Laurentian Architectural Portfolio

Portfolio

Laurentian Architectural Studies

McEwen

School of Architecture

Julia Hodder

Statement of Intent

Buildings, whether big or small, take up space within their environment. That is a fact. Any place in which a human inhabits, a building can be found. Although not natural, these are our human habitats, and our mark on the earth, which is why buildings fascinate me. Buildings are proof of the historic changes and impacts we have made on the earth. Humankind has gone from building coliseums, to making office buildings. I often find that the art and beauty of a building has been lost, due to the modernization and practicality of new found mindsets. I want to pursue architecture for the sake of building something beautiful while also remaining realistic. Buildings are supposed to be a safe haven for people from outer dangers. Learning how to make a practical living environment, while also keeping the original unique beauty of the space it encompasses, is a huge goal of mine. The prospect of one day making something on such a grand scale, something that cannot be ignored, something that people use for their own dreams and goals, is something that I want to pursue. Collaborating in group settings, figuring out the best formula for a problem, planning, and drafting, is the type of environment I enjoy working in the most. Which is why I have decided to pursue architecture.

My next step in my journey towards pursuing architecture was to choose where I should study, leading me to apply for Laurentians, McEwen school of Architecture. McEwens Architectural program takes on a unique perspective, as it focuses on the importance of culture, design, and sustainability within its education. Sustainability plays a huge role of importance within my own ideals. Creating climate conscious buildings which still accomplishing their original goal, is something I hope to accomplish. Learning how to adapt to the given environment, and to build working with the surroundings rather than on top or against them, is important to my own understanding of our current environmental crisis.

Laurentian focuses its architectural studies on the Indigenous community, and learning directly from the members of local groups. My high school, Bishop P.F. Reding is considered one of the most diverse schools in Ontario. Within such a diverse community, I have been given the ability to learn and grow the most as an individual, based on the words and stories of others. My surroundings have given me the understanding of the depth of various injustices affecting minorities around the world, in Canada, and even within our school community.

Growing up, I have learnt of the corrupt media that surrounds younger generations, and that the best source for information, comes directly from the source. Listening to stories of those with experience within their field, identity, and/or living environment, gives the most un-encrypted version and perspective.

I have taken interest in the unique methods and perspectives Laurentian gives to its students. To be able to work in an environment that moves its students outside the classroom to apply their knowledge to real-world scenarios.

Inescapable Growth

Made September 2022

The piece is based on the concept of growth and loss of innocence, a process that cannot be stunted despite all efforts.

The piece took on a building process of layering various mediums. I had to incorporate various shades and tones of yellow throughout the piece to make it cohesive.

Unrecognizable

Made December 2022

This piece captures the exact moment when you realize that you are no longer the person you once were. Sometimes our character development as human beings goes unnoticed and undocumented. This piece identifies those moments of recognition.

This piece was a practice and play on composition, testing the perspective the image is captured from, and how this changes your interpretation on the emotional factors of the piece.

Living in a Warp

Made October 2022

This piece was made based on the systematic and continuous cycle our world is based on. Working everyday, doing the same thing. We walk around in circles, in the same way that fish swim within their fish bowls.

Within this piece I tried to use new material to add visual diversity. In this case I manipulated cellophane and its translucent properties, in order to develop a new image, while still keeping background details.

Completed November 2022

Forced Perceptions

This piece reflects on the broken image each individual holds of themselves dependant on various social constructs and stereotypes which have been forced into their heads. A person cannot avoid the existence of social pressures, and in turn are contorted into what society wishes them to be.

Within this piece I tested with 3D mediums, CDs and Beads, to create new imagery. I had to test how they should sit on top of the canvas, in order to not seem out of place, while still adding a new found depth.

Freedom Greed

Completed December 2022

This piece is an interpretation of the greediful world created through the over glorification of beauty standards. People are constantly searching for a sense of peace through the satisfaction with their outer appearances, which only leaves them unsatisfied with their inability to fit within impossibly high standards.

Within this piece I struggled heavily with the weight of the clay hand and figuring out how to securely attach it onto the upper portion of the frame. The final product uses super glue in order to properly secure the large hand.

Eating with Friends

Completed June 2022

This piece was a collaboration with two of my friends, within a classroom setting. It presents the different art forms and creative ideas taken from a single image, and how they build on one another. The piece reflects upon how people with diverse ideas can come together to make something they would not have been able to make on their own. .

The piece took on a step by step process of creating based on a interpretable image. The paper was first crumpled up, and my friend drew on the paper, in black, based on what she saw within the organic folds in the paper. After a short amount of time, I was given the paper, and I decided to draw the faces, in black as well. Finally the third and final friend drew in blue and red, and took our original artwork and made it something completely different, a ramen bowl.

Mini Chair Design

Completed January 2023

This chair incorporated both design and mathematical processes. I had to figure out which material best suited the idea for the chair, and what proportions made sense for the arms and back portion of the chair. I also ran into small errors within my planning process, like the reclinement of the chair. To fix this, I added a bent piece of cardboard attached to both the backrest and bottom cushion. This ensured a more comfortable seating position, as it remove the previous 90 degree, upright seating position.

School of Girls

Completed December 2022

The piece reflects on the girl community which has been created through the similar experiences woman go through based on social systems. The girl community can be a huge source of comfort, but is also often over-glorified. As the community grows toxic, inescapable, and tormentive due to the social pressures, which pin woman against each other.

I had to develop layers that created depth, while ensuring that they did not overpower one another. I had to learn where gaps and spaces should be, in order to have each layer present in the final display. Which is why the first layer of stringed beads is so spaced out, as it adds the desired texture, while still allowing the viewer to look beyond it.

Empty Staircase

Completed January 2023

This piece reflects on how interior plans affect the mood and space within an environment. The staircase creates movement within the house, as it spirals through each level of the house.

This piece is a still life, drawn from the living area of my friend. The toughest component to consider while drawing this piece, was light and shadow. The drawing process took a long period of time, and as such the natural lighting within the room changed over time as well. I had to change the real lighting within the room, to match where the light source originated at the start of the piece, in order to ensure that the piece would be cohesive and realistic in nature.

Eat until Empty

The piece is a reflection on the emotional toll that comes from dissatisfaction. From a certain perspective, the toast seems to be fulfilling, due to the landscape within the background of the piece. The reality, is that the toast has nothing on it at all, and therefore will fulfill none of the hopeful goals. Thus, this constant hunger will never be satisfied.

The irony that came from the process of making this piece, is the dissatisfaction I felt when I was finished the pencil portion of the work. Without the additional pink aspects, it felt incomplete and lacking in meaning. I incorporated the pink to push the piece away from realism and towards surrealism. This in turn, will guide the viewer to the understanding that the piece is not as simple as it seems, and there is an underlying message to be interpreted.

Build-A-Girl

Completed November 2022

This piece is a self portrait, made up of the portraits of other woman. It reflects on how the women surrounding me growing up, hold heavy influence on who I am today.

The piece took a lot of critical thinking on which aspects of each portrait should be used to create the bigger picture. I decided to keep the shade and depth of the bigger image, while only keeping key details of the smaller faces intact. I decided to neglect texture, in order to ensure both the smaller and large portraits would remain visibly digestible.

Silent Swimmer

Completed January 2023

The piece visually represents the beauty in silence. Despite the fact that they don’t have a brain, Jellyfish are still considered living organisms. Jellyfish simply exist in the vast ocean of big and small fish, without a single thought in their head. The night-light reflects on the beauty of silence, the thoughtlessness, and peacefulness, to be left alone, like a Jellyfish.

The piece uses a glass fishbowl to hold the string of lights, which are then covered by yarn, which allows some, but not all, light to pass through. In order to have the lights stay within the fishbowl, I added crisscrossed yarn and rope, to allow some strings to flow out the bottom, but still have majority of the light source coming from the bowl itself. I also added yarn and ribbon, to flow out the bottom, to add diverse textures to make for a more visually complex piece.

Daydream

The piece reflects on the the feeling of being stuck within your expected image as a girl, and only finding freedom by living vicariously through the voices, words, and actions of the individuals who are not limited by their environment.

A major process within the piece were the wings, made of book pages. The canvas itself is large enough, so I then had to figure out what prepositions made sense for the added wings. I had to figure the most suitable method in securing them properly, which I did through the use of wooden poles and superglue. The resulting wings felt unsatisfying as they were incohesive with the canvas portion, which is how I ended up adding the bits of orange, to incorporate design aspects from both the canvas towards the wings.