Our final project for the class was to create a model of a musical folly based on our favorite musical genre, group, or artist, where people could then experience the music through each architectural folly. I chose Adele as an artist because of how she empowers people through her music.
When you listen to Adele’s music the first thing you notice is her powerful voice. The messages within her songs, usually about women needing to stay strong, mixed with her powerful voice, are the two main reasons why I love listening to Adele and why I find her music so inspiring. I feel a sense of empowerment when I listen to her music. I feel as those I can go out and do anything that I set my mind to, that I can accomplish any goal I give myself or throw at myself.
Board One.
I chose to focus on three Adele songs that spoke to me the most: Chasing Pavements, Rolling in the Deep, and Set Fire to the Rain. Essentially one song for each experience within the folly.
My overall design has changed multiple times, but one thing stayed the same, my inspiration, both for my concept and the design. I found a lot of inspiration through the music videos of each song. I also listened in depth to each song and wrote down the words that first came to my mind while listening to the songs. Both exercises made me realize that an element was present in each song. So from there I had my overall design concept: Journey Through The Elements. Overall there are three cubes, one cube per song and experience.
For my design I drew inspiration from: Jorge Silvetti’s Suliman S. Olayan School of Business in Lebanon, the Four Cubes from the Château LaCoste Sculpture Garden in France, the Barbican’s Rain Room in England, and Bill Viola’s video installment of The Crossing.
Board Two.
The first cube or experience is based on Adele's Chasing Pavements song. I drew inspiration from the music video for the song and wanted the experience to be very natural and based on the earth element. Therefore, the cube is glass so that viewers can see out and over the rest of the park, there is also a large tree growing inside the glass cube and benches around the tree so that viewers can sit, listen to the song, and take in and view the nature all around them.
The second cube or experience was based on Adele's Set Fire To The Rain song. The obvious element or inspiration for this song was fire. So I created a space where viewers could walk through or sit and expereince the power of fire while listening to the song. There is a firepit all around and/or along the edges of the room. Then there are three fire sculptures in the middle that adjust their power level thoughout the song based on crescendos or build ups. Chimneys sit on top of the roof so that the room does not get overly hot.
The third and final experience or cube is based on Adele's Rolling in the Deep song. The elemental inspiration for this song and overall experience was water. Viewers will walk through the space and witness wavepools along the edges that represent the ocean, waves would happen during the crescendos of the song, and would be calm during the remainder of the song. Rain is also falling in the room into the wavepools, which would also range in power thoughout the song. LED lights are behind the rain on the walls to add to the mysterious experience. Lastly, waterglasses, ranging in size, rest on the ground and the water within them will vibrate to the music.
