A narrative motion through a villa

A narrative motion

through a villa DALE NKD VILLA FAGERHEIM Eline FachĂŠ, Lieselore Vandecandelaere BAS master course spring 2014

Table of contents

- Paratext - Intervention, Final project

A/ Introduction text

B/ Analyse

I. Analytical drawings.

II. Room by room.

III. Subjective.

IV. Movement. shapes.

C/ Intervention, final project I. Introduction text

II. Step by step.

III. Plan. Section.

IV. Objective registration.

Narrative representation.

Movie. Pictures.

V. Narrative conversations

D/ References

A/ Introduction text

Villa Fagerheim is a villa The villa stays a villa But is not a villa

anymore

After individual analysing, reading and researching villa Fagerheim the groupwork between Eline FachĂŠ and Lieselore Vandecandecandelaere started to role. By creating drawings, linedrawings, charcoal drawings, paintings.. the villa became more readable.

A sense of creativity starts to evolve.

Combining the strengths of two individual opnions brought the following aspects together. Elements, movement and choreography.

In following narrative poems one can read how these aspects has been or can be read.

Elements An element can be or is an aspect a bit a component a detail a factor a fundamental an experience an item a material a matter a member a part a piece a principle a view elements in a space - a room furniture becomes an aspect walls become a ruin windows become a view doors become openings order disorder disorder order becomes space becomes shelter By taking away the elements there is nothingness

Movement left right, right left movement to the left right, right left

movement is surrounded by materials

materials are surrounded by movement two feet on wood, tiles, stones... the bodymovement is enclosed and enclosing space movement can be enclosed by elements it’s enclosed and enclosing space leaving, taking away or creating elements creates an architectural choreography

Choreography Movement Architectural choreography Empty spaces - movement spaces Wooden floor High ceiling, low ceiling Stairs and furniture can be implemented in the choreography Natural light Windows can function as mirrors when it’s dark outside.

56 5678 In the entrance hall, facing the stove. Make hard, strong movements with both arms.

Short break between each movement. Heartbeats. Feet stay on the same place. Introduction to the entrance hall.

Continue. Slow, smooth movements towards the dining room. Facing west.

Big strong movements. Arms and legs. Short breaks. West stays front. Feet leave their place, arms and legs move around together. Body meets the stairs. Last look to the front.

Continue. Smooth movements lower the body into the living room.

Sliding, gliding, turning, jumping trough space. No breaks. View is turning. Turning views. All views are recorded by the body. All at the same time or one at a time. Fast.

Slow. A sofa.

Comfortable feeling.

B/ ANALYSE By mapping the villa through analytical drawings, papercut models, subjective and objective drawings there evolved a thinking proces where movement and choreography became an important part of the study. By analysing movement in the villa there existed an understanding about how people move through and around the rooms. An understanding of where the design will lead us.

I. Analytical drawings Textures.

Tiles, wooden floor, plastic floor covering.

Elements.

Walls, tables, chairs, sofa’s, beds, toilets,..

Folding spaces.

Unfolding spaces.

Papercut models.

View and pattern.

View without pattern.

Pattern without view.

Ground floor.

The floorpatterns are drawn as in present state. The personality of each room By drawing the floor in present state, detail by detail. The personality of the villa

Ground floor.

There is no end, no beginning. Spaces get purified.

Furniture gets connected in a different way then it used to be.

Basement floor.

A clear and pure view of how the reality can be translated into a ‘technical’ drawing. The way the furniture is put into the plan feels natural.

Basement floor, textures.

Abstract illustration of how the floor is like without building. The different floors are seperated by empty tracks.

Furniture. Basement floor.

Orderd from small to big.

Seeing how many impact one piece of furniture can have next to another.

Furniture. Ground floor.

Orderd from small to big. The more pieces furniture get arranged next to each other the more crowded it feels.

Even without people.

table

table

bookshelve

bookshelve

bookshelve

chair

bookshelve

bookshelve

desk

sink

shower

stove

bed

toilet

desk

bed bed

Basement floor.

Reading furniture that is standing next to each other.

Seeing how the furniture is arranged in a room.

shelve

sink

case

bed

ch ai r

case

ch ai r

ch ai

ch ai r

ta r cha bl ir e ch

ai r

case

case

r

ai

ch

table

chair

table

l oo

st

closet

sofa

stool

closet

et buck

chair

sofa

carpet l oo st

d be st

oo

l

st

oo

l

sink

stool

bed

closet

oo

table

chair

bed

r airchair chaich

shower

toilet

chair

case

sofa

l

cupboard

desk

table

chair

closet

chair

Ground floor.

When the furniture is not arranged in a proper way there excists chaos. Even when the abstract name of the furnitrue is used.

desk

bath

carpet

table

chair chair

sink

sink

oo

sink

toilet

sink

toilet

shower

stove

chairchair

table

st

st

closet

sink

table

l

chair cupboard

cupboard

sofa

bed

coffee table

stool

coffee table

cocklestove

seat seat

bed bed

t

coffee table

a se

chair

II. Room by room An unfolded space.

With a view.

With textures and furniture.

An unfolded space.

Without a view.

Without textures and furniture.

Differend experiences.

By papercut models.

Ground floor, office.

Textures, furniture and a view.

Ground floor, living room.

Textures, furniture and a view.

Ground floor, entrance hall.

Textures, furniture and a view.

Ground floor, dining room.

A view.

Papercut model.

Folded.

Papercut model.

Room by room.

III. Subjective Erase walls.

Erase furniture.

Fold rooms.

Fold furniture.

Movement.

Edit textures.

Basement floor.

Papercut spaces.

Ground floor.

Papercut furniture.

Charcoal drawing.

Ground floor.

Papercut textures.

Charcoal drawing.

Basement floor.

Papercut furniture.

Charcoal drawing.

Ground floor.

Papercut furniture.

Ground floor.

Movement.

Pencil drawing.

Basement floor.

Papercut textures.

IV. Movement. Shapes.

Plastic shapes.

Plastercasts.

Drawings.

Aquarel.

Different scales.

Movement through the villa.

Movement.

Aquarel painting. Soft colors meet each other while gentle lines running thorugh.

Movement interrupted by a strong but subtle line.

Movement.

Liines drawn from one room to the other. Movement is captured on paper.

Shapes.

Movement.

Inkdrawing.

Movement.

Shapes.

Plaster models.

C/ INTERVENTION, FINAL PROJECT Curtains.

Start point and end point.

End point and start point.

Behind the curtain.

On the other side.

Interspace.

Diffused light.

Layers.

Surrounding objects.

Surrounding the body.

I. Introduction text.

In the project the villa is kept as it was. Restored as it was.

Seeing the villa as norwegian heritage from the 60’s and using it for other purposes gives the advantage to explore the villa in a more spacial way. Spacial in how it used to be. Using the not yet decrepited domestic spaces as an experimental environment gave the advantage of using a new way of expessing allready existing architecture.

keep what is there

make it interact with small interventions After earlier thorough analysis of the villa and first introductions of movement in space the understanding of the word ‘architectural’ choreography developed. The meaning of the word choreography is not only the composition of dance steps and sequences in a space. It’s an established way of dealing with space as a human being. Architectural choreography can either mean a dance/ movement in a space or it can have the meaning of how the space leads the human being, the body through space. The last meaning where architecture or objects create a choreography for a person is applied in further proces in the villa. It’s about connecting and disconnecting spaces, how to interrupt the daily rhythm. How to use the present objects in another way.

In contrast to Gordon matta clarck, who connects or disconnects spaces by removing parts of existing architectural elements, it is adding elements that connect and disconnect spaces. The japanese fusuma seemed the perfect element to divide space but it’s too harsh, too stiff. A subtle addition is needed.

Gordon matta clarck Conical Intersect, 1975

A gentle motion A gentle, intensive motion is created.

Diffused, scattered light is coming through curtains hanging from the ceiling. Curtains moving in the original furnished spaces, forming its own space within another volume. They suggest how a space can be used or can be perceived by only adding this thin, almost transparent layer. The curtains one can see as drastic interventions and the other can see as a subtle movement added in space. An unpredictable choreography gets its lead in the villa. The difference between open and closed curtains becomes very decisive for the room. Although when the curtains are fully closed a permanent space excists each time all the curtains get closed.

Refering to The Glass Pavilion of SANAA in Ohio where permanent spaces are created by glass and curtains, there is also this permanent shape created by the curtain rails on the ceiling in the villa.

When the curtains are fully open there are only a few bundles of fabric hanging down. Only these few obstacles are forming then the choreographical basics. When the curtains are closed there arises some passages through and around the curtains. Intimate rooms are formed. By adding these permanent curtains in a careful way in the room the view becomes an important aspect of the intervention. The view gets unabled at some point. It gets modified. The mind interacts with the thoughts of thats what is there but cannot be seen. Yet the new spaces in the villa challenge preconceived notions of living by the openness of the spaces in a villa. The way of living, moving and using the new spaces is now more a philosophical aspect, than one of design.

The intervention itself The experience of spaces in the villa is illustrated in following explanatory text about parts of the intervention. Main aspects in following examples are interspace, transitional space, interaction, height differences and layered curtains.

The first main part of the intervention is situated in the dining room which is connected to the living room. There are three curtains hanging from the ceiling creating 2 shapes, one in the dining room and one in the living room. The intimate spaces are there where the original furniture still stands. By changing the floorpatterns in these intimite spaces the experience changes.

A warm wooden floor changes into a soft concrete floor. And a warm wooden floor changes into a cold marmble floor. The different floor patterns change the way the human body interacts with the floor in that intimite space. The user is lead by the architectural choreography. By placing the curtain near to the wall interspaces and transitional spaces are created when the curtains are closed or half open. The body is located between two different kinds of material. A soft surface on the left and a hard surface on the right. The interaction with the villa gets intimite in a way, the views out of the window feel more open and the height of the ceiling feels different. Walking along the curtain and between two curtains gives an enclosed but playful feeling. Layered curtains are surrounding the movement in the villa.

living room

dining room

II. Plan. Sections.

Plan. Ground floor.

Section I. II. III. I.

II.

III.

III. Various choreographies.

Curtains enclosing space.

Creating intimate spaces.

Curtains hanging down from the ceiling. Forming bundles.

IV. Objective registration.

Narrative representation.

Movie. Pictures.

Watch movie: https://vimeo.com/96695379 By creating a movie where the furniture and the model gets registrated there forms an understanding how the intervention takes place in the villa. This registration combined with a spatial way of filming gives a notion how the intervention is going to be.

Living room. Curtain open.

Living room. Curtain closed.

Living room.

V. Narrative conversations.

As explained in the introduction text there are two possibilities how architectural choreography can be applied in the villa. The possibility chosen in further process leads the body trough space in the villa, architecture or objects create a choreography for the human body. To fulfill this meaning there is a need of performers who perform that chosen choreography made with curtains and furniture. The choreography is developped to be performed.

The villa has no specific function so far and is not supposed to have one. It can be a private villa at one point and later have a public purpose. Based on this understanding combined with the narrative way of thinking and writing methods of the architects 51N4E in the book ‘Reasons for walling a house’, two different scenario’s with the same choreography are created. This is additional to the project.

Two different scenario’s with the same choreography are created. First there is the story of a couple who lives in the villa and the way they interact with each other in their villa. Next to this first story there is the story of two visitors, unfamiliar with the villa and unfamiliar with each other. Two scenario’s telling something different in the same space. One is personal, the other has a sense of curiousity.

By using narrative subjective drawings to illustrate these stories one gets a spacial feeling how the project may appear in the villa. A feeling is generated when the narrative conversations are read.

couple

visitors

He:

He:

“How do you feel?”

“What kind of music do you prefer?”

She: “...”

He: “I feel the same”

She: “Rhythmical music.”

He: “Rodrigo y Gabriella?”

She: “Perfect.”

place

He:

He:

“Do you want some biscuits?”

“Do you think we can take some water?”

She: “No thanks, I’ve had enough.”

He: “You’re getting fat.”

She: “...”

He: “I mean it.”

She: “I think so...”

He: “Do you want some?”

She: “Yes please.”

She:

She:

“I feel good.”

“Lets go into this room.”

He:

He:

“...”

“It’s blue...”

She:

She:

“Your warmth...”

“Look outside...”

He:

He:

“...”

“It’s dark.”

She: “It’s mine.”

She:

She:

“Are you brushing your theeth?”

“Did you see the tiles in the toilet?”

He:

He:

“Yes.”

“Which toilet?”

She:

She:

“...”

“Next to our sleeping room.”

He: “...”

She: “Can you bring my bathrobe? it’s cold.”

She:

She:

“Come here.”

“Guess how long the curtain is.”

He: “Where?”

He:

She:

“Maybe two meters and fifty centimeters high.”

“It’s cosy here.”

She:

He:

“And.., how long?”

“The fire is burning.”

He:

She:

“I should measure it.”

“Behind the curtain.”

He:

He:

“What happend yesterday?”

“Waaw what a view.“

She:

She:

“I’m reading the paper.”

“I llive in that white house.”

He:

He:

“But yesterday...”

“Down there?”

She:

She:

“Maybe tomorrow.”

“Next to the blue one.”

He:

He:

“I can hear you.”

“Sorry, what was your name again?”

She: “...”

He: “I’m happy you’re here.”

She: “I like this place.”

She: “Shall I close the curtain?

He: “...”

She: “It’s soft.”

He:

He:

“Maybe we should walk.”

“Am I burned?”

She:

She:

“The sun is shining in my eyes”

“It’s raining...”

He: “Let’s go inside.”

She: “How do you feel?”

He: “Yesterday...”

She: “A little.”

She:

He:

“Are you dressing up?”

“I don’t get it...”

He:

She:

“There is an exhibition.”

“What?”

She:

He:

“Where?”

“It keeps on going.”

He:

She:

“Do you want to join?”

“We have time.”

She: “...”

She:

She:

“What socks are you wearing?”

“I like it here.”

He: “My favourite...”

She: “I was wondering.”

He: “I like to feel the grass between my toes.”

He: “So do I.” She: “Why white?”

He: “It’s fresh.”

He:

He:

“It’s raining.”

“Maybe...”

She:

She:

“I love you.”

“What?

He:

He:

“I don’t feel like running.“

“Do you feel it aswell?“

She: “Let’s eat.”

He: “I want you.”

She:

She:

“Stupid curtain...”

“Where are you?”

He:

He:

“What?”

“On the other side.”

She: “I spilled on it.”

He:

He:

“How do you feel?”

“What kind of music do you prefer?”

She: “...”

He: “I feel the same”

She: “Rhythmical music.”

He: “Rodrigo y Gabriella?”

She: “Perfect.”

D/ References.

Pina Bausch. Dancer and choreographer William Forsythe. Choreographer.

Gordon Matta Clark. Photographer.

Alvar Aalto. Architect and furniture design.

Eileen Grey. Architect and furniture design.

Le Corbusier. Architect and furniture design.

51N4E. Architect office.

SANAA. Architect office.

DOORZON architects. Architect office.

Pina Bausch