HEARING THE SCENERY MA LINA
INTERIOR ARCHITECTURE MASTER THESIS BY MA LINA
OSLO NATIONAL ACADEMY OF THE ARTS 2014
COLOPHON
Book size: 220mm x 210mm Book data: 180 pages; 8982 words. Book Front: Helvetica Book designer: Ma Lina Cover designer: Ma Lina
Copy right April 2014, Oslo
HEARING THE SCENERY Ma Lina
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I feel much indebted to many people who have instructed and favored me in the course of finishing this thesis. First, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to my tutor, Professor Sigurd, for his encouragement and valuable advice, especially for his insightful comments and suggestions on my design during my confused period. And also thanks to Reidar (the friend of Sigurd), who taught me a lot about the physical knowledge of sound. My sincere thanks also go to Professor Theo, Maziar, from whose communication and discussion, I have drawn great inspiration, which is essential to the completion of the thesis. Last but not least, I would like to express my thanks to my family, my friends (Guo Xi, Fan Jie, Wu xian, and Tong Ning) and my fellows (Margrethe, Hege, Maria, Iris, and Camilla) for their valuable encouragement, spiritual support and enthusiastic help during my project.
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
2
THE POWER OF SOUND
3
Recording The Power Of Sound
HEARING
21 I Am Hearing... They Are Hearing...
HEARING THE “SCENERY“
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What? Method? Why? The Disappearance of Shanghai Longtang The Change of The Hulunbeier Grassland
CONCLUSION
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
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INTRODUCTION
As an interior architecture designer, the word ‘sound’ to me is a relatively unfamiliar vocabulary, and never been involved in my previous design, even I didn’t think about sound in my design before. Therefore, throughout the graduate design process, I tried starting from the most basic sound itself, through the repeated loop of reading, guessing, questioning, experimentation, reflection, and my own consideration, so that to make the entire thesis more deep and more complete. When I entered this project, I never know where will be my final stage, however, my original intention is to explore a relatively new element of my space design, which could inject some fresh blood into my professional life. This thesis is about sound, I try to find how the sound could produce the contact with the space, and what kind of contact. You will find different power of sound in the first Chapter as the starting stage of the project. Then the unconventional experiments about hearing, which discussed the relationship between space form shape and the sound. In the final section, I did not remain in those the perceptual knowledge, because I decided to use sound to do some meaningful design for bringing the rational knowledge. You will see sound as the core reveal the value of the history and how the space design deal with the relationship between viewings and sound. It is interesting to see a design project about sound that is not about the acoustic design in the theater, or concert, but about other things. That is not easy. Maybe you will feel bemused, understood, surprised, identity or...That is my process. I also believe that you would gain the thinking, knowledge, reflection, ideas... And of course, have a new understanding of what could sound do in design. Due to this is a thesis about sound, it would touch lots of sound files that can not be listened in the book. Thus I would make a sequence of corner mark, you can scan the QR code for hearing them online. Enjoy the book and the sound!
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THE POWER OF SOUND A flashing idea led me to choose sound as the main theme of my graduate project. In general conditions, people often use their eyes to observe and perceive the space, while sound is surrounded and everywhere. Undoubtedly, in the spatial design, sound is recognized as a permanent existence though it is neglected usually. So, I decided to research the sound to see, which kind of experience sound could bring to the audience, which role can the sound act in the space experience. The research about sound had started from an unsharp stage – do what I want to practice with sound on the basis of my consideration.
1. The soundscape here refers to both the natural acoustic environment, consisting of natural sounds, including animal vocalizations and environmental sounds created by humans, through musical composition, sound design, and other ordinary human activities including conversation, work, but not the machine sound and other noises sound. Facing page: The notes my classmates wrote down, when they listened to my fragment recordings to image the stories. 3
RECORDING Due to the theme is sound, I began from the sound itself, the most basic step – recording the fragment sound of my surroundings.
This kind of sound is like you listen carefully with your eyes closed and take a moment to visualize the place from its sounds: the heavy raining flaps on the fresh leaves, the dog chewing cookies, the laughter of children at the playground, or the sound of the pencil rubbing on the paper. Nevertheless when I played my recorded sounscape1, it is not easy for audience to gain the information of these sounds, although they could be defined as soundscape which often could construct environment completes with memories and emotions and comes alive. That might because these sounds are fragment, but more likely, audiences don’t have the relative memory about the sounds.
The pure soundscape is quite personal, because of the less limitation everyone will image by following their own feelings, and the listening might be experienced as irrelevant2. This kind of imagination is weak and transient, since the sound has nothing being communicated as well as without meaningful content, which results the listener does not have other elements to generate the more association.
Facing page: The pattern is formed, when you speak “peach� through the device in the sound + light test. 5
SOUND + X While maintaining the habit of recording, I was wondering if the sound is added with another element, what is the power of sound and how will the feelings change. Thus I tested several elements added with sound together. In this test, when sound plus light presented the physical power of sound, while the other two, sound plus smell and sound plus time-space delivered the psychological imagination.
1. SOUND + LIGHT (Physical Perception) Through the learning of the physical knowledge of sound3, I understood sound is a mechanical wave4 that is generated by the vibration from the object (the sound source) and spread through some medium(such air or water), and different sound have multiple wave length. The most vibration we generate is our speaking, thus I decided to make a small device between the mouth(sound) and the laser light.
Left: Testing the device in the master classroom of Design apartment in KHiO in the evening. 8
Everyone can follow this introduction to make their own “light speaker“5. Material: 1. A empty metal bottle 2. A thin plastic film 3. A small reflective mirror(1cmx1cm) or other material can reflect clearly 4. A high quality laser pen(the low quality pen works unsteadily and even can not be reflected to the far wall) 5. Some plank and wood brick Tool: 1. Double-sided tape 2. Some thick rubber bans Method Of Making: 1. Cut two sides of the bottle, then it will looks like a pipe. 2. Paste the double-sided tape along one side of the bottle. 3. Use the plastic film to cover tightly one side of bottle that has been posted the tape. 4. Also use the double-sided tape to stick the small reflective mirror on the center of the film. 5. Use the rubber bans to fix the bottle and laser pen on the plank.(Like the picture right, there is an angle between the bottle and laser pen for reflecting.) Try It: When the people open the laser pen, the laser will be reflected by the small mirror to the wall(this device should have at least 5 meters away from the wall), then put the mouth close to the bottle with slow and loud speaking different words or sentences, different dynamic pattern will be presented on the wall, like the sound is dancing!
Facing page: The picture of the “light speaker“ device. 9
From left to right: When I speak English: apple, banana, cough, finger, funny, mango, pineapple, possible, Tim, tree, what, wifi, and then Chinese: 到这吧 (let's stop here), 瀑布 (waterfall)，跳踢踏舞 (tap dancing).
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2. SOUND + SMELL (Psychological Perception) I added another often neglected sense smell, and these six smell in six glass bottles were collected from six different places. When I was collecting the smell at that place, I also recorded the sound of that place. Recording of a place was inspired by a sound & video installation6. The experience just included smelling and listening for creating an inviable space. The aim is to see would this provide more clues for participants to image the story happened in that place through the representation (sound and smell).
Left: The presentation exhibition of Sound + X. The six smells in bottles were hung in the room, and accompanied by six different sound in the sound device. 14
3. SOUND + TIME-SPACE This idea came from the sense of belonging. For the international people, this city is independent and local, sometimes it’s alone, whereas the sound of motherland always give people the sense of belonging. A small space that is only around people’s head would be set in the different public space, the equipment in this space would connect different cities on the world through the Internet. When people enter this space, he would hear the sounds come from another part of the world. Participants could select which city to listen to. While someone is listening and standing on the street or waiting on the platform, the time-travel sound is overlapped with what he is looking at. If he chooses to listen to Shanghai in the midnight, then he would hear the sound of early morning. This small sound space also overlaps the time.
Facing page: A man is enjoying the sound through “wearing” the small time-space space in the public space. 15
Whole page: The small time-space space could also be set on the subway platform for different age people to use.
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Speaking of the sense of belonging, before that idea, I made a small change in the kitchen of the master classroom (design apartment). First time, i just put a device that was playing the Norwegian radio in the shelf in the kitchen with a low volume. One of my classmate felt strange, it seemed she heard something, but she can not see it. Then she sought around to find the sound. After her, I put it out and gave it the appearance like a radio. Afterwards, the passerby hardly noticed it, while some classmates felt surprised and friendly, when they went there to boil the water for making coffee or tea. One girl mentioned, when she heard the broadcastings she felt she suddenly went back to her grandma’s kitchen, which made her feel nice. 19
After sound is overlaid with other elements, the feelings become abundant, because it constructs more connection between audiences and the sounds. Meanwhile people also have two aspects to build up the connection, interaction, imagination and perception. By superposition of two elements, the story only the listener know is established.
Left: The “fake“ radio on the shelf in the kitchen in the mater classroom of Design apartment 20
HEARING After getting some research of sound itself, I began to think about sound from the spatial angle. If I talk about sound in space, most of people would think it like the acoustic design in the theater or concert hall. Although there is a vast body of scholarly work both on the physical acoustics of enclosed spaces and on perceiving acoustic parameters, here I focus on the subject of how people experience aural space7.
Left: I was hearing the sound in the box. 22
I AM HEARING... According to Barry Blesser and Linda-Ruth Salter, ‘We know much about measuring acoustic processes and s ensory detection, but less about the phenomenology of aural space.’8 Most of the space pay more attenion on vision and touch, while hearing in the space is always implanted. The sense of sight implies exteriority, while sound creates the experience of interiority, which could be understood like when I regard an object, the eye reaches, but the ear receives. Reaching is an external action, and receiving sound is like something entering into the body automaticlly. As stated by Juhani Pallasmaa, ‘Hearing structures and articulates the experience and understanding of space. We are not normally aware of the significance of hearing in spatial experience, although sound often provides the temporal continuum in which visual impressions are embedded.’9 Thus my purpose at that moment want to emphasize and suggest more experiencing the space through the hearing sense or the sound. I began to think emphasizing and struggling for how could experience more through our hearing. Therefore I decided to do a test about hearing and space, how could I connect hearing and space in a practical way? I selected a simple question to generate the experiment: what is the relationship between the form of space and the sound? Does the sound heard differently in different shape of spaces?
Left: My ear and fingers in the two-ear wood model. 24
I used a familiar way – physical modeling to practice this special question. Thus I made four models in a relative big size, a square, rectangle, cylinder and a radiative form and all of them have the same material(card boards). Each of them has openings for people to hear. Those four were made for one ear, and I also wondered about effect of the two ears, thus I made a big wood model enclosing the hear and providing two openings for our ears.
Facing page: Four card boards models have a relative big size. 25
Above: My architect friend and me were testing the radiative form model.
INDOOR SPACE/TEST MYSELF When I was making them, I regarded them as scale models, but when I was testing them by myself, they are considered as the 1:1 prototype. I discovered all of them has different degree of resonance, when I put my ear adjoin the hole, I heard the voice of “silent”(the sound is like “wun wun wun…”). When I leave, it disappeared at once.
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Above: The condition of recording the sound inside the models. The sound source is over the model, while the recorder is inside the model.
Moreover, I put the recording pen both outside and inside the models, the recording of inside hears more far away. The recording of the most sealed and longest box - the rectangle one, has the greatest difference compared with the recording of inside and outside, because of the length, the resonance reduces a lot.
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From the physical point of view, what I gained are in different shapes, they could amplify one of the audio frequency in the space where they are, and which frequency is decided by the materials. The cardboards amplify the frequency around 300 Hertz. If the material is mirror or metal, it would be around 2000 Hertz.
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Whole page: Hearing different models in a room
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Whole page: Hearing the two-ear model outdoors.
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THEY ARE HEARING... OUTDOOR SPACE/TEST PASSERBY: After test them inside by myself, I also moved them out to the popular stairs of KhiO with the loud waterfall for communicating these boxes with the ordinary people. I told them this was made for one of our sense and asked them to interact and guess which sense. In ten passerbies, three people guessed these models were for hearing, two for sight, two for touch and one for smell. Some passerbies really gained their own feelings of that place when they hearing through the boxes, silence, peace, energy, beach, concrete, ocean, basement, a sense of unknown, surprising, or wired‌ Some participants mentioned that these boxes made them pay more attention on the waterfall. A running man wearing earphones said that he did not notice the beautiful waterfall before, even he came here for running back and forth on the stairs several times.
Facing page: The illustration of the communication with the passerbies. 35
Whole page: The illustration of the communication with the passerbies.
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Whole page: The illustration of the communication with the passerbies.
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Whole page: The illustration of the communication with the passerbies.
In the testing of myself, I got the answer of my starting question. Meanwhile I also realized these resonance sounds are meaningless, but the behavior of this test is an process of perceiving this kind of physical and neutral sound. Yet, in the testing of outside, because of the strong surroundings, the tree, waterfall, footsteps, wind‌the boxes became a kind of converter transformed the surrounding sound to a specific tone that made different passerbies get different spatial feeling of that place.
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HEARING THE SCENERY In the book: Spaces Speak, Are You Listening?-Experiencing Aural Architecture, chapter two-Auditory Spatial Awareness10, it introduced what is hearing space or what does it mean to be aware of sound in space? From functional distinctions, hearing space (aural awareness) progresses through a series of stages: transforming physical sound waves to neural signals, detecting the sensations they produce, perceiving the sound sources and the acoustic environment, and finally, influencing a listener’s affect, emotion, or mood. The writer also figured out a functional model of hearing space (auditory awareness): ‘Auditory spatial awareness includes all parts of aural experience: sensation (detection), perception (recognition), and affect (meaningfulness).’ 11 The raw sensation is the most basic awareness of detecting an auditory stimulus that has no meaning or affect. Compared with the sensation, the perception includes environment influences and personal experiences in order to decode sounds. In the meaningful aural experience, a listener may not be consciously aware of the affect induced by listening to engaging sounds or spaces.
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‘Auditory spatial awareness is more than just the ability to detect that space has changed sounds; it includes as well the emotional and behavioral experience of space.’12 In the previous research, I approached the sensation and perception parts of aural experience unconsciously. The third part of aural experience is a kind of meaningful affect that also match my intention of the final project. Whether the superficial tests about sound itself or the experimental models about hearing the space, they did not have or bring the influence would have the effect on the thinking of audience. Those sound they do not have the context, so what they can do is just providing a shallow experience for people, which could be considered as belonging to the perceptual knowledge. Differently in my final project, I hope the sound would has its own context, and that would give the deep effect instead of those irrelevant description. My intention is to influence the participants to learn, comprehend or reflect on something through the experience of aural space, which would give people the RATIONAL KNOWLEDGE.
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WHAT? In this final project, the aural space13 was designed by following a method that set by myself, and the sound is the highlight element which reveals the value about what I want to delivery through an invisible way. Meanwhile the existence of viewings form the contrast between what you see and what you hear. Yet, these also affect on the spatial design. The aural space was supported by a phenomenon that is happening now, and many people are unconsciously in the current situations which is lead by this phenomenon. Next, I will implant a new space as an intervention into a site that have the connection with the phenomenon, and this space would provide people another new angle set by me for them to re-examine this situation. However, when people come to this intervention space, they would hear sound of the past that is the second layer of intervention. The past condition is intervened in the present moment through the sound, which means in this space, what people see is about now, while what people hear is the past.
13. The aural space here not only means the moments when listeners are hearing a invisible space, but also means a physical space that has the sound for hearing experience. Left: The diagram explains the experience of my aural space. 46
MY METHOD? In this method, the first layer is the SPACE intervention provide a spatial form for people to jump out of the current situation. Spatial experience always creates all-directions of feelings for those who are in the space; The second layer is the VIEWING which is the most effective way to bring people into a situation to observe the current moment in another perspective; The key layer is the SOUND as a form that would not give a direct answer or picture for people, and it would let them gain some new feelings from the process of their own imagination, in order to stimulate people’s own curiosity to rethink and reflect.
WHY SOUND IS IMPORTANT? The sound/hearing is the most important and highlight aspect in this method, and that is the key clue that would GUIDE PEOPLE TO RECONSIDER about what had happened in this quick life. It uses an abstract and non-visual way for delivering what I want to express-those valuable things that had been forgotten or will soon be forgotten. In addition, this kind of space perception caused by this non-figurative hearing would leave more blank that needs people’s own thinking and reflection to fill up. Therefore, this advantage of sound is the thing that vision can not arrive completely. Which kind of sound will be used in the space, and how the sound is combined with the spatial design, these questions would all solved through my research and analysis of the different phenomenon.
Current page: The diagram explains the relationship between the supports(phenomenon) and the three layers of my method in the design. 47
WHY I WANT TO DO THIS PROJECT?
I was born in Shanghai, and lived there until I went to Beijing for my bachelor, when I was eighteen. After the six years independent life in Beijing, I arrived Oslo, a total different city compared Shanghai and Beijing. Although I am living in this city that has the relatively slow pace of life, in fact I discover that actually I more clearly realize about the rapid pace of China. Everyday I would still be bombed by all kinds of information and events happening in China. As the generation born in the eighties, compared with our parents and the generation of the 1990s what we have seen are the most violent stage of the development of China. Because since 1978 the Reform and Opening Up policy14 was implemented, the development directions and strategies of China have been changed. The economy started booming, so that this country has undergone the huge changes. In such a ‘we go too fast, the soul can not keep up’15 society and time, there are too many valuable things had entered or will enter the door of the history. As a designer, I want to reveal those value of the past through my way. The most important part of this project is I designed a method overlapping three different layers-space, view and sound to guide the design implanted into the current situation as an intervention. Furthermore, through the process of this aural spatial experience might stimulate people to generate the consideration and reflection of the present situation and those valuable history.
14. Reform and Opening Up policy(Chinese economic reform)refers to the program of economic reforms called “Socialism with Chinese characteristics” in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) that was started in December 1978 by reformists within the Communist Party of China (CPC) led by Deng Xiaoping. 15. ‘We go too fast, the soul can not keep up’ is the lines of the 1995 Italian-French-German romance film: Beyond the Clouds(Italian: Al di là delle nuvole; French: Par-delà les nuages). The original French lines is ‘Nous marchons trop rapidement pour que notre âme puisse nous rattraper.’ Facing page: A diagram about the important events happened after the implementation of the Reform and Opening Up policy 50
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In the next study cases, I will practice this method in different phenomenon for examining how one method works in different situations, thus at least I practiced the method in two cases. Developing a method about aural spatial experience can be applied in many projects and people could gain or rethink something through this aural space based on this method, which are the core of my thesis.
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THE DISAPPEARANCE OF SHANGHAI LONGTANG
Facing page: Longtang life in the afternoon. 55
17. Wang Anyi (born in Nanjing in 1954) is a Chinese writer who is the chairwoman of Writers’ Association of Shanghai. 57
'Stand at a high point to see Shanghai, Longtang is a spectacular sight. It is the thing like the urban background.'16
--- The Song of Everlasting Sorrow Written by Wang Anyi17
LONGTANG The first phenomenon is about the disappearance of Shanghai Longtang, once that was nearly all Shanghai people’s way of life, and now had been completely overturned. No alleyways is not Shanghai. Longtang could be thought as “long” plus “tang”; “Long“means the alleys between buildings; “Tang” means the passageway of the front yard18; Longtang is the traditional living form that most of the former Shanghai people lived there, when “long” and “tang” this two single words put together, it is quite visual to understand that Longtang is actually an open and blending residence space combing the alleyway and a narrow front yard and can be called the urban alley-community. Longtang is loosely equivalent to the Hutong19 of Beijing. As with the term Hutong that only refer to the alleyways connects the Siheyuan20. The Shanghai Longtang can either refers to the lane that connects the houses, or a group of houses connected by the lane. From the perspective of space structure, Hutong and Siheyuan are expanded in the horizontal direction, and the standard courtyard only has ground floor; while Shanghai Longtang is the vertical direction, generally has two or three floors, which is more cramped than Siheyuan.
19. Hutong is a type of narrow streets or alleys, commonly associated with northern Chinese cities, most prominently Beijing. In Beijing, hutong is alley formed by lines of siheyuan, traditional courtyard residences. 20. Siheyuan is a historical type of residence that was commonly found throughout China, most famously in Beijing. Sometimes it is referred to as Chinese quadrangles. The name literally means a courtyard surrounded by buildings on all four sides. Above: Many clothes were hung on the laundry pole in the Longtang alleyways area. Below: Hutong under the shade. 59
HISTORY Longtang actually is the local product after Shanghai set the establishment of foreign trade port. Initially foreigners only allow Chinese people working in the concession, but not allow them live in the concession. Later they found it was apparently not enough to depend on the few foreigners to develop the potential of Shanghai. So in the case of the 1850s, the Taiping Rebellion21 entered into the south region of Yangtze river22, after the claim of a large number of Chinese refugees, then the authorities decided the concession opened to Chinese residents. In order to manage easily, a large number of group housing were constructed on the specified land. These houses were mostly vertical structure, like barracks, having the free internal traffics, and only the entrances of the Longtang can arrived the road, which were set the steel doors and can closed at any time.
21. Taiping Rebellion was a massive civil war in southern China from 1850 to 1864, against the ruling Manchu(a Chinese ethnic minority ) led Qing Dynasty(the last imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917). 22. Yangtze river is known in China as the Chang Jiang or Yangzi, and it is the longest river in Asia and the third-longest in the world. The Yangtze river is the most important river in the history, culture and economy of China. Left: In early eighties, this is an ordinary scene in the Longtang. The snack stand was set at the entrance of Longtang for attracting the customers, accompanying with some tables and stools. 62
THE ARCHITECTURE STYLE/STRUCTURE The traditional architectural style of Longtang is called Shikumen that could be translated to English literally as Stone Warehouse Gate. This style combined Western and Chinese elements, and that first appeared in the 1860s. Shikumen is two- or three-story structures, distinguished by high brick walls enclosing a narrow front yard. The name “stone gate� references these strong gateways. Each residence abuts another and all are arranged in straight side alleys(Longtang). The entrance to each alley is usually surmounted by a stylistic stone arch. Traditional Chinese dwellings had a courtyard, and the Shikumen was no exception. Yet, to compromise with its urban nature, it was much smaller and provided an interior yard for gaining some sunlight in the humid Shanghai. Living in Longtang area, people often share space with others, so most of the area in Longtang is the public or semi-public space. And even in the building someone live, people also need to spare the semi-private space, kitchen or yard with neighbors.
Left:The diagram about the basic plan of Longtang area and the houses, which explains the spatial changes of Longtang . 64
Left: The ruins of Dazhongli Longtang after the demolition. It could also be seen the Shikumen architectural style. 66
CURRENT CONDITION At the height of the popularity, Shanghai Longtang accounted for around 65% of the entire residential area. More than 9,000 in all. In 1949, the old Longtang living area accounted for 52.7% of the total housing stock of the city. Then the percent reduced yearly, until 1995, Longtang living area only occupied 25.2%. Until last year 2013, it was only 2%. Until now, Longtang has existed for a century and a half, and it was the place that visitors will go. Once 70% of the Shanghai people lived in Longtang area, but now the old Longtang area is fewer and fewer, as most Shanghainese live in large apartment buildings.
Left: The percentage of shanghai old Longtang residential area accounting for the total urban residential area from 1949 to 199523 68
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THE CULTURE OF LONGTANG Despite the formation of the Longtang is a historical reason, but later, Longtang became the unique lifestyle of Shanghai. In addition, that had left the traces can not be erased in the old Shanghai people’s minds. However this place coalesced one and a half century life, which also naturally formed the unique culture of Longtang. Perhaps what does the culture contain is what do the people who once lived in Longtang and still feel vividly about that life yearn. From these cultures can be seen that in fact many valuable things of the previous life in Longtang area still could be worthy for todays’ residence life, and those might be the things that the current living form missed. These culture are already loosen and forgotten by people with the time passed and the society developed. Only can be retained is the memory of the old Longtang people, and our eighties may be the last generation who have the memory of that. I hope through my analysis and research, to find the voice of those Longtang culture, then design the experience combing these valuable and meaningful sound and space(including views) to bring some consideration about the phenomenon - the disappearance of Longtang culture to people. Moreover that also reveal the clear understanding of the changes of Longtang area under the current society. Or at least the participants would learned what is the real Longtang.
Facing page: Lots of life activities happened in the Longtang lane: washing clothes, resting in the shade, chating with neighbors... ... 71
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1. ENJOY THE COOL AIR/ RESTING IN THE SHADE Before, Longtang was the main recreation place for many Shanghai people. Every summer season comes, it was often seen that many groups of neighbors rest in the shade. During that period, those families had the difficult housing conditions and the poor ventilation equipment, thus neighbors would early move straw mats, benches, lounge chairs, or bamboo couch to the Longtang mouth of their residence, rinsing with cold water for a while, then felt comfortable to sit there for enjoying the cool air. Neighbors always chatted from the trivia of neighbors to the national event. Many people whose small shops opened in the Longtang alley, demount the row of door plank of the store front door, resting on two benches serve as a cooling appliances. At this time the Longtang alley become into a lively, noisy world that full of all kinds of human social. Old people are mostly lying quietly on the bamboo couch or the chaise lounge, waving fans with sleepy eyes. The guys are mostly playing chess or cards or chatting with friends. Most of the women are on the straw mat nibbling the sunflower seeds, doing needlework, while coaxing the child to sleep. As those naughty kids, mostly frolic in the Longtang alley to find their own fun… …24
Left: Several families gathered together and enjoyed the cool air with the tea drinking. One of them was singing the traditional song while another was accompanying with the erhu(a two-stringed bowed traditional musical instrument, and sometimes known in the Western world as the “Chinese violin” or a “Chinese two-stringed fiddle”.25 ). 74
Facing page: Today’s ordinary residential community in Shanghai, which is often composed of the high-rise buildings. 75
2. THE SHOUTS OF STREET VENDORS “Barley almond lotus porridge!” “Rose sugar London cake!” “Shrimp wonton noodles!” “ Tea Flavored Boiled Eggs!”26 Mr. Lu Xun27 wrote in his The Ancient And Modern Talk Of Longtang Business that these slogans are both beautiful and artistic, when the poet heard, he would feel greedy dripping. Many vendors carried their boxes and walked around in the nongtang. Except the snacks, there also had the shouts sound for selling vegetables, tofu, fruits, eggs, and even every few days it even had the door-to-door service to send home service, the shouts of repairing shoes, grinding scissors, or fluffing cotton and so on. Every trade has their own shout tone, so when people heard they would immediately know which kind of trade vendor came. Since in the Longtang area, the houses were close to next one, and people shared the alleyways that are in front of or behind the house. Usually when neighbors went out or came back, they would say hello or a few pleasantries. Once the alleyways had the shout sound, the housewives had a common interest would crash out, and then the sound of making comments on the products, bargaining, exchange of views was endless.
27. Mr. Lu Xun was the pen name of Zhou Shuren (September 25, 1881 – October 19, 1936), a leading figure of modern Chinese literature. Facing page: The enthusiastic peddler walked in the Longtang alley with his box. 77
3. CHILDREN PLAY TOGETHER Family lived very closely to family, so the kids were quite familiar with other kids. The alley of Longtang is a main site for kids having fun, taking part in a variety of games and activities. Almost all the people, who was born from the middle of 19th century to the late 20th century in Shanghai, had the childhood experiences of playing with kids in the Longtang Alley.28 Most of the boys’ games are more crude, such as playing marbles and iron beads, scraping cigarettes’ logos, rolling the iron-hoop, pulling the bell ring, etc. While girls’ games are more delicate and elegant, such as playing hopscotch, rubber band skipping, kicking shuttlecock, cat’s cradle, etc.
Facing page: Children were playing together in the Longtang area. 79
Above (from left to right): Hoop rolling, Hopscotch Below (from left to right): Cat’s cradle, Playing marbles 81
4. WATER STOVE An middle-aged Shanghai aunt said: “Now, home has lots of appliances, but I still will recall the time of fetching water, sometimes I am too lazy to boil, and want to go for a while, but now we have no place to go. “ The water stove is a private owned water store, tearoom and bathhouse in one, it is the place the alley residents must go every day. People in the queue waiting for the hot water or for the bath, often talking things from world events to the kid live next door. There were more than 2,000 water stoves in Shanghai in its heyday.29 Then it diminished year by year with the constant improvement of the water supply system. In 1995, there is only one water stove remained in Shanghai. Today, the water stove, which has been accompanied by Shanghai people for nearly a century, is completely disappear.
Left: Longtang residents went to waters stove for gaining the hot water everyday. 84
5. BUSTLING BAZAAR The vivid business market in Longtang also lead to the bustling bazaar inside. Many peddlers also set their stands and shops along the Longtang, which provided all the life services for the people who lived in Longtang. The stalls that full of Shanghai flavor once all around the mouth of the Shanghai Longtang alley, the cobbler stalls, steel pot repair stands, divination stands, keys repair stalls , etc., are disappearing now with the reduction of the Longtang. These patches stalls are on the only way that the residents commuting must be passed, stall holders often became the “encyclopedia” of this alley.30 What was happened , what was the new trends or anyone had the guests, he was omniscient. The neighborhood had nothing to do and sit there for a while, and absolutely he would dig many “trail news” of the alley.
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a. Children were reading the comic at the bookstall, and watching an afternoon only needs a penny. b. The old granny brought the hot breakfast at the food shop. c. The barber cut the hair for the nearby residents in the Longtang alley. d. The repairer repaired the umbrella for the customer.
6. BIG “FAMILY” The advantage of Shanghai Longtang alley is rich in the sense of neighborhood, with the milk of human kindness. Neighbors help each other, as dear to each other as members of one family, especially Shanghai people are actually mostly outsiders, “a good neighbor is better than a brother far off” can best embody here. So the Longtang life bring a strong sense of place , a sense of security and a sense of family. Because of its intimate neighborhood relationship here, which is difficult to form with other modern way of living, the Longtang alley provides a great convenience to the neighborhood communication. Sometimes it is forced to involve the neighborhood interactions, for instance several families share one kitchen, forming a sort of “super family” phenomenon, something that belong to the family come into public.
Facing page: Neighbors gathered together on the dinner of another family. 87
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THE VALUE OF LONGTANG LIFE All of these above virtually contains the main part of the Longtang culture, in the old Shanghai Longtang alleys, intimate relationships between people, people willing to help mutually, and the lively atmosphere let the single family life become full of fun. Compare to nowadays, the family with only one child, children are lack of companion, but the children from Longtang family are very easy to find congenial friends. Strangeness of the neighborhood let the monotonous urban family life become even more lonely, no more lively chatting between neighbors as the Longtang life. It cannot appreciate the convenience of living in the Longtang alley even living in the High-grade residential area. There are many social spots in the residential area as well, but people are not willing to go and talk something deep with their neighbors. All in all, although the living conditions are much better, while the distance between people is getting farther and farther.
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THE NEW FACE OF LONGTANG
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1. Transform the Longtang residential space into the public space, like the commercial space
2. Continue to explore the improvement of "residential pattern"
SITE With the large-scale development of Shanghai , most of the Longtang alleys have been removed, there is also a small amount been remained, the function is no longer for living but converted to commercial property. For instance, Shanghai Xintiandi31, Shanghai Tianzifang32 and so on. Shanghai Xintiandi retain only a few of Longtang buildings, its scale and feeling is completely different. While Shanghai Tianzifang is intact the original Longtang buildings, and even a few residents still living in second or third floor, the ground floor is totally converted into commercial purpose, for instance design shops, clothing stores, restaurants, cafe etc. Thus, Tianzifang became a popular attraction spot that is loved by foreign tourists as well as locals. The visitors, who come to here, they want to see what the Shanghai Longtang alley is. But now they can only see these kind of Tianzifang’s buildings and business, instead of the previous lively Longtang life. So I chose Tianzifang as the site of this phenomenon, and implant my intervention space. This site has a mass of people with different backgrounds and levels - it is possible to allow more different people to participate in this type of experience, with the intact Longtang alley buildings and spaces - provide the participants a visual clue and a basic spatial setting.
31. Xintiandi: The district is composed of an area of reconstituted traditional mid-19th century shikumen (“stone gate�) houses on narrow alleys, some adjoining houses which now serve as book stores, cafes and restaurants, and shopping malls. 32. Tianzifang is known for small craft stores, coffee shops, trendy art studios and narrow alleys. It has become a popular tourist destination in Shanghai, and an example of preservation of local Shikumen architecture, with some similarities to Xintiandi. Facing page: Different people, tourists and locals spent their leisure time at Tianzifang. 93
ANALYZE TIANZIFANG There are three entrances in Tianzifang. The east one is the main entrance. There are five small buildings do not belong to the old Longtang buildings at the both sides of the street from the main entrance. Through their height analysis, their terraces view analysis and their rooftop access conveniences analysis, I confirm the site of my space pavilion which is on the roof of the building that in the west of the main entrance.
Left: The isometric perspective of Tianzifang 96
Whole page: The diagram about the analysis of Tianzifang for choosing the exact site.
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SPACE FORM
After choosing the site, from the perspective of spatial concept, the form itself would be a language to the people. The shape of this pavilion should interact with its internal auditory experience, that is, when people see this pavilion as they walking in Tianzifang, they should be about to imagine that this space is for experience or exhibition, rather than a restaurant or a shop. Since this space is for watching and listening, so I imagine the shape of this pavilion would like a connection of trumpet. Some trumpets even stretch out of the roof border, overhanging outside the building , look like a big horn playing sound outward from afar.
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There are many things associated with the sound has a similar shape, regardless of the ear, or musical instruments, or some installations for hearing .
Facing page: 1. The post of the movie “Shrek 2” 2. The installation called “The Hear Heres”33 3. The musical instrument- - trumpet 101
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CHILDREN PLAYING
SHOUTS OF STREET VENDORS
ENJOYING THE COOL AIR (RESTING IN SHADE) WATER STOVE
FRAGMENTED SCENE SOUNDS
SOUND & SPACE The most important element is the sound, and I extract the most significant four sounds from the Longtang culture as the part of the specific sounds of this pavilion, which are combined with the specific views. These four sounds are enjoying the cool air(resting in shade), shouts of street vendors, children playing and water stove.
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BACKGROUND SOUNDS
CHILDREN PLAYING
SHOUTS OF STREET VENDORS
24 HOURS LONGTANG LIFE SOUND
WATER STOVE
ENJOYING THE COOL AIR (RESTING IN SHADE)
FRAGMENT SCENE SOUNDS
Each sound corresponds to one or two windows, while the width and height of the window opening is designed, just like the long shot and the close shot in films. Some voices corresponds to long shot that can see the whole alleyways, while some just can see the certain crossroad of the alleys. From the bird view, the entire pavilion shows the radiative and branch shape, and each bunch branch corresponding to a sound. Moreover at the center area of these branches, I set a sound like a background - 24 hours recording of Shanghai Longtang. This area is also the background and foundation of the entire sound pavilion, which is also the source of those four voices.
Close shot Medium shot Long shot 106
Above: The close shot of Tianzifang
Three Images: The close shot, medium shot and long shot of Tianzifang were taken by Shanghai young photographer Chen Yu (my friend). 107
Above: The medium shot of Tianzifang
Above: The long shot of Tianzifang
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Functionally speaking, the right hand side of the entrance is a reception, all devices are buried under the floor, while the speakers are placed on both sides of the walkway. Every time arriving the window opening for listening, the walkways will gradually become the stairs for people to sit down and walk. This will produce an interesting space feeling because people are sitting and floating outside the roof. 109
Whole page: The south elevation.
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PERSPECTIVES
Facing page: The view from another building.
Facing page: The interior space. 115
Facing page: The interior space. 117
Facing page: Model 119
THE CHANGE OF THE HULUNBEIER GRASSLAND Facing page: The original life of the yurt on the Hulunbeier Grassland in Inner Mongolia 121
THE CURRENT SITUATION Now, there are thousands of huge collapsed holes are covered with grass on the northeast of Hulunbeier Grassland, and the affected area is around 20 square kilometers where the subsidence area is 2.24 square kilometers.34 Several years ago, no one has courage to arrive this area, after the Inner Mongolia government spent nearly a decade and invested 60 million yuan on it, some bold herdsman occasionally dare to bring hundreds of cattle to graze here. Before his eyes, 300 cows are grazing in a large pit. Grassland area and forest area should be industrialized or not, which has become a hotly debated topic. One view is strongly opposed running factories or opening mines in the grassland and forest area, because that must bring the destruction of grassland ecology. Experts and local Mongols think that is more harm than good. Another view is hold by the local Han Chinese and local Communist Party cadres, they hope to earn enough money firstly, then they will see. The government of Hulunbeier often advertise the nice views of grassland, the group of cattle, sheep, the nature... However, after the exploitation, lots of things changed. It is ridiculous that they even set some fake sheep at the entrance of the national road, try to create the atmosphere of the original grassland that is the impression of ordinary people.
Facing page: Many coal mounds appeared on the grassland. 123
THE REASON There are lots of factors led to this current situation, one main reason is the large-scale development of coal mining destroys the ecological balance of the grassland. Another key point is the unclear industry standards gave the chances to those small coal mining company to excavate the mine with the irregularities behavior. Distinctly, all of what had happened is because the huge amounts of coal under the Hulunbeier Grassland.35 There are five largest opencast collieries in China, and four of those are in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. One is in Shanxi Province. From later period of 1990s, Inner Mongolia has replaced Shanxi Province, becoming the largest coal province. The data from the Inner Mongolia government indicates that the proved reserves is 30.67 billion tons, which is 6 times more than the sum of the northeast three provinces; the predicted reserves is 63 billion ton; the prospective reserves is 10 million tons, which accounting for 15% of the coal content of Inner Mongolia.36
35. Hulunbeier/Hulunbuir is a region that is governed as a prefecture-level city in northeastern Inner Mongolia, in the People’s Republic of China. Its administrative center is located at Hailar District, its largest urban area. Major scenic features are the high steppes of the Hulun Buir grasslands. The name came from combination of the name of two lake there, the Hulun and Buir lakes (the latter partially in Mongolia). Facing page: The diagram about the data of the coal reserves of the Hulunbeier Grassland. 126
Facing page: The diagram about the situation of the coal mining in China and also the data of the coal companies in China(2002) 127
Many fake sheep were set at the entrance of the national road of Hulunbeier.
Left: A series of photos, called “Disappearing Landscapes” was photographed by Lu Guang in 2012.37 130
MY POSITIVE WAY Everyone knows the benefits of mine excavation, and it is an important energy source but also the most pollutive industry in the world. Almost all industrial production requires large amounts of coal as energy sources. And China as the world’s largest exporter, many products are sold overseas, so in fact people around the world are all enjoying the benefits of this coal excavation. In return for these benefits, the damage of the grassland is irreparable, the grassland desertification, degradation of surface water and livestock etc. When I was thinking about this design, I do not want to have the political angle to criticize, which would make the whole incident becomes very negative. On the contrary, I want to use a POSITIVE way to show these things in front of the listener, triggering their own to think this phenomenon. Compared to the past grasslands, now it has lost a lot of good original habits that is beautiful, ecological, yet these are valuable things we lost gradually in the process of change. I hope to represent it through the sound, at the same time put the sound with the current situation together to present the contradictions and conflicts.
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Chile Le Song The Chile River lies, where Gloomy Mountains rise. The sky is like a dome, covering all the land. The sky is blue, the plain is boundless, When the wind blows, the groups of sheep and cattle are looming.38
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《敕勒歌》 敕勒川，阴山下。 天似穹庐，笼盖四野。 天苍苍，野茫茫， 风吹草低见牛羊。
Whole page: A Chinese beautiful ancient poetry described the life on the grassland.39
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HERDING WAY FORMER HERDING WAY --- NOMADISM Nomadism is a complex business method combining the grassland ecosystems and natural laws, and the sustainability of that is proven by the practice. This method effectively maintain the fragile grassland ecosystem, leaving the time for the pasture to recuperate.
Next page: A diagram about how Mongolia people use the grassland effectively.40 136
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HERDING WAY CURRENT HERDING WAY --- CONTRACTING SYSTEM Now herdsmen in Inner Mongolia are implementing the contracting system of grassland, which means the herdsmen and livestocks can not go anywhere they want, and they can only stay in their contract range. Unlike the previous, most of herdsmen have their own settlements, not only the yurt. The herdsman uses the barriers for enclosing its own meadow and avoiding other’s livestocks eating the pasture. Some meadows have started to use the satellite positioning for locating the track of the livestocks.
Facing page: More and more fixed Hans residences had appeared on the grassland. 139
LIVING WAY CURRENT LIVING WAY --- FIXED RESIDENCE From the 1980s, China began to implement the “pasture and livestock double contract responsibility system� that encourage herdsmen to settle. This contracting system totally changed the production method of herdsmen. The herders no longer settle along the water, but only can graze in their own meadow area, which also leads to the little use of the yurts. Due to change of the business way, the living form have changed. Currently 80% of herders living in a fixed housing. Under this settled business mode, those fixed residences having the foundation would result the permanent destruction to the meadow. Due to frequent moves of the around people, vehicles, animals can also cause damage to the pasture, and the more settlements on the pasture, the greater impact on the environment. Then, a fixed residence also made the living standards of people in Inner Mongolia to a significant improvement, especially the sanitary conditions. And now family members have their own room, before in the yurts, there is only one space, no privacy at all. Slowly the nomads had begun to connect with the urban people, and they are no longer the once lonely nation on the vast grasslands.41
Left: Many concrete yurts with modern windows and even air conditions were built on the Hulunbeier grassland. 142
LIVING WAY FORMER LIVING WAY ---YURT Due to the characteristics of nomads, yurts have existed on the grassland for four thousands years. The advantages of the yurts is removable, portable and lightweight, which are all applicable for the nomadic living way. Following the temperature changes, yurts can always add or reduce its clothes; in the winter, covering the wool rugs on outside of the yurt can prevent the cold. Yurts are covered by felt blanket, so it is easy to know outside. Especially in the night, the herdsman has a clear picture of what is happening outside. There is a opening at the top, thus the smoke is easy to go out, and the air is also easily exchanged. Yurts always have plenty of bright sunshine, always filled with the healthy and fresh air.
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'The loneliness of herdmen is innate, and also naturally exists; The loneliness has the characteristics of normads, throughout an optimistic attitude towards life; The loneliness is highlighted in the Inner Mongolian long tune, which is not thin, but very full.'42
--- Jing Xing, one of China's most prominent modern dance dancer
INNER MONGOLIAN LONG TUNE Inner Mongolian long tune is a free singing that has one thousand years history, and that is not just a way of singing but also the survival mode of nomads. The life on grassland is lonely, when they are grazing, herdsmen would sing the long tune. If there is no long tunes, one person can not live in such a vast environment for a long term, even it is impossible to maintain their physical and mental peace. The long tune is everyone’s favorite on the grassland of Inner Mongolian, usually parents teach children. Generation deliver to generation, however now fewer and fewer children can sing long tunes. The five main characteristics of long tune are, long (long rhythm), big ( the huge structure), wide (wide range), less(many tunes, little words), and high (high singing skills).
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THE VALUE OF ORIGINAL LIFE ON THE GRASSLAND From the above analysis can be seen that the nomads is a nation much revering the nature, and they relied on the grassland from generation to generation. In the past they lived along the river, and in the grazing process, they combined the change of climatic conditions and the demand for their living , and grazed by following the natural law of the growth of pasture. This is the best way to protect the grassland, which made the cattle and sheep grew up healthily. Whereas now there are many sheep or cattle died because of eating the grass with chemical materials, or be ill because of the industrial air pollution. Formerly the nomadic family was far way to each other, sometimes felt alone, but they are simple and enthusiasm. But today the nomads become more and more urbanized, perhaps eventually they would lose the simplicity and innocence. Once they sang loudly to th grassland naturally, while now visitors can feel is to watch cultural performances of Inner Mongolia in yurts . This reverence and love for the nature, the friendship and passion for others, the simplicity and original for the life, those are the city does not have. With the exploitation of the grassland, it can not be knew whether these beauties would eventually disappear on the beautiful prairie.
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SITE
Hunlunbeier Baorixile mine
SITE Undoubtedly, the site of this case is chosen in the area that has thousands of pits (a part area of Hulunbeier Grassland).This area is around 2 kilometer north of the Hunlunbeier Baorixile mine. The Hulunbeier Grassland has many tourists, because of the reputation of the beauty. In the current condition of the coal mining, there are many local miners, in addition, the local residents, they can form a rich visit crowd.
Left: The satellite map of the site. 150
SOUND
COMPOSITION
WIND
The sound of the wind always reveal the beauty of the grassland, when it blows to the high pasture.
WATER (RIVER)
Hulunbeier Grassland had rich water area, before the nomads often live along the river.
ANIMALS (CATTLE, SHEEP, HORSES)
INNER MONGOLIA LONG TUNE
The animal husbandry of the grassland, which made this place have the beautiful sound of people, animals, and nature.
The Inner Mongolia long tune sound is not only quite songful, but also could be seen as a cultural heritage, which could be traced from the original nomads: they imitated the sound of nature and generated this distant singing way.
Composition means these four kind of sound were mixed together as one sound. 152
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This site is different from the site of Shanghai that is in the city and those voices I selected determines that the space would have a particular direction and perspective. However, the sound of grassland I chosen is a fusion of different sounds, and also in order to match the atmosphere of the prairie, I think this space should be quiet, gathered, and is pavilion can rest for listening. Such a viewing space made me associate with those normal viewing platform. They usually are located at a high place for being able to see more natural beauty, or overhang from the ground, which let people enjoy the scenery with a “impending“ state. This site is also a “natural beauty.” So, I got an concept that I did not want to including too much about the coal, that would be political, but make this pavilion like a special space for watching this alternative natural beauty.
Left: The close view of satellite map of the site.
Facing page: Normal viewing platform43: 1. “Top of Tyrol“, at Stubai Glacier in Tyrol, Austria. 2. “Grand Canyon Skywalk“, at Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA. 3. “Aurland Look out”, Aurland, Norway 4. “5 Fingers“, Krippenstein, Austria 155
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Among the collapsed pits, most of the them indicates the round shape. I chose an ordinary circular pit located at the center of the site. Hope providing a 360-degree viewing space at the center. The people streams come from different directions, and converge into four points as the inlets.
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On a pit, set up the bridge space, which let people have a higher vision to see, and the internal voices in the space surround these people.
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SPACE CONCEPT The annular seat is in the center of the space, when people sit there, they can not only see the outside, but also can see the pit under the bridge. When it rains, people can feel the scene that rain drops into the pit , or the sun shine on the grass in the pit. While people hear the wonderful sound of the past, they feel the sky still moistens this injured land.
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Around this piece of grassland, the river surrounds the northwest, while the mountain locates at eastern side.
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PERSPECTIVES
Whole page: The entrance
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Whole page: The interior space.
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Whole page: Watching the injured grassland
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Facing page: Model 173
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CONCLUSION
By starting from the sound itself, and then exploring and testing the influence of when sound plus other elements, I got the single sound is difficult to impact on people’s feelings; while the experiments of listening to boxes told me that actually people are not dull to the hearing action but often ignored, and when increasing the layer of hearing that would make the experience become rich and innovative. In the last project, I hope this is not just a pure emotional space experience, but is a meaningful spatial experience people can really get some rational thinking. I want to use the sound to design something meaningful. Thus through the practice and my own thinking, I designed a method. By the superimposition and setting of the space, visual and sound, so that let people can reveal the difference between the past and now by using the sound as a medium in the space, in order to result another kind of perspective to re-look at this situation, and think about what value we had lost from the past until now. And then I practice two study cases by following this method, in order to be able to test this method can be realized in those completely different phenomenons, and to see what are result. What I want to do is practicing this method in different phenomenons, and the different results they produce would form a system supported by this method. And this method is also sustainable, it can be extended and enriched to accommodate other designs.
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In this two case, depending on the different feeling of the site, I give two different sound experience of those two space. In Shanghai’s case, because the sounds of Longtang always have a sense of scene, I separate them, and let people hear the voices of different scenes when they reach different small space, like the scene after scene of a stage play; In the Hulunbeier case, because the sound of prairie life mostly fuses with the nature, I still retain the characteristics of their integration, and choose some wonderful natural sounds, animal sounds, and people singing voice, to overlap as a whole, rather than like the fragmented sound of Longtang. Different sites, different background of sounds, that lead to the different way of dealing with the sound in the space, however, which should be researched through those passed but valuable culture, then it can be understood. In terms of spatial design level, this two are also different according to different features of sites and the feelings that I want to deliver, which is closely related to the word “viewing”. In Shanghai ‘s case , the line of sight is relatively confined within a range , due to the close sense of Longtang , as well as the sense of the scene of the sound. I hope that this space is like many freeze-frames that have the specific angles to see the particular scenes , like the edge of the camera outlining the frames; In Hulunbeier ‘s case , the entire breadth and width of the site , make me want people to stand higher to see this injured grassland . This case is different from Shanghai’s. Shanghai’s is the pure missing for the interesting and alive life of Longtang, but this case is not only for missing the past beautiful life on the grassland, but also implying the criticism of the destruction the coal mining brought. So when I was thinking about how to make people stand more higher, I associated those ordinary viewing platforms which are designed to give people a platform to be able to watch the spectacular nature. And my site where was also a beauty part of the nature , why not providing a similar viewing platform for watching this injured land. Different spatial structure of the site and the my different original intention for the space, that made those two get different space form.
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My method is undoubtedly the most important part of the whole project. When I was thinking about the design, it helped me to combine the space, vision and sound together to consider, while these three mutually influence each other. The spatial structure of the site impacts on my space, and what I want of the visual perception affects the spatial form, while the characteristics of the sound have an effect on the design of viewings, so the sound is actually the source that triggered this series of design. Compared with vision, the sound can not be measured, and often subjective. Everyone has different feelings of the same sound, which is based on their experience or the memory of that sound. Yet this also makes the same sound could allow different participants to get involved in their unique feelings. These features result the sound became the highlight of the whole project. It points out the significance of the entire project: in people’s different imagination and thinking, I hope to guide people to re-think about some questions through this aural space. I think this approach and the graduate project make me begin to care about the sound impacting on people, and also what sound can do in the space design. The sound here does not refer to the physical quality of sound, but its spiritual dimension quality. When space and sound are combined, the experience of the original three-dimensional space has similarly become a four-dimensional spatial experience. Moreover the sound lying between the real and illusory could change the meaning of the whole space in an invisible way. A simple example: I deeply remembered Schiphol airport in Amsterdam, there is a “forest” area, and people lie on the couch, or nest on the ground naturally, leisurely waiting for the plane. The sound of the gurgling water and the singing of birds are the reasons of total immersion. Therefore when combining the space and sound for designing, the sound can easily change the feelings and meanings of space. In my project, I played this point in a relatively extreme way. Through the method I set, the space (visual) and sound was closely linked, so that people can gain more from it. In the future of design process, it would be great that the sound can be added as one part of the research and analysis of the site: the current voice of the site, the sound of the past, where is the conflicts exist, or what can bring the inspiration for the space design… Perhaps from the view of sound to think about the space design has opened a new door for me and others.
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