Friday 05/04/2019

On our Last presentation with Janneke, We presented to the special collections team, our final output in the form of one 1:10 detailed scale model of the final scale model, 2 posters showing the final idea we went with and an alternative idea, along with a drawing package for both ideas

Thursday 04/04/2019

The final model of the primary design (Group A) was finalized on Thursday, just in time for the final presentation to the collaborators on Friday.
This GIF represents the process the Special Collections Team would need to go through when setting up the paper on the Maker Space. This process would happen every cycle of the exhibition, and the authorized personnel can remove the used paper, and insert a fresh strip in this process.
The mechanism of this Maker Space is done in such a way, that it is receptive of the paper in a convenient manner. Once the paper is passed over and under the pulleys, the two edges of the strip can be glued together while resting on the table top.

Wednesday 03/04/2019
10:00

This Wednesday commenced with model making. The model-making team gathered all the necessary material and pieces, planned the making of the model, assigned jobs to everyone involved, and started building! Come Thursday(04/04/2019) the model will be finalized and photographed.

Wednesday 03/04/2019
13:00

Public Experiment
Taking our experimentation to another level, we pinned up another long piece of paper with some initial doodling on it, in order to see how people outside our team would interact with it. This GIF shows the interaction of the people over the course of 3 days.

Thursday 28/03/2019
15:00

The brief for the day entailed the group to be separated into 2 teams, and each team was to come up with their own design for the collaborator's brief, in preparation for Friday's presentation to Janneke. Team A asked each member of the team to propose a design for a modular, movable, maker space, using the sketchbooks we made in the beginning of the week.
Discussing each individual proposal, we combined them and picked up the most interesting factors of each proposal. Our final theme was to be a machine-like structure that would allow a continuous piece of paper to loop through, on which people would be able to draw on. This piece of machinery would provide colouring pencils and crayons, allowing students, visitors or the general public to engage with it, drawing or writing on the paper.

Tuesday 26/03/2019
12:00
Following an in-depth introduction to our brief, the team took part in a book making workshop, lead by Michael O'Reilly. Shown in this GIF is the process of the Turkish Map Fold in summary.

Monday 25/03/2019
15:00
The Wallpaper Table was an incredible experience altogether. We had the chance to put ourselves in our target audience's shoes, using our hands in a creative process, to de-stress and use our brains in a non-typical way. The instructions for using this table were as such: "Make your own wallpaper. The wax crayons and paper are here for you to take rubbings from the table. Lay paper over a section of the table you would like to copy and rub crayon over the surface. These rubbings can be left behind or taken away with you. The table is an opportunity for us to challenge the old patterns in some of the wallpapers on display and make new ones." Each and every one of us sat around the table and experimented with colours and patterns, each creating our own wallpaper sample. The interesting part of this exercise was the fact that once arriving at this table, almost everyone was compelled to sit and start experimenting, without even reading the instructions or the idea behind this. Upon completing this exercise, everyone admittedly felt substantially relaxed,and the group's spirit was evidently lifted. Being part of this exercise inspired us all, since we experienced exactly what we wanted to achieve through the creation of our Maker Space. It also helped us understand what we have to focus on when creating this project, as the client's requests were for us to create "a space within which students and the general public can de-stress and tinker."

Monday 25/03/2019
14:00
Taking our collaborator's suggestion from the morning lecture, we took some time to visit the Whitworth Art Gallery. Walking in, we experienced the way the shops on either side of the lobby/reception area of the gallery invite the visitors in, triggering their curiosity as to what happens beyond the two doorways. Keeping in mind our project, it was of great interest to us to experience a good example of how visitors can be drawn into a space. We walked around, looking at some of the artwork in the gallery, understanding what an artifact is and what it means to create one. Further into the gallery, we came across a space in which one found big tables, exhibited items and interactive pieces of art. Again, how these three can be combined in synergy in one space was something we took away from today's visit.

Monday 25/03/2019
13:30
Resuming our day after lunch, we visited the MMU Special Collections, at which we had the chance look at all the books they keep in their collection, which is the biggest book collection outside of London. We took this opportunity to inspire and educate ourselves about the different ways one can create a book. We found many artifacts made of interesting material, using different binding techniques, from various points in time.

Monday, 25/03/2019
10:00
Our collaborator, Janneke Geene, kindly dedicated some time to introduce all four groups she is working with to the MMU Special Collections, their ethos, their ambitions and their works. This gave us a chance to get a better and more accurate idea of what our designs could look like, and familiarize ourselves with the three other teams working with the Special Collection. Janneke talked about all our projects and the Special Collections with great enthusiasm and passion, highlighting the importance of these projects and her and her team's willingness to assist us in any which way we might need. We went on to ask any questions we might have had, to which Janneke replied with important information and tips for our projects. Following this first part of the introduction, Group E remained in the room, for an initial introduction of names, our project and our ambitions. M1 students thoroughly presented their brief to the rest of the team members, outlined the two weeks of Events, and answered any questions.

Week One will mainly consist of introductions to the many aspects of our projects, like the general design concept, our collaboration with the Special Collections team or bookmaking. Most of Week One will be an input phase, absorbing all the information we can and preparing for the second phase of the week, when we will collectively start working on our output in teams. By the end of this week, we aim to have decided on one idea to push forward into the following week, ready to be materialized.

Week Two starts off with all hands on deck, defining, drawing up and eventually building a scale model of our design proposal for the Modular & Movable Maker Space for the Special Collections. In addition to that, we will be sharpening our bookmaking skills, and create booklets to be inserted in the scale model of our proposal.

The project will be located on the third floor of the MMU (All Saints) Library, in the lobby of the Special Collections. Its central location works in favor of the Special Collections, as their aim is to connect their collections and exhibitions with the public. Students, as well as faculty and the general public, pass by the building daily, sometimes unaware of the Metropolitan University of Manchester's own museum, exhibiting incredible collections of books, posters and artifacts. On this location map, you can also see the locations at which our sessions will take place throughout the two weeks.

The Special Collections team wants to invite more people to the third floor of the MMU Library, encouraging creativity and connections between the public, the students and the exhibits. Visitors will be able to find all the materials required for bookmaking in the unfolding compartments, inspired by the artifacts exhibited within the Special Collections.