HEADSPACE 1 Project demonstrates some of the outcomes of the Virtual Environments course, a first-year constituent of the Bachelor of Environments degree. The course focuses on design representations and teaches a broad range of skills essential in a number of professional occupations and creative practices. Such skills cannot be acquired in a theoretical course and Virtual Environments is structured around a practical project. This project necessitates learning about design precedents, understanding theoretical concepts and utilizing skills in practice. The project is called HEADSPACE because it invites students to take ideas from within their heads and place them, literally, on the outside. Students do this by building a complex form that is made from paper and can be worn on the head. Headwear was chosen as a design topic because it gives students an opportunity to design in reference to their own personae and produce visually interesting outcomes that can be manufactured and tested in context. To design their headpieces, students analyzed functional affordances of headwear and responded to this analysis with innovative solutions inspired by natural and/or constructed environments. To design their headpieces, students analyzed functional affordances of headwear and responded to this analysis with innovative solutions inspired by natural and/or constructed environments. The HEADSPACE project consisted of four modules: Module I – Engender 1. Students used drawings and physical scale models to develop three-dimensional forms and chose one for further development. Module II – Digitize & Elaborate 1. Students used orthographic projections and contouring techniques to describe their models and convert them into three-dimensional computational representations; and 2. Students developed their designs further using digital modelling techniques. Module III – Fabricate 1. Students used computer software to unfold their models into cutting templates; and 2. They organised the logistics of fabrication and manufactured self-supporting paper models from triangulated patches. Module IV – Reflect & Report Students produced documents describing their projects including technical drawings and illustrations of their headpieces in context. Course/project credits: Virtual Environments course, Semester 1, 2010 Bachelor of Environments degree Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning University of Melbourne Course coordinator (project idea): Stanislav Roudavski perfomativeplaces.expressivespace.org/ Senior Tutor: John Bleaney Tutors: Jessica Chidester, Danny Griffin, Gustavo Goncalves, Enlai Hooi, Mike Hornblow, Flynn Lewer, Andrew Reynolds, Anne Marie Walsh Individual designs by students (too many to mention) Movie credits: Direction and editing: Stanislav Roudavski Videography: Ben Loveridge, James Rafferty Photography and music: Flynn Lewer Cast: Stanislav Roudavski

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HEADSPACE 1 – showcase