Tying Us Back to Our Roots
Design Process
“Tying Us Back to Our Roots” was a seven-week-long project. With the leadership of students from Notre Dame High School, San Jose State University, and facilitators from Local Color, we aimed to reinvigorate appreciation for the historical culture makers of San Jose.
With seven weeks to complete the project, each week's purpose was to accomplish a specific assignment. Whether it was to identify and hone specific artistic talents and abilities, collaborate with teammates effectively, or establish outside connections, each task would serve as a significant building block for the final product of our design.
Week 1
Week 1 was the introduction of the design project and the collaborators. To get to know the collaborators, we each described what we love most about San Jose, our strengths as artists, and what we would like to learn coming into this project. Additionally, we took part in a 3D Sculpture Building Project to attain a general understanding of our creative processes and mentalities.
Week 2
In Week 2, our collaborators took a tour around many of San Jose’s artistic and cultural sites, mainly parts of the SoFa District, Children’s Discovery Museum Park, the Roan Victor Mural, and the Bank of Italy Building. With research groups formed from the first week, we focused on three areas of research: Urban design / public art precedents, materials, and site. Each collaborator would give a presentation about their research, which would serve as the starting point for constructing our design.
Week 3 and 4
Week 3 was comprised of the final preparation before the Westbank Presentation with Studio Gang. Collaborators would expand upon different focus areas than last time, as these concepts would late be used in the presentation as mentioned earlier. During our design process, we devised guiding questions on returning the agency to the inhabitants of San Jose and creating a welcoming, immersive space and creative ambiance. Week 4 was the project proposal with Studio Gang, where, afterward, we refined and reworked design drawings based on the feedback we received.
Week 5
During Week 5, we started on the physical model of our design, carefully measuring the wood material used for most of our build. Other things we considered were the size of the structure and the measurement of benches and lights. Additionally, we each had to write a personal biography that included what this project meant to us.
Week 6 and 7
Weeks 6 and 7 were about continuing the design of our project and making any necessary adjustments and measurements along the way.
