Concept Development

Visiting the Northern Pacific Depot in downtown Pullman caused me to really look at every aspect of the railroad station so that I could find my concept inspiration. This depot contains exterior brick that is historically beautiful, rustic and detailed. The perfectly geometric roof has many qualities that could peak inspirational thoughts as well. I tried to find something completely different, leading me to trace back to the name of the train station, The Pufferbelly. This historic train ran on a resource creating thick smoke to escape from the top. There was another element that I gravitated towards, and that was the single headlight. This source of light created a pathway of vision for the conductor. It allowed the opportunity for many people to adventure off into new lands. The smoke, a main component of the train, is very concentrated when first appearing but then expands and drifts into the air. 

The components of expansion, original source, discovery and flow are represented within my parti. The shape is inspired by the smoke's fluid movement when the train is in motion. Leaving the shape simply white embodies the headlight's ability to allow visual clarity, breaking through the darkness. The gradation from top to bottom, or bottom to top, however the parti is viewed expresses the expansion process both the light and smoke endures. Not only is the gradation smooth, as most travelers wished their trip would be, but is also represents how a passenger would view outside during their travels.

People came to the Northern Pacific Depot from a variety of places. Everyone got together in this one place to travel, to adventure new areas. Passengers arrived from all over and spread out once they left. This was the original place of travel during that time. I wanted to incorporate that importance through my textile pattern by vertically mirroring my parti, allowing the narrow element to match up. I then mirrored that section, creating a flowing in-and-out motion by both the white segment and the gradation. The gradation created another pattern element within the textile. The bold dark segments seem as if they are almost moving through the open spaces.

Through the study models I wanted to represent the motion of not only train but the smoke as well. Smoke does not have a specific form. It is not a solid structure. Because of that I wanted to focus on the fluidity of the smoke as well as the harsh lines light creates when appearing through the dark. A mix of organic and geometric shape began to appear. Both elements are transparent, giving the viewer somewhat the ability to see what is on the other side. It's a mystery, and if the person waits long enough it may become a discovery. Each of my models started from one point and expanded beyond it. This embodies the importance of the station that many migrated to. Everything has a source and it's always a goal to expand from there. 

The final model, when vertical, does physically represent smoke. The shape is familiar and common. All of the pieces are an organic shape that increase in length but become thinner as they rise. There are roots associated with this railroad station. The beginning was strong as complex as smoke is when it first is released. The thick, dark smoke rises from the train but then begins to flow and fade away. There is a transparent square attached to the bottom pieces, but when this model is turned in different angles, the viewer is able to see through that piece and into the organic segments.