Port of New Orleans

—Port [definition]{noun}

—1.a city, town, or other place where ships load or unload.

—2.a place along a coast in which ships may take refuge from storms; harbor.

—3.Also called port of entry. Law. any place where persons and merchandise are allowed to pass, by water or land, into and out of a country and where customs officers are stationed to inspect or appraise imported goods.

—4.a geographical area that forms a harbor: the largest port on the eastern seaboard.

—5.Informal. an airport.

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Port of New Orleans [facts]

—Center of the world’s busiest port complex

—5th largest in US based on volume of cargo

—2nd largest in state after Port of South Louisiana

—12th largest in US based on value of cargo

—Longest wharf in  world – 2.1 miles long and it can accommodate 15 vessels at once

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—Port of New Orleans {is}…

—Isolated by water

—Accessed by vessels

—Connected by six[6] class one railroads

—Surrounded by the city of New Orleans even though immediate areas are somewhat barren

—Part of the Mississippi River which stretches across the mid-U.S. {14,500 mile of inland waterway system}

—Busy {over 6,000 vessels  annually move through N.O. on the river}

—Intermodal {rail, 50 ocean carriers, 16 barge lines, & 75 truck lines}

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—Port of New Orleans

—In a sense, Port of N.O. is not ‘quarantined’ or ‘isolated’

—To be quarantined means: 1 : a period of 40 days
2 a : a term during which a ship arriving in port and suspected of carrying contagious disease is held in isolation from the shore b : a regulation placing a ship in quarantine c : a place where a ship is detained during quarantine
3 a : a restraint upon the activities or communication of persons or the transport of goods designed to prevent the spread of disease or pests b : a place in which those under quarantine are kept
4 : a state of enforced isolation

—To be isolated: 1 : to set apart from others; also : quarantine
2 : to select from among others; especially : to separate from another substance so as to obtain pure or in a free state{1 : an individual, population, strain, or culture obtained by or resulting from selection or separation  2 : an individual socially withdrawn or removed from society

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My latest update

Here are a few pictures of my model before I apply any forces to it:

Continuous [Aggregation of operative word]

Continuous:
1 : marked by uninterrupted extension in space, time, or sequence
2 of a function : having the property that the absolute value of the numerical difference between the value at a given point and the value at any point in a neighborhood of the given point can be made as close to zero as desired by choosing the neighborhood small enough

Midterm Presentation

Diagram of spaces

Ideas?

My idea so far for this project - since it is dealing with smallpox, and the preventive measure of it, I want to create different sizes for different rooms based on touch and allotted space for a specific purpose. The quarantine room will be largest so that the person will be less likely to touch its surroundings and possibly spread smallpox to others. I want the spaces that aren't used for quarantine to maybe conform to a person's body and as well as have the elevation in relation to the stages of smallpox. The rooms are separated by importance/use for the duration of smallpox. As for energy, mainly solar energy and possibly the use of heat/vibrations from cars in the garage.

Picking the site

On Monday (3/1/10), we went to New Orleans for a site visit - the site consists of the a wide area covering the Erato Cruise Terminal in the Port of New Orleans. I chose my site to be along the building elevated, near the spiral ramp.

House & Lazar House research/diagrams

Narrative

In Kenya, Africa you might encounter a lot of barefoot runners. They’ve ran that way all of their lives probably, but what about those of us who aren’t born running barefoot? It might even seem dangerous when you hear about running barefoot, but it is actually good for the foot and body. When a person runs barefoot, the way their feet land on the ground is different than shod runners – so it lessens the force of the body weight on their legs. In want to create a prototype that will perhaps lessen the dangers (cuts, blisters, etc) of running barefoot, and ultimately and firstly to help prevent the spread of smallpox through person-to-person contact by its lesions. The purpose - to protect a barefoot runner's most vulnerable parts of the its foot- the ball and heel of the foot in addition to providing protection against smallpox[through contact]

Poster

Video

Rubram Deux guide

Run freely.

Diagrams

Research for Project 1, part A

Project 1 part B

I've started keeping track of how much fluids I intake on a daily basis by writing down how many ounces. In addition, I got a pedometer[that is not very successful] but is sufficient for the data that I need. With the pedometer, I've kept track of how many steps I take [for example - from Atkinson to my car parked near Tiger Stadium]. I want to have a step count because it is relative to the foot. These are two of the habitual sequences that is necessary for survival. I often don't really think about them - and the intake of fluids is important for disaster/any day.

Almost there...

Since the last update, I've decided to just use rubber tire tubes and use a wrapping technique to create my product. Rubber is a good material to help provide traction for runners but also prevents the spread of the virus that smallpox lesions carry in case a runner/everyday person comes in contact with people in the event of a smallpox outbreak. Rubber is relatively cheap and easy to find. Rain, wind, shine, mud - rubber won't be affected by weather. For one protective device, you need 26 inches of tire tube. It is foot fitted [there are 2 buttons with multiple slits for different sized foot], thus it won't slip off in the middle of running. Originally, I was going to line the inside with canvas, but later found that the addition of canvas makes the tire tube stiff, not as flexible by itself. The way I've wrapped it around the foot, the prototype only covers the heel and the forefront of the foot - the only places that comes into contact with the ground for a barefoot runner. Essentially, the person is making their own shoe - that provides the minimal protection of the heel and forefront of the foot and allows the runner to feel as if he/she is still running barefoot.

Progress Project 1

I am done with the lasercut model of the foot specifically. In going with the narrative, I've decided to use canvas and rubber as my materials (I had a few problems finding the right material.) I believe that rubber will be effectively used in Kenya for barefoot runners - it will provide traction and yet tthe foot will still feel minimal impact from the rubber after researching the topography of Kenya - which is rugged/a lot of rural roads that are unpaved. Keeping in mind that this will also help with the prevention of smallpox - I believe that canvas is a good material for a comfortable shield against the rubber and it is not permeable which lessens the probability of contracting smallpox through someone else's lesions. In addition, I've researched the ways that the foot strikes the ground for barefoot runners - usually the fore foot and heel, in knowing that - I will only create a protective device for those areas but it will be connected by canvas throughout the foot and rubber on the forefront and heel of the foot.

approach to designing the prototypes - the grey for rubber&canvas and black for canvas

Materials - Canvas and Rubber from tire tubes

Model of site

Narrative and definitive...

A smallpox outbreak has occurred – a state of frenzy has begun. In attempting to prevent the spread of smallpox from person-to-person contact through the lesions formed due to the disease, I have created a covering that goes from the knee to the foot. This product will focus on athletes who are prone to smallpox but still might train but the catch is – they are training barefoot. Smallpox + barefoot=not a good idea due to spread of smallpox by its lesions.

Pros and cons of running barefoot…

barefoot

barefoot running - LA Times

barefoot running, pdf

foot posture running barefoot/with shoes

After thinking, there are two ways to about this – a preventive device or a protective walking device. Should it focus on athletes who don’t like shoes and would like to run barefoot? Should it be protecting a person from catching smallpox or already be a device that gives comfort to those who have smallpox while walking? I think the characteristics of this device will be flexible, comfort, and lasting. Some kind of stretchy material that will last and be breathable to the foot will be sought after.

Running barefoot can change the posture of how your foot lands – forefront/rear foot/mid foot
Canvas might be too inflexible, perhaps some kind of rubber material? And also since this device is mainly for walking/running purposes, I will focus on areas of the foot most affected depending upon which of the two ways (mentioned above) I choose.

Perhaps creating a hard yet soft & firm sole on the covering to help support the foot will help. As far as materiality goes, I figured that canvas will be a flexible enough material to use but sturdy and not as permeable as regular fabric. I’m contemplating a second material that will help support the canvas – maybe rubber of some kind, reminds me of Vibram five fingers, pictured below.

In addition, picture of site soon to come...after a visit with gesso to make it smoother (: