Author: Christianna Dyer

Christianna’s Thoughts on London

Becoming adjusted to time in the United States has been a little difficult after trying to avoid jet lag by sleeping on the plane ride home. As I reflect back on London, I can say that I have throughly enjoyed my experience. I have traveled a lot in my past, however this London trip was definitely different and a time to remember.

When I called to pay my credit card for the charges of the money that I spent on the trip, I was surprised by how much money I spent, however every extra little thing that I did was worth it. The extra adventures to Sketch, Kinky Boots, and nights out with new friends were some of my greatest times in London and I wouldn’t trade them for the world.

I think that one of the most memorable times from the trip would be our trip to Stourhead. Although there was a lot of tension due to the issues with the bus, I think that it was supposed to turn out that way in fate because of the WONDERFUL experience that we had at the landscape. In gloomy London, the sun was shining perfectly as we walked the path. It was an experience that can’t even be captured in pictures.

I am beyond thankful for the time that I had and all of the new friends that I made while on the trip.

Christianna’s free day!

On my free day, I decided to make a trip to the Design Museum, have lunch in Portabello, and  make a trip back to Camden Market. I loved the exhibit at the Design Museum, “Designer, Maker, User”. It was really interesting to learn about the designers of everyday things that some of may not think about such as the tube map and the parking meter. On top of the museum, I really enjoyed the design of the building itself. The building was designed by John Pawson, his new design for the building was ready for the public in 2016. Just like many buildings that I’ve looked at in London, I enjoyed the different use of materials. I really enjoyed the use of light wood and white that really seemed to open up the interior. It was amazing to see the stark difference when you look up at the ceiling and see the dark cement. Of course the center didn’t fail to remind me of the big stairs at Knowlton. Overall, it was a great day and I’m dreading leaving tomorrow morning!

The Design Museum

Lunch at Mike’s Café in Portabello

West-to-Wag

Today was a great day for experiencing food in London! For lunch right after visiting the Great Britain, Carrick and I took a trip Bonnington and ate at a little brunch resteraunt called the Bonnington Café. The area was very cute with an overgrown garden in the square. The café was a nice break from Café Nerro sandwiches, basically a little hole in the wall in someone’s house with only two meal choices to choose from. It was good to be at a resteraunt in London that was strictly vegetarian/ vegan, something that I haven’t been able to find. Dinner at Wagama was another good adventure and food risk to take. It was cool to eat something off of the “test” menu, I loved the tofu ramen! My mom and I have had a ramen obsession ever since a ramen food truck opened up back home. I haven’t been able to find amazing ramen in Columbus yet so it was good to get my ramen fix (in London!). Ending the day with gelato from Snowflake was exactly what I needed after a long day of walking. I got the kinder bueno flavor, something I definetly can’t find back home! All in all, today was a great day for food!

Brunch Café

Tofu Ramen at Wagamama

Gelato at Snowflake

Views on Zaha Hadid’s “skate”

The wood panels of the walls of the Aquatic Center.

Glass seethrough doors, metal railings. Lights on stairs showing through.

A look at metal, glass, and cement working together.

One of the parts that I was most excited for on this trip was visiting the buildings in Olympic Park after learning about their sustainable factors in sustainability class with Aimée. The London Aquatic Center was definitely worth visiting. The sleek curves of the building definitely remind the viewer of an animal gliding through water ever so smoothly. After being inside, I focused on the very stark contrast of materials and how they are able to come together and work so well. The wood panels that make up the walls continue to surprise me. I have never seen rectangular pieces of wood come together to make such curves. The wood and it’s dark color looks as if it’s metal which is also another material seen around the glass of the aquatic center. The use of class is very sleek, causing doors to act more like windows and have the whole building very open and being able to see everything. I’m sure this was even further emphasized before the tinting of the windows that occurred after the building was designed. Another feature adding to the light were strips of light on the stairs going into the seating area. It draws visitors to where to step by also contributing to the abundance of light.

Christianna’s Visit to Tate

One of my favorite visits on day two of the trip was to be able to visit the Tate Modern museum. While at the museum I was able to go to the third floor to see some of the galleries and also go down to the first floor to see some of the swings and the pendulum. I definitely plan to go back to the museum (currently planning on Friday) to see some more of the artwork and also more of the building. One thing that I hope to analyze when I return to the site is the use of materials, especially with the influence of the fact that the building is a brownfield site. When traveling before, I was told to pay close attention to the use of handrails in buildings, and in fact this also is important in Tate. Many do not use the stairs but instead use the escalator. However, the stairwell had stairs that there is light near the handrail to emphasize to visitors where to grab. The contrast of black and gray colors make it looks as if there is a different use of materials and as if the black part is metal, however it is all wood. I like how this color contrast fools the visitors at first glance. I hope to sketch or take a picture of these handrails once I return on Friday.

Christianna’s Pre-departure Post

It’s Monday and I am currently starting to get ready for our trip to London. Although I haven’t started to physically pack yet, I have for sure started to mentally pack. The trip has definitely snuck up on me, as I have been focused on exams these past two weeks. Although I need to still get money exchanged, I have made steps to prepare. I recently just ordered an adapter and 10 rolls of film off of amazon for the trip. For this trip abroad, I want to focus on taking a lot of point and shoot pictures as a sort of media and hopefully integrate them with sketchbook assignments after I get them developed. I brought a disposable camera with me during fall break to NYC, and ever since I have been obsessed with film photos of cities. Being the person that I am, I am concerned because for this trip, I’m not bringing a checked bag. When traveling overseas, I have always brought a large suitcase, but this time I will just be bringing a carry-on and a book bag for under my seat. It will be harder for me to pack but I think it will be nice to challenge myself to only bring the necessities. I am a little worried about when I should sleep on the flight. I will be pulling an all nighter Thursday into Friday because I don’t trust that I will wake up in time to go if I take a nap. Hopefully I don’t get jet lag!

Christianna’s Bio

Hi everyone! My name is Christianna Dyer and I am a Sophomore majoring in finance with minors in architectural studies and Spanish. I’m from Dayton, Ohio where I’ve lived downtown and also in a suburb known as Kettering. My hobbies include film photography, fashion design, and vintage clothing collecting/ selling. In my free time, I enjoy seeing movies with friends, going to concerts and music festivals, and going to local art shows.

I’m really interested in sustainability and have started studying for the LSAT to hopefully pursue law school to study environmental law. I’m a proud member of the USG’s sustainability committee, and I am also going to be a student member on the Panel for OSU’s Ecosystem Services Goal. I also participate as an intern with Defend Our future, as a student in the Arts Scholars program, and a recipient of the ASH Scholarship Program.

I’m really excited to travel to London this year! I loved traveling with Aimee last spring break to Santiago, and I know that this trip will be just as amazing. I’m most excited to visit Stonehenge and also ride the London Eye. In my free time, I want to visit the sustainable buildings from the Olympics and also take a look at the sustainable transportation systems.  I’m excited to learn more about everyone!

Santiago, Chile Trip SP17