Mapping Territories: Drawing and Representation of Space. by Pedro Alegria

A distinct space is defined by a complex web of relationships that characterize and distinguish it. Capturing these intricate connections proves to be a challenge, and within this context, delving into drawing becomes pivotal—an integral tool in the learning journey. The interplay between the digital and the analog in the realm of drawing as a medium for understanding and representation is explored. Appreciating the essence of space and its portrayal holds paramount importance in engineering education. Thus, we proposed a series of three distinct sessions, each offering diverse content and methods yet crucial for initiating STEM students into drawing as an analog tool for comprehending and representing space. Observing, perceiving, selecting, and representing (Massironi) are foundational. Tailored for FEUP students, the workshop aims to empower participants with analytical, representational, and communicative skills for spatial comprehension through engaging drawing activities. These workshops are thoughtfully structured, assuming that the targeted students may not possess fundamental drawing competencies. The sessions unfold progressively, presenting participants with content of increasing abstraction.

Workshop #1: “Drawing and perspective. Exploration of spatial representation.”

In this first workshop, we tried to introduce the students of Engineering to some basic concepts of drawing. Starting with challenging their ability to “see” the exercises started with simple measurements and worked their way to confronting the students with the attempt to draw a real world situation. There were three exercises building up the problem and increasing demands upon the capacity of the student to “see” and “understand” the optical image.

Objectives:

Seeing the world: measuring, comparing and observation drawing;
Structuring the world: systems of perspective
Equip participants with analytical skills for space analysis
Representation and communication of space through drawing activities

Exercise 1)

Students were introduced to measuring techniques employing basic tools such as pencils. The session covered size measurement, comparison, and transposition onto drawing paper, along with angle estimation. Using sample images projected on screen, the students were prompted to engage in measuring and sketching those images onto their individual sheets. In the figure below, the sample images are depicted at the top, accompanied by an illustrative drawing created by one of the students, on the bottom.

Fig.1.1. Illustrative drawing created by one of the students (Albano Martins), on the bottom, in response to the sample images, on the top.

Exercise 2)

Students were introduced to linear perspective’s basic concepts. They were prompted to understand the spatial relationships between the visual space and the structuring nature of linear perspective. The students were provided with some sample urban landscape images projected on the screen containing a central point and several vanishing points and prompted to reproduce them in their paper enhancing their understanding of the structure of the images presented to them.
In the figure below, some of the projected images are depicted at the top, accompanied by an illustrative drawing created by the students.

Fig.1.2. Illustrative drawing created by two of the students (Albano Martins and Afonso Canas), on the bottom, in response to the sample images, on the top.

Exercise 3)

After being exposed to linear perspective’s basic concepts and understanding the spatial relationships between the visual space and the structuring nature of linear perspective in the previous exercise, the students went outdoors to apply these concepts to a real urban situation. Before wenting outside they were presented with a preparatory image of a scene similar to that they would be expected to be in and engaged in a discussion of what to do, what elements to look for and constructing the perspective structure of the scene.
In the figure below, some of the projected images are depicted at the top, accompanied by an illustrative drawing created by the students.

Fig.1.3. Drawing created by two of the students (Albano Martins and Martina Sottile), on the bottom. On top: the preparation image and the drawing location.

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