Artist Bio
Adrian is a 12th-grade student at Allendale Columbia School who grew up in Penfield, New York. He loves exploring and has been drawing from a young age; however, he is most interested in architecture. Adrian plans on attending Washington University next year where he hopes to continue his study of architecture and art. Adrian also finds a similar level of interest in soccer and plays multiple sports for the HAC Wolves. He has been featured in an RIT Regional Exhibition and Evening of the Arts. His work is currently only on display on his website.
https://afuller21.wixsite.com/digart–por
Thesis Statement
Throughout my life, I’ve been captivated by the form and effect of buildings and other integral items. Design is a critical part of our lives and I find it interesting how design practices intersect with art. Designers wield so much influence and it’s amazing the effects good design can have. One of my core beliefs is to create items that have a positive influence whether this is mental, physical, or economic thus I took a look at the objects that affect or lives the most. Our homes are one of these possessions so I sought out to design a home that I could envision improving my everyday life. Additionally, I also sought out to build a community space that could do the same for others. Adding to the challenge of designing the community space was that it’s designed to be located in Senegal Africa a country I hope to learn more about. Finally, for this project, I turned to another one of my fascinations, and once again a crucial commodity, cars. I noticed that design-wise people were often dissatisfied with the forms of their vehicles so I sketched and modeled a vehicle design that would stir up emotions. Through my thesis project, I hope to explore the design process and multiple forms of expression used to create and represent the items we view as commodities to gain a better understanding of what principles contribute to good design.
I’ve really enjoyed the process of creating this work. There was a lot of exploration for me but I was also able to concentrate on things I know and love and return to old mediums. For example, my first model which was a physical construction was made out of balsa wood chipboard and plastic. This is my second time creating a model like this and I believe I’ve learned a lot about how to more efficiently and accurately construct models. An example of this learning is when i, through trial and error, learned a more effective and attractive way to create a wooden roof and thus make a more stable model. For my second model, I returned to the digital space of SketchUp, and once again I found that I used new tricks to more effectively communicate my work. I hope to put this learned knowledge to work in my future practice and study of architecture and design. Finally, the most personally exploratory aspect of this project was the construction of the car model, never before had I used sculpting clay like this, and even though there were challenges I’m proud of what I produced.
While researching this project I kept in mind that my main goal was to design something that could have a positive impact. So for my digital model, I researched Senegal Africa and the implementation of design features that are suited for this area. While doing so I also made sure to keep sustainability in mind. The design employs rain reuse containers solar panels and an open design that allows wind to cool the occupant. My physical model mirrored this having a design optimized for natural light through the use of skylights and glass panels. Additionally, its wooden A-frame design is more environmentally friendly than concrete or steel construction. For my car design, I also took into account critiques given to similar vehicle designs and used this influence to create something that I hope is bold but yet more pleasing than most SUVs.
I found this project incredibly fulfilling and it taught me how to work through the design process on my own. I also am glad that I gained more knowledge in both old and new mediums and hope to continue this work through college.
Gallery
The above work was designed to fulfill Allendales Columbia’s desire for spaces for global learning. This structure is intended to be a satellite location for AC in Senegal. It is created with sustainability and collaboration in mind. It was also designed specifically to be suited for this region of the world and was constructed using the digital modeling software SketchUp.
This mode abovel was an exploration in what I believe the “perfect home” could be. I designed it with the hope that the form and function could improve the users’ everyday lives. It’s designed to use natural lighting and materials. The model was constructed from balsa wood, transparent/semi transparent plastic, and chip board.
This model (above) was created to be a more emotive take on the average SUV design; it’s constructed out of sculpting clay and foam and was inspired by the artistic expression I found within car design.