Parallel
Parallel is a historical object archive within the vacant 2nd floor of the luxury condominium building; 300 Ashland Place, located in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. Over the past 5 months, I have conducted a historical and anthropological analysis of Downtown Brooklyn, in which I have found great parallel between the societal exclusion that existed in New York City during the 1970's disco era, and the displacement occurring today as a result of the current gentrification crisis. Parallel proposes the importance of designing inclusive spaces within luxury developments in order to preserve the city's rich history. Just because something is luxury, does not mean it needs to be private.
x Ella Macdonald
Subculture Introduction Video
NEW YORK CITY DURING THE 1970s DISCO ERAOur Senior Design Capstone started this semester by choosing a subculture that personally interested each of us. Through various forms of research and investigation, we developed our own analysis of our chosen subculture and connected them to our site of 300 Ashland. This is a video introducing the cultural highlights of New York City during the 1970's disco era, a decade that has always provided me with immense design inspiration.
Parallel Magazine
CONNECTING 1970s NEW YORK TO OUR PRESENTAt the beginning of our investigations, we each brought in artifacts from our chosen subcultures. I brought in a series of vintage magazines from the 1970s, which acted as the main source of inspiration for me within both my interior and graphic design. The sensorial experience of looking through this 50 year old magazine inspired me to consider the importance of archiving artifacts as a means of preserving our past and our present. I chose to represent my semester worth of research, analysis, and design development in the form of a magazine as a way of reinstating this importance of physically connecting to history.
Parallel Final Book_Ella Macdonald Optimized.pdfElla Macdonald
New York based BFA Interior Design graduate from Parsons: The New School of Design, with a keen interest in the psychology behind user experiences. I have acquired over four years experience working in the design industry, luxury home furnishings, accessory sales, marketing and product sourcing, where I was responsible for styling and producing photographic content for marketing campaigns, while maintaining close, collaborative relationships with clients.
My strength is in imaginative and creative visualization, which supports my skills as a designer using the Adobe Creative Suite, AutoCad and Revit.
Contact
Email: 12ellamacdonald@gmail.com
PhoneNumber: 416.708.7931
Past Works
