How does our memory work?

I started researching and trying to understand what neuroscience is all about and how my concept, synapses is linked to it. Apparently, after researching, synapses have got to do with everything that we do. Synapses are the ones that connect our brain cells to another or cells to nerves to brain so that we are able to feel pain when we hit into something. It is like power sockets for our electronic gadgets. Once we charged our 3 pin plug into it, it would charge it. Synapses are the same. Below is an example of how our memory works and breaks down information for us to understand or remember. Behind this process there are many elements besides the synapses that help to piece and connect them all together, which would be shared in the next post.

Issue

Consultation - 26.02.14

With the comments that I have received last week, I tried and worked on my programme and concept before today's consultation. In the beginning of the day, we were all asked to state our issue, site, concept & design strategy in 1 minute so as to not only know what each other are doing but to also ensure myself that I know what I am doing.

all in 1 minute!

comments after consultation

Zoning 2: Plans & Sections - 3 Options

Plan 1B

Section 1B



Plan 2B



Section 2B



Plan 3B



Section 3B

Pin Up 1 - 19.02.14

 

Areas to work on

 

User Experience Graph

With the programme and layout of the spaces, I tried mapping the journey of the visitors to my space from the source of where they heard the exhibition from to the movement in the interiors to the post experience.

Zoning 1: Plans & Sections - 3 Options

With the programme in mind, I tried to zone out my spaces and how it would look like in sections.
I divided the memories according to the different decades, each exhibition linking up to the core in the middle of the site.


Plan 1A

Section 1A

Plan 2A

 


Section 2A



Plan 3A



Section 3A

Programme

After coming up with the narrative, I researched on the personal memories of individuals to the train station over the period of 1920s to 2000s. These memories would then formed an 'untold' history of Tanjong Pagar Railway Station where current generations would get to know of and older generations to reminisce. The memories would be told in a way that the audience would feel as if  they are 'transported' to the individual's memories with the help of technology - Augmented Reality.

Memories of individuals categorized into the different decades

 

Memories of individuals would be projected onto a screen, a hologram or even role played on the exact site that the 'situation' happened.  



An example of 2 different individuals' memories portrayed scene by scene  

 

A conceptual visual of memories 'floating' on the ceiling and projected to the floor so that visitors could get an overall view of the memories of the individuals involved.

The memory core

  

Inspirations for the narrative based concept

The inspiration I had was from the manager of the Station Hotel in Tanjong Pagar Railway Station  himself. I put myself in his shoes and imagined how he would feel and done something about the closing of the hotel and subsequently the station. When writing my narrative, I realised that it does have similarities to the characters Quasimodo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hugo from Hugo & Willy Wonka from Charlie & The Chocolate Factory. These 3 characters lived within the walls of a cathedral, train station and a chocolate factory respectively. Despite their plights, (Quasimodo having been taunted by the public about his facial appearance, Hugo having lost his father in a fire and staying with his uncle within the train station walls and Willy Wonka whose dad despises him to eat sweets and chocolates, gave back to society in their own special way. Quasimodo rings the bells of the Notre Dame everyday and people would just stop and listen not knowing it was he who created the beautiful melodies while Hugo changes the clocks in the train station and fixes the gears when it was broken without people even realising it because the clocks were taken for granted for being able to tell time everyday whereas Willy Wonka, whose chocolate factory had been closed for ages, was once again reopened to find a special someone to take over the factory for him.

 

 

http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/the-hunchback-of-notre-dame/images/33792457/title/quasimodo-fanart

 

 

 

 

Charlie & the Chocolate Factory.

The famous gate of the chocolate factory which had been closed for years, had been opened up to 5 lucky children for a tour.

http://www.tim-burton.net/galerie/les-films/galerie-les-longs-metrage/charlie-the-chocolate-factory/charlie-and-the-chocolate-factory-le-film/nggallery/page/1



Concept - Narrative Based

Tanjong Pagar Railway Station - Its journey from the 1930s to 2000s - 17.02.14

The Tanjong Pagar Railway Station (TPRS) has undergone a lot of changes through its hayday in the 30s to its closing in 2011. Through the images, we could also see how Singapore progressed from having electric trams to trishaws and now only 4-wheeled vehicles or motorcycles on the roads. The interiors of the station has changed too. In the 30s, the glass boxed pendant lights and a clock hung from the ceiling and wooden benches in the main waiting hall, gave a warm and welcoming feeling at the same time it complements with the surroundings which is decorated with the rubber tiles artworks and high glass windows. Now, those furniture are replaced with  2 symmetrical and elongated pendant lights with plastic chairs which I usually sat on at my family clinic while waiting for my number.  A pop up hut to promote tourism in Malaysia was also placed at the main waiting hall. Overall, the place looks like a mix matched of things put together which does not complement with each other at all.

Site Analysis

Site Insights

History Timeline of Tanjong Pagar & Tanjong Pagar Railway Station

Experience Timeline Exercise

To help us with the user experience in the space, we were tasked to drew a map of how a person gets information about our programme to how they would feel when they get there and when they move through our spaces. The programme is just a sketch of what I have now and is not the final one.

Detail Mock Up -1:1 Scale of Glass Tube Partition for a bank in Bilbao, Spain.

Design Charette

An exercise to sketch out our programmes, layouts & what we perceived our spaces would look like. Its helpful as it pushes me to think of what I want to have in my site and how the spaces would look like.

Out of the 15 plans, I've selected 5 of which I had to draw out 2 sections and 2 perspectives for each.