It was the Wednesday night before the Parade of Lights, and through the Architecture Building鈥檚 main floor, not a creature was stirring 鈥� there was nary a snore!
The basement, however, was an entirely different tale.
While most of the building鈥檚 occupants had headed home to settle in for long, pre-winter鈥檚 naps, a group of students from across Sexton Campus were busy turning the basement鈥檚 woodworking studio into a loud, bright and bustling space 鈥斅爊ot that different, presumably, from what Santa Claus鈥檚 own toy shop would look like.
The difference, of course, is that rather than assembling gifts to be delivered on Christmas Eve, these 鈥渆lves鈥� were putting together a unique and colourful Dalhousie float for this Saturday鈥檚 Chronicle Herald Holiday Parade of Lights.
At work on the parade float's focal point.
Designing in teams
It鈥檚 a longstanding tradition for Architecture and Engineering students to organize a Dalhousie contribution to Halifax鈥檚 annual holiday parade. It鈥檚 an experience students Shalini Makdani and Jennifer聽Kinnunen loved taking part in when they first joined the School of Architecture two years ago.
鈥淚t was a lot of fun,鈥� says Shalini. 鈥淚t was a really great community bonding experience. But it didn鈥檛 happen last year, and so when this year was coming around, Jen and I were like, 鈥榣et鈥檚 do it!鈥欌��
Shalini and Jennifer 鈥斅燽oth now in the first year of the Master of Architecture program 鈥� are co-leads for this year鈥檚 effort, with the support of a team that includes upwards of 30-to-40 Dal students from across the Architecture, Engineering and Planning programs. Work began back in September with a series of design charrettes (planning meetings), which allowed different groups of students to brainstorm what the float might look like.
鈥淓ach group did a design, sketches, small models and presented to the rest of the groups,鈥� explains Jennifer. 鈥淲e鈥檇 talk through concepts and ideas, taking the best ideas from each group. We had about three charrettes before we submitted our design to the parade organizers for approval, and it鈥檚 been snowballing ever sense.鈥�
Jeff Walker, first-year Planning student, under the rainbow.
Their final concept embodies 鈥減arade of lights鈥� and 鈥渇loat鈥� quite literally. Attendees Saturday evening can expect to see a living seascape of rainbow-coloured 鈥渏ellyfish鈥� (as the team calls them) swimming through the streets of Halifax, each beaming with light and propelled by foot, by trailer and by bicycle. Organizers say outfitting the bicycles has been one of the trickier parts of the design process 鈥斅爓hich makes it all the better that the Dal Bike Centre is not only providing the bikes but also helping with construction.
鈥淪omeone from Architecture asked me if they could use some of the bikes that we have at the centre, and I said 鈥榓bsolutely!鈥欌�� explains D茅rik Suav茅, a fourth-year Bachelor of Community Design student and president of the centre. 鈥淪o that got the Dal Bike Centre involved and now I鈥檓 downstairs helping!鈥�
Something for everyone
Prototyping has been underway for about a month or so, but it was only this past Sunday that construction began in earnest. Each night this week, for three or more hours, dozens of students have been in the woodshop making saws cut, sparks fly and plastic bend. On Wednesday evening, the float鈥檚 focal point 鈥斅爄ts largest 鈥渂ulb,鈥� pulled on a trailer 鈥斅爓as truly taking shape, while alongside students also worked on smaller jellyfish-like bulbs that will be worn by individual parade participants.
鈥淥ur focus, especially in the design process, was being able to fabricate and design things that can be broken up into smaller pieces, so that you can have the comradery in the assembly process that fills the woodshop with people,鈥� says Jennifer. 鈥淭hey can jump in at the beginning, or at the end, and still participate and be part of it, even though they might not have been able to be there through the whole process. There鈥檚 always something for someone to do and be able to say, 鈥業 did that.鈥欌��
Scenes from the workshop.
Sam Fresia, a third-year Electrical Engineering student, has been working on the float鈥檚 lighting. He says the project has been a great way to connect with students from the different programs that call Sexton Campus home.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really great to work with students from other disciplines and get these different opinions,鈥� he says. 鈥淓ven though we鈥檙e on the same campus, engineers, architects and even planners are often separated in our work, and there鈥檚 not always opportunities to bring them together quite like this.鈥�
What鈥檚 possible together
The students are eager to show Halifax the fun, engaging design they鈥檝e been toiling over for weeks and months. And when the Parade of Lights reaches the end of its route, and when the coloured foil gets packed away and the 鈥渏ellyfish鈥� get taken apart, the students will be left with an experience that demonstrated what鈥檚 possible when inspiration meets collaboration.
鈥淭o mobilize a group of young people is really exciting: bringing them together, talking about things and making something beautiful out of it,鈥� says Shalini. 鈥淚t might not be the most polished thing, or what you鈥檇 expect, but it鈥檚 an opportunity to share ideas and work together and have some fun.鈥�
Jennifer agrees. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been really eye-opening, as to how and where we can do projects like this in our futures 鈥� just how to create that community dynamic, foster people鈥檚 talents, enjoy each other鈥檚 company and get involved.鈥�
The Chronicle Herald Parade of Lights begins at 6 p.m. Saturday evening. The Dal community is encouraged to drop by the Medjuck Architecture Building (5410 Spring Garden Road) starting at 5 p.m. for holiday treats 鈥斅爄ncluding cookie decorating 鈥斅燽efore heading to the building鈥檚 lawn to watch the parade.