Introduction: Reading the City

As mentioned in the welcome this project is called Reading the City. Our task was to create a conceptual installation that describes a given route through the city of Portsmouth.

The above map shows our given route (Route 6) which begins at the University library and ends at Portsmouth Point.

First Day

The first day we walked the route was (unsurprisingly for October) wet, cold and generally miserable. Still we struggled on through the torrential rain (I may be exaggerating) and recorded some interesting places along the route. We were very grateful for the pub at the end of our journey!

Below is a sample of a piece of music composed by Sir William Walton in 1925. It was inspired by its namesake which is the end point of our route.

Mexican Brainwave

After returning to University and drying off we began trying to discuss our thoughts. To start the process we performed a "Mexican Brainwave". This involved covering the tables in A1 pieces of paper and giving everyone 30 seconds to write something down on one before moving to the next. Soon the pages were full and we got some brilliant initial ideas.

Sketches & Photos

Below are a series of sketch studies of the route picking out the varying styles and scales of architecture that we encountered.

Sun & Light

Having walked the route at different times of the day, Josh and I were able to gather an insight into how sun and light can effect an environment. We are inspired by how shadows are cast over the older structures, and how modern technologies offer a substantial amount of light to enter the newer buildings. At the start of the route the surroundings were extremely congested, consisting of a mixture of buildings from different time periods. As we approached the sea front, more space was available, as well as light.

Material & Textures

Exploring the route, we collected rubbings, photographs and objects to record the various textures found throughout. After finding a precedent, textiles artist Sandra Adams who creates textures and objects found in nature using a combination of materials techniques, we began thinking about how we could create the textures we found on the route. We then recreated the textures of bark, porous rock, rust, metal and grey house bricks, analysed the findings and concluded that there was not a particular area where certain textures and materials dominate, or a pattern of textures as the route progressed, but a mixture throughout. We believe this shows tension between the new and the old, and natural and man-made textures through the route.

Sound & Smell

Section & Height

Portsmouth may be said to be made up of lots of different sections which have developed through time. The old town, situated near the sea front acted as a defense barrier to the city inside. The new part is mainly further inland and offers housing, schools, shops and so on. These different sections contrast in height and size but also in style and use of materials. In my representation i tried to compare the difference between both new and old but also to compare the similarities and show how they worked in unity.

Activity & Use

Our route through Portsmouth was particularly diverse in both its style and the way different areas were used along the walk including offices, schools, pubs and fishing ports which meant that rather than having one dominating influence the route is actually characterised by the coming together of all these different aspects. We tried to reflect this miss match of activities and uses in the way we represented our findings and used a photo mosaic technique to take influence from every part of the route and combine them together to make one montage which when viewed as a whole could represent the route in a single image.

History

As part of our research we have created these historical growth diagrams of Portsmouth as a whole and our route. We have also included information on key events throughout history that shaped the city as we know it.

Idea Session

After presenting each of our groups findings to the studio as a whole we concluded that the common theme amongst all of them was the tense contrast between the hundreds of different elements that composed our route.

The next step was to find a way of representing this as an installation . . . . back to the Mexican Brainwave.

The Thing: Design

Our initial idea involved creating a net containing representatives of all our feelings and impressions of the site. There were a lot of ideas about weaving objects through and around the net and ways of creating sounds, smells and textures.

After creating a draft model of the scheme it became evident that the final piece would be far too complex and literal.
As a studio we took steps to develop our design so that we could present our concept in a simpler and more abstract way.

Our final design is of a box which will emit sound being suspended by several wires crossing through it from six separate poles.
The six poles represent the six group elements we investigated (Activity & Use, History, Sun & Light etc. . .), the wires the interconnectivity between them and the way they interact with our route. The box represents a vessel for all of our collective experiences of the site which are in turn represented by the sound. Finally there is a red ribbon draped over the box and the wires which symbolises our route and the way it jumps from one element or typology to another seemingly at random.

THE Thing: Making

The Thing & Exhibition

Below is a sample of the piece of music that was playing from inside the box. The piece was composed by Martyn Webb and included the poem composed by Nabil Kareem (See the Sound & Smell blog post).

Route 6 - Exhibition Piece - Martyn Webb, Nabil Kareem