Blueprints Matter, but Stories Shape Spaces.
It's no doubt that the spaces in which we live, work and play in ultimately shape our behaviours and interactions, influencing how we collaborate with others, engage in tasks, and even express our creativity and ourselves (and vice versa too). Our sense of belonging and connection to the spaces we are in moulds and transforms over time. Through a unique and collaborative creative expression combining cartography, architecture, and ethnography, this is the story of a migration.
In collaboration with the Meng Li; Inspired by Mitch Miller's Dialectograms;
Reflecting on experiences, we wanted to capture the essence of diverse spaces, weaving a dialectogram that tells J5's collective narrative.
Over the past year, J5 Design underwent a significant transformation. We said goodbye to our Stephen Avenue space, embracing a new chapter in the Ampersand building in Downtown Calgary. The Edmonton branch now has a dedicated studio, venturing into fresh spaces to explore their connection to the new home. Some found themselves disoriented, while others settled seamlessly. For the Calgary crew, the transition disrupted old routines in the office space, and for the Edmonton crew, the change involved shifting from home offices to co-working under one roof. The spaces we inhabit shape our behaviours, influencing collaboration, tasks, and creativity. Belonging and connection to our spaces evolve over time. Settling into new offices, they became a canvas of identity and values
This journey intrigued us, and questions about the offices as physical and symbolic spaces opened avenues for exploration. Inspired by ethnography, data, and dialectograms, coined by Mitch Miller, we developed a live prototype. The storytellers of this journey were us — the J5 tribe members. So, we created floor plans of all three office spaces (the old Stephen Avenue office, the new Calgary and Edmonton offices) and invited colleagues to scribble, draw, write, sketch, tear up, cross out, paint, and mark up the posters.
We were inspired by the ability of humans to breathe life and consciousness into simple brick and mortar is profound. Though designs set the stage, it is the stories embedded in the fabric of spaces that truly define their essence.
Zoom into the Dialectograms below to explore the reflections shared by J5 Designers & Clients.
Legend
