Last week, we held our first group meeting together with our collaborator, Steve Hodgkinson. This initial session was an opportunity to get to know one another, align our expectations, and begin familiarising ourselves with the project. Steve introduced the brief, which was intentionally open-ended, giving us a great deal of creative freedom in how we choose to interpret and develop it. We left the meeting with a shared understanding of the project’s potential and agreed to reconvene the following week to bring forward ideas and begin shaping a clear direction collaboratively.

Hi, I’m Harmonie, a first-year MArch student. I completed my BA in Architecture in Bristol and gained Part 1 experience across Belgium and Spain. I’m interested in the multifaceted stories of architecture and how it can spark conversation as a reflection of both history and contemporary society. I’m particularly drawn to the many ways architecture can be represented and exhibited, which is why I’m excited to be part of the MSA Live project for the Sale Festival. This project is a great opportunity to creatively explore how collaboration can be used to represent and celebrate the history of Sale.

For our second meeting, the group came together with the initial introductions behind us, allowing the session to be both focused and productive. We spent time organising our roles within the group and discussing possible outcomes for the project, which helped clarify our direction moving forward. We also worked collaboratively on the poster, using this as a practical way to align our ideas and refine our approach. By the end of the meeting, we had a clear plan for our next steps. As a group, we worked particularly well together, and it is looking very promising that this strong collaboration will continue throughout the module.

Yesterday, we met during the scheduled group session and had another productive catch-up. We managed to complete the tasks set earlier that morning and clearly delegate who would be responsible for the four required outputs, due on the 6th of March. We also spent time talking through what the final project might look like and how we can break tasks down as we move towards the exhibition in June. On top of this, we went over the final tweaks for our poster to make sure everything is coming together. Overall, the meeting felt focused but relaxed, and it was good to see how well we’re continuing to work together as a group.

Yesterday the group used our timetabled meeting to get some work done and enjoy the sun! We discussed the online meeting we had with our collaborator, Steve, last week, narrowed down and distributed our roles for the festival output, and planned our trip to Sale today.