Architecture 101 Part 2 A MOOC Course by iversity
Booklet of George Birdsall’s Journey From Place to Space (or from rocks (Stonehenge) to apps) 2 March 2015 to 10 April 2015 Based in Bowral, Australia and connecting to other places and spaces around the world
Table of Contents
Part 1 What I’ve Learned -
Page 3
Part 2 What I’ve Learned from Others
Page 9
Part 3 My Mental Space
Page 13
Conclusion
Page 13
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Part 1 What I’ve Learned Week 1 –Taking Measurements Week 1 starts with the Beatles finally finding Stonehenge ( #WeShallShineOn) on Monday
My image has a story starting with the John Lennon quote "We all shine on, like the moon & the stars & the sun". This leads to the Beatles being filmed near Stonehenge for the movie "Help" while singing " The Night Before" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9nYleauH7M see 1 minute 45 in video. As they didn't quite make it to Stonehenge , I thought I would help them achieve their quest under the night sky from this beautiful winter solstice video and the screen shot below https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OX0fASvkEs Then building my own log henge on Wednesday was fun and started exploring the physical not just digital
What did I learn? That place can mean many things and be represented in many ways Every place contains a story For each person has their story of that place that is very different and individual
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Week 2 –Proportions Starts with a journey into “the valley” ( #ThePrimaryFactor) on Monday
The longer we walk into a valley, the smaller we feel, even if the valley does not change size we feel it does The week continues on Thursday to discover that place can be represented by parts of the body #ItIsNotHow
I find a place that matters, it is the journey my hand takes to many places What did I learn? Proportions and place can be played with, and represented by many different objects and images over vast amounts of time Page |4
Week 3 – Technical Drawing Monday was the start of the games – the app “maze 100” - led me to discover “how even when lost, you can be found”
After some play and fun getting lost with “maze 100”, I added some scale to the maze pathways with my favourite app Bazaart The week continued the maze theme and on Friday, I slipped into the Sydney Rail Network Maze
Falling into the Sydney rail network on a giant slippery slide and ready to board the Hogwarts express What did I learn? There are symbolic mazes everywhere in our life and mazes help to focus the mind like the one in Chartres Cathedral which is replicated in Sydney - http://www.sydneylabyrinth.org/about Page |5
Week 4 – Papercut Models – Part 1 Monday and Tuesday took me back to the physical world to create a cave in my bed and on Wednesday I added some digital fun to my “bed” cave
#MaybeThe cave is big enough for two! The cave became fully decorated and paper based on Friday
#WhoWouldBelieve my Aussie rock painting paper cave What did I learn? Place can be represented in many ways Page |6
Week 5 – More Papercut Models – Part 2 Monday opened the door to the Bond papercut people.
#ThroughSpace my loving Bond cut out characters ready for action and enhanced by overlaying a James Bond theme and all to scale! Fun with scissors, tape, camera and then the old favourite #bazaart The loving Bond couple continued through the week till Friday where they became digital, dropped some of the 1950s sexism and he waited at home for her
What did I learn? That I could represent my people and place in so many different ways – physical and digital Page |7
Week 6 – Building Digital Maps This week really challenged me with apps I had no control over, and absolutely no knowledge of how they worked – challenging to let go, and just be with the result.
#MarbleIsNot on left my bazaart option after much frustration and then led to the right hand version of my wall with window and man by iLands app on iPad not sure how it happened just kept hitting buttons and the image. Very out of comfort zone! The Building Digital Maps expansion continued through the week till Friday drawing and arriving at an app Blockart helped to see it was possible to something different even if a little basic.
#ToGatherHoney my protected place to rest with +Chrissy Birdsall (block and straw options) Part 2 has flown by and I just wanted to thank everyone who has played a part in my journey in the best MOOC course on line. I really really appreciate our connections, creativity and the positive feedback. Looking forward to part 3 #bazaart #blockart
What did I learn? My Place can be many places and I continue to expand with this wonderful new knowledge of technology Page |8
Part 2 What I’ve Learned from Others The main thing I have learned from others is the sense of community, and the beauty in supporting each other in our very individual creative journeys. I still find it amazing, how many different interpretations of the same idea and words, can be created by a larger group. Yes we spin off each other, and yet no 2 creations are the same. This journey is more than a design or architecture course, it allows our brains to be rewired to see the world in so many different ways. Some of the images created in the Google + environment and also the instagram platform have been exceptional
Here is a very small sample
Starting week 1 at Stonehenge with some fun by Janet Urbina – Stonehenge rediscovered
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By Adrian Brewster week1 – "Now on this model imagine our microcosm, our little world that is, which is man with all his limbs lending, borrowing and owning - that is to say, in his natural state. For Nature has created man for no other purpose but to lend and borrow. The harmony of the heavens is not greater than his shall be under good government." Panurge in Rabelais' Gargantua and Pantegruel. HSBC, Stonehenge, wattle and daub roundhouse, time and space. #NothingIsBuilt
By Sonia Chowdhury in week 2 P a g e | 10
By Janet Urbina in week 4
Rebecca Porras in week 5
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By Marina Telezar in week6
By Janet Urbina in week6 And there are so many more!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! P a g e | 12
Part 3 My Mental Space My Mental Space has expanded beyond my wildest expectations when I started this course. The Journey from Place to Space in part 2 has complimented and continued the expansion of my being with all that I learnt in part 1 This course has challenged my mental space with new apps which have continually taken me out of my comfort zone and expanded my understanding of what is possible in the digital world.
Conclusion A Big Thank you to all the creative souls involved in setting up the course, running the course and participating in the course. Special mention to Isabelle Ayel as the Google+ moderator for her encouragement and wise insights into my work and that of all the other students on this platform. I really, really look forward to architecture 103 to starting
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