1) Post a draft of your final design briefPreview the documentView in a new window to your LP and submit the link.

Tehran is not considered a dangerous city. However like every other big city there are a big number of problems people (specially women) face daily. Tehran’s crimes rate has went up significantly in the past three years. Women are mostly the target of burglary and are often insulted, bribed and raped. Most woman in Iran do not spend much time on sports and therefore are not physically ready to protect themselves or escape. Also their loose mantues (Long coats to cover up the body) and their head scarfs limit their ability.

I want to work on designing a leather belt that could be used as a survival kit as well as a fashionable piece for carrying tools that can be used on a daily base. The belt will have removable pockets that can also be attached as a bracelet or attached to your key chain. This way it can become lighter for during the day and can carry more tools for a specific situation or during the night when its nearly 3 times more dangerous in Tehran.

This belt is specifically designed for woman from my hometown, Tehran. However, with a few simple changes it can be used for all genders and also people from different parts of the world. Therefore no matter where I live or travel at the time, the object can still come in handy. Also by being able to take it apart, even if parts of it weren’t as useful at the time, other parts can be used for the same or for a different purpose. Overall because the tools used in the kit are mostly basic tools needed daily, they won’t be outdated.

It is a multi-purpose product and can be used in different situations. Its capability of shifting from an everyday side bag to a survival kit is what makes it come in handy regardless of the event. The basic tools can also be used in cases of natural disasters such as hurricanes or flood. Thats why a First aid kit with its instructions is included.

Treated leather with an added coating of protectant is resistant to water and it can later on be improved to have a better quality that is also cut and fire resistant. Leather also has always been trendy and would age nicely through time. A good quality leather can be used for a long time and the person is more likely to keep it. However, the tools in the belt need refilling.

It would be designed for my hometown, Tehran. However, with a few simple tools changed (because of the law, weather and crimes in each state or country) it can be used in almost any city regardless of the situation.

2) Read the following article and answer the questions below

– Have you ever felt this way about an object you’ve owned?

Right in the start of the article, the author opens up the subject by saying “Oops, you “accidentally” dropped your phone in the pool. Too bad you now have to buy an upgrade.” This was where I knew this article was talking about me. I am usually careless of my phone, not because I don’t like it but because somehow I’ve been lucky enough to keep them for a long time regardless of the times I drop them daily. Yes, I have had accidents happen but thinking about them now, I exactly used them as a way of both convincing myself and my dad to get another one.

I guess the less expensive the object is, the easier it is to convince yourself to simply put it away for another one. Thats why when it comes to clothing or accessories we don’t even wait for them to get ripped or damaged. Sometimes we convince ourselves by simply keeping them. That way even if we don’t use them, we don’t feel bad about putting them away.

– How does your final project challenge having this mentality towards objects?

The belt I have been working on isn’t in any way following the current trend. It is also not a product that might have an upgrade. There might be survival kits in other forms but if the belt is kept properly there would be no reason to replace it. The materials used last for a long time and even most of the tools in the kit have a decent quality. If needed in some parts, it can also be easily repaired. All together,a product that is aesthetically pleasing and has been made from a good material and can also be repaired is not something you can easily put away.

3) In preparation for next week, read about what New York City.  and Central Park were like during the Pleistocene. Write a brief summary.

The natural exposures left in central park are the way we draw its past history. The different types of bedrocks found in the park are formed during different time periods. Central park is one of the best places to see the outcrops of the manhattan mist.

4) Listen to this 23 minute podcast. “We are the Meteor”: 

– What surprised you about this audio piece?

I found the fossilisation of our era and its differences with the previous ones very surprising. Investigating what is going to be left of us gives us a better understanding of what we are actually doing. Its interesting to know how each material will leave a trace and can tell something about us in the future.

– Given what was discussed in the audio piece (and after taking this class), reading about what New York was like during the Pleistocene (last Ice Age), what do you think New York City’s climate will be like 1000 years from now?

Besides the temperature increase, some neighbourhoods might no longer exist because of the melting icebergs and the sea level increase.

– What are the five reasons, shared by the Dutch scientist (audio timecode 17:00) explaining what humans are “wired to destroy our environment?” Do you agree? Does your final project counter any of these reasons?

1.Humans value their personal interests over other interests.   2.We value the present over the future.   3.We are obsessed with status.   4.We copy unconsciously the behaviour of others around us.   5.We disregard novel environmental treats.

I personally think these are generalisations which can be offensive to many individuals who base their life and careers to make changes in different areas. They are a growing number of people who are concerned about issues that dont even effect them directly but decide to take steps for the future they might not even see. On the other hand I do understand why one might consider humans as such. Most of us do fit this description and even when knowing so, we dont bother to change.

I guess there is no direct connection between my final project and why we are “wired to destroy our environment.” However, the fact that we forget about the future and the environmental treats is one of the reasons my belts has a daily use besides its actual purpose.

Aynaz Gharavi  (2017)        

 An ululating moan of “happiness”

chair, frame, Plaster, Cotton fabric, Plant

(270 x 130 x 100 cm)

Installation photos:

Detail photo showing altered found object:

Detail photos showing plaster object:

Process photos:

deconstructing

sanding

fygfuly

Reflection:

Describe, using specific adjectives, the qualities and atmosphere of the habitat, or inhabitable space, that
you created for your memory. (I am NOT asking for you to write about your memory here, but about

your project.)

Write about how you defined an interior and exterior space and curated the experience or movement of your
audience through your piece. Discuss how your project involved or engaged the body of the audience

in the experience of the piece, as opposed to just their sense of sight.

Discuss how you incorporated a plaster object into your project that communicates or engages through mass
and texture.

Discuss how you included a substantially altered found object (a human made object, not a raw material) in
your project in a way that demonstrates a skill or technique and changes both the meaning and the

form of the object.

Write any further thoughts about the experience you intended to create for your audience, and discuss the
strengths and weaknesses of your piece.

1) In your sketchbooks, DRAW (by hand) A MAP of the Circle Line route (including the five boroughs of New York, two rivers and our route). Label the Newtown Creek and Wastewater Treatment Plant. Scan and upload this map to your LP.

2) OBSERVE AND DOCUMENT the systems and infrastructure that you see via drawing and photography (upload 3-5 images and/or sketches to your LP along with the following questions).

Reflect on the different perspectives offered, compared to our zone walk and answer the following:

– Compared to what you saw when walking, what can you see and sense from the boat?

Knowing that the areas close to the river are in danger, it almost feels like most of what you see sitting in the boat is in the zones. I guess thats when you can truly see the scale of the whole thing. When your walking through the zones its easy to mistake that the areas within the zone aren’t as much, but seeing it on the map, or on the boat gives you a better picture of it.

– What areas appear to be vulnerable to coastal flooding?

I guess areas all along side the shore can be considered vulnerable.

– Are any effects of Hurricane Sandy visible?

I dont really know if some damaged areas I saw are due to hurricane sandy or its just they way they are. I guess having done the same thing before the hurricane would have helped to compare.

– Are you able to determine which areas of the coast are built on landfill? If so, what clues made this possible?

I knew from beforehand that Battery park, FDR and Ellis Island were built on landfill.

The picture is from the creating of Battery park city.

– Do you see sea walls, reinforcements, marsh areas?

There where some small areas around downtown Manhattan and some in Brooklyn that I noticed. However, I don’t believe it would be enough to stop a hurricane from hitting the city.

– What kind of systems do you see interacting (people, water, boats, etc)?

People were walking along side the river. Some cars were driving through. There were also other boats growing around the city.

– Does New York seem prepared for the next storm?

I think as one of the speakers mentioned on the boat, after hurricane sandy they asked artists and designers to work on a solution. One was the green land around downtown manhattan. However I think accept improving parts such as making the subway system more resilient , there hasn’t been any major change.

3) Post 2-3 photos that are works in progress of your final project. Reflect on how your process is going and what you are enjoying/having challenges with.

I started the project by thinking of design a few belts that got attached all the way to the leg. However, trying to give my belt more purpose, I decided to make it more into a First Aid/Survival kit. That is why I tried to keep the extra parts out of the design for it to be more comfortable and easier to carry. I really enjoyed deciding on objects and finding them in the smallest size. It makes you rethink the daily objects you use and question the necessity of them.