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Project 01: Artist Retreat

In this project I had to design an artist retreat for Christo. The objective of this project was to teach us how to understand our client and create a product related to them. For this project I designed a cylinder-like home with a curved roof that relates to Christo's work with barrels and fabric. I placed this home north of San Francisco past the Muir forest in the mountain range overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The reasoning for my location was to mimic past locations he has used in large projects. This design has the bold effect Christo would have in mind, since it stands out in its locating being placed on its own peninsula.

Project Research

Surrounded Islands

Stacked Oil Barrels

The Floating Piers

The artist Christo originally from Bulgaria has done many impactful works in our world. He never fails to awe us in the sheer size of his projects. While his work may be controversial at times he is committed to giving us outstanding art which apparently has no purpose other than being aesthetically pleasing. Nearing the age of 83 he still has plans and goals; his current project is the Mostaba and was imagined back in 1977.

Mixed Media Artwork

My multimedia consisted mainly of the use of wood, fabric, paint, and molding paste. I achieved the goal of representing Christo in my piece by relating to his use of color, material, and simplicity. My main goal was to get the bold effect of pink and orange as it was his signature colors. On the left side of my piece I mimicked the ocean to include one of his well known projects (Surrounded Islands) and on contrary side circles to represent his use of barrels. In the center I surrounded a piece a wood, created to act as a barrier separating his water and land projects, while also demonstrating his past project.

Design Process

In these photos you can see my pre-planning for my final design. I mainly focused on thinking of a design that included the circular design that would best suit Christo. I had a few issues when designing my roof but it was all resolved when I created a study model. This process took a few weeks but I was satisfied with my general design.

Final Design

My design was structured around the use of multiple vertical cylinders with a few additions of rectangular prisms. There is one roof on the main house which spans over the cylinders to create a sense of unification. This gives a take on Christo's designs by incorporating many of his general ideas, like cylinders, rectangles, and fabric, into one home. The most unique part of this home is the roof since it represents fabric distorting what is underneath. From a top view the home looks like one large building, however from the ground you can see multiple rooms separating from the central home. I decided to surround the home in windows to take advantage of the nature all around in the rural setting. The circular design also increases movability by decreasing the amount of corners. The second floor is devoted only to his workspace giving him the liberal amount of space needed for his projects while also including a separation of work and life.