Relaxing, filling (to an extreme!), and very memorable.
12.26.2009
12.14.2009
Next Steps
Now that classes are over for the semester, I have a chance to sit back and.... freak out!
My thoughts throughout the semester on what to do after graduation have tended towards a non-design job with something like a non-profit. Ideally, I thought, I would work with an NGO, do research and learn how to write grant proposals, learn how to run a successful business organization, and hopefully gain focus and clarity on the path in architecture I'd like to pursue.
However, recent conversations have had me second guessing this.... and reconsidering grad school as the next step.
I'm just still not sure exactly what I'm looking for. I want to find something that combines my interest in small projects, really tangible things, research, teaching, history and theory, community, materiality, and making. What does this equation add up to?
I've been afraid of leaving academia (because I love the freedom, constantly learning, and the intense discussion)... and I'm not sure if that means I am just still in love with being a student, or if that means I really want to stay in academia.
I've started looking for grad programs and (unfortunately) the deadlines are closing in. I have only a few weeks (if I choose to apply) to get everything ready and submitted. Time is ticking!
However, a few that I'm pretty interested in (at least from what I can gather from the websites) are:
Oxford Brookes - Development and Emergency Practice
Architectural Association - Design + Make
UT Austin - so I could work with the Center for Sustainable Development
My thoughts throughout the semester on what to do after graduation have tended towards a non-design job with something like a non-profit. Ideally, I thought, I would work with an NGO, do research and learn how to write grant proposals, learn how to run a successful business organization, and hopefully gain focus and clarity on the path in architecture I'd like to pursue.
However, recent conversations have had me second guessing this.... and reconsidering grad school as the next step.
I'm just still not sure exactly what I'm looking for. I want to find something that combines my interest in small projects, really tangible things, research, teaching, history and theory, community, materiality, and making. What does this equation add up to?
I've been afraid of leaving academia (because I love the freedom, constantly learning, and the intense discussion)... and I'm not sure if that means I am just still in love with being a student, or if that means I really want to stay in academia.
I've started looking for grad programs and (unfortunately) the deadlines are closing in. I have only a few weeks (if I choose to apply) to get everything ready and submitted. Time is ticking!
However, a few that I'm pretty interested in (at least from what I can gather from the websites) are:
Oxford Brookes - Development and Emergency Practice
Architectural Association - Design + Make
UT Austin - so I could work with the Center for Sustainable Development
12.09.2009
12.07.2009
Excellence!
My final review went very well. Without a doubt the most fulfilling final presentation, and warmest reviews, I have had. They loved it, I loved it; but what's more (and certainly most important) is that there were no details I had to skim over, nothing I regretted not doing.
I am very very proud of this project.
I am very very proud of this project.
12.06.2009
Final Boards
The presentation is tomorrow. I am second and present at 12:30. I'm actually excited for this presentation, and I think it will be one of my better finals of my undergrad. We'll see!
I've uploaded JPGs of my final boards, but be warned: they are quite large and might slow down your computer to view. But I think that they are nice, and give a good overall explanation of the project. They will be accompanied by all 12 of the final models.
The odd blank spaces are where physical stuff will be added to the models (material samples, 3d prints, etc).
Concept
Architecture/Space
Details
Structure
Materiality
Costume
I've uploaded JPGs of my final boards, but be warned: they are quite large and might slow down your computer to view. But I think that they are nice, and give a good overall explanation of the project. They will be accompanied by all 12 of the final models.
The odd blank spaces are where physical stuff will be added to the models (material samples, 3d prints, etc).
Concept
Architecture/Space
Details
Structure
Materiality
Costume
12.05.2009
Phase 3: dance props
Once removed, the sail shapes become interactive props, that define space and blow in the wind.
Phase 1: Costume
When deflated, the sailshapes become costume. Strategically placed velcro allows the sailshapes to wrap the body in differing kimono-style dresses.
Phase 2: Sail Shapes
How to wear the sail-shapes:
1. connect the compressed gas canister (in vest)
2. wait for it to inflate
3. dance!
11.29.2009
Vest
The leather vest, worn under the sail, includes pockets and nozzles to hold the compressed gas canisters that inflate the shapes. Tubes connected to the canister run along the arms of the dancers and into nozzles hidden beneath the hand-pockets. When the shapes are fully inflated, the dancer can remove the sail by disconnecting the air tubes.
The vest, in turn, may be removed.
This is the progression of the vest:
initial design sketch
the design progression - development of sewing pattern
The dancer, with sail and vest on
A few more at the Picasa album
The vest, in turn, may be removed.
This is the progression of the vest:
initial design sketch
the design progression - development of sewing pattern
The dancer, with sail and vest on
A few more at the Picasa album
Mini Models!
I am still working on finishing up the larger scale (1/2" - 1'-0") models for my 12" figures, but I did manage to finish up the smaller scales yesterday.
The 3D printed models, using the MMAE Department's SLA machine. These are 4 options developed using the Rhino/Grasshopper script from below. The models are used as 3d diagrams, showing variation in structural patterns. The density of structure is derived from the width of the surface, so when it's thinner, there are more divisions. I will put these models (each about 3" long) on one of my final boards.
The 5 small models show basic shape options with different structural patterns. I realized when making them that the infinite library of shapes I had imagined was possible is slightly less than infinite- in fact, the library is quite restrained by several parameters, including: narrowing enough at at least one point to fit on the body, allowing at least 2 self-stable positions/arrangements, controlling center of gravity within a close proximity to the narrowed body connector area, conforming to or augmenting a natural body position.
You can see more photos here: The Picasa Album
The 3D printed models, using the MMAE Department's SLA machine. These are 4 options developed using the Rhino/Grasshopper script from below. The models are used as 3d diagrams, showing variation in structural patterns. The density of structure is derived from the width of the surface, so when it's thinner, there are more divisions. I will put these models (each about 3" long) on one of my final boards.
The 5 small models show basic shape options with different structural patterns. I realized when making them that the infinite library of shapes I had imagined was possible is slightly less than infinite- in fact, the library is quite restrained by several parameters, including: narrowing enough at at least one point to fit on the body, allowing at least 2 self-stable positions/arrangements, controlling center of gravity within a close proximity to the narrowed body connector area, conforming to or augmenting a natural body position.
You can see more photos here: The Picasa Album
11.17.2009
Grasshopper, Rhino, oh my!
Mike is a Grasshopper genius, and an amazing philanthropist! I was struggling with my studio/Digital Fab project on Friday, and he whipped up a Grasshopper file for me over the weekend. Not knowing much about GH, it's been a really great tool for learning the logic. Even though I took a class in Digital Project, and got pretty comfortable with simple constructions, the method is completely different. Grasshopper is more math-based, or rather.. it's a visual diagram of scripting... where as I found DP to be more physical-relation based (I suppose it's the difference between Euclidean and non-Euclidean geometry?)
Anyways, this is what the GHX file looks like:
And this is what it does:
I'm using Grasshopper to take a section of my unrolled 3d surface and apply a varying density of cellular divisions. The size is determined by how far apart the original surface lines are, so that when the surface (my "sails") are wider, there are fewer divisions. I am then using this base geometry to FlowAlongSrf and apply the truss pattern to my sail.
This is all really simple modeling, but is fun to produce loads of iterations.
I've also had some great luck! IIT has a really nice 3d printer in the MMAE department, but it's incredibly simple. No one, that I'm aware of, in the architecture department has ever used it, or even knows about it. I spoke with a few people in their building last week to discuss fabrication options (I wanted to see if they could fabricate a few of my details full scale) but no luck. However, I've been emailing the 3d printer guy back and forth, and he is printing my model pieces at no charge! (instead of having to pay $100). Not sure why, but I'm incredibly excited (and thankful!) that he's doing this!
Anyways, this is what the GHX file looks like:
And this is what it does:
I'm using Grasshopper to take a section of my unrolled 3d surface and apply a varying density of cellular divisions. The size is determined by how far apart the original surface lines are, so that when the surface (my "sails") are wider, there are fewer divisions. I am then using this base geometry to FlowAlongSrf and apply the truss pattern to my sail.
This is all really simple modeling, but is fun to produce loads of iterations.
I've also had some great luck! IIT has a really nice 3d printer in the MMAE department, but it's incredibly simple. No one, that I'm aware of, in the architecture department has ever used it, or even knows about it. I spoke with a few people in their building last week to discuss fabrication options (I wanted to see if they could fabricate a few of my details full scale) but no luck. However, I've been emailing the 3d printer guy back and forth, and he is printing my model pieces at no charge! (instead of having to pay $100). Not sure why, but I'm incredibly excited (and thankful!) that he's doing this!
11.02.2009
World Without Us
I have started reading Alan Weisman's The World Without Us and wishing that I had taken the time to start it last semester when I was doing my urban decay studio project. His writing is clear, imaginative, and exactly what I had been dreaming about.
I also ran across these images by Andree Wallin on Pelfusion, which go hand in hand with the scenarios Weisman writes of: what would happen to our cities, parks, world if all humans just disappeared? Nature, as I suggested in my last project, would reclaim it, and do so quite quickly.
New York City would flood within a week.
Even our most substantial structures would start to break down.
I also ran across these images by Andree Wallin on Pelfusion, which go hand in hand with the scenarios Weisman writes of: what would happen to our cities, parks, world if all humans just disappeared? Nature, as I suggested in my last project, would reclaim it, and do so quite quickly.
New York City would flood within a week.
Even our most substantial structures would start to break down.
11.01.2009
Studio Developments
Photo progression in the picasa album.
My dance theater has evolved into a wearable piece of architecture. The performance happens in three phases: the "sails" transition from (1) deflated costume that wraps the body, (2) inflated shapes connected to body to accentuate and extend (or restrict) movements, (3) independent free-standing structures able to move and connect with environment.
Scale model of inflated spiral shape, worn as backpack to accentuate (and limit) body movement. The spiral's gravitational midpoint is centered over the dancer, allowing dramatic size variation. Shape connects to body at shoulders, waist, and wrists.
Additional rigid structure must be added (or redesigned) at body point in order to maintain shape's integrity. Concave curves will not hold.
Study now will be directed towards development of stable shapes; focus will be on materiality (the shapes might have to be inflatable cushions) and pushing the limits of size.
Library of little shapes
My dance theater has evolved into a wearable piece of architecture. The performance happens in three phases: the "sails" transition from (1) deflated costume that wraps the body, (2) inflated shapes connected to body to accentuate and extend (or restrict) movements, (3) independent free-standing structures able to move and connect with environment.
Scale model of inflated spiral shape, worn as backpack to accentuate (and limit) body movement. The spiral's gravitational midpoint is centered over the dancer, allowing dramatic size variation. Shape connects to body at shoulders, waist, and wrists.
Additional rigid structure must be added (or redesigned) at body point in order to maintain shape's integrity. Concave curves will not hold.
Study now will be directed towards development of stable shapes; focus will be on materiality (the shapes might have to be inflatable cushions) and pushing the limits of size.
Library of little shapes
Digital Fab midterm
My digital fabrication midterm was to create a simple shape (the 'hat') using the CNC and any other digital tools necessary. Our group was assigned textiles, and through a strange shift of focus, developed our shape from leather.
It was a really interesting process, with one spectacular failure and one mostly successful attempt.
PROCESS:
1. Lasercut the 5 leather pieces (smelled HORRIBLE!) including holes and tabs for stitch variation
2. CNC the wooded form from 3/4" plywood
3. Handstitch the leather pieces together to create the rough form
4. Stretch and pin it over the wooden form
5. Soak entire thing in < 200 degree F water for several hours
6. Once dry, the leather can be removed from the wooden form. It retains its shape and stiffness.
Our first attempt at boil forming failed. Having heard from leatherworkers that you could soak and then stretch the fabric, we let the leather soak in a pan of water inside a warm oven for over 2 hours. Unfortunately, the water was too hot, the leather floated to the surface and baked for nearly two hours, and distorted as it shrank.
Both forms were made from 5 pieces of lasercut leather. The second form (here) used 4 different stitch types. Unsure about how the stitching would react, we wanted to test a variety.
The final attempt, as it is drying (and stiffening).
Detail shots in the Picasa album.
It was a really interesting process, with one spectacular failure and one mostly successful attempt.
PROCESS:
1. Lasercut the 5 leather pieces (smelled HORRIBLE!) including holes and tabs for stitch variation
2. CNC the wooded form from 3/4" plywood
3. Handstitch the leather pieces together to create the rough form
4. Stretch and pin it over the wooden form
5. Soak entire thing in < 200 degree F water for several hours
6. Once dry, the leather can be removed from the wooden form. It retains its shape and stiffness.
Our first attempt at boil forming failed. Having heard from leatherworkers that you could soak and then stretch the fabric, we let the leather soak in a pan of water inside a warm oven for over 2 hours. Unfortunately, the water was too hot, the leather floated to the surface and baked for nearly two hours, and distorted as it shrank.
Both forms were made from 5 pieces of lasercut leather. The second form (here) used 4 different stitch types. Unsure about how the stitching would react, we wanted to test a variety.
The final attempt, as it is drying (and stiffening).
Detail shots in the Picasa album.
10.24.2009
Dancers 2
Sydney danced for me this afternoon; it was cool to have a different interpretation of my project from her. My instructions were a bit more specific, developed from more thought on the movements I want from my prop/dress.
More, as always, on the picassa album.
More, as always, on the picassa album.
10.23.2009
Dancers
Sarah agreed to dance/pose for me as inspiration for my project. See more on my picassa album.
Shooting with Sydney tomorrow.
Shooting with Sydney tomorrow.
10.20.2009
Foucault
Reflection / Summary on : Heterotopias by Michel Foucault
Heterotopias = the "un" or "inbetween" spaces.
............... = the nowhere space with a fixed location
"places that do exist and that are formed in the very founding of society"
significance, purpose to reality
but worlds within themselves:
both open for access,
but inherently isolated:
libraries
boats
cemeteries
gardens
prisons
psychiatric hospitals
brothels
vacation villages
fairgrounds
casinos?
-----> juxtapose reality
-----> step away from self
-----> all the world and of the world
"heterotopia begins to function at full capacity when men arrive at a sort of absolute break with their traditional time"
Heterotopias = the "un" or "inbetween" spaces.
............... = the nowhere space with a fixed location
"places that do exist and that are formed in the very founding of society"
significance, purpose to reality
but worlds within themselves:
both open for access,
but inherently isolated:
libraries
boats
cemeteries
gardens
prisons
psychiatric hospitals
brothels
vacation villages
fairgrounds
casinos?
-----> juxtapose reality
-----> step away from self
-----> all the world and of the world
"heterotopia begins to function at full capacity when men arrive at a sort of absolute break with their traditional time"
10.15.2009
Daily Life
I was going to avoid talking about my day-to-day life outside of school on here, but this past week has had a few interesting moments, so I think I'll share.
In the last 7 days, I have:
-been in Texas
-flown first class for the first time
-snuck onto the airplane before I was supposed to
-drunk half a bottle of wine at one sitting
-gotten a shoe stuck on my foot, and had to cut it off (the shoe, that is)
-had to ask for an extension on a paper (for the first time ever!)
-had a really incredibly awkward conversation about "feelings"
-bought some killa new boots
-done 2 nearly-all-nighters
-become the proud owner of a cheetah print sweater and an obnoxiously sequined shrug
Anyways, there are some exciting new developments ahead for my studio project, if I have time to get around to them. It's been really hectic since I got back because all of my midterms were to be due this week. Thankfully, by some miracle, they have all been pushed back a week, so I have a realistic chance of getting them done.
Sobek is here tomorrow and all weekend, Mike comes to visit next week, there's a really awesome symposium this weekend about the Future of Architecture, and Kevin is having a blues party.
As for studio... My "dance theater" is now a wearable piece of 'architecture.' For simplicity, I'll call it a dress. I have absolutely no idea how it's going to work, but trust me... it's gonna be awesome! haha... oooh, fingers crossed =)
In the last 7 days, I have:
-been in Texas
-flown first class for the first time
-snuck onto the airplane before I was supposed to
-drunk half a bottle of wine at one sitting
-gotten a shoe stuck on my foot, and had to cut it off (the shoe, that is)
-had to ask for an extension on a paper (for the first time ever!)
-had a really incredibly awkward conversation about "feelings"
-bought some killa new boots
-done 2 nearly-all-nighters
-become the proud owner of a cheetah print sweater and an obnoxiously sequined shrug
Anyways, there are some exciting new developments ahead for my studio project, if I have time to get around to them. It's been really hectic since I got back because all of my midterms were to be due this week. Thankfully, by some miracle, they have all been pushed back a week, so I have a realistic chance of getting them done.
Sobek is here tomorrow and all weekend, Mike comes to visit next week, there's a really awesome symposium this weekend about the Future of Architecture, and Kevin is having a blues party.
As for studio... My "dance theater" is now a wearable piece of 'architecture.' For simplicity, I'll call it a dress. I have absolutely no idea how it's going to work, but trust me... it's gonna be awesome! haha... oooh, fingers crossed =)
10.08.2009
Inspiring blogs
Two new posts from Pruned I found particularly interesting today:
Chicago 2018, or: A Proposal for the First Wholly Urban Winter Olympics
I, for one, am completely convinced. Who wants to design floating 'olympic villages' when you could design an inhabitable mountain!
Secondly:
Clouds
Flash inspiration for a different kind of temporary mobile dance theater... One made entirely from balloons!
Chicago 2018, or: A Proposal for the First Wholly Urban Winter Olympics
I, for one, am completely convinced. Who wants to design floating 'olympic villages' when you could design an inhabitable mountain!
Secondly:
Clouds
Flash inspiration for a different kind of temporary mobile dance theater... One made entirely from balloons!
Dream home
This is what I want:
Photo from Inhabitat
Anyways, my review with professors went well-ish yesterday, even though I didn't get to talk to them until 9pm. I'm cramming as much work as possible into today before heading out to Dallas in the morning.
I have 2 midterms (papaers + projects) due the day after I get back, and I'm expecting to spend the weekend watching movies and thrift shopping. Rough, I know.
I am currently researching how to mold and shape leather for my CNC class... we will be making a simple shape out of leather, and I spent the morning buying a piece (only $4!) from a really cool shoe supplier. I'm excited to try it out, and to make stuff with the extra.
Will post photos with the process.. should be interesting.
Aside from that, I had a brief conversation with Peter Land, my old EcoStructures professor who also attended AA. It's nice to get encouragement from someone you respect... especially when your plans are less than conventional.
Also excited about writing my paper for Theory. Can I say that? I'm excited about writing a paper! Haha!
Photo from Inhabitat
Anyways, my review with professors went well-ish yesterday, even though I didn't get to talk to them until 9pm. I'm cramming as much work as possible into today before heading out to Dallas in the morning.
I have 2 midterms (papaers + projects) due the day after I get back, and I'm expecting to spend the weekend watching movies and thrift shopping. Rough, I know.
I am currently researching how to mold and shape leather for my CNC class... we will be making a simple shape out of leather, and I spent the morning buying a piece (only $4!) from a really cool shoe supplier. I'm excited to try it out, and to make stuff with the extra.
Will post photos with the process.. should be interesting.
Aside from that, I had a brief conversation with Peter Land, my old EcoStructures professor who also attended AA. It's nice to get encouragement from someone you respect... especially when your plans are less than conventional.
Also excited about writing my paper for Theory. Can I say that? I'm excited about writing a paper! Haha!
10.05.2009
Concept Development
The last few weeks have been rather hectic in trying to come up with a solid concept for my dance theater. I've spent (too much) time reading contemporary dance theory, thinking about the definition of a theater, and sketching abstractly.
I developed two concepts last week for a brief email crit, neither of which I was entirely content with.
---
The first looked at the relationship studies between dancer and spectator- defining the "connection" between the two by changing the environment of the spectator (height relationship to dancer, proximity to stage, lighting, sounds). I did not want a centralized stage, certainly no "picture plane," and the audience memebers to be fixed in their seats.
I went with a radial / spiral plan, with seating and stage "weaving" together loosely. My interest in this scheme remained with the height levels, and was not fixed to any form or horizontal spatial arrangement.
My second concept created a "kit of parts" that could be taken anywhere, attached to anything, defining the dance-space entirely from the "structural elements" found en situ (buildings, trees, light posts, garbage bins, etc). It called upon Expressionist and Cubistic art (the art forms conceived at the same time Tanztheater was), the concept of dance as a temporary artform, and relied heavily on environment to shape the experience (no seating defined for audience members, base lighting provided by sun, prop movement by wind, etc).
The interest in this concept lies for me in its dependence on site for specificity, its direct relation to natural elements, and its rejection of "solidness."
---
For more development sketches, things like the one below, please go to my Picassa album here!
Letting my mind wander, I worked on sketches and spaces like this, which are fun to look at but difficult to do at IIT.
---
My next steps for our Crit on Wednesday, is to develop a concept somewhere between the two. I'm thinking of interlocking platforms, responsive walls, and simple technologies to combine the elements of relationship (height and light) with the elements of temporary (open air) and environment (shaped by wind, sun, site elements).
Sketches and comments to come soon.
I developed two concepts last week for a brief email crit, neither of which I was entirely content with.
---
The first looked at the relationship studies between dancer and spectator- defining the "connection" between the two by changing the environment of the spectator (height relationship to dancer, proximity to stage, lighting, sounds). I did not want a centralized stage, certainly no "picture plane," and the audience memebers to be fixed in their seats.
I went with a radial / spiral plan, with seating and stage "weaving" together loosely. My interest in this scheme remained with the height levels, and was not fixed to any form or horizontal spatial arrangement.
My second concept created a "kit of parts" that could be taken anywhere, attached to anything, defining the dance-space entirely from the "structural elements" found en situ (buildings, trees, light posts, garbage bins, etc). It called upon Expressionist and Cubistic art (the art forms conceived at the same time Tanztheater was), the concept of dance as a temporary artform, and relied heavily on environment to shape the experience (no seating defined for audience members, base lighting provided by sun, prop movement by wind, etc).
The interest in this concept lies for me in its dependence on site for specificity, its direct relation to natural elements, and its rejection of "solidness."
---
For more development sketches, things like the one below, please go to my Picassa album here!
Letting my mind wander, I worked on sketches and spaces like this, which are fun to look at but difficult to do at IIT.
---
My next steps for our Crit on Wednesday, is to develop a concept somewhere between the two. I'm thinking of interlocking platforms, responsive walls, and simple technologies to combine the elements of relationship (height and light) with the elements of temporary (open air) and environment (shaped by wind, sun, site elements).
Sketches and comments to come soon.
9.23.2009
Monthly update
After several more weeks of developing the ‘basics’ of form finding and fabric manipulation, we had a small crit with Prof. Sobek and intense desk crits with Timo and Kerstin. I developed a few fabric folding patterns that respond to force in different ways. After a few good nights of sleep, I could again value the work I had done (hehe) and made up a ‘material matrix’ of sorts to help organize the more promising studies I had done and the sort of application they would be best suited to.
However, we are now in the conceptual phases for studio: the “easy” part, if you will. Over the last week we have been developing ideas for the experience of our Tanztheater by analyzing the relationship between spectator, dancer, and environment.
I have been reading Birringer’s Media and Performance text to get a better understanding of contemporary dance theory and its relation to media. I’m interested in how the spatial and mediated environments of a theater can contribute to the audience’s awareness of bias and emotional response. Tanztheater is highly expressive, and calls out to every day situations and familiar struggles; by limiting, skewing, and even blurring the definition of the “performance,” I will explore what is the “point” of view.
I finally completed all of the portfolio reviews and meetings required to have my AA credits transfer. The review was so quick and casual it was almost a let down: I didn’t have to show or present any of the work I did!
I did, however, have my [rewritten] HTS paper critiqued by my theory professor and got some good feedback, as well as an interesting conversation with Tim Brown (my portfolio reviewer) about “the nature” of nature.
I also have the opportunity to propose an undergrad thesis / independent studio! After a brief conversation about my ideas, Sennott (the guy in charge of architectural academic affairs) has said he’ll support me working it out. I am even able to work on the written part (a manifesto) as the coursework for my theory course so I can focus on a built piece in the spring! I haven’t thought much yet on what the built piece would be, but I’m pretty excited about getting to sit down and do some intense research, thinking, and writing before heading into a project.
Dance101 has been going incredibly well over the last few weeks; we’ve had 50 people (evenly split!) consistently and they are really picking it up. It’s refreshing and inspiring to see so many people catching on. Noel came two weeks ago and posted a bunch of photos on his website: LindySynergy. I’ve been having daydreams about convincing the new sports manager person at Keating to let me (read: pay me) to teach a swing class. They have just started yoga, pilates, tai chi, and belly dancing classes in an attempt to broaden their offerings and bring in more ‘dancy’ activities for non-athletes. It is unlikely, but I do think I’d enjoy teaching swing dance on a more regular basis…. and for compensation. Haha!
I am headed to Texas at the end of October for a wedding, but unfortunately missing Mike’s visit to Chicago the exact same weekend. The last several weekends have been full of visitors (Justin, Yasmina, my parents) and it’s been really nice to have legitimate excuses for taking breaks. I’m really starting to enjoy this whole “sane person” schedule of 15 credit hours, fewer organizations, and more time for reading. I’ve managed to watch more movies in the last month than I have all year. I am also cooking… some times... which is a good way to shut the brain off for a few minutes each day.
9.03.2009
Structure and Material studies
Progress from the studio workshop:
First soap study
Fabric models
Working on the soap bubble models again
Fabric study: Dynamic folding patterns
Fabric study: Dynamic folding patterns
Fabric study: Dynamic folding patterns
First soap study
Fabric models
Working on the soap bubble models again
Fabric study: Dynamic folding patterns
Fabric study: Dynamic folding patterns
Fabric study: Dynamic folding patterns
8.26.2009
Start of Term.. err class
STUDIO==
I got into Werner Sobek's advanced studio on lightweight structures. We are designing a small, portable fabric dance theater for the German Expressionist dance style "Tanztheater."
This was my first choice, because it will be very hard, and we get to work with some really brilliant people. Sobek is a highly reputable structural engineer and brilliant innovator when it comes to sustainability. He is the director of ILEK, the renamed Institute for Lightweight Structures initiated by Frei Otto.
I suggest looking at the work of his firms on his website; basically, his vision of sustainability is one that pursues minimal energy through minimal material and structure. His buildings are nearly always recyclable, passive, and somehow beautiful.
----
I am taking a graduate symposium about the Avant-Garde. It is very closely related to the research and reading I've been doing lately for the rewrite of my AA HTS paper; we had one class, and it was fascinating. I think I'm most excited for this course because it is so anti-IIT. It is intellectual, based on reading and discussion, writing and analyzation. It's a pretty small class with an excellent teacher, and I'm excited to see where we end up at the end of the term.
----
My soc class also sounds interesting. We are discussing Technology and Social Change, how society was affected by shifts in thinking. It too is based on reading and writing, discussion and thinking, rather than exams, which is a huge relief to me. Unfortunately, the class is a bit larger and made up mostly of people that don't want to be there, so I'm not sure if the discussions will be very provoking.
----
CNC course is still on for Friday, but things might be changing a bit. Anyways, I can't go to the first class because Sobek is having a mandatory workshop, 10a-6p every day from Thursday - Monday [including Saturday and Sunday!]
It's already a busy start and I'm only 3 days in...
I got into Werner Sobek's advanced studio on lightweight structures. We are designing a small, portable fabric dance theater for the German Expressionist dance style "Tanztheater."
This was my first choice, because it will be very hard, and we get to work with some really brilliant people. Sobek is a highly reputable structural engineer and brilliant innovator when it comes to sustainability. He is the director of ILEK, the renamed Institute for Lightweight Structures initiated by Frei Otto.
I suggest looking at the work of his firms on his website; basically, his vision of sustainability is one that pursues minimal energy through minimal material and structure. His buildings are nearly always recyclable, passive, and somehow beautiful.
----
I am taking a graduate symposium about the Avant-Garde. It is very closely related to the research and reading I've been doing lately for the rewrite of my AA HTS paper; we had one class, and it was fascinating. I think I'm most excited for this course because it is so anti-IIT. It is intellectual, based on reading and discussion, writing and analyzation. It's a pretty small class with an excellent teacher, and I'm excited to see where we end up at the end of the term.
----
My soc class also sounds interesting. We are discussing Technology and Social Change, how society was affected by shifts in thinking. It too is based on reading and writing, discussion and thinking, rather than exams, which is a huge relief to me. Unfortunately, the class is a bit larger and made up mostly of people that don't want to be there, so I'm not sure if the discussions will be very provoking.
----
CNC course is still on for Friday, but things might be changing a bit. Anyways, I can't go to the first class because Sobek is having a mandatory workshop, 10a-6p every day from Thursday - Monday [including Saturday and Sunday!]
It's already a busy start and I'm only 3 days in...
8.23.2009
Morality in Architecture
The current economic situation is dire; that much is at least obvious, as the architectural profession, so acutely dependent on economic growth and stability, is suffering. It is easy to place the blame on others, to call out the millions of people living beyond their means, the mortgage companies for lending to them, the government for bailing them all out. As architects we do the same, blaming developers for spurring the demand for cheaply built faux-custom homes, the Modernists for the free-plan shells that became cubicle-filled offices, or even Wright for “inventing” suburbia in the first place.
Trained to trust only aesthetics, what else would we do? This sense, made extreme by our happy obsession with overwhelmingly intangible digital realms, has led to an architecture, and more significantly a culture, of shells. The substance, that driving purpose and vision behind the original Great Ideas, was quickly lost to easy-to-copy image.
While the cultural ideal behind Modernism was fresh, the copies may have absorbed some of the original intent, but as the passion for revolutionary change grew stale, the image lingered on, and copy after copy only referenced the thing it could easily grasp at- the Modernist form- until a steel and glass box became the symbol we either loved or hated, referenced or renounced, for nothing more than its own picture.
The same weakening of meaning has happened at the end of every great movement and style, from neo-Gothic ornamentation to Constructivist geometry, and continues to happen today. We’ve inherited an outdated architectural form while making ambitious advances in technology and materials. We are waiting for the next big change.
The furious boom in computing technology and the sudden shift towards a digitally dependent society have not yet been fully realized in built work, but ghosts itself illusively in the dreamscapes of academic discourse. The recession will afford us time to think and digest the flurry of recent technological innovations, much like the War-time and Revolutionary lulls in building aided the Modernists and Constructivists in their conceptual development. We do not know what the new architecture will look like, only that it will be different, and meet the changes in our shifting energy, community, and computing needs. The question now is determining the next step to define our version of Utopia: What is our architectural morality?
This will only be determined (discovered and developed) over time as fledgling architecture students, born after the advent of computers and the internet, merge interests with practicing architects who have grown weary of the profession. “Architect as anything but Architect” is not a new phenomenon; as Gropius writes, “the art of building is contingent on the coordinated team-work of a band of active collaborators whose orchestral cooperation symbolizes the cooperative organism we call society” (57). Utopian designers hell-bent on revolutionizing all forms of media and life (via culture at large) also go hand in hand with great aesthetic shifts; indeed Constructivism, one of the clearest examples of such, was founded in collaboration among writers, artists, and designers dabbling in each other’s disciplines.
Morality, like economics and taste, fluctuates on a curve. “The creative spirit,” Pick writes in the introduction to Gropius’ text, “is ever resurgent. The tide relentlessly rises over breaking and receding waves. It is the rise of the tide that matters most.” After every great rush in the socio-economic machine, there is decline; a brief respite marked by a significant shift in morality and aesthetic. When a strong, clear Utopian agenda drives the work, architecture may become more than just a shadow of the culture that built it, but the container for a culture’s ideals. Architecture, a time capsule of an era’s political, economic, ethical, and aesthetic emphases, can become symbol of a society’s spirit. Similarly to Modernism’s allusion to a progressive, industrialized Western society, Russian Constructivism was founded upon a powerful social morality and has become the ultimate remaining emblem (or scar) of Communism, despite its ironic condemnation by Stalin in later years.
Architecture as symbol for morality
The origin of cultural morality, or a movement’s ideals, is dual-sided; ebbing with the flow of popular opinion, bristling with the influence of singular individuals. Constructivism as an artistic and architectural movement may be easily attributed to its most prominent members: Tatlin, Rodchenko, Popova, etc, whose strong support of the Communist ideals and drive for progress clearly manifested itself in their Revolutionary work, but was also echoed in the wave of Machine-Age idealists across Europe and America.
At the turn of the century, the Industrial Revolution’s unprecedented speed of change and development left a strong desire for newness; to purge society of the past and start fresh. “The vast majority of architects and artists, though their political stances may have varied, shared a view of the machine as a social liberator, capable of provoking equality between men, not only by relieving them of physical toil but above all by engendering a universal art and a truly collective society” (Eaton, 158). Sharp Futurist manifestos came pouring from Western Europe in a frenzy that mimicked the machines they idolized. Individuals like Tatlin latched onto this flurry, and through experimentation, developed their own movement that focused on redefining all levels of society through rationality, equality, and non-objectivity as a means for pure self expression (Tate Modern).
Rodchenko, Maquette for a trade union poster Trade Union is a Defender of Female Labour’ 1925 (Tate Modern)
These huge aesthetic and ideological advances coincided (not coincidentally) with the Russian Revolution and unabashedly supported Communist principles. Seeking outlets for their outspoken ideals, the early Constructivists turned their creativity to wide-spread forms of media, largely paint and print. With the advent of modern propaganda, the success of the revolution was due largely to the overwhelming saturation of new, exciting, approachable Constructivist imagery that flooded Russian culture.
The movement began as an artistic exploration in material truth, clear and expressive composition, and a desire to bring art to all members of society through painting. Tatlin, Rodchenko, and Popova’s work in abstract art and sculpture was dubbed Constructivist (and at times Productionist) for its simplistic arrangement of non-objective geometric shapes (Frampton).
The form of their artwork, and later the architectural movement, was about rational organization and expression of material honesty from subject matter to production. Advertisement and propaganda, a natural progression for “accessible art” was hugely successful with Russia’s largely illiterate populace. Ever searching for further means of influencing and reshaping society, the Constructivists spread through all forms of art and media, from theater productions (Popova’s set design for The Magnanimous Cuckold, Tatlin’s collaboration on Zangezi) to film and literature (Ginzburg’s Style and Epoch). “Tatlin’s famous expression of ‘Art into Life’ became [the Constructivist’s] rallying cry;” art was to be “as dynamic, functional and essential as the parts of a machine, aiding humankind in the structuring of its new life” (Eaton, 189). Therefore, architecture “held a privileged position” within the movement for its “ultimate means of giving form to the post-revolutionary world” (184).
Rodchenko, Construction 108
Because the Constructivist’s ideals were so strongly Utopian and their desires for social change so broad, the need for a strong, clear building type led to an iconic architecture that absorbed more meaning and political symbolism than it ever truly intended. The architecture, reflecting both individual and cultural ethics, became a lasting symbol for Communist morality.
The late 1920’s saw a campaign “aimed at transforming domestic life” called the ‘new byt’ or ‘new everyday life’ (Tate Modern). They desired to modernize the “backwards” Russian social structure into a new and technologically advanced industrialized society free of perceived social hierarchies, organized around creating socially equitable spaces. Russia before the revolution was still in the throws of serfdom, with an incredible imbalance of wealth “over a vast land where many in the countryside still lived in environments little changed since the Middle Ages” (Moffett).
Narkomfin Plan
“The term social condenser was coined to describe their aims, which followed from the ideas of V.I Lenin, who wrote in 1919 that ‘the real emancipation of women and real communism begins with the mass struggle against these petty household chores and the true reforming of the mass into a vast socialist household’” (Social Condenser). As city centres gained populace, severe housing shortages called for the rapid development of residential units and provided the perfect outlet for Constructivists to practice ‘new byt’.
This ideology reflected itself most purely in the Narkomfin building. The public housing project, built in 1928, attempted to address both the fleetingly popular concept of “social condensing” and the severe space issues of the era. The housing crisis was so desperate that any household with multiple rooms or spaces large enough to divide would be partitioned into increasingly smaller units for multiple families. To avoid this, minimally sized living quarters, most often just a single cell for sleeping, omitted all public or open spaces; communal laundry, kitchen, living, and recreation areas were placed every two floors, bordered by the private individual quarters. The complex, originally planned as 4 tower blocks, also contained a recreation center, library, and rooftop garden (Narkomfin Building).
Monument in Soviet Socialist style, converted to outdoor mall. (Private Photo)
Interior of converted Stalinist monument; an ornate monument crammed with temporary stalls and cheap goods. (Private photo)
Ironically, because of the movement’s parallel ideals with the Bolshevik party and the iconic forms that firmly captured the spirit of revolution, the bold Constructivist shape has become more of a symbol for Communism than Stalin’s own nationalized style. Enormous parks and towers in the “Soviet Socialist Realism” style, “proclaimed by Stalin in 1932 as the only acceptable artistic style,” (Eaton, 183) have been well preserved and adopted by society while the Constructivist buildings, reminders of a displeasing past, have been neglected, abandoned, and now targeted for removal. Indeed, a fringe group of international architects and historians has been established, calling themselves the Moscow Architecture Preservation Society [MAPS, for short], and makes pleas to the Moscow Government to curb the systematic destruction of the city’s historical buildings (MAPS).
Modern Repercussions
For a significant and lasting artistic and cultural movement to occur, a widespread collaboration between all design and media fields must take place over a “big event.” The big event, Revolution for the Constructivists, war and depression for the Modernists, has not fully formed in our own society. However, a foreboding sense of the apocalyptic has been coursing through all media veins, from film to architectural studio units (ala Nic Clear’s Unit 15). The beginnings of several radical shifts are apparent, from the techno boom to global warming, but are not sure what to expect. For perhaps the first time in history, it is difficult (near impossible?) to imagine life in 20 years. We are waiting for the world to change; waiting for the Big Event to push policy and whip up frenzy, to give life and meaning to our artistic fantasies.
As the Modern “era of idealists” comes to a close, we find ourselves in a perverse version of the Idealist’s Utopian visions. Machines have, in one sense, “alleviated our toils:” (Gropius) we hardly need to walk or think for ourselves; our sense of wonder has been dulled by blindingly-fast technological innovations, our sense of self responsibility marred by the immediate satisfaction afforded by computers. The Modernist’s dreams of a Machine Age have shifted into a perverse dystopia of Matrix-like landscapes; a dark and inhumane mechanized world feels more real, more believable, and more attainable than a bright and peaceful future.
Perhaps this is the cynicism brought on by darkening difficulties; perhaps it is residual influence of popular sci-fi action flicks. But from a generation noted for its laziness and apathy, we walk a precarious line between waiting and action as contemporary poets and song writers profess wisely that we’re simply “waiting for the world to change.” Sinister, yet ironically true, we architects are waiting for the apocalyptic to provide inspiration, a new problem, and a new set of briefs.
So, in hope and preparation of a significant paradigm shift, and to combat the simplistic “inevitability” of techno-control, we must seek an architecture with humanity and moral integrity: an architecture that supports small communities, sustainable small economies, and the marriage of the natural environment with technology. To abide solely by the rules and development of structural and material advances (like the Modernists, Constructivists, etc) is too steeped in the past; it is time we look beyond the mere physicality of structure, construction, and material, but again consider what the advancements in digital technology and environmental awareness might mean for a new society.
Works Cited
About MAPS. Moscow Architecture Preservation Socitey, 2004..
Eaton, Ruth. Ideal Cities Utopianism and the (Un)Built Environment. London: Thames & Hudson, 2002.
Fazio, Michael, Marian Moffett, and Lawrence Wodehouse. Buildings Across Time: An Introduction to World Architecture. McGraw-Hill, 2004.
Frampton, Kenneth. Labour, work and architecture collected essays on architecture and design. London: Phaidon P, 2002.
Gropius, Walter. The New Architecture and the Bauhaus. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 1965.
Hecker, Zvi. "Architecture stripped of its ornate garment." Weblog post. Lebbeus Woods. 19 Mar. 2009.
"Narkomfin Building." Wikipedia. 23 Apr. 2009..
"Social Condenser." Wikipedia. 7 Jan. 2009..
Tate Modern. Rodchenko and Popova: Defining Constructivism. Brochure. London: 2009.
Trained to trust only aesthetics, what else would we do? This sense, made extreme by our happy obsession with overwhelmingly intangible digital realms, has led to an architecture, and more significantly a culture, of shells. The substance, that driving purpose and vision behind the original Great Ideas, was quickly lost to easy-to-copy image.
While the cultural ideal behind Modernism was fresh, the copies may have absorbed some of the original intent, but as the passion for revolutionary change grew stale, the image lingered on, and copy after copy only referenced the thing it could easily grasp at- the Modernist form- until a steel and glass box became the symbol we either loved or hated, referenced or renounced, for nothing more than its own picture.
The same weakening of meaning has happened at the end of every great movement and style, from neo-Gothic ornamentation to Constructivist geometry, and continues to happen today. We’ve inherited an outdated architectural form while making ambitious advances in technology and materials. We are waiting for the next big change.
The furious boom in computing technology and the sudden shift towards a digitally dependent society have not yet been fully realized in built work, but ghosts itself illusively in the dreamscapes of academic discourse. The recession will afford us time to think and digest the flurry of recent technological innovations, much like the War-time and Revolutionary lulls in building aided the Modernists and Constructivists in their conceptual development. We do not know what the new architecture will look like, only that it will be different, and meet the changes in our shifting energy, community, and computing needs. The question now is determining the next step to define our version of Utopia: What is our architectural morality?
This will only be determined (discovered and developed) over time as fledgling architecture students, born after the advent of computers and the internet, merge interests with practicing architects who have grown weary of the profession. “Architect as anything but Architect” is not a new phenomenon; as Gropius writes, “the art of building is contingent on the coordinated team-work of a band of active collaborators whose orchestral cooperation symbolizes the cooperative organism we call society” (57). Utopian designers hell-bent on revolutionizing all forms of media and life (via culture at large) also go hand in hand with great aesthetic shifts; indeed Constructivism, one of the clearest examples of such, was founded in collaboration among writers, artists, and designers dabbling in each other’s disciplines.
Morality, like economics and taste, fluctuates on a curve. “The creative spirit,” Pick writes in the introduction to Gropius’ text, “is ever resurgent. The tide relentlessly rises over breaking and receding waves. It is the rise of the tide that matters most.” After every great rush in the socio-economic machine, there is decline; a brief respite marked by a significant shift in morality and aesthetic. When a strong, clear Utopian agenda drives the work, architecture may become more than just a shadow of the culture that built it, but the container for a culture’s ideals. Architecture, a time capsule of an era’s political, economic, ethical, and aesthetic emphases, can become symbol of a society’s spirit. Similarly to Modernism’s allusion to a progressive, industrialized Western society, Russian Constructivism was founded upon a powerful social morality and has become the ultimate remaining emblem (or scar) of Communism, despite its ironic condemnation by Stalin in later years.
Architecture as symbol for morality
The origin of cultural morality, or a movement’s ideals, is dual-sided; ebbing with the flow of popular opinion, bristling with the influence of singular individuals. Constructivism as an artistic and architectural movement may be easily attributed to its most prominent members: Tatlin, Rodchenko, Popova, etc, whose strong support of the Communist ideals and drive for progress clearly manifested itself in their Revolutionary work, but was also echoed in the wave of Machine-Age idealists across Europe and America.
At the turn of the century, the Industrial Revolution’s unprecedented speed of change and development left a strong desire for newness; to purge society of the past and start fresh. “The vast majority of architects and artists, though their political stances may have varied, shared a view of the machine as a social liberator, capable of provoking equality between men, not only by relieving them of physical toil but above all by engendering a universal art and a truly collective society” (Eaton, 158). Sharp Futurist manifestos came pouring from Western Europe in a frenzy that mimicked the machines they idolized. Individuals like Tatlin latched onto this flurry, and through experimentation, developed their own movement that focused on redefining all levels of society through rationality, equality, and non-objectivity as a means for pure self expression (Tate Modern).
Rodchenko, Maquette for a trade union poster Trade Union is a Defender of Female Labour’ 1925 (Tate Modern)
These huge aesthetic and ideological advances coincided (not coincidentally) with the Russian Revolution and unabashedly supported Communist principles. Seeking outlets for their outspoken ideals, the early Constructivists turned their creativity to wide-spread forms of media, largely paint and print. With the advent of modern propaganda, the success of the revolution was due largely to the overwhelming saturation of new, exciting, approachable Constructivist imagery that flooded Russian culture.
The movement began as an artistic exploration in material truth, clear and expressive composition, and a desire to bring art to all members of society through painting. Tatlin, Rodchenko, and Popova’s work in abstract art and sculpture was dubbed Constructivist (and at times Productionist) for its simplistic arrangement of non-objective geometric shapes (Frampton).
The form of their artwork, and later the architectural movement, was about rational organization and expression of material honesty from subject matter to production. Advertisement and propaganda, a natural progression for “accessible art” was hugely successful with Russia’s largely illiterate populace. Ever searching for further means of influencing and reshaping society, the Constructivists spread through all forms of art and media, from theater productions (Popova’s set design for The Magnanimous Cuckold, Tatlin’s collaboration on Zangezi) to film and literature (Ginzburg’s Style and Epoch). “Tatlin’s famous expression of ‘Art into Life’ became [the Constructivist’s] rallying cry;” art was to be “as dynamic, functional and essential as the parts of a machine, aiding humankind in the structuring of its new life” (Eaton, 189). Therefore, architecture “held a privileged position” within the movement for its “ultimate means of giving form to the post-revolutionary world” (184).
Rodchenko, Construction 108
Because the Constructivist’s ideals were so strongly Utopian and their desires for social change so broad, the need for a strong, clear building type led to an iconic architecture that absorbed more meaning and political symbolism than it ever truly intended. The architecture, reflecting both individual and cultural ethics, became a lasting symbol for Communist morality.
The late 1920’s saw a campaign “aimed at transforming domestic life” called the ‘new byt’ or ‘new everyday life’ (Tate Modern). They desired to modernize the “backwards” Russian social structure into a new and technologically advanced industrialized society free of perceived social hierarchies, organized around creating socially equitable spaces. Russia before the revolution was still in the throws of serfdom, with an incredible imbalance of wealth “over a vast land where many in the countryside still lived in environments little changed since the Middle Ages” (Moffett).
Narkomfin Plan
“The term social condenser was coined to describe their aims, which followed from the ideas of V.I Lenin, who wrote in 1919 that ‘the real emancipation of women and real communism begins with the mass struggle against these petty household chores and the true reforming of the mass into a vast socialist household’” (Social Condenser). As city centres gained populace, severe housing shortages called for the rapid development of residential units and provided the perfect outlet for Constructivists to practice ‘new byt’.
This ideology reflected itself most purely in the Narkomfin building. The public housing project, built in 1928, attempted to address both the fleetingly popular concept of “social condensing” and the severe space issues of the era. The housing crisis was so desperate that any household with multiple rooms or spaces large enough to divide would be partitioned into increasingly smaller units for multiple families. To avoid this, minimally sized living quarters, most often just a single cell for sleeping, omitted all public or open spaces; communal laundry, kitchen, living, and recreation areas were placed every two floors, bordered by the private individual quarters. The complex, originally planned as 4 tower blocks, also contained a recreation center, library, and rooftop garden (Narkomfin Building).
Monument in Soviet Socialist style, converted to outdoor mall. (Private Photo)
Interior of converted Stalinist monument; an ornate monument crammed with temporary stalls and cheap goods. (Private photo)
Ironically, because of the movement’s parallel ideals with the Bolshevik party and the iconic forms that firmly captured the spirit of revolution, the bold Constructivist shape has become more of a symbol for Communism than Stalin’s own nationalized style. Enormous parks and towers in the “Soviet Socialist Realism” style, “proclaimed by Stalin in 1932 as the only acceptable artistic style,” (Eaton, 183) have been well preserved and adopted by society while the Constructivist buildings, reminders of a displeasing past, have been neglected, abandoned, and now targeted for removal. Indeed, a fringe group of international architects and historians has been established, calling themselves the Moscow Architecture Preservation Society [MAPS, for short], and makes pleas to the Moscow Government to curb the systematic destruction of the city’s historical buildings (MAPS).
Modern Repercussions
For a significant and lasting artistic and cultural movement to occur, a widespread collaboration between all design and media fields must take place over a “big event.” The big event, Revolution for the Constructivists, war and depression for the Modernists, has not fully formed in our own society. However, a foreboding sense of the apocalyptic has been coursing through all media veins, from film to architectural studio units (ala Nic Clear’s Unit 15). The beginnings of several radical shifts are apparent, from the techno boom to global warming, but are not sure what to expect. For perhaps the first time in history, it is difficult (near impossible?) to imagine life in 20 years. We are waiting for the world to change; waiting for the Big Event to push policy and whip up frenzy, to give life and meaning to our artistic fantasies.
As the Modern “era of idealists” comes to a close, we find ourselves in a perverse version of the Idealist’s Utopian visions. Machines have, in one sense, “alleviated our toils:” (Gropius) we hardly need to walk or think for ourselves; our sense of wonder has been dulled by blindingly-fast technological innovations, our sense of self responsibility marred by the immediate satisfaction afforded by computers. The Modernist’s dreams of a Machine Age have shifted into a perverse dystopia of Matrix-like landscapes; a dark and inhumane mechanized world feels more real, more believable, and more attainable than a bright and peaceful future.
Perhaps this is the cynicism brought on by darkening difficulties; perhaps it is residual influence of popular sci-fi action flicks. But from a generation noted for its laziness and apathy, we walk a precarious line between waiting and action as contemporary poets and song writers profess wisely that we’re simply “waiting for the world to change.” Sinister, yet ironically true, we architects are waiting for the apocalyptic to provide inspiration, a new problem, and a new set of briefs.
So, in hope and preparation of a significant paradigm shift, and to combat the simplistic “inevitability” of techno-control, we must seek an architecture with humanity and moral integrity: an architecture that supports small communities, sustainable small economies, and the marriage of the natural environment with technology. To abide solely by the rules and development of structural and material advances (like the Modernists, Constructivists, etc) is too steeped in the past; it is time we look beyond the mere physicality of structure, construction, and material, but again consider what the advancements in digital technology and environmental awareness might mean for a new society.
Works Cited
About MAPS. Moscow Architecture Preservation Socitey, 2004.
Eaton, Ruth. Ideal Cities Utopianism and the (Un)Built Environment. London: Thames & Hudson, 2002.
Fazio, Michael, Marian Moffett, and Lawrence Wodehouse. Buildings Across Time: An Introduction to World Architecture. McGraw-Hill, 2004.
Frampton, Kenneth. Labour, work and architecture collected essays on architecture and design. London: Phaidon P, 2002.
Gropius, Walter. The New Architecture and the Bauhaus. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 1965.
Hecker, Zvi. "Architecture stripped of its ornate garment." Weblog post. Lebbeus Woods. 19 Mar. 2009.
"Narkomfin Building." Wikipedia. 23 Apr. 2009.
"Social Condenser." Wikipedia. 7 Jan. 2009.
Tate Modern. Rodchenko and Popova: Defining Constructivism. Brochure. London: 2009.
8.20.2009
5 days back in the city, and I have:
finished unpacking
seen nearly all the people I care to
rewritten my HTS paper
finally gotten word from professors about classes this fall
obtained more evidence the bursar's people are retarded: they say my scholarship is not applicable to this year? what part of "5 year scholarship" do they not get? ugh.
finished unpacking
seen nearly all the people I care to
rewritten my HTS paper
finally gotten word from professors about classes this fall
obtained more evidence the bursar's people are retarded: they say my scholarship is not applicable to this year? what part of "5 year scholarship" do they not get? ugh.
8.12.2009
Exhibition Party
The party was great. About 30 people showed up, we had enough food for 60, and everything (surprisingly) got done. It was a bit close, and a bit stressful as guests arrived, but it's the land, and they are friends, so it didn't matter if the tables weren't set up or the work wasn't up yet. Miller came to rescue again, as did Grandma and Grandpa Downs. The food was taken care of, and we all had a chance to catch up with people we hadn't seen in a while.
Night lights
Checking out the photo slideshow and other work
Jennie and Gavin arrived a little early, but just in time. They were awesome, and threw down their bags to help us finish last minute stuff the moment they arrived. It was a bit disappointing to not have time in the morning with them.
Candice flew in from DC and it was amazing to get to spend a few hours with her. Blake and I got up at 5:30 the day after the party so that we could pick her up and drive her to the airport. We got to stop in Ft Worth for a little while, stare up into Vortex and split scrambled eggs at Corner Bakery. I like being around her. She makes dreams feel beautiful and possible.
We spent the afternoon with his mom, then came back to Abilene to watch shooting stars on the hood of his car at the base of a mesa.
Philip, Angela, and Connie also came into town; Blake and I spent yesterday with them: at the museum, waiting for AAA to come fix their car, eating the best steak and hamburger in Texas.
We stayed out at the land again last night. It was calm, a little warm, and unfortunately marred by ants and mosquitoes that insisted we were food. I woke up to watch the sunrise from the deck and visit the fruit trees wearing Blake's shoes. We had prickly pears for breakfast.
Night lights
Checking out the photo slideshow and other work
Jennie and Gavin arrived a little early, but just in time. They were awesome, and threw down their bags to help us finish last minute stuff the moment they arrived. It was a bit disappointing to not have time in the morning with them.
Candice flew in from DC and it was amazing to get to spend a few hours with her. Blake and I got up at 5:30 the day after the party so that we could pick her up and drive her to the airport. We got to stop in Ft Worth for a little while, stare up into Vortex and split scrambled eggs at Corner Bakery. I like being around her. She makes dreams feel beautiful and possible.
We spent the afternoon with his mom, then came back to Abilene to watch shooting stars on the hood of his car at the base of a mesa.
Philip, Angela, and Connie also came into town; Blake and I spent yesterday with them: at the museum, waiting for AAA to come fix their car, eating the best steak and hamburger in Texas.
We stayed out at the land again last night. It was calm, a little warm, and unfortunately marred by ants and mosquitoes that insisted we were food. I woke up to watch the sunrise from the deck and visit the fruit trees wearing Blake's shoes. We had prickly pears for breakfast.
8.09.2009
42
What are we searchign for? peace and fulfillment.A life of friendship and love, a place where we feel we fit both as an individual in a community.
We live in a monochramitic culture, but there is no one answer. No single answer can satisfy our diversity of people and landscape, experience and dreams.
How do we find our place to fit when there is only one option for living?
The ubiquity of middle-class America, poor-America, wealthy-America stifling individual needs and creativity. The standard line up of Tarets, Walmarts, department stores and strip malls display the same goods continent-wide.
Connected by facebook, RPGs, & youtube, sub-communities of virtual reality take shape. But true happiness is found in the comfort of friends, life satisfacation in sharing with others; a depth of relationship only found in close face-to-face encounters.
So we dream of small communities of networks of people, catering to the needs of each group. Similar to interconnected self-sufficient retirement communities, we establish a variety of cultures celebrated for their differences.
As the Hitchhiker's super-computer suggested, is the answer to all of life's questions really 42? Are their 42 answers to life's demands?
Veterans, elderly, nomads, farmers: 42 lifestyle choices; 42 cultures; 42 building typologies.
A spectrum of choices instead of just one.
We live in a monochramitic culture, but there is no one answer. No single answer can satisfy our diversity of people and landscape, experience and dreams.
How do we find our place to fit when there is only one option for living?
The ubiquity of middle-class America, poor-America, wealthy-America stifling individual needs and creativity. The standard line up of Tarets, Walmarts, department stores and strip malls display the same goods continent-wide.
Connected by facebook, RPGs, & youtube, sub-communities of virtual reality take shape. But true happiness is found in the comfort of friends, life satisfacation in sharing with others; a depth of relationship only found in close face-to-face encounters.
So we dream of small communities of networks of people, catering to the needs of each group. Similar to interconnected self-sufficient retirement communities, we establish a variety of cultures celebrated for their differences.
As the Hitchhiker's super-computer suggested, is the answer to all of life's questions really 42? Are their 42 answers to life's demands?
Veterans, elderly, nomads, farmers: 42 lifestyle choices; 42 cultures; 42 building typologies.
A spectrum of choices instead of just one.
8.08.2009
The last Hurrah!
torn between wanting to stay & wanting to go & worried it will be the wrong decision either way
-StoryPeople
I've been dreaming about London lately, even including fellow VSPers. I get all achy when I think about the UK; I suppose it's because I'm not particularly looking forward to going back to Chicago and IIT.
But chin up because today is the party!
Candice is in town, we have food to feed an army lined up in the kitchen, and all major projects for the land are done.
Our day's To-Do list is something like this:
-order photos
-cut hole in bath house roof for exhaust
-put dirt in bath house pot
-set up tables
-place tealight lanterns in pleasing locations
-sit around and drink margaritas.
Really looking forward to that last one. =)
-StoryPeople
I've been dreaming about London lately, even including fellow VSPers. I get all achy when I think about the UK; I suppose it's because I'm not particularly looking forward to going back to Chicago and IIT.
But chin up because today is the party!
Candice is in town, we have food to feed an army lined up in the kitchen, and all major projects for the land are done.
Our day's To-Do list is something like this:
-order photos
-cut hole in bath house roof for exhaust
-put dirt in bath house pot
-set up tables
-place tealight lanterns in pleasing locations
-sit around and drink margaritas.
Really looking forward to that last one. =)
8.05.2009
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