EX: MACHINA

This project explores the anthropocentric and ecological events that redefine an object’s natural state. Specifically, the role of metal and machines in an urban context were questioned based on how their cultural and aesthetic qualities are altered over time by various processes. The object we’ve created exists in a constant state of becoming, and allows for the examination of cultural issues regarding the role of the machine within the anthropocene. The placement of this machine in an urban context allows it to act as an extension of the existing network of machines within our cities while highlighting how much it influences and is affected by the physical environment. We wanted to investigate the huge contrast between commonly portrayed high tech machines and the often unseen rusty ancient machine aesthetic, leading to a hybridization of form with an aesthetic of ancientness. The building stands as an icon of the neglected city, with rust and oxidation visible above the low rise apartments that occupy the remainder of the lot. Our building shows a visible recursiveness of parts and exposed metal elements that make up the massing. This is done while showing the anthropocentric exploitation of the metal for structural and mechanical purposes, and it is contrasted with the naturally weathered and rusted parts of the building. This exaggerated use of metals in a machinedriven form reveals a cultural problem of the fetishization of machines that we are trying to address in our project.

"investigating the potential of architecture and the aesthetics of ‘ancientness’ as a catalyst to shift the prevalent human view from anthropocentric towards ecocentric. Ecocentrism is an ontological and ethical belief that denies that there are any existential divisions between human and non-human beings."

Materiality is displayed through different ontologies of parts and conditions of metal, through both human-caused weathering and nature-caused weathering. The individual overlapping lifetimes of all the parts are emphasized through their relativity to each other and the unfathomable timelines of these parts. Metallic frames encase monolithic masses that have been carved through and built around by humans creating this metallic machine; through time, this metallic shell begins to rust over, clearly distinguishing itself as a separate entity with its own properties and compounds.