Alex M Richards
part II architect • fiancé • outdoor craver • disliker of tomatoes • springer spaniel lover • print maker • mac boy
collaborator to papergentlemen
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About
- Alex Richards is a designer currently studying for a MSc in Architecture at Dundee University. Completing his RIBA Part 1 in 2009, Alex will complete his academic studies in the summer of 2012.Alex is interested in the parallels between art and architecture where he can indulge his passion as a printmaker, regularly undertaking commissions.In his spare time Alex is an outdoor enthusiast, a keen runner, cyclist, hiker and climber.________________________________________________
Paper Gentlemen is the collaboration between three masters of architecture students studying at the University of Dundee. Out of the material studio a group of three has come together as a collective. A collaboration formed from a dynamic of differing agendas, we all strive for a common architectural ideal.
Our approach is direct. Through city integration it is the collaborations agenda to become immersed into the role of site specific activists.
Becoming antagonists it is our intention to force the city into considering itself a rapidly decaying entity. The collaborative will identify, select and highlight the degraded, ignored and redundant spaces and present them as models of regeneration or, where appropriate, collapse.
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Tweets
- Always work with a #sledgehammer http://t.co/XXCncZmZDO
- Keeping the boys fed. http://t.co/fgutxaBlWx
- 2nd lamb born this morning in this weather! #lambinglive http://t.co/i8oTRTDetj
- Getting ready for tomorrow's #planning #meeting with hello_in_there Watch out Lake District development… http://t.co/2IvylWp6BV
- @adamcurrie saw a redundant building on a dog walk today... #keptwalking
- RT @adamcurrie: prepping my #architecture #portfolio and bloody heck @_AlexRichards & I did a serious amount of work at #architectur ...
- A single Soprano Pipistrelle #pippistrellus #pygmaeus hardly cause for concern...?
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Posts
- I NEED to share with you a really SWEET site I found!
I want to show you something cool I found!
I’m getting an awesome side-income filling out surveys for big corporations that pay through the nose to learn more about me and you to know what it is we want in their stores when we’re there.
I’m being paid $15 - $65 for a survey I finish and they dont even take 5 minutes to finish. And you can do this from any bed, in any country you want to be in! :))
- I want to share with you something REALLY awesome I discovered!
I HAVE to show you something I JUST found out about!
Im earning spare cash simply filling out surveys for huge companies that pay SO MUCH to learn about me and you to know what we want to buy in their stores.
I’m getting $15 - $65 for every survey I complete and they take no more than 5 mins to complete. And you can do these surveys from just about anywhere in the world you’ve wished to travel! :-)
This is a sick opportunity - make sure you qualify for a spot!
- I want to share with you something I JUST found out about!
I NEED to share with you a really SWEET site I found!
Im making awesome spare cash just by doing surveys for major corporations that spend LOTS to learn about me and you so they know what we want on the product shelves.
I’m getting paid $10 - $65 for any surveys I do and they take no more than 5 mins to get done. And you can do these surveys from anywhere in the world you’ve wanted to go! :D
- I want to share with you a really SWEET site I found!
I NEED to share with you something I JUST found out about!
Im making an awesome side-income simply filling out surveys for large companies that pay SO MUCH to learn about you and me so they know what we want to buy in their stores.
I’m getting $10 - $65 for every survey and they take no more than 5 mins to finish. And you can do these surveys from just about anywhere in the world you’ve wished to travel! :)
- I want to show you a really cool thing I found!
I HAVE to show you something cool I found!
Im earning great spare money just by doing surveys for big corporations that pay through the nose to learn about me and you to know what it is we want in their stores when we’re there.
Im making $15 - $95 for each survey and they dont even take 5 minutes to complete. Plus you can do this from anywhere in the world you’ve wanted to go! :)
- I HAVE to show you something I JUST found out about!
I NEED to share with you a really SWEET site I found!
I’m getting a comfortable side-income simply by doing surveys for huge companies that pay SO MUCH to learn about you and me so they know what it is we want to buy in their stores.
I’m being paid $25 - $85 for each survey and a survey takes no more than 5 minutes to do. And you can do this from just about anywhere in the world you’ve wished to travel! :D
mi piace pensare che sia un uomo che copre con il proprio ombrello un cane randagio. E vorrei lo portasse a casa. Per guadagnare un amico per sempre
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Photos
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Posts
- May 02, 12
- Feb 20, 12
- Dec 04, 11Being Human conference submission.
“Oh the nerves, the nerves; the mysteries of this machine called man! Oh the little that unhinges it, poor creatures that we are! ”
Following on from the success of the print exhibited at Stephen McCullough's wedding, I was approached to submit another piece for the second "being human" conference at St Peters Church, Dundee.
The theme was not elaborated on and artists were simply asked to submit a piece that they felt reflected the title.
It was my approach to put together a piece that I felt summed up the creativity and development of thought, unique to mankind. Through exposing the human mind as a harnessed element of creativity, I felt it was necessary to use a form of self portrait.
Using birds to represent an agenda of free thinking I represented them in a way to contain them within the confines of the human body. Harnessing this expressive mentality is a contradiction, we are creative people. In order to test this, a quote from Charles Dickens recalls our pragmatic and fragile human nature. - Dec 04, 11A good friend, Stephen McCullough was recently married!For the ceremony, he invited a select group of friends to submit a piece of art to decorate the church on his special day. The challenge was to submit a piece relating to the couple and their wedding.
My chosen submission was a screen printed abstraction of the tartan that Stephen chose to wear on the day. Steve chose the Mcrae hunting tartan, and it was my intention to replicate this pattern in print.
The complexity with tartan is that by placing two threads alongside each other a third colour is created. By varying the widths of the weaves, more versions of the same blend can be created. To replicate this in print, I needed to separate the colour channels and place them next to each other on the final print. Five separations were needed to complete the print.white separation green separation blue separation orange separation gloss separation - Dec 04, 11Discover Perth_Instrument 001_To accurately record the salient features of a space one must detach themselves from the environment in which they are standing. When transforming our world from the three dimensional into a representation the recorder un-wittingly interprets what he or she finds of most interest and records it as such.It is the intention through this piece of equipment to detach the user from their surroundings in a way that will force them to record the space in in its most literal and pragmatic.Sitting between a camera lucida, a camera obscura and sedan chair, this portable device acts as a means to render visible the otherwise un-noticed in a way that takes away the opportunity for subjective interpretation.In practical terms the device performs an optical superimposition of the subject being viewed upon the surface upon which the recorder is drawing. The recorder sees both scene and drawing surface simultaneously, as in a photographic double exposure.
- Dec 04, 11Ben Macdui trip report - a little post crit explore
route card
30km - 18.6miles
23 hoursLeft Dundee about 5pm on Tuesday (in hindsight maybe a little later than would have been prudent). An eventful journey starting with doing a loop of a kingsway roundabout before deciding where we were actually going. Soon followed by hitting a massive pothole just past the Glenshee ski centre (later to realise the exhaust damage it caused). Next was just before Braemar, came around a corner to discover I was actually amongst a herd of deer who unfortunately were trying to cross the road at 90 degrees to the direction I was travelling (evasive movements ensued). Finally just before the Linn of Dee, whilst distracted by a national trust sign I forgot to turn around a bend and nearly stuck it in a ditch/tree/both!
Eventually arrived at the Linn of Dee car park just before 7pm [1]. Had to count all of the pennies in my ashtray to amass the princely sum of £1.60 for the national trust to have the pleasure of my car for the two days.
Finally got going at 7.07pm and it was dark! seriously dark! with no moon and the initial stretch being in the forest it was head torches only! At the Dee river crossing things looked up. just enough light to turn the torches off and walk by starlight. Saw a couple of fantastic shooting stars and even a satellite motoring overhead. Reached Derry lodge and cracked out the tootie-fruities [2]! Suitably confused at the crossing of Derrys Burn we couldn't find the bridge and so waded through. Next, same again, at Luibeg Burn no sign of the bridge so wading it was [3]. Had got really dark by now and the torches were back out, leading to a discussion about wether a shadowy outline was a tree or a digger (obvious answer later).
Arrived at the corrour bothy about 10.30 [4] - met two other guys, had a bit of dinner, stoked the fire, put every item of clothing I had on and slept through until 10am! The bothy must have been just above freezing but luckily was toasty enough for the night out of the wind.
Speedy breakfast of "GO fruit bars" for an assault on Ben Macdui (blissfully unaware at this point of the fact it was actually the second highest peak in the uk and still in pretty much full winter conditions at the top! got to love the naive!)
Ascended the first stretch from 600 to 900m following the allt clach nan taillear watercourse. Pretty steep but solid underfoot [5]. Crossed to the left and carried on just above the scree field, getting gradually more snowy. Saw two jets in the valley below - amazing sight and must be an even better job! Ascended the last 100m on pretty much sheet ice polished by the wind, not cool! |ben macdui 1309|
The way down got even more precarious, the ice and snow carried on to Sron Riach with some impressive snow cornices some of which had broken over lochan uaine! Didn't want to slip here or it would be a 300m slide to somewhere you didn't want to be. Reached the edge of the ice sheet just as a search and rescue helicopter passed overhead - a timely reminder [7]!
Came back down the nose of Sron Riach to reach the Luibeg Burn and passed one of the bridges we missed the previous night [8]! Retracing our steps from the night before we trudged along to Luibeg forest before a coffee and snicker stop. Discovered it was indeed a tree last night and definitely not a digger [9]!
Finally a jealous/envious look at Derry lodge before returning to the car about 6pm - just as the light was fading.
A cracking trip with near perfect weather!
AlexThe Corrour Bothy -
a four hour walk from anywhere and no phone reception!
BRILLIANT!Adam in the Corrour Bothy - Wednesday Morning The edge of Ben Macdui from the Corrour Bothy - Dec 04, 11
- Feb 17, 11The Trip with our Mk1's
Up early doors this morning to catch the sunrise over dundee from the Sidlaws with an army of photographic equipment.
Main focus of the shoot was for a fellow architecture student to get a capture with a homemade extra extra large format camera - however still found time for a few cheeky shots with the pinhole!
Results were a little underexposed - possibly uploads to follow will decide after enlarging.Looking west, bit of mist rolling in...
(I know its not B&W - couldn't resist!) - Feb 15, 11
- Feb 15, 11So the results...
Below are four contact sheets made directly from the negatives. As the negatives are so big, these images could be massively enlarged without any losses.
Really pleased with the results. Especially considering they were shot on Kodak plus-x that went out of date in January 1983!
Sutter speeds worked out as approximately 188 times that shot at F22 in the DSLR. Enjoy!Candles and wine glass on the kitchen table.
A 3 hour exposure and the candles moved after 2 hours.Taken out of the window, down the garden to the front gate.
2 hour exposure, at dusk.Inside, looking at the piano and stool.
3.5 hour exposure, no natural light.
As you can see there is a bit of a light bleed coming in on three of the pictures. This is where the film holder enters the camera. On the kitchen shot I threw a jacket over the top.The stove and fire in the living room
2 hour shot with fire for the last our. There is more detail of the logs available in the negative.More results to follow, but seriously impressed so far. The stove shot is probably a favourite so far.A - Feb 10, 11getting there...
The pinhole camera is pretty much there in terms of its functionality.
Fixed the timber together with beech dowels and finished with two coats of finishing oil. This has really brought out the grain in the walnut and sets of the contrast with the dowels beautifully.
Have a bit more finishing to do. Would like to add a couple more coats of oil and need to pop a bit of wax filler in one of the joints - once I know the final colour.
Had a re-measure today and the front plane of the aperture hole falls exactly 163mm from the film plate...hopefully perfect.
also, only broke one of the 0.5mm drill bits! result!front of camera - pinhole just visible showing off dowel fixings the hole! side with darkslide partially open Spent lunchtime today working out the maths.First I double checked the dimensions -sqrt 0.0016 x 163 mm = 0.51mm (the exact size of the hole)Next task was to investigate shutter speeds -I can use my DSLR as a light meter. If I set the ISO to match the film and use a fixed aperture I should be able to calculate the shutter for the pinhole (give or take!)So assuming the camera is at F22, and I know that a 0.5mm hole translates to F302(302/22)2 = 188This means any speed shown on the SLR has to be multiplied 188 times.example - a SLR shutter speed of 1 second means 1x188 = 188 seconds in pinholei.e. a 3 minute exposure...hopefullyAMR - Feb 09, 11Pinhole experiment_2
Building of the pinhole has commenced. Sawn the timber as per cutting list and milled channels to accept dark slide. Chiseled corners left behind by router.
All fits together perfectly. Now to make the opening. I intend to cut a piece of steel to 60mm x 60mm and rebate this into the rear of the faceplate. By making a 0.5mm hole in this, the focal plane should fall perfectly onto the film plane.
The pieces will be attached together will contrasting dowel rods - probably birch.
Finally there will be some form of shutter and tripod mount.walnut laid out as per cutting list. dark slide on right. camera laid together as viewed from rear - Feb 06, 11The Pinhole ExperimentFor my design research unit I am investigating the space between the lens and the film plane. I have called this project the subconscious of the perspective.My project takes me through a series of experiments exploring imaging. One example of image capture is the use of a pinhole camera. Light comes through a small hole and falls onto film or photographic paper. When it lands the image is upside-down.The size of hole and distance to film are critical. I have designed a camera below to capture images on a 4 x 5 inch darkslide. The key numbers are that the aperture is 0.54mnm dia (F302) and that the film is 163mm from the aperture (i.e. focal length).This should give me an angle of view at 53.2 degrees. Due to the large f stop I should get most things in focus.
Design Drawing Cutting List and Axo's - Feb 05, 11Trip out this morning to Dunkeld - Burhouse 2.0 Timber yard
The Old Sawmill, Inver, Dunkeld, Perthshire, UK, PH8 0JR
http://www.jeanburhouse.com/
In search of a piece of Scottish hardwood for camera project in DRU. Sourced a piece of walnut and some sound advice. Shown around timber warehouse by Craig - a part 1 graduate from Glasgow (now a trained cabinet maker).
Shopping followed by a stroll around the Hermitage.Eoghan Ossians's Hall Black Linn Falls & Ossians's Hall
River BraanWalnut from Burhouse 2.0
0367, V776, 135 x 5 3/4 x 1 - Nov 30, 10Currently living in Newport on Tay, Fife - WEATHER IS SNOWLatitude = 56.4330, Longitude = -2.9487Lat = 56 degrees, 26.0 minutes NorthLong = 2 degrees, 56.9 minutes WestSnow depth here is currently somewhere between 15 & 20cm - hence put my architectural design abilities into sledge design. (university is closed)Sledge 1 consisted of a fire guard covered in an off-cut piece of lino from the kitchen. The jointing involved a hole drilled with a dremel and then fixed with wire.Sledge 2 was constructed from a garden chair, cutting mat and more off-cut lino. Fixing details were the same as above.Pictures below demonstrate the build.Approximate construction time per sledge [20 mins]
main construction tool rear of sled 1 - fixing detail side elevation of sled 1 [fire guard construction] front detail of sledge 1 [string for safety purposes] side elevation of sledge 2 mid-construction shot in summary, and after trying out the creations....they were rubbish! the fire guard worked ok initially but then lost its shape. the second creation was useless. HOWEVER, the cutting mat was fantastic (until it froze and broke in half).ALEX - Nov 28, 10
- Nov 17, 10
UPDATE BLOGGING...or thats what it shall be called for now
fair amount of work gone on since last update.
now full member at the DCA - allowing me to produce such lovely pieces of work such as etchings and embossings. (today produced a few christmas cards as a distraction from work, would show what they look like but as a number of you will probably be receiving them I don't want to spoil the surprise!)Scheme design A - watercolour and ink stamp with embossed context Scheme design B - watercolour and ink stamp with embossed context
first interim design review yesterday, all went well. picture of one of the proposed schemes below (has actually appeared above) ... just told to stick with it and keep working. model vandalised by a packet of crisps i discovered today - not impressed! (must be jealousy)
created a video for management practice and law assignment. first video i have ever produced, took ages and wasn't perhaps as sharp as it could have been but got a good response none the less. video attached - not sure if you can view it but thought i should attempt to post it - might yet pave the way for a video blog, now theres a thought!
(apparently i'm not able to do this, will try later)
carrying on from the lists, i quotelist of stuff to do
finish management practice and law video - DONE
investigate further scheme ideas for demarco school of photography - SOME DONE, NEED ONE MORE
come up with a design research unit proposal - GETTING THERE, WILL UPDATE FRIDAY
fix car headlight - OH, FORGOT ABOUT THIS
come up with a design for a save the date card - DONE PENDING CAROLINE APPROVAL AT WEEKEND
compile integrated design report - STAGE 1 DONE
come up with proposal for making a kitchen/dining space at home - GOING HOME AT WEEKEND TO LOOK AT
masonic lodge design sketches updated - NOPE
speak to letting agent regarding new vacuum cleaner - COLLECTED NEW ONE YESTERDAY
send off council tax exemption form - SENT YESTERDAY
designs for pinhole camera latch and hinge - DESIGNS IN HEAD, NEED COLLATING
list of wants
some more 120mm film - NOPE
a new tea mug that is slightly bigger than this one - HOLDING OUT FOR CHRISTMAS
another desktop external hard drive - BOUGHT ONE< ARRIVES FRIDAY
mousemat - BOUGHT £1.47 TESCO
some waterproof cycling shoe covers - STILL WOULD LIKE
a sigg water bottle - AND ONE OF THESE PLEASE
maybe a new jacket if possible - LESS BOTHERED
more time for sport in my life - GOT BACK INTO CLIMBING
and now decided that pop tarts probably aren't the best breakfast solution so have proudly resorted back to toast (n.b. nutella was frozen this morning)
thats it for tonight - A - Nov 10, 10I WILL BE GETTING MARRIED TO MISS CAROLINE SARAH FARRANT ON 9th JUNE 2012save the date...
- Nov 09, 10thought it would be a nice idea to ask myself a few questions and see how my answers changed over time
answers 1 @ 9.11.10
list of stuff to do
finish management practice and law video
investigate further scheme ideas for demarco school of photography
come up with a design research unit proposal
fix car headlight
come up with a design for a save the date card
compile integrated design report
come up with proposal for making a kitchen/dining space at home
masonic lodge design sketches updated
speak to letting agent regarding new vacuum cleaner
send off council tax exemption form
designs for pinhole camera latch and hinge
list of wants
some more 120mm film
a new tea mug that is slightly bigger than this one
another desktop external hard drive
mousemat
some waterproof cycling shoe covers
a sigg water bottle
maybe a new jacket if possible
more time for sport in my life
list of things i am happy with
my yashica a twin lens reflex camera
my carrera tdf road bike
my tidy desk
the prospect of my wedding
learning stuff at the dca
my house - or at least its potential
poptarts - both strawberry and chocolate flavour - Nov 07, 10project 2 - create an artefact/model that represents the salient features of a given area of berlin.(response to be no larger than A1)"this artifact represents the salient features of the moabit region of berlin. it does this through testing preconceived ideas of scale both in the physical and cultural context.take a collection of the nails to be a collection of people/society. this collection of people collect together and spend their professional and recreational time together. peer groups develop along with a social class system. this represents the moabit community - there are collections of a very distinct groups of individuals all living in close proximity i.e. professionals, young families, immigrants etc.next assume the collections of nails are that of a group of buildings. these buildings are collated in blocks and all have a relationship to one another. however these blocks are all individual. when looked at from a macro scale one assumes they are all the same - yet at the micro level they are all individual. this is represented by the nail each having attention paid to it individually and attached to the timber in a slightly different manner to its neighbour.the next item the model seeks to address is that of social privacy. when looked at initially the model appears to be a group of randomly placed nails, yet to a regular visitor there is more. the image placed behind the nails (the mother and daughter) shows a deeper and hidden agenda to the area - one where only its inhabitants know. this can be illustrated by the small shops and gallery's in the area that are only know about by the residents and workers to this area of berlin. the choice of this as an image was to represent the large number of young families known to inhabit the area and illustrate the feeling of warmth and love it brings to the site.the artefact's overlying grid gives another layer to the context of moabit. this relates to the design of the area in the wider context. the grid provides deep vistas to a city outwith the moabit area. this grid system reassures the user to a sense of order and regularity to an otherwise organic and sprawling urban context."
- Nov 07, 10
- Nov 07, 10
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Exhibitions and Awards
- Exhibitions2012- Alliance & Rebellion, Perth (Curator)2011- Perth City Observatory- SMCC Wedding, Dundee- Being Human Conference, DundeeAwards2011- The Gordon Matthewson Award (piece of exemplary work) Dundee University- RIAS Scottish Student Awards (urban design award) nominee
