LAST BLOG POST! A group photo to round the week off.. (with apologies to Paul - stop eating your shirt - and Dishun)

We've already said it, but we were very impressed with the high quality of the work you all produced over the two weeks, especially given the tight timeframe, and the attention you showed to the brief in producing the final designs.

To back this up, Louise from Special Collections said to us after the presentations:

[This is] '...exactly what we want to do but never in our wildest dreams would we have thought of some of this - it is fantastic.'

They'll be keeping your designs on hand when they come to consider how to show special collections in the new Mabel Tylecote building, so a great effort all round!

It's been a pleasure working with you all over the fortnight, and all the best with your courses over the next few years..

We'll be around the sixth floor if you need anything!

Paulina, Jenny, Tim and Kamal

Anna, Kate, Sian, Emily and a skeleton present the Vivienne Westwood corsets, to be displayed in Mabel Tylecote.

Nestor, Canon, Canon's sketchbook and Joe present their scheme, to place the Cantagalli jar in a curving, handle-inspired design that affixes to the columns of the Brooks building.

Aysha, Shueb and Justyna present their ceiling-hung concept to show the Ashuach stool.

Presentations! Paul, Trev and Asim show their Piranesi-inspired bench.

Day eight, Final Day! Red Velvet Cupcakes / Carrot Cake // Final project presentations to special collections and capital projects

The culmination of the two weeks: the double takers presented their schemes to representatives from capital projects and special collections, including Louise who introduced us to the artifacts last week.

The presentations were clear, strong, and highlighted all the design elements that the groups had considered over the length of the project.

Our visiting critics were very impressed, and the feedback was encouraging, pointing out the breadth of ideas and the depth of information in the schemes presented.

Crucially, the feedback received matched exactly the concept of the brief - the idea of incorporating the collections into the fabric of university buildings and introducing a host of different ways to display artifacts housed within Special Collections.

Kamal scrutinising the welding techniques of the skeleton-supporting grid.

Running through final presentations and tidying up loose ends..

Day Seven: Coffee and walnut cake // Pre-presentation tutorial

The calm before the storm..

Running through each group's work and their respective presentation sheet that we have asked for, in order to best convey their final work before they present it to Special Collections tomorrow.

A wider frame action photo, with double takers presenting their projects to members of MMU staff.

(Had the camera not decided to focus on nothing this might have been a far better picture.)

Canon, Nestor and Joe talking with IT and capital projects staff, considering the attachment of their vessel containing the weighty Cantagalli jar to columns in the Brooks Building.

Yiting, Dishun and Rob discussing lighting possibilities for the Ashuach chair with facilities staff, a potential difficulty when displaying the artifact in the naturally lit Brooks building

Aysha, Justyna and Shueb discussing security, and health and safety concerns when presenting the Ashuach stool in a cage-type structure suspended from the ceiling of John Dalton.

Asim and Trevor talking with IT and capital projects on the differing methods of projecting the contents of the Piranesi volume onto the wall of John Dalton.

Day six; Salted caramel and chocolate brownies // Consultation with MMU property services, health and safety and security

Today the double takers informally presented their schemes to MMU staff from health and safety, security, IT, facilities and capital projects, who offered their time to help with advise on potential technical detailing of the work.

The exercise was to allow double takers to consider their designs in a working environment, allowing for parameters and obstacles that they might encounter in a live project.

The advice offered was very useful and informative, and the feedback from the MMU representatives was positive across the board.

Cracking work all round!

Kamal on the losing side of a heated design discussion with the corset group..

Week 2!

Day Five: Lemon Drizzle Cake // Prototypes

After the first week of introductory meetings, design concepts and sketch models where the double takers nailed down their ideas within the ethos of the project, all five groups took large strides towards the construction of their prototypes on friday.

This week is all about finishing off the prototypes and adding polish to their proposals, before presenting the ideas to MMU.

Downhill to the finish line from here!

Bonus day 4 - Checking in with the second Ashuach stool group, design discussions and material considerations

Design discussions - Cantagalli drug jar

Design Discussions - Ashuach Chair

Design discussions - Piranesi volume

Day Three: Victoria Sponge / Carrot Cake (*Cough-Shop bought-cough*) // Design concepts and models

A tutorial day to round off the first week, with the double takers running through their individual group ideas and how they would see these come to fruition over the following days.

Site visit at the Brooks Building, Birley Fields.

Large quadruple height area inside the glazed entrance, with plenty of stairs, chairs and students to consider.

The substantial Piranesi volume. Note the (sweaty) latex gloves.

The death of the architectural sketchbook..

Louise from Special Collections ran through the artifacts that will be used: two Vivianne Westwood bodices, two Barnett Freedman lithograph posters, a drug jar by Cantagalli, a femur stool by Assa Ashuach and Giovanni Piranesi's Le Anchita Romane book.

Day two: Polish Yoghurt Cake // Special Collections Meeting / Prospective Site Visits

Double takers were introduced to the artifacts at special collections in the Kenneth Green library, and then the three sites: part of the first floor in Mabel Tylecote, the atrium of the Brooks building, and the ground floor corridor of the John Dalton building.

Having split into their groups, they were given building plans and asked to explore the potential of each area as well as the limitations.

Double takers at the Whitworth..

The Whitworth, Sarah Lucas.

The Whitworth, Cai Guo-Qiang - Unmanned Nature.

Gunpowder mural set against an indoor pool.

The Whitworth, Cornelia Parker.

Flattened brass instruments suspended from a ceiling grid.

The Whitworth, Cornelia Parker - Cold Dark Matter: An Exploded View.

An exploded shed hanging from a suspended metal grid.

GROUP PHOTO!

Double Take Whitworth Art Gallery and Manchester Museum Visit:

Investigation of museum and gallery displays to get the thought process going. Double takers were asked to choose one display they found interesting, and consider its contextual and environmental effectiveness, or lack thereof..

Day one: Chocolate crispy cakes / Marshmallow squares // Museum Visits

Double takers will investigate artifacts in the MMU special collections, then split into five groups, they will choose one artwork from a selection of five, and one site from either John Dalton, Mabel Tylecote or the Brooks building, then design and build a vessel/plinth/housing to best show off the artifact in its context.

Meanwhile the fifth years have to bring in home baked cakes on each given day, as a form of mild bribery.