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UA STUDENTS DESIGN ROOM IN BIRMINGHAM SHOWHOUSE

4/30/2018

Finding inspiration in a peacock feather pillow, 20 students from the College of Human Environmental Sciences transformed the blank walls of a bedroom and en suite bath into a soothing retreat in the 2018 Birmingham Decorators’ ShowHouse.

Members of Laurl Self’s interior design class CTD 426 were invited to showcase their talent in this year’s event. “The students have been so dedicated to the process. They began the weekend before classes started by attending the preview and measuring of the house. Then with a zero dollar budget, they worked hard acquiring the items for the space that maintained their design integrity. I am so proud of their hard work, their team work, and their design work,” says Self.
On March 28, UA student stylists moved furniture in, slipcovered a headboard, made the bed, hung drapes and art, and put the finishing touches on their assigned the space.

Two months of preparation took place before the final install. The class was divided into teams, each with different responsibilities. The "stylist" team was assigned installation work. Other teams made spreadsheets, the design board, handled logistics, resolved disputes and attended ShowHouse meetings.

The ShowHouse is an annual fundraiser hosted by the Symphony Volunteer Council to benefit the Alabama Symphony Orchestra. The event kicked on Saturday, April 28 and is open through Sunday, May 13. House hours are Tuesday – Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and Sunday 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. The home is located on Cherokee Road with shuttle service to the house at 3405 Brookwood Road.

See the finished bedroom and bath completed by UA students in AL.com's article "Sneak peek inside the 2018 Decorators' ShowHouse."

From blank walls. . .

Styling team members (l-r) Sarah Shields and Madison Knowles make progress on the 2018 Decorator’s Showhouse.

Displaying the finishing touches in the bathroom.

. . .to finishing touches.

The Shoe Pro-Ject

4/14/2017

Laura Rubisch works on a program that warps a projector image in order to project onto multiple 3D surfaces.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — An unlikely collaboration between two University of Alabama colleges has resulted in an innovative, yet fashionable, way of displaying student work. The SHOE PRO-JECT started with one goal – expanding the College of Engineering’s 3D Projection Lab’s scope by providing its students with a remarkable “screen” on which they could showcase their departments’ skills, said Genna Jones, events coordinator for the College of Human Environmental Sciences. Brian Taylor, instructor in CHES’s department of clothing, textiles and interior design, suggested building a giant shoe as a 3D projection screen, while Jones had the idea to build the entire shoe out of shoe boxes. “CHES brought to the table the problem-solving resources and creativity needed to build a highly complex and sophisticated canvas on which to highlight the technical and logic skills of engineering,” Jones said.

Projection mapping uses a program that warps the image that comes from a projector in order to display onto multiple 3D surfaces. For instance, the program could be used to make every side of a cube a screen to project on, like how Disney World recently started projecting on the Castle at the fireworks show, said 21-year-old Laura Rubisch, a junior from Weaverville, North Carolina, who is double majoring in architectural and civil engineering. Rubisch has been “mapping” the footage that displayed on the 3D “shoe” screen. The engineering department had used the software on a trial basis, but the goal is to project onto buildings in order to work on blueprint plans or do presentations for special events.

Partnering with CHES allowed the department to test out the software on a smaller scale project and work out the different kinks, Rubisch said. With more than 100 donated shoe boxes, including several vintage shoe boxes donated by Taylor’s mother, Taylor and Jones began the process of building the high-heeled shoe in December. The shoe’s supporting structure was made out of boxes donated by University Printing, while the outer shell of the shoe was crafted with the donated shoe boxes. The entire piece is held together with packing tape and hot glue. Since one of CHES’s graduates, Stanley Hu, owns a shoe company, it was decided to top the shoe with two boxes from his company, Liuid, in recognition of his accomplishments, Jones said.

The footage displayed on the shoe was collected during an advanced apparel design course “Senior Shoot.” In this course, senior apparel design students design and create a cohesive collection for their target market. Those collections are photographed for the students’ portfolios. The students also had their designs filmed in motion to show fabric drape and movement. They discussed on camera their design philosophy and collection inspiration, and a collection of those videos was chosen for the shoe project presentation, Taylor said.

“I’ve loved working on this project because even though I’m an engineer I really have a joy and heart for fashion, so it has been so awesome to be able to fuse my two passions,” Rubisch said. “It’s been really cool to work with multiple groups on this presentation because every department involved sees different things in the project. The textiles department has an eye for detail and the creativity aspect, while the engineering side is focused more on the technology. It’s been really cool to watch this develop and has given me a large appreciation for both groups who are so different but work so well together.”

Picture of a giant shoe made up of donated shoe boxes.

More than 100 donated shoe boxes were used to create the high-heeled shoe.

Picture of Laura Rubisch working at multiple computer screens

The SHOE PRO-JECT had one goal- providing engineering students a creative "screen" on which they could showcase their projection-mapping skills.

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UA STUDENTS DESIGN ROOM IN BIRMINGHAM SHOWHOUSE

The Shoe Pro-Ject

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