Sights
School Project - Carleton University
|
2023
Project Showcase
Overview
For our final semester of Architecture, we were able to take an Option Studio, for which each instructor offered a unique course plan. The instructor I chose led an exploration of projection mapping and how architects can use it to engage with the built environment.
My project Sights aimed to engage a prominent courtyard on the Carleton campus to bring together those living in residence. A project set to take place during Frosh week, Sights acts as a calendar of events, informing the residents on campus of what events they can expect from Frosh week.
Process
The Inspiration
A huge inspiration for this project was the work of VJ Suave. VJ Suave uses real-time animation to create charming and engaging projections that bring life to otherwise stale environments. His work is capable of connecting those of all ages through his meaningful art.
Like VJ Suave, I wanted to create an animation that would be engaging and helpful to the ones living on campus. Diving into my interests in animation and character design, as well as taking inspiration from VJ Suave's use of eyes in the projection titled Roda de Força, I was able to produce the project proposal for Sights.
The Site
The most important factor to determine the success of this project was the site where it would take place. The site needed to be somewhere many residents would see but also a good canvas for the projections to take place.
My preferred site was the wall's of Russell house as it provided plenty of empty space for projections while having very barren windows that reminded me of eyes. More importantly, this façade faced a courtyard outside of many of the other residence buildings as well as Teraanga Commons, a hub for all residence students.
Development
In developing the project I needed to gather some information on what events Frosh week contains. After picking a day I could then "choreograph" the animations that would be associated with each event.
The main characters of the animation were the consequence of carrying the theme of eyes throughout the development of Sights. They were fully drawn by me and rigged in Live2D, meaning they can be recycled for future animations using the parameters that control their movement.
Execution
Although I did not have access to the necessary equipment to actually create the projection, I did create a mockup of what it may look like in Aftereffects. To achieve the correct effect, I first needed to use the plans of Russell Hall and images i took of the façade to create an elevation I could map my project to.
Starting off with the silent disco, the figures dance while listening to the music on their headphones. Next is beach day, where the characters now go swimming together. Finally the figures play a version of chess for board game night.
In the end this is the resulting video and proof of concept. The project brings life to this otherwise empty and underutilized courtyard. If the project were to be fully realized, likely the buildings surrounding Russell Hall would receive similar treatment with various other projects. For now I have just covered them with random movement to visualize what this may look like.
Maneet Sodhi
ManeetSodhi03@gmail.com
