Fine-Tuning | My Site 4

Week Twelve: Fine-Tuning

Weekly Learning Outcome

Finalising my project for the digital submission
Applying the feedback provided from the critics

The Final Stretch

I was beginning to get worried about the maximum number of pages for this submission! I was thinking that I would have to remove information from this presentation, I felt that the information that I was presenting is all relevant to truly understanding my project visually - however Sue said that it was fine if it went over by a few pages which I was very thankful for!

Site Plan

I decided to revisit my site plan to inform my viewers of the surrounding spaces and the way light affects Fort Lane. I highlighted the sunpath as well as the compass of the site to inform my viewers of the way light moves through the site. Creating a site plan has also clarified the aspects the first attracted me to Imperial Lane. Light being one of the main factors of my project and inspiration made it evident that I needed to inform my viewers where I gathered this from and how I aim to apply it to my proposal. As a result I decided to keep the sunpath, contours, water line and Waihoritu Stream to add context to my site. I felt that having these "natural earth" aspects helps the audience envision what used to be there before land reclamation.

Additional Programming

As the final stretch of our project was coming up I felt like I was losing time to completely change the programming of my space. I also like the way I have set it out, however, I do agree with the critics that there could be something more. Could I create a experience that informs the audience? Can they leave learning something new? A way to stop and participate?

Thinking about these ideas led me to think about the way I walk in museums. If I see something interactive and interesting I am drawn to see what it is about. Therefore I have decided to experiment the idea of projection. I aim to add a projection onto the blank wall of the history of the site showing images of the biophilia before land reclamation and colonisation. I feel that this will create a connection between the users and the space and help them realise the lack of biophilia in the city - how it creates a better atmosphere than just concrete. I hope that this allows people to envision a newer and developing city that thinks about the sustainability and well being of its users.

I would also like to play short documentaries or time lapses of the way spaces change once biophilia is explored!

Example of Images Id like to showcase

Early settlements

Māori oral tradition tells of explorers who made long journeys, such as Tamatea-pōkai-whenua, who travelled from the far north to the deepest south. Certainly by the end of the 14th century the entire country had been explored. However, it seems likely that many remained close to their initial settlements. Tainui peoples, for example, are said to have remained near Kāwhia Harbour for six or seven generations. During this time, they came to experience a new climate (much colder than they were used to) and new species of flora (such as flax) and fauna (such as the tūī and other birds). These early settlements were often at harbours or the mouths of rivers – close to the sea, with good access to fishing and shellfish grounds. There was extensive hunting of seals and the large flightless bird, the moa.

The move inland

Increasingly Māori developed horticulture. With careful techniques, often involving the use of stone walls, and fire embers to warm soils, they succeeded in establishing several plants, especially the kūmara (sweet potato). They also turned inland, and over several generations encountered the great forests. Māori culture moved from being largely maritime to one which, in certain places, was dominated by trees and bird life.

Traditional culture

Pre-European Māori culture was oral, and based on small autonomous sub-tribes living in valleys, harbours and other localities. Tribal histories are rich with stories of armed conflict, and New Zealand’s many sculpted hills and ridges – the relics of fortifications – are evidence of the importance of warfare in traditional Māori society.

Connections and examples to light