Gardens of the future

 Following on from the biro drawing I made of the runway, I decided this would make a good cover page for my project portfolio. I considered having the black and white biro drawing alone on the cover, but this didn't feel representative of the atmopshere I was trying to achieve. Soluna is a site bustling with nature and life. Therefore, I collaged some of my visualisations and some muted watercolour elements alongside my biro drawing to create a scene as opposed to just an image.

Above is a development zoning plan for my Soluna site. This is where my site plan began. Very loosely and not to scale. In order to get my head around spacing and sizing of elements I roughly drew up this master plan in coloured pencil. I feel like there is still a lot of work needed as the planting is currently in very isolated pockets as opposed to being intgrated within the wider site.  I really liked the softness of this colour scheme but I felt the colours did not match the life and energy that Soluna has. This masterplan felt too calm and muted.  I made this master plan on photoshop using the bucket fill tool and brushes. I did really like the style of this master plan but felt it was not right for the energy of this site. It was too bold and blocky. This masterplan was definitley working towards what I wanted, but felt really washed out and the colours felt muddy and not compatible. This is what my final master plan looked like. Of all of my renditions I think this one ...

 For my visual narrative portfolio I wanted to create a visual of a runway. However, I wanted this visual to vary from the rest and be a biro drawing. In order to do this I first made this very quick concept collage and in order to create the correct scaling and give me something to reference. I then recreated this in biro. 

 Above is a submission I handed in as part of my design project. This movie aimed to present the atmopshere of my festival site, conveying the key principles and visitor experience.  I felt it was not important to include all of the site bases, background inspiration, logo development etc. as these have all been mentioned in my A3 portfolio document that would be handed to a client alongside this. Instead I felt it was important to convey what written words cannot - true emotion.

These sketches were quick and intended to map out key areas of the site. This allowed me to visualise the cohesivity of varying elements and decide where I wanted to place them. This was also extremely helpful when it came time for me making visualisations, as I already knew how things would look, I just needed to collage the elements over these drawings.   

  As a way of exploring the genius loci of this site, I decided to create a tactile collage, produced using found materials collected directly from the site. This included: leaves, soil rubbings and fragments of sticks. This allows the character of Alney Island to be explored through texture, weight and material contrast, rather than purely visual representation. Organic elements included in this collage, such as the leaves, reflect the living, seasonal and adaptive elements of the floodplain. While sticks represent the infrastructural elements of the site that cause site-wide fragmentation. The way that these elements are layered over each other aims to portray how the varying layers of this site combine, contrast and co-exist. Drawings of key site elements and on-site photography allow the collage to sit between direct observation, providing context and ensuring interpretation is based on real site conditions and materiality.

 In terms of logo creation for Soluna, I struggled with ways to keep the logo natural but also classy as it would need to be used for festival merchandising as well. I considered the fluidity of the river. I also considered natural elements like the sun, soil, planting etc. I then considered more of my branding strategy and felt that it would be inkeeping with the site to have a logo that could be lino printed or embossed into paper, as a way of reducing environmental impact. This is how I landed on my final logo. I felt this logo would also look ver chic as a wax seal on festival invites. 

  Rather than having a normal grass crete car park that sat un-used for most of the year I felt it was much better to make this a productive orchard with room for cars to park under  .This also means the cars are shaded from the elements. This visual portrays the forrest walkway. With tall evergreen trees and a few seasonal colours thrown in. Local sculptural artists can place their pieces here, however they do get interchanged frequently in order to  keep visitors suprised and create intruige.

  Key stakeholder Local residents and surrounding community  Existing land users (cyclists, walkers, bird spotters, grazing cows)  Local artists and sustainable makers  Wellness practitioners and lecturers  Environmental and conservation groups  Local food producers and suppliers  Visitors and festival goers  Local authorities and transport services  Engagement methods Initial engagement Site walks with local residents and land users to understand their initial concerns, knowledge, and present aspirations for the site development. Creating the structure Workshopping ideas with artists, makers, and wellness practitioners to help form site elements and non-festival events throughout the year, such as meditation and temporary installations.  Longterm community involvement Local people such as; makers, produce growers, wellness and alternative medicine practitioners are prioritised when hosting markets, workshops, and deciding programming.

 For me, Soluna's integration into the wider urban fabric of Gloucester was vital for its success. It needed to cater towards many demographics of people, whilst also being a tourism focal point. This is often tricky to balance. The site is landscape led instead of led by built form. This means Soluna is shaped by existing landform, water, topography, vegetation and movement rather than by preconceived design ideas. Therefore, the site provides a continuation of the river and surrounding vegetation, responding to natural systems and integrating within them as opposed to trying to control them.  The River Severn connects Soluna both physically and ecologically to the wider floodplain area that is Gloucester. Acting as both a boundary and a connector.  The designing of Soluna fundamentally works with flooding, rather than against it accepting it as a defining feature and experience.  The primary routes align with existing paths and bridges; this strengthens connections...

Below are some rough sketches I made throughout the development of my design project. I feel it is important to show these as they show a development of my thinking and the thought process behind my finished pages and posters.  

Here is a visual of the workshop I propose for 'Soluna'. The dark woods and stone-lined ealkway make this visual look enchanted and fairytale-like. I wanted this area to feel like an oasis. As if there was a little pocket in the woodland carved out. Above is an example of a runway at Soluna. I personally feel this is much more evocative and storyline-based than many couture fashion runways. This also helps bring out the rich colours in the fabrics. I really like the vintage style I used in these visuals. I think its really captivating and shows the atmosphere of the site.