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distortion/PORTFOLIO
distortion/PORTFOLIO
29mm 55mm 70mm 105mm
“The average person believes implicitly that the photograph
cannot falsify. Of course, you and I know that this unbounded
faith in the integrity of the photograph is often rudely shaken, for,
while photographs may not lie, liars may photograph.”
—Lewis Hine
introduction
Photographers are experts in trafficking lies, and I have made
it a point to master their craft. For most of my life, I have identified as
a person who takes photos. When I first started, it was simply about
capturing a record of what I saw before me—but before long, I came to
realize that the photographs were, in fact, not what I had seen at all, but
distorted versions of reality prescribed by my camera’s lens. If anything,
it was a fascinating phenomenon, but I soon found that distortion could
be used as an artistic medium of its own; that it could be controlled
deliberately to prescribe my own intentions as indubitable realities. The
camera—despite its ubiquitous association with forensic truth—was
teaching me how to lie.
At first, I approached architecture with the idea that a building
was a precise, three-dimensional reality composed by an architect for
others to experience. However, throughout my undergraduate education
I began to struggle with that definition of architecture. I gradually
realized that, just as with the photographs, what I thought was about
accuracy was actually about telling lies. Architectural design was no
different from photography. Space wanted to be tampered with—to be
misread. Architecture distorts the reality we experience, and makes
it something tangible that we can interact with on the human scale.
Designing the frame through which others viewed my own architectural
inquiries made me realize that the best architects were the ones whose
spatial constructs told the most compelling lies. Since this particular
realization, I have striven in my education to build proficiency in this
special type of deceit.
Like photographers, architects enjoy a unique opportunity to
prescribe distorted truths whose validity may or may not be contested,
and promote them as design. distortion/PORTFOLIO is a collection of
work which seeks to utilize the tangible qualities of distortion in order to
alter ones experience of reality. Through both architectural and artistic
venues, this body of work captures a targeted progression of inquiries
into material, geometry, and spatial reality. Through various applications
of distortion, each project ultimately aims to tell a compelling spatial lie
with finesse, which, for me, is what architecture is all about.
table of contents
(06 - 15)
(16 - 23)
(24 - 29)
(30 - 33)
(34 - 41)
(42 - 47)
(48 - 55)
(56 - 63)
(64 - 71)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
OCCUPATION /
NARRATIVE /
COMMUNITY /
FRAME /
PROXIMITY /
MEDIUM /
LIGHT /
TRANSLATION /
MASS /
1 2 3
4 5 6
7 8 9
distortion/OCCUPATION
30°
OVERLAP120°
LEFT FIELD
150°RIGHT FIELD150°
60°
OVERLAP
110°
LEFT FIELD
170°
RIGHT FIELD
170°
INTEN
SE FOCUS RANGE
INTENSE FOCUS RANGE
07
When a dog is trained to become a
service animal, he must become completely
aware of the built environment that we
share. He must fully understand the ways
in which humans occupy and interact with
space in order to communicate to his handler
the best way to navigate and subsequently
experience the human environment, while
simultaneously remaining attentive to his own
occupation of space in relation to the person.
He no longer exclusively occupies
spaces labeled as “dog”—but rather functions
as an active participant in spaces labeled as
“human”.
distortion/OCCUPATION creates
a dialogue between these two facets of our
symbiotic relationship with the canine
species, and manifests itself in the form of
a proving ground for the human-animal
relationship.
opposite:section modelright: analysis drawing, perceptive ranges of occupant groups
08
The intervention is intended to serve as
a training center to foster innate awareness
of human scale and occupation and to test
the relationship between handler and service
animal.
opposite: perspective drawing
below:landmass design progression sketches
photograph borrowed from dailymail.co.uk
09
10 20
10
The construct is organized into three
armatures that interact with one another in a
series of intersections and moments of pause.
These armatures are identified as visual
guidance, mobility assistance, and approach
to service, and exist as a platform for the
human-animal team to foster and prove their
relationship.
opposite, above:schematic site planbelow:section drawing
10 20
11
INSUFFICIENT CLEARANCE
SUCCESSFUL PATHWAY
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Obstacles are built into the proving
ground, offering opportunities for service
dogs to recognize impairments of human
experience, and to subvert them consciously.
13
14
model composition:museum board, acrylic, paper, basswood
15
distortion/NARRATIVE
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distortion/NARRATIVE responds to
the Lewis Caroll novel, Through the Looking-
Glass, and what Alice Found There; where
Alice is confronted with the pseudo-reality
landscape of Wonderland. There, chess rules
defined the circulation throughout the land
and determined not only the order of spatial
conditions, but also whom Alice met along the
way.
This exploration is a spatial narrative
dialoguing the interactions and coexistence
of two beings that ordinarily could never exist
outside of their invented context: Lex Luthor,
the archenemy of Superman; and Bruce
Wayne, more commonly known as Batman.
opposite:spatial narrative circulation modelright: unaltered site condition
18
The result is a system of circulation corridors
which interact with one another between the
occupiable spaces of a fragment of pre-existing
wall conditions. The individual circulation
systems are never allowed to physically meet—
signifying the impossibility of these characters
every actually coming face-to-face, yet they allow
specified spatial realities to take place based on the
behavior of each individual occupant.
The spatial narrative of occupiable space
allows Batman visual access and constant
surveillance of Luthor’s manor and—vice-versa,
gives Luthor the ability to check out the cavernous
Batcave down below.
opposite:longitudinal section drawingbelow: narrative occupantscomic artwork by david finch of dc comics
BATCAVE
LUTHOR’S MANOR
LEX’S CIRCULATION
BATMAN’S CIRCULATION
19
20
diagram:narrative occupants circulation pathsphotograph: circulation model bird’s eye view
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22
model composition:basswood, trace paper, acetate
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distortion/COMMUNITY
10.0
63’
10.0
63’
7.36
7’
6.38
4’
0’ 5’ 10’
0’ 5’ 10’
jackson road
dexter-ann arbor road
wagner road
94
14
CAMP TAKE NOTICEann arbor, michigan
10.0
63’
10.0
63’
7.36
7’
6.38
4’
0’ 5’ 10’
0’ 5’ 10’
jackson road
dexter-ann arbor road
wagner road
94
14
CAMP TAKE NOTICEann arbor, michigan
25
Community is a term in flux. Its
meaning is significantly distorted depending
on many factors, including the individual,
culture, and environment. Camp Take Notice
is a self-governed assembly of homeless
people who have taken it upon themselves to
challenge the commonly perceived notions of
what a “community” consists of. The camp
is a glitch in the accepted ideas of “dwelling”,
“population” and “locality”.
opposite:interior shadow studyshelter modelright: community space usage
in collaboration with one other student
distortion/COMMUNITY is a response
to their initiative, and manifests itself as a
structure designed for communal gathering
space on their current campsite. They find
themselves situated on a small, triangular
piece of land owned by the Michigan
Department of Transportation, where
their population varies throughout the year
between 75+ occupants in the summers to 22
in the harsh Michigan winters.
10.0
63’
10.0
63’
7.36
7’
6.38
4’
0’ 5’ 10’
0’ 5’ 10’
jackson road
dexter-ann arbor road
wagner road
94
14
CAMP TAKE NOTICEann arbor, michigan
26
10.0
63’
10.0
63’
7.36
7’
6.38
4’
0’ 5’ 10’
0’ 5’ 10’
jackson road
dexter-ann arbor road
wagner road
94
14
CAMP TAKE NOTICEann arbor, michigan
10.0
63’
10.0
63’
7.36
7’
6.38
4’
0’ 5’ 10’
0’ 5’ 10’
jackson road
dexter-ann arbor road
wagner road
94
14
CAMP TAKE NOTICEann arbor, michigan
10.0
63’
10.0
63’
7.36
7’
6.38
4’
0’ 5’ 10’
0’ 5’ 10’
jackson road
dexter-ann arbor road
wagner road
94
14
CAMP TAKE NOTICEann arbor, michigan
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The interior will allow Camp Take
Notice’s community members a shared gathering
space, which is integral to their function as an
organization.
distortion/COMMUNITY is based off of a
geodesic structure, and is built from easily-modified
EMT conduit tubing. The pattern panels of the
waterproof fabric membrane are simply cut from
pre-existing material stock. Venting is allowed for a
communal space heater.
The structure was designed with ease of
reproduction in mind, and assures that all materials
are readily acquirable via the Ann Arbor public
transportation system by sourcing exclusively from
a local Home Depot.
opposite:section drawingright: member fabrication & aggregation diagramfar right: form derivation diagram
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model composition:steel extrusions, fasteners, utility fabric, vinyl, foamcore
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distortion/FRAME
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Distortion can be thought of as a glitch
in procedure. It is typically not intended for,
and is generally a byproduct of focal length
and perspective. The effects of distortion can
be different depending on the photographic
systems used by a photographer, but I argue
that they should never be simply a byproduct.
Distortion is intentional. It is a medium
for photographers to use as a means to
distribute false realities. Assimilating this
phenomenon has allowed me to use distortion
precisely in this way—as a controlled medium
to describe instances of my perceived
environment through prescribed frames.
opposite:sprigcopper harbor, michigan
above:pollen
mackinaw city, michigan
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stone stepsesrey park, michigan
As a methodical alteration, distortion has
allowed me to engage with my environment
in a very specific way and to specify frames of
view for others to engage with my version of
the truth, regardless of whether it is truthful
or not.
The spatial moments that I capture are
distorted by my view of the world, and by the
deliberate controlled abilities of my camera.
I have chosen these particular photographs
because they each correlate to a particular
thematic collection involving rustic settings
and the experience therein.
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barbedeagle river, michigan
distortion/PROXIMITY
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distortion/PROXIMITY speculates on
the distorted line between physical and visual
occupation of space. Situated on the northeast
corner of Taubman College, the annex takes
hold of the site’s existing conditions and
strategically utilizes them to create a dynamic
interaction of spaces.
Portions of the construct intentionally
push and pull on one another to encroach
on notions of the building envelope.
Through distorted shifts in physical and
visual proximity, users buy into a notion of
perceived occupation regardless of physical
accessibility.
opposite:schematic design modelright: early concept modelsabove, right: concept sketch
in collaboration with one other student
36
The form is derived from a projection of the
privileged perspective in relation to the main axes
of approach. These perspectival lines are then
translated into cuts through the programmatic
content of the annex. Controlled distortion of the
form gives way to accommodate visual occupation
of adjacent spaces and accentuates the perspectival
views that the project was constructed to frame.
The project serves as an extension of the
building it sits adjacent to, which houses both the
Taubman College of Architecture & Urban Planning
and the Stamps School of Art & Design.
PROJECTION 1
SHIFT GRIDPROJECTION 2
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5’ 15’
Much of the annex is given to gallery
spaces, which are used for critiques and to
showcase student work. Also allotted in the
project is space for fabrication and research,
as well as mixed-use studio spaces. Large
expanses of curtain walls allow maximum
illumination of the interior core gallery
spaces. Light wells between the external and
internal skins also contribute to this effect,
creating ideal conditions for the display of
design work.
below:section drawing
5’ 15’
5’ 15’
MIXED USE STUDIO
GALLERY SPACE
PRODUCTION / GALLERY SPACE
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model composition:museum board, chipboard
model composition:museum board, acrylic, mdf, basswood, chipboard, paint
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model composition:museum board, acrylic, mdf, basswood, chipboard, paint
distortion/MEDIUM
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In acrylic painting, modifying mediums
allow artists to control the effects of paint on
their desired media. Utilizing these modifiers
to one’s advantage requires simply that you
understand the reaction of the substance with
the pigment, the paint with the brush, and the
brush with the surface. Each modifier has a fairly
predictable outcome—and this predictability
makes it relatively simple to utilize the paint as a
proponent of untruth.
opposite:bloomoil on canvas, 24" x 18"right:figurewatercolor on paper, 9" x 12"
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With watercolor, the effects are hardly
ever predictable in this fashion. Drips, splashes,
bleed, and smears are what make this form of
expression so interesting. Its unfaithfulness to
the intended image is what creates visual depth
and inadvertently subverts ideas of fidelity to
the subject matter.
distortion/MEDIUM is a collection of
artworks created between 2010 and 2013
chosen for comparison between these two
different forms of two-dimensional expression.
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opposite:reflection
watercolor on paper, 11" x 14"right:
stargazeracrylic on canvas, 18" x 24"
far right:lamp
acrylic on canvas, 11" x 14"
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47
cougarwatercolor on paper, 24" x 18"
distortion/LIGHT
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distortion/LIGHT treats illumination as a
tangible, pliable material to achieve prescribed
environmental conditions based on the intentional
distortion of light and shadow.
The layered façade surface acts as a means
to delineate program and communicate it to the
exterior of Taubman College’s South elevation.
Consisting of glazing, perforated metal sheeting,
and a glass rain screen, different combinations of
these agents are used to orient oneself to across the
boundary of the building envelope.
opposite:facade light studyright: schematic layer model
12
3
4
5
6
7
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layered construction diagram: existing building interior existing grid logic precast concrete framed apertures copper plated canopy glass rain screen perforated sheeting
1.2.3.4.5.6.7.
12
3
4
5
6
7
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above:programmatic variations & screening organization
below: south elevation facade drawing
In spaces where program is more or less rigid, such
as offices and circulation space, the screening system
maintains integrity between components, echoing
the usage within. In free-use and production spaces
such as the Fabrication Lab, the façade components
are free to interact with one another to both indicate
this change in content but also to accommodate
differing illumination requirements in each space.
Different combinations of perforation, glazing, and
screen produce very different lighting conditions in the
buildings interior, as well as offering the reverse effect
at night to communicate program to the exterior.
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53
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model composition:aspen, basswood, acrylic, acetate, chipboard, museum board, paint
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distortion/TRANSLATION
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Any indication of spatial dimension
in a flat construct, such as a painting, is a
visual lie. There is no depth, regardless of the
deceptions played out by two-dimensional
media.
Seeking to bridge the gap between this
flatness and a physical realization of space,
visual information is translated across various
forms and construction types. distortion/
TRANSLATION extends the spatial lie
by making tangible the nonexistent space
“behind” the painting.
opposite:initial translation, model 1right: orthographic representations, model 1far right:painting translated, author unknown
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model composition:basswood, chipboard, trace paper
59
Model 1 does this by distorting
various forms found in the original
painting and expanding upon them,
forming a sense of visual tension and
chaos.
The painting was then set aside,
and Model 1 was translated from planar
construction to solid/void relationships
subtracted from a 4” x 6” x 8” block.
Picking up on a specific form that had
presented itself earlier in the project,
Model 2 utilized this as a central core to
form itself around.
opposite, far left:light & shadow renderings, model 1charcoal, paperopposite, left:model 1far right:model 2
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Next, the solid/void relationships found in
Model 2 were reversed, creating a third translation
in Model 3. First, a mock-up was made of the space
that would eventually be occupied by concrete,
and then a mold was constructed to cast the form.
It became clear, prior to this point, that each
subsequent translation had become an abstracted,
distorted version of the last. The resultant concrete
form, while echoing the core present in the previous
geometries, bore almost no similitude to the original
painting translated. The form of the final model
seeks to push the boundaries of the material, using
no reinforcement in its construction.
model composition:museum board
mold composition:insulation foam, tape
solid/void translation
next:orthographic projection studies, model 3graphite, charcoal, paper
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model 3
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model composition:rockite cement
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distortion/MASS
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A mountain is a piece of evidence. It
is documentation of a chronological set of
processes which each in their own way had
a direct impact on its form. It is a layered
archive of sediments, which over time have
both hidden the landform in plain sight
and revealed the landform as they erode. A
mountain is, at the same time, the site of an
aggregation as well as the remainder when
portions are removed. It is a convergence of
both drainage and slope, and neither internal
nor external. It can be occupied as either—
separately or simultaneously. A mountain
remains a mountain even when inaccessible to
occupation.
opposite:exterior light studyphysical modelabove, right: conceptual surface studiesright: landscape emergence
distortion/MASS takes this derived
definition of a mountain to strategically
replace Union Station in downtown
Chicago, IL. For this exploration in surface
construction, an organizational logic was
taken from precedent drainage patterns
existing in natural environments. This
cracked drainage pattern translated itself
into cuts in circulation, relating a pre-existing
organization of crack and tier density to
systems of slope, convergence, and depth.
≈50°
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These cracks begin to challenge the
definition of interior and exterior space. Many
present a spatial condition where occupants’
status as “inside” or “outside” is unclear. They
serve to divide program on the interior, and to
provide pavilion-like spaces within the windy
city.
model composition:insulation foam, chipboard
opposite: section drawing
below:sketch model
mass exploration
CENTRAL ATRIUM
INTERNAL vs.EXTERNAL?
CRACK OCCUPATION
SLOPE OCCUPATION
to STREET
to TRAINS
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model composition:abs plastic, acrylic, threaded rod, fasteners
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