2015
P O RTF O L I O S O P HI E C O S GRO VE
5 . 3 Thesi s
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C hurch of The S upermunda ne
STNETNOC 7
noitcudortnI
12
dercaS ehT gnipoleveD
14
yenruoJ eht gnitratS
56
mroN eht gnitrevnI
58
ymonocE dercaS ehT
301
detartsullI erutluC-tsoP
2 0 1 5
Urban and Spatial Experimentation MSA Atelier
CONTENTS Introduction
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Developing The Sacred
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Starting the Journey
41
Inverting the Norm
65
The Sacred Economy
85
Post-Culture Illustrated
103
Is cu lt ur e now jus t a h o l l o w w o rd to try t o unit e d i s j o i n te d a n d fra gme nt ed popula ti o n s u n d e r a bro ad ov er ar c hing c a te g o ry ?
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PROJECT SYNOPSIS
T h ro ugh thi s proj ect I w i sh to e x p l ore the theoreti cal and a n th ropol ogi cal nature of w h a t cul ture w as, and i s i n c o n te mporary soci ety. The proj ect fo l l o w s a ti me-l i ne al ong theori es o f c u l ture and i t’s death. P roceedi ng onw ards to s u g g est a ‘ di srupti ng’ proj ect w h i c h bri ngs l i ght on the obj ecti ve a n d economi c val ue of w hat now l i e s at the al tar of our l i ves. In o rd e r to compensate for the l oss of tra d i t i onal cul ture as l i fe’s ‘ rai son d ’ e tre ’ i ndi vi dual s have bestow ed v a l u e upon commodi ti es. W i th i n s ta nt sel f-grati fi cati on the end g o a l i n l i eu of searchi ng the me taphysi cal . A ccordi ngl y the p ro p osed C hurch of the (S uper) Mu n dane i s i ntended as a sati ri cal c o m m entary on the mori bund s u b j ecti ve val ue of cul ture.
(Super) A b o v e or superi or to th e earth or w o rl d l y affai rs.
Mundane R el ati ng to, or characteristic of the w orl d. The practi cal , transi tory, and ordi nary
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I n t r o d u c t io n A s u m m a ry o f th e p re v i o u s p ortfol i o’s di scussi ons and i ntroducti on of themes to b e a d d r essed through the archi tecture 7
’S
Hom og eni se d I nd iv idu als
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Di st inc t I n div idua ls
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’S
’S 60
40 19
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S t r at if i ed C las s S y st em
Elite
DORTMUND Caste Society
T he pre v i o u s submission ex plor ed t h e c o n c e p t o f c u l tu re and it s ev o l u ti o n , e x p l a i n i n g th e dem oc r at is a ti o n a n d me rg i n g o f c ult ur es . I n d i v i d u a l s a re b e g i n n i n g t o be def ine d b y u n i fo rm i n fl u e n c e s r es ult ing in i n d e p e n d e n t a i m s o f m ut ual indi ffe re n c e . T h e ti me l i n e c an be s e e n to b e s y n o n y mo u s wit h t he g ro w th o f c a p i ta l i s m and glo b a l i s a ti o n , c u l tu re is now an i n d u s try w i th l i fe ins pir ed by th e p u rs u i t o f p ro fi ts .
U n i ty
in
Religion
P O S T CULT URE
Regionalism
It appears that D ortmund i s experi enci ng ‘ post-cul tural i sm’ at an accel erated rate due to i ts i ndustri al past and correspondi ng dei ndustri al i sati on, i n conj uncti on w i th i ts ‘ mul ti -cul tural ’ popul ati on. W i th l ack of a cl ear i denti ty the area i s parti cul arl y vul nerabl e to the forces of gl obal i sati on w hi ch is bei ng dubbed as ‘ cul tural genoci de’ , overri di ng exi sti ng and homogeni si ng tastes tow ards a mass/uni form cul ture.
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PROJECT INTENTIONS D e b o rd d e scri bed the spread of c o m m o d i ty-i mages by the mass me d i a , a s produci ng “w aves of e n th u s i a s m for a gi ven product” re s u l ti n g i n “moments of fervent e x a l ta ti o n si mi l ar to the ecstasi es o f th e c o n vul si ons and mi racl es o f th e o l d rel i gi ous feti shi sm”.
A ccordi ngl y, t his pr oject ex p o se s the d issol uti on of the me ta physi cal va lu e s o f life t hr ough a sat ir ic a l in t e r pr etati on o f t h e p la c e o f wor shi p. The proj ects int ent ion is to di srupt the everyday f low of the average ci ti zen and m ake them questi on w het her t hey are happy to w orsh ip at t his A l tar of C ommodi ty. To t ur n the expressi ons of capit alist cul ture agai nst themselves, in order to recl ai m some aut onom y from the mass-mediat ed hall of mi rrors of soci e t y t oday. Thi s w i l l be achieved through mergi ng and abst r act ing tradi ti onal fai th symb ols acr oss rel i gi ons. E mpl oying t he overarchi ng characte r ist ics of the sacred , updati ng t hem f or 11 our new, post-cul tur al wor ld.
PROGRAM PLAN
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Gift S hop ‘Vestr y’ / Office N ave A ltar S hr ine / E xhibition
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A l though athei st chur ches ar e becomi ng more popular t he i ntenti on of thi s proj ect is not t o make a new sub-rel i gi o n, but r at her expose the current c om m odif ied state and val ue of ‘ cult ur e’. The sacred space w i l l host a shr ine t o current cul ture - comm odit ies - t he mundane through i nt er pr et at ions of atypi cal rel i gi ous spaces such as the nave and alt ar. Thi s bui l di ng i s in essence a museum of artefa ct s m aking i t i roni cal l y have econom ical val ue. A s such the e nt ir e space serves as a gi ft shop, wher e vi si tors can purchase m odels of the ‘ sacred’ i tem s which 13 are exhi bi ted i n t he space.
*THEMES Th e p r ev ious por t f o l i o e x p l o re d rel i gi o us ar c hit ec t u re a l o n g s i d e th e co nc ept of s ecu l a r c h u rc h e s i n ord er t o es t ablis h c ri te ri a fo r th e des ign of an in e ffa b l e s p a c e a fter the deat h of ‘c u l tu re ’ a n d i ts i nfl u enc e. Th ro ugh t hes e br ie f ty p o l o g i c a l studi e s f our m ain th e me s w e re e sta blis hed, pic k in g i n s p i ra ti o n from t r adit ional, mo d e rn i s t a n d a thei s t r eligious s p a c e s a l i k e . Th ese ar e t he c or e c h a ra c te ri s ti c s w hi ch t he ar c hi te c tu re will 1 4a ddre s s .
Light
H or izontality / hum an scales
(N on)Or nam ent
Im pr essive unfathom able str uctur es
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The i ntenti on of the archi tecture i s to embody thi s i ndescri babl e feel i ng, as C hi l l i da descri bed i t, “a great space w here w e w oul d feel smal l er than w hat w e thi nk w e are” yet, contradi ctori l y, the exhi bi ti ons hi ghl i ght the great i mportance of the sel f.
CONSTRUCTING THE
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T he c om m o n d e fi n i ti o n of ar c hit ec t ur al l y s u c c e s s fu l r eligious s pa c e s i s th e i n e ffa b l e , a s pac e wit h a q u a l i ty s o p o w e rfu l it c annot be p u t i n to w o rd s . A s pac e t hat d o e s n o t d e p e n d o n it s dim ens ion s b u t n th e q u a l i ty of it s per f ec t i o n . Howe v e r, te c h n o l o g y h a s debas ed t he c u rre n c y o f i n e ffa b l e s pac e, des t r o y i n g th e s a c re d ’s m onopoly ov e r th e i n e ffa b l e .
INEFFABLE
“I have not experi e nced t he mi racl e of fai th, but I have of t en know n the mi racl e of ineff able space. � ( Le C o r busier )
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Havi ng ex plor ed th e a rc h i te c tu re and lit ur gies ac ro s s a ra n g e of religions t he th re e c o m m o n them es whic h o v e rl a p and accor dingly s houl d b e a d d re s s e d by the pr ojec t ar e ; e a rth w a te r fi re as t he c om p o s i ti o n o f th e uni ver s e, s c ar ed g e o me try a n d the s epar at ion of th e s a c re d a n d pro fane. T his dis t i n c t s e p a ra ti o n of th e s uper f r om th e m u n d a n e and t he jour ney / p ro c e s s i o n a re so me t hing t o be e x p l o re d fu rth e r by t he ar c hit ec tu re , to re l a te co nc ept ually and a b s tra c t, ra ther t han dir ec tl y mi m i c th e s e tra dit ional f ait h s y m b o l s . S ac r ed g e o me try, as a c har ac t er is ti c which is emb odied by all re l i g i o u s y e t i s synony m ous wit h n o n e , i s th e i d eal t hem e t o ex p l o re i n d e p th as a way t o ac hi e v e th e s a c re d wi th out c om m it t in g o r h i n ti n g to 1 8 any one r eligion.
COMMON DENOMINATORS ACCROSS DENOMINATIONS
Ori e n ta t i on i s al so fundamental to a n y sacred space, how ever, th e s e d i ffer across the board, a s s u c h the C hurch of the S u p e rm undane w hi ch fol l ow s no o n e Go d has no ori entati on, i t i s g l o b a l and as such acontextual to s u rro undi ng ti me and space.
Symmetry
Sa c re d Se p a ra tio n
Sacred Geometry
P r ocessi on
N o O r i ent at i on
E l ement s
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D ev el o p in g t h e S a c r e d In v e s ti g a ti n g o v e ra rc h ing sacred characteri sti cs and how they c a n b e a d o pted w i thi n the chosen si te 21
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A s sai d previ ousl y, D or t m und w as pri mari l y an i ndustr ial cit y, w i th l ack of bourgeoi s ie wor k establ i shed as the cult ur e. Factori es formed the backdr op t o l i fe. H ow ever, fol l ow i ng post i ndustri al i sati on thi s ident it y faded and the l ack of i nvest m ent i n ‘ cul tural ’ i nfrastructur e has resul ted i n the areas acceler at ed post-cul tural i sm, maki ng it t he i deal host for a cel ebrati o n of t he S upermundane.
POSTCULTURAL LANDSCAPE
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As t h e f a c t o r y r e p r e s e n t s D or tm u n d ’s past culture it is only fitting to use and distort it, reflecting the warping and transforming of cultures and suggest towards the m a s s p r o d uc ti o n o f culture. T h e r e a r e m a n y f a c to r i e s i n D o r t m u n d c u r r e n t l y, h o w e v e r, fe w o f t h e m a r e p i e c e s o f h e r i t a g e fr o m th e i n d u t r i a l e r a , i n s t e a d t h e m a j o r i ty a r e new build warehouses in use. As such t h e c h o s e n s i t e i s t h a t o f t he v a c a n t Th y s s e n Kr u p p S t e e l F a c t o r y, w h o ’s vast scale dominates the area as a reminder of what once was
CULTURE FACTORY 25
100 M
SITE PLAN
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N
R ather than demolishing the factory and have p eople forget i ts exi stence w i th a new homogeni sed space, I w ish t o bri ng new l i ght on the fam iliar and ‘ detourne’ the factory, Fr om i ts exteri or i t appears untouched, unaffected by i ts post-cult ur al surroundi ngs, U nl i ke t he opul ence and detai l typi c al of rel i gi ous archi tecture. E n t er ing the threshol d becomes a su r pr ise i nto the unknow n yet fami l iar. U ndertaki ng t he chal l enge of expressi ng t he sacred through a w hol l y pr of ane space.
HOSTING THE SUPERMUNDANE
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The wor d G eom et ry i ts e l f me a n s ‘ Earth m eas ur e, ’ a s s u c h s a c re d geome t r y is t he id e a l b a l a n c e o f worl d and m et aph y s i c a l fo r th i s pro j e c t . S ac r ed ge o me try i s a l l about c r eat ing e x p e ri e n c e s o f 2 8energ y f r om wav es a n d fre q u e n c i e s
w h i c h e manate from these ‘ perfect’ fo rms . It i s a 4th di mensi onal c o n c e pt w hi ch cubi sts bel i eved w a s c apabl e of provi di ng uni que h u ma n phenomenon extendi ng b e y o n d real ti me and space.
SA CR ED S a c red geometry is a re l a ti o n shi p of rati os and p ro p o rti o n s rather than on me a s u re m e n ts, thi s w as e mb o d i e d by many bygone re l i g i o u s a rc hi tectures, such as B ra m a n te ’s Tempi etto 1502. The Te m p i e tto i s perfectl y ci rcul ar i n p l a n a n d th e proporti ons of the d o me i n e l evati on hol d both the s a c re d s q u are and ci rcl e. The Te m p i e tto i s the purest exampl e o f s a c re d g eometry of the H i gh R e n a i s s a n c e , even though i t i s o n l y a s mal l commemorati ve s tru c tu re , n ot a church.
“T h e c o n s tru cti on of the physi cal a n d m o ra l w o rl d al i ke i s based on e te rn a l numbers.” P l ato
GE OM ET RY
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T he g e o me try of s a cred ar ch i te c tu re is ri g o ro u sl y s y mb o l i c . T h e p l a n o f the buil d i n g , b a s e d o n a d i a l o gue betw e e n c i rc l e s a n d s q u a r es, s um m a ri z e s th e fu n d a me ntal r ela ti o n s h i p b e tw e e n Go d and m an . T h e c i rc l e p e rfe c t, e n d l e ss, inf i n i te , s ta n d s fo r H e a v e n , the s ac re d , th e s p i ri tu a l w o rl d . The s qu a re , o n th e o th e r h a n d , i s m ea s u ra b l e , re p re s e n ti n g the c os mo s , ma te ri a l th i n g s , the t er re s tri a l c o n d i ti o n . A s s u c h s q u a ri n g the c ir c l e i s a u n i v e rs a l s y mb o l of br in g i n g th e e a rth l y a n d m u n d a ne int o a re l a ti o n s h i p w i th th e d i vi ne and a c c o rd i n g l y th e d e s i g n h as ev o l v e d th ro u g h a d i a l o g u e of c ir c l e s a n d s q u a re s , e mp l o y i ng s y mme try a s i t i s a l s o c o n s i d e red perfe c t a n d h a rm o n i o u s .
DIVINE PROPORTIONS
The Vi truvi an man expl ores the mathemati cal probl em cal l ed ‘ squari ng the ci rcl e’ . It has been proven that there i s no sol uti on to thi s probl em to gi ve the ci rcumference the same di mensi ons as the peri meter. The draw i ng al so evokes the concept that ‘ Man i s the measure of al l thi ngs’ . In hi s Ten B ooks of A rchi tecture Vi truvi us observed that j ust as a ‘ man’s body w as consi dered sacred so then w as archi tecture w hen rel ated to i t’ . The sacred mean can be seen i n the rati os of body parts, thi s gol den rati o i s an i rrati onal number w hi ch w as used i n the desi gn of sacred bui l di ngs i n anci ent archi tecture to produce spi ri tual energy that faci l i tated connecti vi ty w i th spi ri tual real ms through prayer. Thi s concept has been heavi l y expl ored i n archi tectural theori es, i ncl udi ng by Le C orbusi er w i th the modul ar man and has been empl oyed throughout the desi gn.
N o O r i e n ta ti o n
S y m m e tr y
S a c r e d C e n tr e
J o u r n ey
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Afte r hav ing dev elo p e d th e p l a n thro ugh r elat ions hi p s o f s a c re d geome t r y f or m s were e x p l o re d to create an ex per ienti a l j o u rn e y. T he us e of c o m p re s s i o n and r eleas e t ak es th e v i s i to r fro m int im at e human scale to m onum ent al volumes fo r ‘ spi ri tu al per s pec t iv e ’ . T h e s c a l e of th es e s pac es al l o w s a s e n s e of sti llnes s r egar d l e s s o f th e popul a t ion of v is it ors . Wi th in s ac r ed geo me try th e 5 Pl atonic s olids ar e th e o n l y fi v e re gul a r poly hedr a w h i c h to th e Gre ek s , s y m boliz e d fi re , e a rth , ai r, spir it ( or et he r) a n d w a te r re sp ec t iv ely. A c c or d i n g l y, d e s i g n co nsi s t s of a s er ies o f c u b e s , th e re pre s ent at ion of e a rth , i e th e mu ndane.
FORMING THE SACRED
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1
P l a t oni c Sol i ds
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Compression an d Release
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M o n u m en t al S cale S t illn ess
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CONSTRUCTING THE INEFFABLE
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R Pl ecy as cl tic ed Li Vi St
ee
ny
gh
t
l
l
The i neffabl e i s a physi cal stru ct ur e w hi ch i s measurabl e, descri bable, w hi l st evoki ng feel i ngs beyon d t he measurabl e, beyond the rati on al. I bel i eve these precedents em body that experi ence and I w i sh to com bine aspects of them al l to achi eve t he fami l i ar aw e of a sacred s pace w hi l st portrayi ng the concept o f t he everyday and mundane throug h t he use of materi al i ty.
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“L ight is able to s u c c e s s fu l l y ex pr es s t he ot h e r, th e b e y o n d a n d to m ak e an im p a c t to b e l i e v e rs and at heis t s a l i k e . “(H e a th c o re , M off a tt, 2 0 0 7 )
INEFFABLE LIGHT 36
Li ght takes on the rol e as second materi al . Obscuri ng the s our ce of l i ght through stai ned gl as s and t op l i ghti ng i s empl oyed i n r eligious bui l di ng to i nsti l a sense of m yst er y. C orrespondi ngl y the design uti l i ses the exi sti ng roof light wit h an addi ti onal one ei ther side t o obscure to l i ght source beyond and avoi d vi ew s of nature and cont ext , the post-cul tural i s man-m ade . Thi s al so al l ows each i ndi vi dual vol ume to have diff er ent l i ghti ng condi ti ons, avoiding di rect sunl i ght and o pt im ising user comfort as sunl i ght has t he potenti al to overheat a space or fl ood i t w i th i l l umi nati on that is t oo i ntense for the exhi bi ted it em s. The l i ghti ng i s split int o tw o el ements; ambi e nt and focused, dependant on t he desi red atmosphere sim ilar to the precedents sho wn. The j uxtaposi ti on of i ntense vs dar k and di ffused l i ght creates the s ym bolism of the church as a rel i gi ou s space. 37
S tandi ng seam system u-l ocks
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Th e des ign em plo y s a n a u s te re mater ial palet t e . This in j uxta pos it ion of th e opulent mater ials t y pic a l l y b e s to w e d u pon r eligious bu i l d i n g s . T h i s i s i ntended t o jar wit h th e ‘ i n e ffa b l e ’ fe el i ng c r eat ed b y th e s a c re d g eom et r y and v olu m e s . G uy Deb o rd e x p l a i n e d h ow s oc iet y has tra v e l l e d fro m b ei n g, t o hav ing, to a p p e a ri n g , a s s uc h t he m a te ri a l c h o i c e s h ave t he appear a n c e o f l u x u ry b ut upon ins pec t io n a re a c tu a l l y cheap r eplic as f o rm e d fro m th e resi due of a t hr ow -a w a y c u l tu re , fo r ex am ple vinyl fl o o ri n g remi nis c ent of th e polished ti l e s f ound in c a th e d ra l s . T h i s i s to play on th e fi c k l e n e s s a nd dis pos able n a tu re o f th e mundane, we h a v e re p l a c e d metaphy s ic al v alu e w i th th i n g s w i th t em por ar y an d re p l a c e a b l e val u es .
OPULENT AUSTERITY
A s s u c h 100% recycl ed pl asti c s h e e ts , made from crushed C D s to water bottl e to mobi l e p h o n e s , w hi ch resul ts i n a ma rb l e l i k e fi ni sh i s to be the p ri m a ry m ateri al . The fi ni sh can b e c o n tro l l ed dependant of w hat i te m s a re compressed to form the s h e e ts , s uch as those produced b y s m i l e pl asti cs. The sheets s i z e s a re 3000* 1500mm w i th i n te rl o c k i n g j oi nts for a seaml ess fi n i s h .
The thi ckness i s a mere 25m m , maki ng i t a l i ghtw ei ght sc r een easi l y supported by steel st ud frame, thi s al so pl ays on t he typi cal mass of sacred bui l dings w here deep voi ds and reveals are created by heavy materials. Furthermore, the concept for t he bui l di ng i s that w hi l st you pass betw een varyi ng vol umes you are al w ays exposed to and awar e of a l arger vol ume, the shed. As such the acousti cs i s i nten ded to exaggerate thi s feel i ng , t hus the thi nness of the materi al will avoi d i nsul ati ng these sounds and reverberati ons.
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“We have in o u r c u l t u r e c o n f l a t e d the aesthetic a n d t h e s a c r e d , which is why … t h e a r t m u s e u m seems
to
ha v e
replaced
cathedral i n o u r c u l t u r e . ” Paul G o l d b e r g e r
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the
S tarti ng th e ‘A r d u o u s ’ J o u r n e y F o l l o w i n g th e ro u te th rough the threshol d of the profane i nto the S upermundane 41
42 S erv i c es
R ei ns tr as se
S t aff &
ENTER & EXIT T h e j ourney begi nni ng through th e c entre of the bui l di ng vi a th e R ei nstrasse, a mai n street w h i c h connects the si te di rectl y to th e ci ty centre. Thi s road has re g u l a r tram stops one of w hi ch i s o u t si de the si te or conversel y c a r p a rki ng i s provi ded di rectl y i n fro n t of the bui l di ng as cars are a k e y commodi ty i n post-cul tural s o c i e ty. The ameni ti es are l o c a ted at the back of the b u i l d i ng, accessed vi a a s e p a r ate road w hi ch connects to th e n ei ghbouri ng i ndustri al park. P l a n t room, storage and sacri sty (s ta ff area) can be found here for e a s y and hi dden access.
The bui l di ng i s exi ted to t he lef t , fed out i nto the exi sti ng st r uct ur e of the nei ghbouri ng s ect ion of the factory. W i thi n thi s ‘gar den’ area i s an exhi bi ti on of t he past w orki ng cul ture. A mo del of t he ori gi nal factory si te al on gside t he ol d machi nery from th e f act or y w i l l remai n w i th a seri es of lar ge scal e photographs hi ghlight ing the factori es as the backdr op to l i fe w i th be di spl aye d. This is to hi ghl i ght that thi s cult ur e is no l onger gi ven any v alue and i s l eft outsi de to w eat her , a fi nal remi nder before t he visit or l eaves of w hat once w as.
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CALL TO PRAYER
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B el l s are typi cal l y empl oyed i n vari ous rel i gi ons to cal l the fai thful to prayer. Fronti ng the mai n sacred space the bel l w oul d ri ng out across the ci ty to summon the col l ecti ve congregati on for thei r ti me of communal w orshi p.
CROSSING THE THRESHOLD
Religio u s buildings w e re es t abl i s h e d i n o rd e r to s a ti s fy hum an ’s d e e p e s t a n d i n n e rmo s t y ear ni n g s fo r c o mmu n i o n w i th t he d i v i n e . In e s s e n c e , th e s e s pac es c a n b e p e rc e i v e d a s a ‘f is s ur e ’ , m a rk i n g a n e n try w a y f r om th e m u n d a n e w o rl d i n to th a t wor ld o f th e ‘ o th e r ’ , As s u c h th e s e g a te w a y s wer e o rd i n a ri l y p a s s i o n a te l y det aile d to e v o k e th i s s p i ri tu a l c r os s i n g .
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DIVIDE BLURRING THE DIVIDE BLURRING THE DIVIDE BLURRING THE DIVIDE DIVIDE BLURRING THE DIVIDE
A
A
M.S HOLDING DOWN BOLTS
STLOB NWOD GNIDLOH S.M
A s s ta t ed, ordi nari l y a bel l c a l l s th e col l ecti ve to w orshi p. H o w e v e r, as post-cul tural i sm i s fo u n d ed on hedoni sm and i n d i v i d u al s there i s no communal c a l l to worshi p, as everyone i s s e l f-s e rv i ng. A s such i nstead of a fro n ti ng bel l tow er a l arge neon o p e n s i gn outsi de the entrance w i l l c a l l t he vi si tor i nto the space.
The threshol d customari l y m ar ks the di vi de betw een the s acr ed and the profane. H ow eve r, t he C hurch of the S upermu ndane makes the profane sacre d, as such the di vi si on i s bl urre d. The threshol d i sn’ t a doorw ay t o a new w orl d, i t i s a doorway t o our w orl d condensed. A s such the desi gn of the thresh old in unobtrusi ve rather than i ntr icat e. A sl i ght peel i n the thi n ski n of t he facade gestures the entr ance, w hi l st al so hi ghl i ghti ng th e lack of materi al mass tradi tionally used i n the sacred. The entrance faca de of cathedral s w ere desi gne d as refl ecti ons of the pl an, w i th lar ge ci rcul ar w i dow s symb olising the pl acement of the alt ar. C orrespondi ngl y the curve of the entrance refl ects that of t he al tar, the start of the j o ur ney resembl es the end.
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A pilgr im age is a j o u rn e y o r se ar c h of m or a l o r s p i ri tu a l si gnif ic anc e. Ty p i c a l l y, i t i s a j o urn ey t o a s h ri n e o r o th e r l o ca t ion of im p o rta n c e to a person’s belief s a n d fa i th .
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Many cathedral s i ncl udi ng th e C hartres cathedral contai n l a b y ri nths to si gni fy the di ffi cul t j o u rn ey of man tow ards the truth , s y m bol i c of the pi l gri mage. S y mbol i cal l y, man enters i nto the l a b y ri nth at bi rth and duri ng the l o n g and tortuous course of hi s l i fe a dvances tow ard sal vati on o r e nl i ghtenment. Many peopl e c o u l d not afford to travel to hol y s i te s and l ands, so l abyri nths a n d prayer substi tuted for such tra v e l .
H ow ever, post-cul turalism does not embody thi s tortuou s jour ney tow ards an end ai m, i t is an easy strai ght l i ne al ong cons um er ism , l i ved moment by momen t wit h no deeper goal than the p ur chase. A s such the bui l di ng i s designed to represent thi s si mpl e jour ney tow ards the cash desk.
THE PILGRAMAGE
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WCs
HALL 3
sto r a g e
s tor a ge
H A LL 1
ki tchen
meeting s pac e
sto r a g e
LOBBY 50
1 0m
HALL 2
Once the vi si tor crosses t he threshol d they enter th e lobby , thi s space l eads off to th e ‘chur ch hal l ’ spaces, the profane spaces w hi ch can be used for ‘cult ur al’ acti vi ti es.- sports, perf or m ances , cl ubs etc. The vi si tor i s faced wit h a col l ecti on pot for don at ions t o entrance to the S uperm undane. B eni nd thus the ent r ance to the sacred i s obscur ed by tal l stacks of st andar d shoppi ng baskets, em phasising the commerci al nature of t he exhi bi ti on. 51
POOR MAN’S BIBLE P as s ing t hr ou g h th e c i rc u l a r fr am e t he jo u rn e y ta k e s th e v is it or along a s e ri e s o f s p a c e s whic h t ell t he s to ry o f p o s tc ult ur alis m . S t ained g l a s s w i n d o w s , or iginat ing fro m th e o ri e n t, wer e c r eat ed t o i l l u s tra te B i b l i c a l teac hings t o a mo s tl y i l l i te ra te populat ion. On l y th e ri c h a n d the c ler gy k n e w h o w to re a d and wr it e du ri n g th i s p e ri o d . Cor r es ponding l y th e design abs t r ac t s t his tra d i ti o n , u s i n g pr ojec t ions of i ma g e s re m i n i s c e n t of s t ained glas s d e s i g n s . 52
The di gi tal nature of thi s e x h i bi ti on al i gns w i th postc u l tural soci ety w here the i m a ges w i thi n the patterns move ra ther than remai n stati onary, mo derni si ng the concept. It al so serves the theme o f a ppeari ng, w here the i mages a re n’ t actual l y there and they c a n change at any ti me, l i ke th e fi ckl eness of post-cul tural v a l ues. The fi nal space i n the s e ries i s i nteracti ve w i th a camera p ro j ecti ng the vi ew ers face i nto th e central most i mportant part o f the desi gn. Thi s symbol i ses th e sel f- servi ng borderl i ne sel f w o r shi p nature of post-cul tural s o c i ety.
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OMNIPRESENT SACRED
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360
OMNIPRESENT SACRED
OMNIPRESENT SACRED
OMNIPRESENT SACRED
The sacred rel ati onshi p o f cir cle and square i s used to cr eat e these vast 16m* 16m spaces. These l arge strcutures are t hen braced by i ntermedi ary mem ber s w hi ch hol d the proj ector f abr ic. These secondary membe r s ar e a seri es of si mpl i fyi ng sacr ed geometry, spl i tti ng the ‘ pane’ int o i ts secti ons l i ke those emplyed in actual stai ned gl ass. The sm aller grooves di vi di ng the im ages w oul d be proj ected. Thi s l arge v olum e bombards the vi si tor w i th i m ages, a cul ture bomb. 360 im ages surround the vi si tor on the walls fl oor and roof. The onl y re pr ieve from the i ntense i mages is t he break i n the roof for l i ght.
G e o r g e H er b e r t: A m a n w h o l o o ks o n g l a s s , On it may stay his eye, O r i f h e p l e a s e t h t hr o u g h i t p a s s , A n d t h e n t h e h e av e n s e s p y.
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T he v olum e s re q u i re th e i r o w n pr im ar y s tru c tu re and pad f oundat ions , a t th e s a m e ti m e t hey c onnec t v i a s te e l b ra c i n g to t he m ain t r u s s s tru c tu re a b o v e . T his enhan c e s th e s ta b i l i ty o f bot h s t r uc t u ra l s y s te m s . Light is br ou g h t i n fro m th e ro o f light abov e , a l i g n e d w i th a n d highlight ing th e j o u rn e y. T h i s nat ur al day l i g h ti n g me a n s th a t s pec ialis ed fa b ri c a n d p ro j e c to r m us t be u s e d , s u c h a s th e
SACRED PRACTICALITIES
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HALL OF FAME 59
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NAVE
The s er ies of c i rc u l a r fra m e s l e ads t he v is ito r a l o n g th e j o ur ney t o t he n a v e w h i c h i s open t o t he alt ar. T h e s p a c e i s an ex t r uded go l d e n re c ta n g l e (p hi r at io) , r eac hi n g th e 2 6 0 0 m m hei g ht of t he f r am e . T he nav e i s a n i n ti ma te sp ac e of r epr iev e fo r re fl e c ti o n between t he tw o l a rg e r book ending v olum e s . T h e n a v e s l i ght ing c ont inues th e p a th o f th e pre v ious s pac es i n l i n e w i th th e enter ing f r am es a n d th e a l ta r, thi s is t o em phas i s e th e j o u rn e y, se em ingly aim in g to w a rd s th e al ta r.
T h e m a t eri al i ty of the space i s re c y c l e d pl asti c. These sheets a re e a s il y formed i nto desi red s h a p e s , as such, the space i s o rn a mented w i th embossi ng a n d e n g ravi ngs of post-cul tural s y m b o l s . The repeti ti ve nature o f th e s e decorati ons makes them a p p e a r a s patterns from afar. Pl asti c scul pture are h i g h l i g h ted i n the recesses of the w a l l s , th ese aren’ t, al though they a p p e a r s o, attached, so that they m a y b e changed w i th transi ent w h i m s a nd trends or purchased a n d re p l aced. 61
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NAVE OF REFLECTION 63
“Kim Kardashian is God . I d o n ’ t k n o w i f s h e ’s o m n i s c i e n t , but no one can deny s h e ’s n o t o m n i p r e s e n t . We h a v e accepted her into our l i v e s v i a t e l e v i s i o n s c r e e n s , m e m e s , and Instagram feeds. I f J a y Z i s t h e f a t h e r a n d Ye e z u s i s the son, then she is t h e e v e r - p r e s e n t h o l y g h o s t o f p o p culture.” Han n a k K u n c k l e 2 0 1 4
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Inv e r t in g t h e No r m Ex p l o ra ti o n o f th e m ai n al tar space and i ts abstracti on of tra di ti onal fai th symbol s 65
DIR EC TIN GF AIT H
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T he s pac e, m o d e l l e d fro m s a c re d pr ec edent s , i s o rn a te l y a n d int ens ely d e ta i l e d , i n u n d a ti n g t he v is it or w i th i ma g e s o f th e ar r ay of mu n d a n e c o mmo d i ti e s whic h hav e b e c o m e th e a l ta r o f our liv es . A la rg e c e n tra l i n v e rte d s pir e is t he p re d o mi n a n t fe a tu re of t he v olu m e , c o n v e rti n g th e t r adit ion of ri s i n g v e rti c a l i ty to G od and in v e rti n g i ts d i re c ti o n t owar ds m a n a n d th e e a rth , th e m undane.
CU LT UR EB OM B
T he jour ney th e n a rri v e s a t th e m ain m onum e n ta l v o l u m e , w h i c h hos t s t he a l ta r - fe a tu ri n g th e ‘idol of t he w e e k ’ , a s y m b o l o f th e f ic k lenes s o f m o d e rn c u l tu re .
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68 6 8 0 m m
ELEVATING VALUES Gi ft Shop
The s p a ce i s a l a r g e e x t r u d e d cir cl e w i t h re ce s s e d s e a t i n g / pr ay e r ri n g s w h i c h e m a n a t e f r o m the a l t a r i n s a c re d i n c r e m e n t s of th e g o l d e n ra t i o . T h e s e s e a t s lead d o w n t o t h e ‘ p o d i u m ’ wh e r e the s e rm o n l e a d e r wo u l d p r e s e n t , this i s b a rl e y ra i s e d t o h i g h l i g h t its la c k o f s p e ci a l s i g n i f i c a n c e , a s ther e i s n o l e a d e r, e v e r y o n e h a s their o w n s e l f i m p o r t a n c e i n t h e C hurc h o f t h e S u p e r m u n d a n e . The idol then sits on the r aise d a l t a r, w h i c h i n a c t u a l i t y is gr o u n d l e ve l , a c o m m e n t a r y o n the c o n ce p t o f t h e i d o l s ’ v a l u e .
The materials of the walls are a continuous of that of the nave, wi t h r e c y c l e d p l a s t i c f o r me d i n t o c u r v e d p r o f i l e s r e s e mb l i n g a hybrid of religious edifices. The visitor is once again surrounded b y a n i n t e n s e b o mb a r d me n t o f post-culture with purchasable sculptures spread along the planes. The curved extrusion is broken up by large screens with p l a y c o n t i n u o u s a d v e r t i s e me n t s . Sponsorship from these companies would ideally fund the r u n n i n g o f t h e S u p e r mu n d a n e .
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EXISTING STRUCTURE
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The ex is t ing p ri m a ry s tru c tu re i s t r us s ed t o c a rry i ts o w n a n d env ir onm ent al l o a d s . As s u c h the pr opos ed i n v e rte d a l ta r w i l l re quir e it s own p ri m a ry s tru c tu re and f oundat ion s to s u p p o rt i ts e l f ra t her t han r es t o n th e e x i s ti n g .
PRECEDENTS
Louv r e Py ra m i d s , 1989, P a ri s
I.M.P e i ,
A bove the sunken al tar i s t he i nverted spi re, i ntended as the aw e i nspi ri ng struct ur e characteri sti c of sacr ed archi tecture. A ccordi ngl y, l o oked at precedents of si mi l ar for m s t o i nvesti gate how the structur e can be achi eved. The i nverted spir e of the Louvre poses as a good exampl e as i t does not mee t t he ground, si mi l ar to my desi gn . The structure uses a strong s ecur e frame at the top , l i ghtweight structure and i nternal bracing members to ti es i t together. This i s si mi l ar to the structure f ound on the i nternal of church sp ir es.
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1
72
2
3
4
LEVELS OF STRUCTURE
5
T h e s tru c ture of the spi re can be s p l i t i n to 4 l evel s. In l i ne w i th the s a c re d g e ometry of the fl oor pl an b e l o w th e structure fans out w i th d i a g o n a l m embers (2), these are p l a c e d s tr ategi cal l y to meet the e x i s ti n g structural members (1) a t th e e n ds, tyi ng the proposed to th e e x i sti ng, provi di ng mutual s u p p o rt. These di agonal s are s u p p o rte d by square frames (3) w h i c h a l ign w i th the exi sti ng s tru c tu re , the w al l s bel ow, and fro m th e n fol l ow i n i ncrements of th e p h i rati o, i e the gol den rati o a s th e y travel dow nw ards and fra m e th e al tar w i th the sacred re l a ti o n s h i p of the square and the c i rc l e - th e mundane meeti ng the s a c re d .
These frames are then b r aced in the opposi te di recti on i nt er nally, connecti ng once agai n t o t he exi sti ng, si mi l ar to the Louvr e structure. These braci ngs ( 4) f or m a pattern of sacred geomet r y, so w hen standi ng bel ow and looking up i nsi de the al tar struc t ur e t he i neffabl e i s evi dent. Fi nal l y another layer of smal l er square frames ( 5) in l i ne w i th the protrusi ons of t he surroundi ng w al l s ensure st abilit y. Thi s combi nati on creates a f acet ed curvi ng spi re resti ng on colum n and beam fame. The mi ssing t ip of the spi re forms the gol den pyr am id w i th the center of the alt ar. This i s an anci ent sacred sym bol t he ol dest exampl e of w hi ch is t he 73 pyrami d at Gi za.
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T h e s p i re i s to be the mai n centre p i e c e w i th a scul ptural essence. As s u c h t he detai l i ng of the mosai c i s to b e a beauti ful pi ece of art, o n c e a g a i n i nspi red by patterns of s a c re d g eometry. Thi s has not yet b e e n d e si gned but the i mage on th e ri g h t i s suggesti ve of w hat the
Mausoleum,
NOITCELFER FLES
Al l th e vari ous forms of modern i d o l a try have one thi ng at thei r c o re : s e lf. We no l onger bow dow n to i d o l s and i mages. Instead w e w o rs h i p at the al tar of the god o f s e l f. Thi s brand of modern i d o l a try takes vari ous forms. A s s u c h th e refl ecti ve materi al i s to p u t th e s el f di rectl y onto the al tar w h i l s t al so obscurel y refl ecti ng th e s u rroundi ngs to once agai n be e n c a s e d i n the post-cul tural .
King of Light
SELF REFLECTION
T h e s p i re i s to be formed as a m o s a i c from carni val mi rror, c o mmo n l y used i n di sco bal l s. T h i s re flecti ve di storti on materi al i s c h e a p and l i ght - attachabl e v i a a d h e si ve to sheathi ng then c o n n e c te d di rectl y to the steel s tru c tu re .
Shiraz, Iran