We were set an introductory task to design and constructing a wearable of a memorable architectural/spatial experience that created a significant ‘wow’ moment in our lives. I considered famous landmarks which brought significance to my life however, as I dived further back in time, I discovered the profound effect the spiral staircase in Tate Britain had during my adolescence when visiting the gallery for school and day trips with my mother. I realised a simple, yet an understated feature of the space allowed me to feel much larger than I was at the time. It ignited a spark inside that allowed me to realise the powerful experience a space creates for the user. Its curvatures brought an organic essence to the space and created a continuous flowing motion from one level to another, extending the building. The monochrome patterns created a bold and contrasting centrepiece yet a minimal and serene atmosphere by using the repetition of circular shapes.
I first sketched my initial designs, prioritising my desire to encapsulate the essence of the spiral staircase and circular forms but also transform the structure into an accessory, blurring the line between a model of architecture and a fashion head piece. Thus, I decided to allow the concept of the staircase to hang freely, wrap around, imitating the spiralling effect, and rest on my shoulders as if it were a scarf. I used thick cardboard as the base to sit on my head and thin card for the details. I found it was a flexible material to manipulate into the forms I wanted. During the construction I realised the terrazzo design consisted of overlapping circles. I found it ingenious the architects utilised recycled forms, and this saved my resources when cutting up the shapes. I experimented with the extent of detail I wanted to show on my wearable because I wanted to emulate and not copy the space. I replaced the top banister with smaller and more cut outs which created a more coherent piece. Overall, I am very content with the result as it is what I envisioned and I can form a connection to my spatial experience without it being too obvious. Next time however I would like to improve on the stability and make it properly secure on my head as I had some trouble maintaining the balance of my model during the presentation.