This exercise is intended to help us draw new relationships between our;
- Personal space
- Home space
- Public space.
Once we have measured a few key dimensions of each space we are going to have fun by mixing and matching these spaces and drawing new relationships between them. We will ask ourselves questions like; How many of my beds can I fit in the pavement outside? How many Me’s does it take to reach the ceiling? How many dining tables to reach the neighbours? The idea is to see public and private space in new creative ways and in relation to ourselves – this way things are a little bit more personal, and a little bit more connected to our personal sense of space.
Step by step
Step 1:
Measure yourself – you can do as many measurements as you like!
- How tall are you?
- How wide can you stretch your arms?
- How wide can you stretch your legs?
- How big is your hand if you can stretch it out?
- How tall is your head?
- Write the measurements down as you measure. Do a quick little doodle to help you remember.
Step 2:
Measure your home space – you can do as many measurements as you like!
- How long is your bed?
- How wide is your bed?
- How tall is your bedroom?
- How wide is your bedroom?
- How tall and wide is your window?
- How tall and wide is the door to your bedroom?
- How wide and deep is your dining table?
- How tall is your house?
Feel free to measure any other furniture or spaces in your home. Write the measurements down as you measure. Do a quick little doodle to help you remember.
Step 3:
Measure the space outside your home – you can do as many measurements as you like!
- How wide is your pavement?
- How wide is the road? (please be safe and accompanied by an adult when measuring the road)
- How far is your neighbour?
Step 4:
Draw everything using the graph paper, cut it out and colour it!
If you have graph paper use the squares to draw the dimensions. Each square should be 10cm. For example; if your arms stretch out 100cm, do 100 divided by 10 = 10. You need 10 squares to represent the 100cm of space your arms occupy. If you do not have graph paper you can download some here and print it out at home.
Step 5:
Look at all the pieces that you have in front of you and now ask yourself some questions, like:
- How many of your hands does it take to fill the door to your bedroom?
- How many of your full stretched arms does it take to reach the ceiling of your bedroom?
- How many beds fit the pavement outside?
- How many dining tables does it take to fill the pavement outside?
Step 6:
Draw these out on a fresh piece of paper using the cutouts you already have as templates. Fill in and colour your beautiful alternative drawings and all the different ways you can occupy your space! Try to think of new ways your body and your home can take over the public space.
Sabba Khan is an architectural designer & graphic novelist. Her work is an exploration of first world city life as a second generation Azad Kashmiri Muslim migrant. She explores themes of belonging, memory and identity. Her forthcoming graphic novel is due for release in 2021 by Myriad Editions and is funded by Jerwood Arts.
