Reactscape » representation

Hybrid Analytical Landscapes

bcantrell — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 21:37:37 +0000

At CELA 2011 I had the opportunity to present the work Kristi Cheramie and I have assembled that led to the teaching of the Hybrid Analytical Landscapes course in the 2011 wintersession at LSU. The work was well received overall although we were not able to have a critical discussion during the panel due to time, which was unfortunate.

One of the most interesting aspects of the discussions has been focused around the processes of negotiation that occur as we move between forms of representation and site definition. This centers around two scales of negotiation, the first is understanding the transfer of site data. As information is moved between models it requires a strategy of retention and filtering that critically examines the building blocks for each landscape interpretation. The group work that produced the physical models created the other interesting moment of negotiation that forced each participant to advocate for their phenomena’s position within the larger system.

As always the student work was impressive as I look back on it, particularly in terms of quality and quantity in such a short time period. A draft of the paper presented is here.

Alex Ramirez and Will Tietje Sculpted Motion

Latest Site Observations

bcantrell — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 00:36:32 +0000

My design studio was asked to observe site phenomena and features through a 3hr site visit this past Friday. Each student was asked to create an annotated illustration that captured 60 observations and 30 events over the 3hrs. While many of the events and observations are initially mundane most students came away with a greater appreciation for the vast amount of changes that are occurring across the site, particularly at the human scale. As a representation and diagramming exercise it is fascinating to see some of the methods used to build hierarchies, express impact or trace movement. You can take a closer look at the assignment here. The illustrations are below.

Amanda Beerens Site Observation 006

Li Wang Site Observation 006

Peter Graves Site Observation 006

Brett Davis Site Observation 006

Xueyao Wei Site Observation 006

Matt Seibert Site Observation 006

Daniel Burton Site Observation 006

Audrey Cropp Site Observation 006

Cerys Heroman Site Observation 006

Ben Wellington Site Observation 006

More to Come …

Promising Kinect UI Hack

bcantrell — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 18:45:36 +0000

Kinect Hacks: MIT gets Minority Report UI to work, look at those fingers go! | Joystiq.

One of the more interesting UI hacks for the Kinect, tracking down to the fingers opens up a lot of possibilities. You can grab the source and read the documentation here.

Augmented Reality . Sea Dragon Technology

bcantrell — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 23:31:12 +0000

A demonstration of mapping technology by Blaise Aguera y Arcas at Microsoft. Very interesting conceptually to think that we are modeling, observing, and imaging our built environment through multiple time periods. The ability to embed these time shifts within one another as well as navigate them is fascinating. TED presentation below:

Mississippi Basin Model

bcantrell — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 00:37:35 +0000

On Sunday I traveled with my representation seminar to the Mississippi Basin Model in Clinton, MS. I have been to the site several times and I am always amazed at the possibilities of such a device. As an armature the model provides an interesting datum to attach new content. The model is a perfect precedent for the illustrating ecologies course I am currently teaching, a mechanism of simulation which abstracts form in order to accomplish performative goals. An MBM post has been added to the {LAB} site.

My colleague at LSU Kristi Dykema is currently using the site for her undergraduate studio and some research. I am interested to see what the studio and her research tease out of this complex and unique site.

Recorder at the Atchafalaya station

Rusted inflow controllers

River channell and mesh used to simulate dense vegetation

Concrete surface, wire exposed

Temporary levee wall within the model

Digital Drawing for Landscape Architects

bcantrell — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 01:43:38 +0000

Reviewing the page proofs for the book which is exciting, slowly going through the proofs. We have a short foreword from Ken Smith which frames the book nicely and there is a good deal of information for beginning landscape students and professionals that are looking to get their head around digital techniques. The cover is below.