First Semester of my Second Year.

   "Do what inspires you and commit." Passerby advice from who would someday become my first semester, second year professor. 

   I was a last minute sign up into second year, waited into the last possible moment to enroll and was assigned to professor Isado, didn't know much about him, (later found out he was a Cornell graduate with a knack for architecture history) except that perhaps he did not have the best reputation around, something having to do with a blog or what not...

   Fast-forward to my first day of the first semester and now it turns out I'm assigned to a professor with a familiar voice. Prof. Gutierrez, he and I met by chance on the hall one day a few years back, a time in my life when I was lost and flunking electives. We talked about his journey, his career and his advice for me without ever exchanging names. His words convinced me to pursue what truly drives me wholeheartedly. It has not been a steady stream of commitment but with each passing project i learn the meaning of the word all over again. 

   Our first project dived us right in to conscious design, environmentally and otherwise. We were assigned to come up with a bird viewing pavilion or tower taking into consideration the place, a marsh, and the birds that feed from it, as a starting point. My idea for this mini structure consisted mostly in what i wanted the viewer to experience not only from what's on the outside but enjoy what's on the inside. It needed to be a quiet place that birds would want to approach so I opted for a design that with time would become enveloped by the greenery around it. My final submission was layered work of woven strips with easy access and lots of viewing cavities that rested near the body of water.  

  

  
   Next we were tasked with a project designed to display artwork from a specific artist. Not simply a room with two paintings hanging from a wall but a space the captured the essence of them without overshadowing. My artist was Marc Chagall, his eye to capture dream like worlds and imaginative childhood inspired pieces led me to design a space just as whimsy.
  
   I wanted to create a seemingly simple space that craved to be explored with curiosity and wonderment while also not failing to remember the pavilion needed to be respectful of the pieces, have an adequate and safe light source and be compliant with stipulated sizes and location. The design consisted of a cube placed at the site with a degree of inclination, inside it was meant to be carved out rather than walls placed, what came out at the end was a light cave that gave the feeling of being inside a cloud.