Today is an odd day, I've hardly used the bathroom at all. I was out for most of the day but even in the evening I didn't use it much. I was very tired on Saturday night so I went to bed early-ish and without even brushing my teeth or hair!
20110820
20110818
Film_18th August_3.24pm
Once again documenting the drying, moisturizing process. This was straight after my bath.
Film_18th August_2.57pm
This film is of me having a bath. It is not particularly visually exciting but the sound qualities vary dramatically from the films of myself having a shower.
The bath is the more relaxing, time-to-think, not on-the-go convenience of the two and this is portrayed nicely through sound. The bath is quite a silent place, where one can sit down, lie down and relax. The shower is a loud place, where one has to be alert and standing and it's not so easy to get lost in one's own thoughts.
There are a few moments in the video - 14mins long [also reinforcing my want to stay in here longer] - where the sound doesn't equal the flowing movements within the bath. For example, turning around in the bath makes loud suctions sounds, and the noise of myself scratching in the bath creates a slapping sensation.
Film_18th August_2.46pm
This film looks at setting up the bathroom before my bath and getting ready to hop into the bath after it's run. My body is represented in the tiles beyond the bath tap, however once the bath has been running for a while and the steam has started to cover the tiles, my body is only slightly visible through the tap.
It is interesting in relation to the mirror in the bathroom that most features of the bathroom are made from a mirrored or reflective surface; heavily glossed floor and wall tiles, chrome taps, faucets and handles, glass partitions and ceramic products.
Supervision notes
_Diagramming. Linear, time, movement diagramming.
_Analysis informing several design exercises. Thesis doc = "critical and reflective documentation of my practice."
_Seminars - reading that had analysis of movements/diary - look back on.
_Project needs to be sited now. Think about how is my project framed. Pragmatic // Poetic.
Re-design of the bathroom I'm using now. Restrictions of the site - bonus. Say "this is the site."
_Title. Theorize tailor-made. Could be tailor-made physically, or tailor-made through my experience? Personification?
_NZ housing. Lots to work with - inform my direction.
Communicate to audience what the house is. Describe house. "2009 NZ Stonewood house." Built by...designed by...
_Pragmatic - Pre-Chch design exercises. Height of faucet for me etc. Remember, things extend from the bathroom - hot water cylinder, pipes, laundry etc. Think beyond the surface - lining, glue, 'stuff'. Redesigning the current bathroom 'tailor-made' to personal body shape, size etc.
_Poetic - Post-Chch design exercises. Particularly film of feet through tiles - my relationship to my NZ home. Video, soundscape, sensual, provocative. Documenting the NZ bathroom actions, movements - relationship to body through film.
_Reflect upon what I have done so far. View it for all it's worth, in other ways and think about how it informs my project and my projects direction.
_Laura Ford's thesis. Look online. Few chapters I'd like on bathroom, surface, domestic house etc.
_Re-model my current bathroom - 2 iterations of the same design or different methods. 2 pragmatic // 1 pragmatic, 1 poetic // 2 poetic. Think about the 2 different directions my project could take.
_Next supervision at 9.30am on the 2nd Sept w/ Ant.
Anything else I have missed out/should consider?
_Analysis informing several design exercises. Thesis doc = "critical and reflective documentation of my practice."
_Seminars - reading that had analysis of movements/diary - look back on.
_Project needs to be sited now. Think about how is my project framed. Pragmatic // Poetic.
Re-design of the bathroom I'm using now. Restrictions of the site - bonus. Say "this is the site."
_Title. Theorize tailor-made. Could be tailor-made physically, or tailor-made through my experience? Personification?
_NZ housing. Lots to work with - inform my direction.
Communicate to audience what the house is. Describe house. "2009 NZ Stonewood house." Built by...designed by...
_Pragmatic - Pre-Chch design exercises. Height of faucet for me etc. Remember, things extend from the bathroom - hot water cylinder, pipes, laundry etc. Think beyond the surface - lining, glue, 'stuff'. Redesigning the current bathroom 'tailor-made' to personal body shape, size etc.
_Poetic - Post-Chch design exercises. Particularly film of feet through tiles - my relationship to my NZ home. Video, soundscape, sensual, provocative. Documenting the NZ bathroom actions, movements - relationship to body through film.
_Reflect upon what I have done so far. View it for all it's worth, in other ways and think about how it informs my project and my projects direction.
_Laura Ford's thesis. Look online. Few chapters I'd like on bathroom, surface, domestic house etc.
_Re-model my current bathroom - 2 iterations of the same design or different methods. 2 pragmatic // 1 pragmatic, 1 poetic // 2 poetic. Think about the 2 different directions my project could take.
_Next supervision at 9.30am on the 2nd Sept w/ Ant.
Anything else I have missed out/should consider?
In response to last supervision notes dated 12.08.11
_Skype! Has been fixed. Bought a new camera and have sound & video now working on my parents PC. Laptop is still not working.
_Have been keeping my bathroom diary - visual and textual. Very specific to me - have been recording exactly what I do in the bathroom each day - not just showering etc. Could be just checking if I have food around my mouth.
Was hoping to keep this diary for a month, but now I have a week of data I want to start generating designs from this.
Started doing the sketch a day idea. Wasn't working - it was really hard to visualize anything but the bathroom I use, mainly because I had just done these actions. Hopefully now that I have heaps of data it will become easier.
_Still need to make a more specific list - use the diary to generate this.
_Be specific. - Have been specific - down to what hand I use for switching on the bathroom light.
_Have requested Georges Perec - Species of Spaces from Massey.
_Writing workshop. Have told JP, will be in Wellington on the 13th Sept.
_Have been keeping my bathroom diary - visual and textual. Very specific to me - have been recording exactly what I do in the bathroom each day - not just showering etc. Could be just checking if I have food around my mouth.
Was hoping to keep this diary for a month, but now I have a week of data I want to start generating designs from this.
Started doing the sketch a day idea. Wasn't working - it was really hard to visualize anything but the bathroom I use, mainly because I had just done these actions. Hopefully now that I have heaps of data it will become easier.
_Still need to make a more specific list - use the diary to generate this.
_Be specific. - Have been specific - down to what hand I use for switching on the bathroom light.
_Have requested Georges Perec - Species of Spaces from Massey.
_Writing workshop. Have told JP, will be in Wellington on the 13th Sept.
Film_17th August_7.39pm. Part 3
This is the 3rd installment of the showering film. Continuing on with the same focus of the shower glass - this installment, like Part 1, would be quite ambiguous again with the sound probably being quite unfamiliar to most listeners. The shadow of my body performing movements/actions/routines/rituals is projected onto the shower wall. This film looks at the drying/moisturizing/in-between post-shower actions.
The sound and visuals, if you did not know it was the bathroom, might not be clear.
The sound and visuals, if you did not know it was the bathroom, might not be clear.
20110817
Film_17th August_7.39pm. Part 1
Pre-shower film again - having to divide the full pre-shower through to post-shower into separate films for uploading reasons - this installment is purely looking into the post-shower action/movement/routine/ritual sound.
I decided to focus on the shower for the backdrop - originally being one film, it would be quite ambiguous to begin with and gradually it would become clear that it was the shower. Projecting the visuals of the shower - through the product we shower in, shows the disconnection between the space and the action the space is meant to contain.
- Containment.
Film_17th August_9.33am
This is the film I couldn't upload. I think perhaps they have to be under a certain size/length. Anyway I uploaded it through my youtube, and it's only viewable to people who have the url. It observes the actions of brushing my hair in the morning - or wrestling the bird's nest, moisturizing my face, brushing my teeth and finally cleaning up the messy sink that I share with my younger sister.
_Morning routine + cleaning
20110816
Film_Hair-brushing
This is a video of me brushing my hair indirectly. I have a better one which is 9 mins long and is one of the longest films so far, filmed this morning when I got up. It observes the actions of brushing my hair in the morning - or wrestling the bird's nest, moisturizing my face, brushing my teeth and finally cleaning up the messy sink that I share with my younger sister.
However, currently I cant get my laptop to upload it onto Blogger. So will try later.
Im going to draw up a rough sketch of the bathroom I use just now and use the videos and diary to start tracing my movements in terms of time and routine, depending on my actions each day.
Film_Brushing teeth
Once again playing with camera angles and that notion of body [or action] and it's relationship to architecture. This film is of my shadow being cast onto the sink in the bathroom while I brush my teeth.
Film_Brushing teeth & hair
I directly filmed the body this time, though only a part of the body which allows the viewer to focus on the movement the action makes the body perform. In this film, the action of brushing my teeth makes my body shake slightly in relation to the pace of brushing. This film also allows the viewer to visually, as well as auditory, connect with the action of brushing my teeth and hair. Moments are captured when I drift off in thought or get distracted.
Film_Post-shower [2]
This is the second film of the shower I made, filmed on the 15th. It cut out just after I climb into the shower because I didn't charge the camera fully. I used the same film technique as the previous films, but this time flipping the reflection.
20110815
Film_Post-shower
This film captures my personal routines, rituals, actions and movements post-shower. This is perhaps the most personal actions, for me, that happen within the bathroom. During this time I dry myself and apply my daily moisturizers and steroid cremes as part of my treatment for eczema. Because of this, the bathroom - in terms of showering and bathing - has become more of a chore than an enjoyment for me. Once again I have used the same camera technique (all 3 films were filmed at the same time) and the reflections of the body on the architecture suggest my movement within the bathroom.
Film_Showering
Carrying on from the previous uploaded film, this film captures my act of showering in my bathroom. In the same manner as the previous film, I have reflected myself subtly in the bathroom floor tiles. It is a nice metaphor of the relationship between body and architecture.
Film_Pre-shower
This is the first film I made trying to capture my personal movements, actions and routines when preparing to get in the shower. I have been playing around with camera angles, as you can see, and have covered part of the camera lens. The visual image you can see as the viewer is myself reflected in the bathroom's floor tiles. I think it's quite beautiful reflected - remaining ambiguous or foreign to the viewer, yet familiar in terms of sound perhaps.
Filming the Bathroom/Sound in the Bathroom
Filming the bathroom has proven more difficult than I thought! I keep bloomin' forgetting to take my camera with me so so-far I've only managed to film one whole shower and today's preparation for showering (because the battery died just as I climbed in the shower!). I've put it on charge now and I'm going to carry it around with me like it's an extra body part - same with my 'diary'.
Camera Angles_I've been playing around with camera angles in the bathroom. The bathroom, being a personal space, should remain so. I've been trying to film snippets of the bathing experience to keep the bathing/showering/brushing/cleaning (and so on) personal to me.
Sound_will become a valuable tool in the recording of my time in the bathroom. Using visuals will show the viewer my ritual, and so could sound. Sounds are correlative of a movement, action or ritual in the bathroom - this method of recording is quite ambiguous because each bathroom user has their own movements, actions and routines. I'm pretty sure that not many people who listen to my sound-scape will have eczema and this will impact my sound recording quite dramatically.
Video to follow once my camera is charged :)
Camera Angles_I've been playing around with camera angles in the bathroom. The bathroom, being a personal space, should remain so. I've been trying to film snippets of the bathing experience to keep the bathing/showering/brushing/cleaning (and so on) personal to me.
Sound_will become a valuable tool in the recording of my time in the bathroom. Using visuals will show the viewer my ritual, and so could sound. Sounds are correlative of a movement, action or ritual in the bathroom - this method of recording is quite ambiguous because each bathroom user has their own movements, actions and routines. I'm pretty sure that not many people who listen to my sound-scape will have eczema and this will impact my sound recording quite dramatically.
Video to follow once my camera is charged :)
20110814
Sunday 14th August_Diary Entry
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3rd day of the bathroom diary.
Had bit of an eventful start to the day as you will see when you read it. Im going to use Sketchup to generate some models for Sunday later tonight (monday)! The diary is useful for writing the specific routines I have as I do them, it's not so useful for visualizing my design so I need to get creative!
20110813
Saturday 13th August_Diary Entry
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Today was my first full diary entry. In have written my bathroom experiences in extreme detail. This was also the first bathroom day to be filmed/recorded digitally.
The 13th of August takes me on the journey through brushing my teeth in the morning, what else I do while I brush my teeth - such as scratching my back, brushing my hair, the constant battle I have with my fringe to make it stay in place, storing soap, getting undressed, another battle with my hair, adjusting the shower head, itching my knees and elbows, washing myself in the shower, applying soap in the shower, lastly washing my face because I hate water on it, squeegee-ing the shower after using it, drying myself after my shower - starting with my face, dolloping my moisturizer onto my skin and rubbing it all over, the use of steroid-based moisturizers and applying them sparingly, getting dressed into my pjs after my moisturizing and leaving the bathroom after my shower. Finally I re-brush my teeth, remember that I should be filming while I brush my teeth and start scratching again.
The final image is a sketch of the movements I describe in the bathroom.
Friday 12th August_Diary Entry
I have noticed that the activities noted in my diary all involve the use of the mirror. Today's sketch is pretty boring - a sink and mirror that can accommodate hair fixing and teeth brushing.
20110811
Lorna's Bathroom Diary
Objective: To monitor my bathroom usage, what I do in the bathroom and to clarify daily routines or deviations from routine for myself [in the bathroom]. To include other bathroom activities in my research project and design for them.
Commencement: Friday 12th August 2011, at 3.00pm
Each day I will record what I do in the bathroom through notes, sentences, diagrams and film studies. At the end of each day I will sketch a quick drawing of what I imagine that day's bathroom to look like - using activities to generate form. This will be used alongside existing digital modelling already completed to create a unique daily 'bath-room'.
Film studies will be conducted on a daily basis to record the sound of the bathroom throughout my duration within the space, and a visual recording will be conducted also (to be determined yet).
Entering the bathroom, I will take note of date, time and reason for entering. As I am conducting my bathroom activities I will record what I am doing/have done. At the end of each day I will scan the diary onto this blog.
This analysis of my bathroom will be conducted over a month period starting from today.
Supervision notes
_Skype! Need to fix problem. I re-tested it from my laptop to my parents PC and it worked so hopefully it will be fine for next session, but we could still do a test run.
_Make list more specific to me, could have a list/record of what I do daily. Keep a pencil & paper in the bathroom? Have a diary over a period of time (week, month etc) - will probably go for a month but start using the data immediately.
- - - - could do a quick sketch/model of each day's bathroom?? What would today's bathroom require? Visual and literary diary.
Keep track of what happens in my bathroom everyday - bored of routine and deviate? The more I add the denser it will become i.e. "Contacts in before nasal spray".
_Could keep a film diary. Film myself in the bathroom everyday - not just showering or bathing, but the other routines that I do. Hair, moisturize, make-up.
_Be specific. When I say moisturize I need to specify how I moisturize, with what do I moisturize and where? How long does it take me, how much do I apply and make it personal to me. Otherwise it could be anyone, has to be specific!
_Gender wasn't obvious on the previous list until I mentioned make-up - imagine that more things I do will be gender-specific. Georges Perec - Species of Spaces - looking at home in terms of rituals of life. Request from Massey and Google. See if anything else by him catches my eye. Initimus - might be a useful taster.
_Copper - what can copper do? Material properties, how can it be used? Need to know how a material works if I'm going to pursue the qualities of a material.
_If entirely digital, will need ti address the qualities of the material through digital work. How do I do that?
_Google survey? What do I do in the bathroom? See what comes up - they may be things I haven't considered yet and I might need to do so.
_Think backwards. Think about the end result/final presentation/exhibition. What do I want to have? Then I know what I have to do.
Give myself short deadlines which I have to complete - stay creative.
_Crit 2. Crit is going to be over 2 days so we have the opportunity to think things through - where do we want to present, how do we want to present? Think about how things are going to be exhibited.
- - - - - Soundscape. This could be from my diary. Filmic diary. Present sounds of the bathroom as an accompaniment to my presentation? How does this aid my work? How do I interpret in terms of design?
_Writing workshop. Find out when my flights are to Wellington and tell JP so I can attend.
_Make list more specific to me, could have a list/record of what I do daily. Keep a pencil & paper in the bathroom? Have a diary over a period of time (week, month etc) - will probably go for a month but start using the data immediately.
- - - - could do a quick sketch/model of each day's bathroom?? What would today's bathroom require? Visual and literary diary.
Keep track of what happens in my bathroom everyday - bored of routine and deviate? The more I add the denser it will become i.e. "Contacts in before nasal spray".
_Could keep a film diary. Film myself in the bathroom everyday - not just showering or bathing, but the other routines that I do. Hair, moisturize, make-up.
_Be specific. When I say moisturize I need to specify how I moisturize, with what do I moisturize and where? How long does it take me, how much do I apply and make it personal to me. Otherwise it could be anyone, has to be specific!
_Gender wasn't obvious on the previous list until I mentioned make-up - imagine that more things I do will be gender-specific. Georges Perec - Species of Spaces - looking at home in terms of rituals of life. Request from Massey and Google. See if anything else by him catches my eye. Initimus - might be a useful taster.
_Copper - what can copper do? Material properties, how can it be used? Need to know how a material works if I'm going to pursue the qualities of a material.
_If entirely digital, will need ti address the qualities of the material through digital work. How do I do that?
_Google survey? What do I do in the bathroom? See what comes up - they may be things I haven't considered yet and I might need to do so.
_Think backwards. Think about the end result/final presentation/exhibition. What do I want to have? Then I know what I have to do.
Give myself short deadlines which I have to complete - stay creative.
_Crit 2. Crit is going to be over 2 days so we have the opportunity to think things through - where do we want to present, how do we want to present? Think about how things are going to be exhibited.
- - - - - Soundscape. This could be from my diary. Filmic diary. Present sounds of the bathroom as an accompaniment to my presentation? How does this aid my work? How do I interpret in terms of design?
_Writing workshop. Find out when my flights are to Wellington and tell JP so I can attend.
What do I use the 'bathroom' for?
Primary uses of my bathroom are:
Secondary uses of my bathroom:
- shower or to bath
- dry myself after washing
- moisturize
- apply creams to my skin (medication for eczema)
- get dressed after cleaning/moisturizing
- wash my hands
- brush my teeth
- look in the mirror
- brush/do my hair
These uses are mostly a linear process of a rigorous daily routine I personally have to maintain.
Shower/bath > dry > moisturize > apply creme > apply steroids (if necessary) > wash hands of steroids > get dressed > do my hair.
- apply make-up (occasionally)
- relax
- think
- do nothing, place to just day-dream
The bathroom for me is very much a functional room primarily, it is a place for me to clean myself and take care of my skin (which requires a lot of creams, steroids and a strict routine to keep it maintained). Secondary to this, it is a place for me to think, process, relax and get away from the rest of the house and be by myself - to me it is a room I can guarantee no interruptions and allow me to be by myself.
The above speak to specific rituals my bathroom has to be able to accommodate.
My 'Bathroom'_03.08.11
Got my laptop back so now I can get back to what I was working on before it's meltdown.
03.08.11
Bathroom Revelations
At home in Chch: Cleaning/cleansing rituals have changed slightly - they are still rituals as they are specific action I perform when I have a bath or a shower - but my body is now occupying a different space to the one it was occupying in Wellington. This, to me, reinforces the need to move around the space/vessel provided our bodies are provided with as opposed to our bodies being able to move in a free-flowing motion and avoid these existing walls etc.
Film studies_Part 2_Chch
Film myself showering/bathing/cleaning/cleansing in my new home. Compare these films to the existing films I have of myself in Wellington. Highlight the specific rituals for myself and reflect on findings.
_Investigations into my shower in Chch and how it compares to Wellington. Diagrammatic sketches.
Shower/bath, Wellington
Standard vessel with shower curtain around side and foot of bath, tiled wall on opposite side with small window at shoulder height and tiled wall with shower head on it.
03.08.11
Bathroom Revelations
At home in Chch: Cleaning/cleansing rituals have changed slightly - they are still rituals as they are specific action I perform when I have a bath or a shower - but my body is now occupying a different space to the one it was occupying in Wellington. This, to me, reinforces the need to move around the space/vessel provided our bodies are provided with as opposed to our bodies being able to move in a free-flowing motion and avoid these existing walls etc.
Film studies_Part 2_Chch
Film myself showering/bathing/cleaning/cleansing in my new home. Compare these films to the existing films I have of myself in Wellington. Highlight the specific rituals for myself and reflect on findings.
_Investigations into my shower in Chch and how it compares to Wellington. Diagrammatic sketches.
Standard vessel with shower curtain around side and foot of bath, tiled wall on opposite side with small window at shoulder height and tiled wall with shower head on it.
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Shower, Christchurch
Shape of shower (or area to shower in comparison to Wellington) is more fitting to the body as it would typically shower. Shaped for your arms/washing hair etc but only facing as you walk in, no room for rotation. Glass door and small side panels with splash-guard walls.
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The shower is well designed in plan for facing the drain (image 2), but as you can see from image 3 of the shower, there isn't much room for rotation.
___for bath as well - sketch
20110809
Balance Modules_Dornbracht
Ritual Architecture_Balance Modules_Dornbracht (pdf)
Some nice text in the document relating to rituals and architecture, specifically hygiene rituals in the domestic home.
"The Dornbracht BALANCE MODULES also make the individual, with his or her habits and rituals, the focal point. They expand the purely functional and technical aspects of the bathroom to include the dimension of human rituals, actions and habits. This is not principally a matter of formal considerations. The modules are rather a new interface between the user and his rituals."
Some nice text in the document relating to rituals and architecture, specifically hygiene rituals in the domestic home.
"The Dornbracht BALANCE MODULES also make the individual, with his or her habits and rituals, the focal point. They expand the purely functional and technical aspects of the bathroom to include the dimension of human rituals, actions and habits. This is not principally a matter of formal considerations. The modules are rather a new interface between the user and his rituals."
_This demonstrates that Dornbracht has similar principals to me in regards to bathroom design. Dornbracht seek to make visible the habits or rituals one performs in the bathroom setting - I also seek to do this. However, Dornbracht are still more product focused which is where we are different. I intend to design a room that makes visible the individual rituals and routines of a specific user - the method for which could be applied to any user theoretically - but make a whole room, not a product.
RAINSKY (above), one of Dornbrachts products (or non-products) is described as "the first product to dissolve the boundary between fittings and architecture". It's other fittings not being visible on the walls of the bathroom, they are embedded onto the ceiling and highly technological. I'm not sure how I feel about this, although I need to think about this in terms of my own design.
Materiality_copper??_"water changes it's surroundings"
Ritual-Architecture - pure naturalness from Dornbracht by Sophia Muckle, 2007 for Stylepark.
Once again Dornbracht have taken center-stage when it comes to ritual architecture. Having a wee Google search I came across this article for Stylepark by Sophia Muckle (11.4.07) and the images in particular caught my eye and got my brain buzzing.
"The contemporary interpretation is produced by the exciting interaction between clear, reduced design language and a mix of old-fashioned and modern materials. Corten steel, copper and olivewood surfaces, on which water leaves its mark, contrasts with the contemporary look of marble, Corian and reflective glass."_Muckle 07
The product description for the Elemental Spa series is as follows:
"The theme of Elemental Spa is the archaic and the original: the element water changes its surroundings. It can make a place unique. That is why Elemental Spa makes water the centre of attention. It becomes the starting point for personal and shared rituals in physical and mental cleansing, and makes the bathroom a refuge for the soul."
I love the idea that water - the thing that rules the bathroom - can change the bathroom. The material choices here are amazing. The use of copper in the bathroom allows one to see where the water and the architecture touch - this could be a measure/a way of making visible the re-occurring bodily contact with space, or the splashes made by the body using the bathroom.
_this materiality is something to consider in my final design.
I love the idea that water - the thing that rules the bathroom - can change the bathroom. The material choices here are amazing. The use of copper in the bathroom allows one to see where the water and the architecture touch - this could be a measure/a way of making visible the re-occurring bodily contact with space, or the splashes made by the body using the bathroom.
_this materiality is something to consider in my final design.
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