Bridging Worlds Through Narration

Course Name: HT2200

Instructor: Marcelyn Gow + Erik Ghenoiu

Teacher Assistant: Wesley Evans

Individual Work

Inspired by my favorite philosophy novel Sophie’s World, I wrote this story in the format of conversations between Sophie and Alberto. Using narrative as a rendering tool, I wished to cross different mediums of ideologies discussed in my class readings, discussing Vagueness, Abstraction and Aesthetics, and Voices, and integrating them into my story to ultimately convey my ideology that fictional characters are real objects shared by the author and the readers. These characters do not stand alone but create a rich environment around them due to the “rendering process” or writings that the author depicts. I believe that these real objects are accessible to the readers, and they influence and inspire our designs actively or subconsciously, not only in architecture but also in other related fields such as films, animations, stories, artworks etc. By investing your sincerity in Sophie’s story, you will make her truly come alive!

Vagueness

“Wake up Sophie!” Feeling two strong hands shaking her shoulders, Sophie opened her eyes with Alberto next to her bed looking livid. “What’s going on? What time is it?” “There is no time for that, come outside, we have lots to talk about! This time they went too far!” Wondering what could possibly set Alberto off like this in the middle of the night, Sophie grabbed whatever clothes she could find and went outside as fast as she could. The moon was still high in the sky, casting a silky blue glint over the meadow. “What took you so long? Never mind that, what do you know about Michelle Chang?” “Michelle Chang? Can’t the philosophy course wait until morning? We just went over Graham Harman’s Object-Oriented Ontology today!” “No, it absolutely can’t wait! Look over there!” Alberto pointed into the distance, over the meadows, the distant hills seemed to be disintegrating and being sucked into a vacuum in the sky. A sudden rush of adrenaline overtook Sophie, she can feel her heart pounding, “So what does Michelle Chang have to do with all this?” She exclaimed. “Everything Sophie!” “Where should we start, let me see, ah yes, starting with her article “Something Vague”, she argues that drawings are quantitative while images are fuzzy and gradient without a specific border. The linearity of drawings reveals clear difference between objects, leaving no room for imagination while images due to variance in resolution can create vagueness and thus ultimately incompatible with one another.” “So, I assume this has something to do with saving us from this collapsing world!”

By adding more buildings or objects into the group, they can potentially include all the colors in the color pallette by gradually shifting color from one building to another. By the same concept, if the group is big enough, any shape can be included into the same group.

To Sphere or not to Sphere

Sophie laughed hysterically. “Indeed, it does Sophie, since Michelle Chang talks about images and colors being fuzzy without borders, she thus introduced this concept of putting objects into a gradient scale much like the sorites paradox.” “A sorites paradox? Is that like how much sand is needed to be a considered a heap?” “Yes, yes Sophie, it’s attributed to the ancient Greek logician Eubulides of Miletus, the sorites paradox problematizes the limit of a heap. If one million grain is considered a heap, taking one grain away from the one million would still be considered a heap. However, one grain is not a heap. If we infinitely repeat the cycle of the first statement it will ultimately conflict with our second statement. Because it is impossible to find the exact number in which a pile of grains is considered a heap, this is not for the lack of measurement, but because of the imprecision of the word heap itself. This fundamental imprecision is what make words like “heap” vague. ” Alberto continues, “Sophie, as you know, we live in a fictional world, however, as we discussed during the day, even fictional worlds are considered objects! If we find a collection of objects that bridges fiction with reality, maybe we can create a bridge to escape from this collapsing world!” Sophie looked at Alberto in awe, “Do you mean to say that we can actually cross into the real world?” “Yes Sophie! We are the two grains that will be arrayed with the bridge of objects to break apart from this fictional world and be connected the real world!” “So, is it like we are connecting the two heaps fiction and reality into one big heap?” “Precisely! As Michelle Chang says, ‘The potential for instrumentalizing vagueness in architecture lies in the ability to systematically include or exclude things in a category in order to define it.’ We are going to redefine the borders between fiction and reality!” Sophie can see sparks of excitement dancing in Alberto’s eyes now.

Chapter Two Aesthetics

“Okay Sophie, before we start conjuring any objects, let me introduce Michael Young’s the Aesthetics of Abstraction to you. I think this knowledge will be vital for our escape plan.” “Aesthetics of Abstraction? Does that relate to Vagueness?” “Yes, but it also relates to Graham’s Object-Oriented Ontology. Young talks about aesthetics as the first philosophy, coming before any other types of philosophy, which is exactly what Harman proposes, ‘the initial way any object relates to another is through the manner that it senses the other.’ We are constantly influenced by the objects in our surrounding environment. I am certain that if we think hard enough, we will be able to find objects that cross different mediums that are influenced by one another. Speaking of crossing mediums, Young also proposed that abstraction in aesthetics can behave like a substitution, a change in medium rather than a subtraction. Sophie, can you think of any examples of this kind of behavior?” “I think so, I think the writer is messing with my head but doesn’t Joseph Kosuth’s One and Three Chairs illustrate the abstraction of a chair by changing the medium of the chair from wood, photograph, and text?” “Ah yes! Great example. I think to get out of here, we would require some outside help, but it’s them that got us in this pickle in the first place!” “The chair existing in three mediums can all be seen as chairs, yet within each of us lies a chair that is unique to us individually. This is where Harman comes in again. Unlike Heidegger who believes that real objects are inaccessible and truly withdrawn, and Husserl who flat out denies their existence, only believing in sensual objects,

4. Ibid.

Harman believes that we as individuals can have access to real objects through art and aesthetics. The unique chair that we conjured in our minds are real object that only we individuals have access to.” “So, while consciousness can never have access to real things, through the provocation of art we can create a mental representation of a real object?” Sophie can see Alberto grinning now. “It is quite amusing that the only real objects that we have access to aren’t real things, isn’t it?” “Almost as amusing as being sucked into a vacuum! Hurry we should start conjuring objects before it’s too late!”

Chapter Three Reality

Shu: “Thank you Professor Graham Harman for coming here tonight! Let me introduce you to Master Satoshi Kon the creator of the films Paprika, Perfect Blue, and Toyko Godfathers. (Satoshi and Harman shake hands)

Shu: “I appreciate you for reading the first two chapters of Sophie and Alberto’s journey. What did you guys think of it?”

Harman: “I think it’s an interesting piece, but they definitely seem to be in trouble!”

Kon: I think the idea of connecting the fictional world with reality through an arrangement of objects is an interesting concept, I am curious as to what kind of objects they are going to use as the bridge to break the barrier between their world and ours.

Shu: “I’m glad that you guys found it interesting! I am also terribly sorry for leaving them trapped like that, that is why I invited Master Satoshi Kon and yourself to assist me in helping them escape. However, before that, I just wanted to ask you Professor Harman, do you think it will be possible to share real objects in our consciousness with others?”

Harman: “That is an interesting concept, and I do understand where you are coming from. I just wonder how it would be possible to share the exact mind with another human being?”

Shu: “I am happy that you asked that question Professor Harman, Master Kon, would you like to introduce us to the device that you are holding?”

Kon: “This is a recent invention called the “DC Mini,” it allows the user to dive into the dreams of another person much like the device used in the film Paprika. As real objects are within our consciousness, they too exist in our subconscious. By using this device, perhaps we can truly share the real objects in our minds.”

Shu: “So Professor Harman and Master Satoshi Kon, would you two like to dive into my subconscious we can perhaps give Sophie and Alberto a hand?”

(Everyone puts on DC Mini)

Chapter Four

Breaking the Barrier

“Sophie where are you going!” panted Alberto, who has both hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath as he sees Sophie waving towards him in the distance, who is heading towards the singularity in the sky. Waiting for Alberto, Sophie can hear the environment around her growl louder as trees and terrains in the near distance starts crackling as they slowly get uprooted into the sky.

“Is going this direction really wise?” “Trust me, Alberto! I have a hunch!” “Ah a hunch!

Truly splendid!” “Oh, come off it! You were the one who said we need to be bridging two realities, didn’t you? It wouldn’t make much sense to make bridge on solid ground, would it?” “Also, if we are looking for a breaking point in this reality, that black hole in the sky sure seems like a good bet!” “Sophie, you’re a genius! Since real objects are not capable of direct contact, they interact through what Graham Harman calls as causation that is always vicarious, asymmetrical, and buffered. This singularity might be the vicarious causation we need!” “What is a vicarious causa… POP!” Sophie was just about to finish her sentence when the sound of an exploding balloon thundered behind them following the appearance of a middle-aged man. “Sorry about that Sophie, I’m Graham Harman. Please allow me to explain.

‘Vicarious’ means that objects confront one another only by proxy, through sensual profiles found only on the interior of some other entity. ‘Asymmetrical’ means that the initial confrontation always unfolds between a real object and a sensual one. And ‘buffered’ means that real objects do not fuse into sensual objects, nor sensual objects into their sensual neighbors, since all are held at bay through unknown firewalls sustaining the privacy of each. From the asymmetrical and buffered inner life of an object, vicarious connections arise occasionally, giving birth to new objects with their own interior spaces.”

“So, you must be the outside help that Alberto was talking about!” said Sophie, sounding thrilled. “Indeed, I am! And it’s a pleasure to finally meet you. More help is on the other side of this portal. We would need to all work together to get you guys safely out.” “So, this is the causation I was talking about!” said Alberto with joy. “That would appear to be the case. It is all very exciting to be completely honest. A typical causation involves the connection between a real object existing within the consciousness, with another real object dwelling outside of the

Caused by Investment and Sincerity

Sophie’s World Fang’s World Viscarious Causation

Alberto

Sophie

Joseph Kosuth’s One and Three Chairs

The Bridge ChairsToylike Chairs Toys

Graham Harman

Satoshi Kon Fang

Object Oriented Ontology DC Mini Sharing Consciousness

Michelle Chang’s Vagueness

Sorites Paradox intention. In this way, tunnels are constructed between objects that are otherwise quarantined in private vacuums. However, in this case the real object dwelling outside of my intention would be Sophie, your world, in the eyes of the readers like myself while your world is the real object existing within the consciousness of the author. Through a device called the DC Mini, we were able to share our consciousness; thus, simultaneously gaining access to your world together to help you escape!” “That sounds all very confusing yet awesome at the same time!” exclaimed Sophie while Alberto laughed. Suddenly the ground beneath Alberto’s feet collapsed, as Sophie sees Alberto began to lose balance and fall, she instinctively threw out her hand, praying something will happen and just like magic an object shot out of her hand and into Alberto’s direction.

Chapter Five

The Bridge, Fang’s Party

With two loud POPs! Fang and Satoshi landed on a small piece of grassy land with a doorway behind them and in front of them just below the piece of earth holding them up in the air is space that is continuously warping, concentrated on a single point. Satoshi seemly mesmerized by the constantly distorted space below, asked, “Are we in Sophie’s world right now?” “Both no and yes. We are just at the threshold between our two worlds, constructed by our collective consciousness. The door behind us will take us back to our reality while the land down below passing that warping barrier is Sophie’s world.” “So how can we help Sophie get up here?” continued Satoshi. “I think they should have the ability to get up to the singularity with Graham’s help, but we need to help them cross to this doorway behind us. We would need to 7. Ibid, 201.