Carla motola portfolio2017

Carla Motola

Architecture Portfolio 2017

e-mail Address

Sep2010 - Feb2014

PERSONAL DETAILS carla.motola@gmail.com 51 Coverton Road, SW17 0QW London EDUCATION BA Architecture Politecnico di Milano, Architettura e SocietĂ Milan

Aug2012 - Feb2013

Erasmus Program KEA_ Copenhagen School of design and technology Copenhagen

Oct2014 - Nov2016

MA Architecture Spacial Practice, Central Saint Martins_UAL London

September 2013 March 2016 September 2016 December 2016 February 2016

July 2016

Apr2015 - June2015 Jan2017 - ongoing

EXHIBITIONS Ceramic Future CERSAIE 2013, Bologne Creation from Catastrophe RIBA Late Tuesday Brain Waves London Design Festival 2016 Unmapped Exhibition, A-side B-side gallery AWARDS Construction News Specialists Awards 2016 Construction Workers Canteen_ A Live Project for Bloomberg, London Shortlisted [AUTONOMA] Conference Selected Speaker, Athens WORK Internship at Aberrant Architecture, London City Minde(d), Bruxelles and London Community Supervisor, Researcher

contents SUBVERSIVE FOLLY pg 01 pg 24

pg 27 pg 42

pg 43 pg 58

pg 59 pg 69

pg 70 pg 83

Central Saint Martins M ARCH: Architecture Major Project September - June 2016 LUNCH ATOP A LANDSCAPE Bloomberg dining experience M ARCH: Architecture Extra-curricula project February - June 2015 TERRACOTTA YATAI

Central Saint Martins M ARCH: Architecture Unit 3: Constructing in Detail June - September 2015

SIGNAGE PROJECT Central Saint Martins public signage Extra-curricula project November - April 2016 ESERCIZI DI SPAZI Politecnico di Milano BA ARCH: Architecture Final Thesis September - February 2014

SUBVERSIVE FOLLY Central Saint Martins M ARCH: Architecture Major Project September - June 2016

scales of surveillance My presence on site, Canary Wharf, was fundamental.

This is a private zone, which means that its inner legislation and policy does not relate to the council regulations.

The only way to find out about their policy was by pushing their invisible boundaries.

This area is profoundly affected by many restrictions on personal behaviour: the rights to protest, to film or to show non-authorized messages are denied. There is a constant negotiation between personal freedom and behavioural restrictions imposed on bodies in space through permanent control.

I chose to use of my body as tool to reclaim this area.

Shot by Canary Wharf ’s CCTV Subversive Folly - Carla Motola, published on artslondoncsm, youtube

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When I discovered about Canary Wharf being privitazed in the ‘80s I did have no idea about how this would affect people’s social life in the public sphere.

In the public realm, nothing is what it seems to be. From that moment, my intentions is to give clear definition of what boundary public and private spaces have, and how these invisible borders affect our social behaviour.

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“Panopticism constituted a technique, universally widespread, of coercion.”

Michel Foucault, Panopticism, 1975 Control regime is becoming unstoppable in our cities.

How is this condition influencing people’s everyday behaviour?

How can citizens act spontaneously in public spaces, despite the awareness of being constantly watched?

My proposal investigates the exercise of control in open spaces within the boundaries of a private island in the city: Canary Wharf.

In a territory where different levels of ownership overlap, the rights that people can exercise in the space, continuously change. There is a constant negotiation going on between personal freedom and behaviour restrictions imposed on bodies in space through permanent control.

My aim is to subvert the exercise of control, reinterpreting its meaning and undermining the constraints that derive, creating a system that makes people aware and able to take the control back.

Canary Wharf Ownership Map

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I knew already that Canary Wharf is a privatized area, but I had no idea about what kind of power they can exercise on people behaviour. So I was sitting on this bench when three guards, fully armed, came to me, asking again the same question: what my intention was.

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of right and strike Can we re-claim Canary Wharf grounds through a temporary occupation?

For this purpose, I want to mobilize its history: my idea is to set up a series live performance events in Canary Wharf. The inspiration comes from the London Dockers Strike of 1889, where hundreds of thousands of Dockers protested for their work rights, marching in front of their workspaces.

The reason why the Great Strike took place was due to the brutal condition of the dockers. It used to be the most precarious job, the salary was never granted.

“The dockers are among the lazaruses that starveupon crumbs fron the rich’s man table! I cannot wonder that men lose the dignity when they are driven to the gutter by system that degrades and imbrutes on one hand, in proportion as it profils and enriches on the other.”

Ben Tillett, 1889

The Re-enactment Map

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WESTFERRY CIRCUS was public water, sold in the 1987 by the London Docklands Development Corporation.

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MUSEUM OF LONDON DOCKLANDS, ground split between two owners: LandSecurities (from 2013)and Canal and River Trust.

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SUBVERSIVE FOLLY Subversive Folly re-claims Canary Wharf through a temporary occupation disguised as a series of public realm follies. Addressing rights which are denied in the area, it focuses on the right to protest, even the right to gather above a certain number without arousing suspicion, by providing a series of bespoke ‘scenographic’ settings. The idea of protesting in the traditional sense is transformed into a hybrid performance, which uses the historical legacy of a ‘re-enactment’ to speak about contemporary struggles.

In some cases the narrative refers to the intrusive form of control within Canary Wharf ’s boundaries; in others to contemporary struggles of insecure employment or housing. The project draws on the local history of the London Dockers’ Strike of 1889, in which hundreds of thousands of Dockers protested for their work rights, marching in front of their workspaces. It proposes a curated live performance or ‘re-enact-ment’ of this strike, in Canary Wharf, where part of the strike took place, to reclaim the right to protest.

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SPEAK LOUD! subversive folly n°1 “He had a voice like a megaphone!”, said Tillet about John Burns. The folly faces Canary Wharf. The sound travels though air, no metter where the boundaries are. What are you protesting against? Speak loud.

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THE COMPULSORY 8H TOWER subversive folly n°2 Eight hours of work is the equivalent of 360 times of going up and down. The pendulum is the Lady Armstrong cargo’s anchor, the London Dockers Strike bone of contention.

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THE DETECTOR MILL subversive folly n°3 The Windmill Detector identifies the numbers of casual workers employed in Canary Wharf. At the moment, only the available 0hourcontract jobs available in the area are more than 2000.

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THE 12 WEEKS CAGE subversive folly n°4 The folly is a reinterpretation of the cage from where the dockers were chosen every morning. A worker employed by agencies can not exercise his rights before 12 weeks of continous work. Every column a day, every door a week, suspended by uncertainity.

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LUNCH ATOP A LANDSCAPE Bloomberg dining experience M ARCH: Architecture Extra-curricula project February - June 2015

a new dining experience

As part of the ongoing construction, there was a requirement for a temporary canteen facility for the 2000 construction workers on the project of the new Bloomberg building in London.

A collaboration between Avondale and students to explore new and innovative ways of providing a better dining experience for the site operatives, including the design of furniture and finishes.

We took inspiration from these three different concepts: Beam: This concept was inspired by the famous image of the workers on a steel beam atop the RCA building at Rockefeller Centre in New York.

Self-service units: The self-service units were designed to alleviate the issue of time saving during the dining experience.

Landscape: The stepped landscape describes a space with multiple levels and on occasion provides space for formal dining, a space for rest and a space for sitting.

final design: canteen visuals

final design: canteen visuals

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final design: canteen visuals

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visit at the site , feedback and sketch process

Inspirations

We visited the development site for the new European Headquarters for Bloomberg L.P. in the City of London.

Jeff Tidmarsh and Gerry from Sir Robert McAlpine gave us a tour through the building allowing us to familiarize ourselves with the project context. The project appeals to us because it considers the broader context and public realm.

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construction In the last two months of the project, we had the chance to be involved in the constraction phase by monitoring the on-going physical building and by suggesting design improvements in detail.

The main construction logic we decided to use was the scaffolding system: we agreed that by using a material that was already reachable on site and the carpenters are so familiar with, we would have been sustainable with both time and money.

We had the chance to visit the canteen once again and to speak with the users about how functional and enjoyble the offered experience was, pro and cons of the design solution from their point of view.

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Storage area, April 2015

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Landscape: details, April 2015

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Various details, April 2015

Beam: details, April 2015

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Visit at the site in use, May 2015

Terracotta Yatai Central Saint Martins M ARCH: Architecture Unit 3: Constructing in Detail June - September 2015

Terracotta Yatai Yatai is a typology of mobile architecture in Japan. It is a small stall, which opens up for serving food and turning the public realm into a temporary outdoor restaurant. It is a container, carrying necessary cooking equipmentand seating. It is a minimum space, which closes into a compact box, neatly stored away for the next use.

We designed and built a Yatai collectively, using architectural terracotta as cladding. The main focus of the work is to design and make bespoke cladding pieces for specific parts of Yatai; roof, chimney, corners, wall panels, handles etc. We needed to think how the terracotta pieces are attached to the substrate. It is about designing the fixing as well as the cladding itself. We also appropriated the clay material for the internal elements for cooking and eating, such as an oven, preparation surfaces and eating counters.

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Terracotta Yatai design

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Yatai can generally seat about seven or eight people and provide an atmospheric outdoor environment to enjoy various foods that are generally simple and filling.

Yatai are typically wooden carts on wheels, equipped with kitchen appliances and seating.

Handles and seating fold into the cart while it is being transported. A pushcart usually measures 3 by 2.5 meters. Vendors serve a variety of foods, mostly from traditional Japanese cuisine such as ramen, gyoza, and tempura. Beer, sake, and shĹ?chĹŤ are usually available. Carts open after sunset and close in the early morning.

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Japanese Yatai examples

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Surveying, June 2015

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chosen detail

Victorian architectural terracotta is a cladding system which managed to combine a hand craftsmanship with mass production. The multiplying nature of terracotta casting together with the artistic three-dimensional ornamentation provided unprecedented amount of details in buildings without relying on the skill of master stonemasons or carpenters. The Natural History Museum in South Kensington is an excellent example of this technique - it’s surface is covered with ornaments and sculptures based on the theme of natural history.

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cladding system

After studying the history and fabrication technique of this fascinating architectural material, I designed and produced a 1:1 full scale cladding pieces by myself.

My investigation began with the sampling of terracotta details from the Natural History Museum building.

I explored this Victorian method of construction in the context of 21st Century, by transforming the details using various means available in the CSM’s workshops and working with the workshop staff and specialists.

The tasks were as follows: 1. Produce a 1:2 scale three dimensional model of the piece (positive) based on the measured drawings using an appropriate material, such as form, ply, card, clay‌ 2. Produce a mould (negative) using plaster out of the model.

3. Produce a clay positive out of the mould.

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3 of my terracotta pieces at 3 differes stages of completion

Final stage: last adjustments

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mould making process

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TERRACOTTA final piece making process

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Terracotta Yatai, roof design detail

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"The quality of public space is up to the peoples' participation. If all the participants are just a customer it is not a real public space. I think that just being in a gathering space is different from participating in the shared space with someone...

So micro means small, but at the same time individual. The smallest public space might be a public space for just one person."

- Yoshiharu Tsukamoto, Archinect, 2007

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Terracotta Yatai event, October 2015

Signage project Central Saint Martins public signage Extra-curricula project November - April 2016

PUBLIC SIGNAGE The college was looking to commission a group of Spatial Practices students to design and construct a body of eye-catching signs that provide interesting places to display information about events, exhibitions and performances taking place at CSM. The signage had to be movable, visible enough, changeable, waterproof and functional. We decided to play with a modular dimension - the A4 format and its multiples - to create a linear structure that is both variable and accessible.

The result was designing a family of three different structures which have the same basic features and are recognisable as part of a unique system.

The variations in hight and flexibility that characterize each of them depends on their position - whether they are positioned ouside or inside the building - and specific uses.

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This is the tallest structure. It is positioned right in the entrance hall of the college.

With its numerous frames of various dimensions, it’s conceived to hold all the posters of the events which may occur day by day.

The design includes a table, as ticket office or info point, and a poster at the top, which is visible from the second floor of the library.

A1

A3

CSM EVENTS

A3

A3 A4 A4 A3

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The middle structure is conceived for both internal and external use. It functions as both poster holder and sign.

The last column of frames on the back can wheel around.

PLATFORM THEATRE A1

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LVMH THEATRE

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LETHABY GALLERY

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This is the smallest piece of the family, and yet the most solid. In fact it is positioned outside the building, against the wind.

For the sake of making it as rigid as possible, on the base a box was attached, which will be filled with sand.

YBAHTEL YRELLAG

LETHABY GALLERY A1

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PLA T THE FORM ATR E

PLA T THE FORM ATR E

Moveable parts

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CSM

EVE

NTS

CSM

EVE

NTS

CSM

EVE

NTS

Moveable parts

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esercizi di spazi Politecnico di Milano BA ARCH: Architecture Final Thesis September - February 2014

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An almost GRAPHIC NOVEL ABOUT SPACE MAKING In this project, I explore the possible future scenarios of Piazza Leonardo da Vinci, a public space in front of the Politecnico building. The contradictions of this public space are unusual: it is carachterized by the double nature of both park and square.

We set up five experiments of one day each: by placing "thin devices" in the square, we created new and unexpected levels of interaction among people, device and space.

By observing the unpredictable reaction of the people, we understood the importance of including the everyday in the design process.

I like to think about this as as experience which gave me new tools to analyse a space and play with it.

What?

Five relational experiments, in which tiny devices are involved as points of contact with the everyday people who cross, walk and use the space. Each experiment was fully recorded and filmed.

How? A deep involvment is necessary, developed by the act of re-drawing the daily experience.

Interviews Five interviews were arranged with different professional profiles.

Piazza Leonardo da Vinci became the perfect scenography for tiny experiments within which everyday people came to be the real, unaware protagonists.

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I think it is fundamentally needed to go beyond the descipline of the “contruction by any means”. The real problem is that people don’t feel like they belong to the public space, which is already unsuitable to be used, compleately impossible to “inhabit”.

As I always say, you use a hotel room, you inhabit your own home. interview with Ugo La Pietra, artist and architect

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I think contemporary architects and urbanists shouldn’t draw the space as something that is fully finished already. The space can’t be so predeterminated by the project drawing. Other unespected dynamics are going to have place anyway, let’s try to draw a support instead of a friction.

Interview with Giovanni la Varra, architect

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Thank You.