of the 'mostly' Type A personality. Regardless, I'm not letting it get to me and I'm planning on moving full-speed ahead. 

As I’ve probably said before, actually taking a step back to look at everything I’ve done is always a little surprising to me. You know how if you see a person every day they don’t seem to change, but if you’ve been apart for a while they can really seem different from before? That definitely applies to my thesis – definitely. Here's an idea of what I've done:

From this point on, I'm really moving into the how does this actually work phase. I need to make sure the large, sculptural elements I designed can actually be constructed with the materials I imagined and really see how it's made. Lighting is another obviously important part that I've been thinking about in my head, but not necessarily on paper. But don't you worry, I've got it all planned out. In fact, I'm considering combining lighting into the sculptural pieces, with a translucent, colorfully lit resin mixing with the use of light tubes in some areas. Kind of like this:

See original here

Programmable LED behind translucent resin panels from Seeyond

Angled tubes mimicking the form of the panels.

Another idea I'm really considering over break is the incorporation of angular forms and triangles throughout the other spaces. While these won't necessarily take shape in a sculptural manner like in the main areas, I'd like some elements in the classrooms and secondary spaces to give a nod to the major ones. What I'm most concerned with is incorporating all these elements without them being visually overwhelming. It'll be a really fun mini-project to play with once I return from SEATTLE next week. Check back soon!

Cheers!