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A correlation is often made between architecture and music. In Design Lab, we explored the connection between the two. The quarter consisted of designing several 8-foot cubical spaces meant to convey the feeling of certain pieces of music.

My individual project was based on Glenn Miller's "Bugle Call Rag." In my concept sketch, I translated certain instruments in the piece into form and color: the smooth, steady woodwinds are translated into interweaving swashes of cool purple and blue, while the bright bursts of the brass are depicted as spikes of warm colors punctuating the cool. All this is laid against the steady rhythm of the percussion.

In the space I created, shown as a model, the percussion is a series of metallic strips which curve behind the flowing fabric of the woodwinds. The entire space is punctuated by groups of multicolored glass tubes, down which sunlight shines, creating bursts of color.

The group project was based on Django Reinhardt's "My Sweet." I was a member of a small design team which determined the design the studio would build as a whole. The piece starts off with a steady rhythm and melody, but it gradually dissolves into chaos. This is reflected in the design of the space, which is very orderly at the floor, with several planes appearing to be folded neatly through each other, but as the planes ascend the walls, they disappear into a chaotic field of crisscrossing bars of different tones. Light shines down through the ceiling and through the walls, casting wild shadows on the smooth, flat planes of the space.

I was also in charge of filming and editing a short video documenting the design and construction of the space. The video is edited to fit the rhythm of the song and to encapsulate the experience of building the box (and all the dancing that happened in the process).