EASA008 /// ireland /// letterfrack /// issue 05 /// monday, august 18 2008
BREAKING NEWS! NIJA
SLOVE
HRVATSK
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IS S I TH THE TO ’T N DO
E CK TI CE AN ING. R T EN MEET ! E TH ING Y!!! A EN EV W AW RO TH
I BOSNA OVINA HERCEG
SRBIJ
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18.08.08
CRNA GORA*
JUGOSL VIJA
REUNITED
KOSOVO
M *absent
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NIJ
DO AKE
due to laziness
The nations of South Slaves have gathered yesterday in the Lounge. After drinking themselves to death they have decided to reunite Jugoslavija in the quest for eternal glory in the Olympics in Peking. The union has brought additional advantages to the prospering nations. The new nation will take Slovenians place in the European Union, all the issues of the borders will be resolve and the national drinks will be mixed in one big tasty liquid. To celebrate the revolutionary day all the rapresentatives of the European nations are invited to take part at the first new European Union Meeting where NEW Jugoslavia will recieve the all time precidency. The event will take place in the event tent of EASA in Weatherfrack on Monday 18 at 21:30. * there are rumors that an eminent person might be attending the meeting. Have something to say? 1
HORSEBACK RIDING AT CLEGGAN BEACH A *REAL* PAIN IN THE ASS
On Sunday, we had to get up quite early to be prepared at 8.30. After another long night it was a bit of a challenge, but all the participants showed up in time. Hugo tested our mental and physical fitness (standing in a line on one leg) and then we had a short bus ride together with the people heading to the island.
looking (which was in fact all she was looking for) and Franziska’s Minnie was friendly but a lame old beast. Just to mention there were also some nice and temper horses, well enough for a nice gallop such as Yvonnes’ Samson.
ended abruptly in the first pub in the small village of Cleggan. There they happened to meet the bus drivers, which obviously were brightening up their waiting time with a pint or two… After an hour and a half the groups changed places and so did sun and clouds. Of course there had to be a bit rain, as we are in Ireland, for those who don’t remember!
While the first group was enjoying the view from the horse’s back with nice weather and – After we arrived in the Cleggan imagine!! – some blue sky, the Beach Riding Centre a friendly others went for a walk which woman gave us the needed equipment (hats and boots - all wet) and assigned the horses. It was fun to watch the first group ‘mounting’ the horses, because most of them were not the size you expect when you think of a Connemara pony…
The second group also arrived slowly and safe at the beachside, which was in fact a nice but really short piece of sand along the seaside. We enjoyed twenty minutes of trotting there and back and some nice gallop for the more experienced ones. Then we headed towards the water to cool down the horse’s hoofs (and our feet too, because water was splashing from down and from top). Soon the ride was over and also some participants came to an end with their riding skills. As Henrik put it well: “I think he was more leading me than I was him…” At two o’clock everybody was happy to come back to the centre in one piece and to get warm again in the pub. All in all it was a really nice and comfortable day in the “most beautiful place on earth” as small girls (or boys) would say: on the back of a horse.
Pekka got Blondie, a real “crazy horse”, which absolutely wanted to take him back to the stable. So he left him gladly to Villa, who was petrified. Henrik’s horse Henry had a beard, Karl tried to get a “real horse” with bollocks but he didn’t get one, Frieda’s Barnie was only good
Villa on crazy horse
Tine on Pajkos and Henrik on Henry
The EASA crew
Irish phrase of the day. TA ME TINN [taw may tin] I am sick. 2
By the way: Yes, our butts are hurting as hell!!
Blond Sigurd on Blondie
Readers corner: Did you know…
…that there are no Gypsies in Ireland! Do you remember the popular topic of yesterdays dinner conversation? GYPSIES of course! Watch out, keep your camera in your underwear and put a gun under your pillow while you are sleeping because THEY are here! Thousands of them. They heard about US and they came. If we survived the rain, yesterday it seemed that Gypsies would finish the survivors... Let’s try to be a little bit more serious. This comment is not to deny the reality of a situation (that we actually don’t know anything about!), but to have the opportunity to understand a little bit more about what’s going on. There are actually no “Gypsies” in Ireland. These people refer to themselves as “Pavees ” and consider the term “Gypsies” as an offense. One could now start to come up with a short history of these people, who have in fact no real connection with Sinti and Roma, but in the end Wikipedia might do a good job for a start. So go and check, if you really care so much! Using the right words is perhaps the first step to have a constructive talk, and to do what nobody will do for us: Being aware of the world we are living in, and (de)constructing our own point of view. Since in the end, we will have to deal with this ‘reality’ around usEspecially as architects. So let’s try to consider the facts, and do not let fears and fantasies exclude the reality from our reflection! To finish we might recommend you a movie, “Into the west” [Mike Newell,1992], maybe another way to understand these people, not like in the Movie “Snatch”. Refering to the ‘EASA-Spirit’ : Let’s fuck the clichés for a change. Konrad,Pierre A note from the editors: We’re sorry. We’re not native speakers in the end and sometimes we don’t know all the right terms. Just passed the message that was told during the NC meeting. No harm was planned to be done… Sorry again!
WATCH YOUR MOUTHS
Language is the most important tool we have for communication; it is said that through learned discourse man can rise above the savage and closer to god. Unfortunately it seems that all the rain, booze and sleep deprivation is turning many EASA participants into savages these days. Here is a collection of interesting quotes taken from around the school. If you are bored , you can try to match the names to the quote. Some names have been omitted to preserve participants dignity. Quotes “Marten, I am so sore!” “The most exciting part is when you enter the horse.” “The Belgians made me take a knee, then they put the horn inside me and filled me up.” “I too like to sweat with lots of meat inside me.” “Good Bondage” “Christoph, why are you always so wet when you come?” “I am very confused, Marten wants to kiss me” “He was standing there wearing nothing but a smile.” “ Blathmhac’s new name is Aslan.” “Leave me alone Christoph or I am going to fucking kill you.” “C’mon, naked.” “My bag was raped by a dog”. “I hate people.” “Have you seen my clothes?”
Names Yvonne Michel Hugo Pointillart Christoph Holz Alkistis Thomidou Big Joe Frame (trying to be woken up for breakfast duty) Hugo Lamont Jera Ziva Puterle
BRIAN ANSON’S STORIES Spontaneously after Friday’s one o’clock lecture about Covent Garden, a further one was arranged for Saturday. This time Brian told us the story about his basement studio at the Architecture Association School of Architecture (AA) and its work. Although we live in a different era there is a lot to learn from the 70s attempts for revolution. EASA itself could benefit from these lessons as well trying to be more than just a 2 week workshop with a party with friends but a place to build a network that can be used in the future to achieve something grand. On the note of the discussion occurred after the lecture about the differences of the two generations: although we feel that we cannot repeat the group acts of the 70s, since we live in times of the information revolution where we are encouraged by the media that we can only exist in society if we are amazing and unique, although we all have our worries and duties that take the most of our time and have no time to waste on stupid stuff like that, we need to remember that just by stopping and talking to somebody new may change the view of your world. So there is a call for all the participants to the EASA 2008 to go beyond the weather conversations and start discussing how to change things all together. More stories to come – look for a lecture tomorrow noon!
MISSING! A EASA-supplied MacBookPro seems to be missing. It has been used bu the Teleology workshop and is labeled as No. 22. It has been missing since Saturday. If you know anything about it, contact John and Gary, the Irish tutors, immediately! Thanks!
Irish saying of the day. Beagan agus a ra go maitH [byug/onn ogg/iss a raw guh mot] Say little but say it well 3
RICHARD MURPHY: BACK TO EASA! Richard Murphy, the organizer of the first (and the only, as he thought at that time) EASA together with Geoff Haslam (we interviewed him last year for “Umbrella”!), gave us a lecture today. Having arrived yesterday and already introduced to the party animals late at night, today Mr. Murphy presented us the work he and his colleagues at Richard Murphy Architects in Edinburgh have done and have been awarded for in almost 17 years.
Music & Performing Arts Building At Cedars Hall Wells Cathedral School
A number of projects, mostly housing and several public buildings, was presented. Starting from “fixing” old Scottish houses, the tour continued to building from scratch, and we were even introduced to Mr. Murphy’s own house, which originally had been built for a client, then rented from her and then bought by Mr. Murphy himself! That’s a wise trick for all of us fellow architects. We travelled to Ireland and Scotland and England and even Sri Lanka to see some of Mr. Murphy’s work. A novelty 3D movie with animated robotic people and even a live concert was shown about Music & Performing Arts Building At Cedars Hall Wells Cathedral School in England! That was a shocking but interesting experience!
Sean Connery Filmhouse, Edinburgh
“I am trying to make architecture of its time and of its place”. “One should look for underlined patterns of the place and build on them, as well as for said, you’re very lucky if you have a single original idea in your life. So you can steal”. “Every project I do is the same”. “I hate fashion in architecture”. “I like disappearing corners”. “Detailing buildings is one of the best phases of architecture”. “It’s great fun doing little things, so don’t be disappointed if you don’t get to do big projects in the beginning”. “The best way to learn architecture is to measure it and draw it”. “Furniture should be a part of architecture”. “Occasionally a client has a good idea, which is quite annoying, because we are the ones who have to bring ideas”. “Edinburgh is a schizophrenic city”. “When you win a competition, the result rarely turns out the way you expected”. The lecture was ended with the entering of Brian Aston, who, having not spoken to Richard Murphy for 30 years, did that… One participant asked a question about EASA – what impact did the event have on Mr. Murphy’s further life. And the answer was simple and warm – it was the ability to make friends with people you wouldn’t be able to meet without EASA.
Here are some quotes from the lecture, both inspiring and having made us smile:
Happy clients in a disappearing windown: House At Killeenaran, Galway
More inspiration at www.richardmurphyarchitects.com
Proud Kraftkans We spent a few minutes talking to Chris Maloney from UK, one of the three tutors of the KRAFTKA Workshop (the others being Dijana Omeragic from Macedonia and Gizem Candemir from Turkey). Right now they’re split up at three different locations around the campus working with construction, media installations and LEDs. At first Chris wasn’t too keen on actually telling us what the KRAFTKA pavillion is about since he “want people to experience it first hand”. The name KRAFTKA is a combination of Craft and Franz Kafka, the 20th century modernist writer. The idea is to build a site specific pavillion which awake the senses and inspire the imagination of the visitor. Chris also gave us some keywords in order order to understand how the uses their references: Kafka - Absurdity, Displacement, Uncertainty. Craft – Location, Multimedia, Replicate.
Kafka would be proud of all the mediahacking and constructing...
The physical construction methods builds upon the local tradition of the Letterfrack furniture collage and all media is produced during EASA. In this way the same method could be used worldwide but always have different outcome. The pavillion was designed during the first day and construction started shortly after. Already from the start the motto “The best workshop ever” was established, and it seems encourages the participants meet up in time, work hard and contribute with ideas. So far, we’re really intrigued by their pride and the somewhat secretive approach and are really looking forward to experience the pavilion and let our senses get blown away by the proud Kraftkans. Even though it is an physical object being produced during the workshop the actual result will require users and visitors as the final ingredient – now, isn’t that architecture for you!
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will stay there waiting for you to pay a visit. For those who couldn’t make it this morning, videos will be running all day long at the undercroft so if you are having a brake, grab a coffee and have a look!
Are you cold? Do you miss the Elefsinian weather? Are the memories fading???We are here to warm you up and bring back good memories! This morning a big surprise was awaiting those who managed to come for breakfast. Apart from rice crisps, coffee and hot porridge you could enjoy videos as well as the exhibition posters from all last year’s workshops which travelled all the way from Greece and has been hanged up in Ellis hall! The exhibition
And you know what?? If you want to take those memories back home you could ask for the digital file of all posters as well as the videos. Useless information of the day
Our brain is 80% water...so don’t complain being wet!!! Calling all tall people, are you tired of having to bend down to talk to small people? Do you get fed up with people saying “You are really tall”? If this is the case, then come and join the HIGH-RISE FUN CLUB An association by tall people, for tall people. Attend our nightly meetings at the undercroft for intelligent conversations, witty banter and serious discussions about how to further the tall agenda. See club president Thomas Cattrysse (BE) for further information. Minimum height – as tall as Paul Farrell (UK). Small ladies people can apply for the highly covered position of arm rest for the taller members. Approx height – 160 cm.
A MESSAGE FROM NOMADIC INSTAMATIC WORKSHOP (CHRISTOPH AND PAUL, UK)
GOSSIP We’ve been collecting it for some time now, but we are always eager to hear more! - In the first National Evening, the Finnish sauna was presented. One Finnish participant was enjoying his own creation so much that he took all his clothes off. And they were stolen. - A few personalities were noticed to be swinging on electric wires! That IS crazy. Please don’t do it any more. - A big strong Irishman was raped by a Labrador.
Idiom of the day, translated from German by Schorsch and Yvy
Rather in a cold circustent, then sweating at a mourning course. 5
the HUM:ARC tutors left some of their DVDs and books to the buses frow Dublin. If you were travelling in the bus number 8, or know something what happened to “Mike Davis: Planet of Slums”,”Favela Uprising”, “Dark Days” or “Black Gold”, please let us know! (We are working mostly in the Creche.) - Inari, Noora and Ashild. MAIL LOSTIES AND FOUNDIES TO easa008umbrella@gmail.com
THE ULTIMATE EASA HOROSCOPE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Leo Put your mental abilities to the test today and try to figure out how best to spend the money you have in a non-frivolous way.
Aries Find yourself someone to settle down with today. Don’t be choosy - just pick at random.
Virgo Being sexy and being sexist are not one and the same. Just a warning!
Taurus Your lucky number for today is 9. Meaning you shouldn’t have more drinks!
Gemini One of your inner twins seems to be picky about unnecessary things... Relax!
Libra Having to stop today and go to sleep will seem like a prison sentence... but some work has to be done tomorrow!
Cancer Ask advice from someone older today in order to avoid making a fool of yourself. Reward them with a candy.
Scorpio Avoid falling asleep in a wrong sleeping bag maybe tie a string to it and the other end to your toe before going to the party?
PEKKA’S
Saggitarius Mismatched socks are so in right now, so don’t worry if you can’t find the “regular” pair! Capricorn Be careful if you decide to drink the yellow water. Because it might be beer as well!
Aquarius It’s finally time for you to get that temporary tattoo. Now for the important question: Spongebob or a butterfly? Pisces If you have lost something during EASA, tonight’s the best time to find it because of the full moon. Look in your neighboring scaffolding!
BOX
Pekka: Okay, ******, so can you describe the problem a bit. You know, the one you’re having with A girl. ******: The problem is that I made out with a girl and I can’t really say I’m in love, but I want to know her better. And it seems she’s taking some distance. Pekka: I suggest a three-phased solution for you. First you should ignore her for a while, then make her jealous somehow, perhaps like pretending to be a Swedish gay couple with Stef. That will drive her crazy and she’ll fall in love with you. Pekka: Okay, so what about the blonde girl behind the desk, Blaffertje? Blaffertje: She’s too blonde to fall in love with, but I actually fell in love with her in her blue jeans. And I really liked the contrast between her hair and the jeans. Pekka: I can see you’re staring at her intensively. Blaffertje: I keep staring, but… You’re not gonna publish this. Pekka: Yes I am.
AN ITALIAN TIP FOR EASA LOVE: IF YOU WANT TO MAKE IT LAST FOREVER (OR AT LEAST AFTER EASA), YOU BOTH HAVE TO MOVE TO ANOTHER COUNTRY IN WHICH YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND THE LANGUAGE ... GOOD LUCK! 6