OSA Issue 7 - Subtext by James Barrell

fR RoM oUr r sPo PoNs NsOr Ns OrS Or S,rPp

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kInDlY sPoNsOrEd kInDlY sPoNsOrEd bY: bY: ROBIN PARTINGTON AND PARTNERS www.rpplondon.com ASSAEL ARCHITECTURE www.assael.co.uk

With thanks to: EDITORS Sonia Tong James Barrell Maria Mavrikou Kate Ridgeway Jing Zhi Tan Maira Tzanidaki

Matt Gaskin Head of the School of Architecture Stig and Deborah Oxford Greenprint Rekha Giddy

GRAPHIC EDITORS Engeland Apostol Roxanne Cowley Ang Shaw Hern (Shawn) Germaine Tan Wan Zheng OSA TEAM Katherine Birkett Ayanna Blair Ford Ivona Georgieva Stephany Govier Susan Krzyzanowska Amy Johnson James Redman Sanjeevani Veer PRINTING GREENPRINT Room 1/OARC East Oxford Community Centre Princes Street OX4 1DD You’re more than welcome to share, modify and distribute this publication in any form, but we think it’s good manners to get in touch with the original authors ﬁrst if you’d like to republish any of their content. All

Programme Administrator OxArch OxArch School of Architecture Student Society

eDiToRiAl Subtext: what is unspoken, what is hidden or masked, what is written and also what is read between the lines. In a world where propaganda, agenda and media bias blurs into “fake news” and “alternative facts”, the ability and need to distil opinion from truth is becoming increasingly critical in our society. Subtext disguises ulterior motives but can also be harnessed for satire and protest. Ambiguity is its shield; metaphor its weapon. Our contributors have ﬁttingly offered views on the theme from different perspectives, from the cultural differences in social etiquette and behaviour to examining latent expressions of division in politics and identity. We have been furnished with drawings of contentious, unbuilt projects and speculative wearable technology that detects the invisible. A choice selection are published in this half-issue as our juicy trailer: from the next academic year, our biannual magazine will now be published in full in October and February.

images are the author’s own unless otherwise noted.

CONTACT t: @OSA_Mag i: @osabrookes w: www.osamag.co.uk e:osazine@gmail.com

For weekly studio updates, reviews of OxArch lectures

We’d like to thank the OSA team for their dedication and enthusiasm whilst juggling their degrees with producing two and a half issues and a structural overhaul of our committee, as well as our sponsors for supporting us ﬁnancially over the last year. As we look forward to becoming more integrated with OxArch and the activities of the school of Architecture next year, we hope that OSA will continue to be a platform for Brookes students to explore writing as a way of articulating and understanding architectural critique. As we asked in our brief for OSA Issue 7: Subtext, if a picture paints a thousand words, why do we bother writing about architecture at all?

and much more, follow our new improved blog at osamag.co.uk/blog

- The Editors

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mOsTaR 1993 : sOcIaLiSt cUlTuRe rEsTaRt Carine Chin, second year MArchD student, provides an insight into the narrative that forms the basis for a design project in Mostar, Bosnia.

Project : Mostar 1993 dives back into an alternate world, where the allied powers of the Croats and the Bosniaks lost the Bosnian War in 1992, and the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia continues to rule its six republics, including Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1993. The Ministry of Post ConďŹ&#x201A;ict Rehabilitation of Yugoslavia was immediately set up by the federal state government to heal the destruction. Vena, a Serbian architect and the founder of VENA & Partners in Belgrade, is commissioned by the Ministry to propose a design strategy to reconstruct the war torn city of Mostar. Here follows excerpts from her diary.

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25 March 1993 Mostar, Bosnia & Herzegovina What a hectic but fruitful first day in Mostar! Today marks our first presentation of Project : Mostar 1993 to the Ministry of Post Conflict Rehabilitation. About a month ago, I received an unexpected phone call from Minister Dobroslav to take up a reconstruction job for Mostar. In the conversation, he sounded rather positive and constantly expressed his high expectation for the project as the state government is ready to invest more in Mostar, due to its potential of becoming another socialist catalyst city in the Bosnian region after Sarajevo. He wanted the damaged city to be redesigned from a utopian point of view, which should reflect the characteristics of Yugoslav architecture - experimental, decentralised and permissive. As a Yugoslavian, I always acknowledge the fact that our architecture has been a contrast to the principles of Socialist realism, serving the late President Josip Broz Tito’s wish to emphasise our country’s independence from the Soviet Union since the late forties. Bogdan Bogdanovic’s work is one of the best examples to represent Yugoslav architecture for its experimental, archaic and mythological forms. Ever since Tito’s death in 1980, Yugoslav architecture has been losing its sparks, mainly due to political instabilities. We almost forgot how Yugoslav architecture excelled at its technology advancement after World War II, how we attracted worldwide attention for our intensive experiments in reinventing social relations, how we plunged into experimentation and utopian thinking without reservation for creating futuristic yet pragmatic architecture.

In today’s meeting, we presented the utopian architecture of Mostar through some designs for postcards and collages of some of Vjenceslav Richter’s works. The Ministry was very impressed by the design methodology as well as the idea of continuing and realising Vjenceslav Richter’s concept of “sinturbanizam” (synthesis urbanism), probably the only full-fledged utopian vision ever imagined in the socialist Yugoslavia back in the fifties. The idea is to compress the cities into “ziggurats” to solve the problem of mobility and to minimise time wasted in travelling. Its signature shape is formed by apartment units cascading down its sides, each with a generous terrace. The intention is to have each ziggurat functioning as a self-managing community, with all living functions as part of the collective organism, gaining a sense of belonging and responsibility. Richter’s sinturbanizam is contemporary to Yona Friedman’s urban voids, Japanese Metabolism and Archigram due to their shared characteristics: a focus on mobility, a technocratic approach to solving problems, organicism as the underlying metaphor for the solution and megastructure as specific form of solution. Despite the Ministry’s ambitious vision for the future Mostar, we also have a concern with preserving a handful of significant and repairable post-war monuments in Mostar, like the Neretva Hotel, Razvitak Mall, Beirut Apartment and Mostar Railway Station, which we have successfully incorporated in today’s proposal. We are glad that the Ministry shares our thoughts, as we believe this city needs a proper representation of its past for a dynamic and optimistic future, carrying the mutual culture and symbolism vital to its society. Speaking of preservation, I have more good news from today’s meeting - because it is not an effective means integration off functional functi fu fun c ona cti ct o l inte nte te egr gr tio gra gratio tion n and and doe doess not not join the divided portions of the Ministry has nally cityy of cit of Mostar, Mos Mos o ar, th ost the e Mini M ini n stry strr y h a fi as fin nallllllyy agreed agre agre grreed not to reconstruct the Old Bridge, Stari Most! be able Bridge Bri dge,, Star dge S ta i M tar ost!! IIn ost n tthat hat case e we we wil willl b ea ble to spend the funds on practical meaningful more mor e prac p ractic rac ra t al a and nd meani m eani an niingf n ngful ng ngf ul projects ul pr jec pro e tss to to create job opportunities and accelerate accele acc elerat ele rate rat e the the e economic econom eco nomic nom ic c recovery. rec ec

“tHe iDeA iS tO cOmPrEsS tHe cItIeS iNtO ’zIgGuRaTs‘ tO sOlVe tHe pRoBlEm oF mObIlItY aNd tO mInImIsE tImE wAsTeD iN tRaVeLlInG”

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16 June 1993 I just heard the most outrageous story today! I always remember how passionate the Yugoslav people were about science and technology back in tv he sixties and seventies. Thanks to the Tito-Stalin split in 1948, it was easier for Yugoslavians to smuggle computers in from Italy compared to other countries in the Soviet Bloc. Since Nikola Tesla also came from Croatia, Yugoslavia has also contributed to the flourishing sci-fi, comic book and tech scene in this region. Some sci-fi stories even came with ideological messages from utopian communists for propaganda purposes. This morning, the Ministry of Post Conflict Rehabilitation called for an urgent meeting at The Government Building. I was told that the agenda was to discuss the latest updates of Project : Mostar 1993, and I must come alone. I did not like this feeling of secrecy. The Ministry wanted me to meet a man named Ivan Pavic, who was one of the thirty Yugoslav engineers forced to leave his family, fake his death and funeral to move and work for NASA undercover, whilst everyone including their families thought they had been killed in a road accident thirty years ago! His return was an undisclosed arrangement by the state government for him to take up the position as a special consultant for Project : Mostar 1993, because the Ministry has decided to make Mostar a Yugo-Futurist Town! This development would serve as a space and astronautical science centre to protect and nurture Yugoslavia’s most intellectual resources. The nation’s greatest scientists and geniuses will be provided with a supportive work environment with state-of-the-art homes, facilities and institutions. Mr Pavic’s story reminds me of the conspiracy theory of Yugoslavia being

Belgrade, Serbia

”wHeThEr tHe sToRy iS tRuE oR nOt, tHe sTaTe gOvErNmEnT’s iDeA oF cReAtInG aN aStRoNaUtIcAl aNd sPaCe sCiEnCe cEnTrE iN mOsTaR iS rAtHeR bRiLlIaNt.“ the forgotten third player in the Space Race after the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War , where Tito made a secret multibillion-dollar deal with the United States for Yugoslavia’s clandestine space programme in the early sixties (perhaps explaining how we got overseas ﬁnancial aid to boost our economy). The myth indicated that the United States was furious with Tito as the imported space programme was underdeveloped and failed to deliver its promised results for NASA’s future moon landing. Hence, the poor Mr Pavic and his entire space program team were forced to move to Houston to make the technology work. Whether the story is true or not, the state government’s idea of creating

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an astronautical and space science centre in Mostar is rather brilliant. Considering Mostar was already the home for a Yugoslav military aircraft manufacturer, what could be more meaningful than bringing back the greatest interest of our Yugoslav people and making full use of our skills and knowledge in science and technology? Giving myself a head start on the new direction, I could already visualise how the science labs are going to sit under a socialist A-Frame, ziggurat structure, with a futuristic sci-ďŹ movie setting, like one of those in Ken Adamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bond movies or Dr Strangelove.

Besides all the political complications, Vena, as a responsible architect, always explores ways to bring solution-based approaches to conďŹ&#x201A;ictaffected societies. In Mostar, she engages experimental preservation in response to the expanding scope of cultural heritage concerns, revitalising the architectural legacy of Yugoslavia by reinterpreting utopian architectural ideals, applying socialist-oriented solutions to accelerate the economy recovery and seeking to empower the greatest interest of the Yugoslav people in science and technology. Post-war reconstruction is a highly sensitive issue, politically and socially, as poorly conceived reconstruction priorities may lead to vast amounts of wasted time, money and compromised opportunities. All stages of reconstruction must consider humanitarian concerns as the top priority that drives the wider revitalisation effort forward.

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No Fascists Allowed Site: Spanish Square, Mostar, Bosnia-Herzegovina A ruin located in a pedestrianised route next to the Spanish Square is labelled by grafﬁti as a “FASCISM FREE ZONE”. Perhaps this anarchic act doesn’t represent the community’s interests, since it doesn’t seem to have many supporters.

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sNaPsHoTs fRoM mOsTaR Photographs taken by Davide Peressutti expose a city still showing the scars of its past conflicts

Blinded Window Site: Sniper Tower, Mostar, Bosnia-Herzegovina One of the most signiďŹ cant buildings in Mostar due to its important role played out during the war, the Sniper Tower was a hideout for professional snipers. As the tallest structure in the city, the building was chosen as a strategic spot. In order to avoid any attack or assault from the outside, all the window were walled. Therefore it reduces this vulnerability, whilst at the same time also severing any possible connection with the external world.

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HELP ME UP Site: Sniper Herzegovina

Tower,

Mostar,

Bosnia-

Inside the Sniper Tower, a heap of trash and a written help request addressed to anyone was passing by. Hard times were experienced throughout the war, with people desperately and constantly seeking for help or hope, even through grafďŹ ti on a wall.

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a cOnCeAlMeNt oF iDeNtItY

The feminist philosopher Judith Butler) questions how gender is perceived, in a way that “congeals” and “solidiﬁes” into our consciences (1990, p.139). She investigates the idea of gender as a process of decision making rather than an exclusive choice of gender identity at birth. Her most prominent book, Gender Trouble, concludes that gender can be perceived as an abstract and “ﬂuid variable” (1990, p.139) whereby all gender is unnatural. She tackles the common assumptions that a female should behave in a feminine way, stating that the consciousness can adopt and manipulate the ideas of gender to mould each individual’s personality.

“tHeRe iS nO rEaSoN tO aSsUmE tHaT gEnDeR aLsO oUgHt tO rEmAiN aS tWo. tHe pReSuMpTiOn oF a bInArY gEnDeR sYsTeM iMpLiCiTlY rEtAiNs tHe bElIeF iN a mImEtIc rElAtIoN oF gEnDeR tO sEx wHeReBy gEnDeR mIrRoRs sEx oR iS oThErWiSe rEsTrIcTeD bY iT.” (bUtLeR, 1990, p.16)

Butler’s work informs an understanding of gender performativity in architecture. She proposes that gender is a “fluid variable which shifts and changes in different contexts” (1990, p.2) and not, in fact a fixed attribute. Butler’s theory that gender should not be a fixed variable, stems from Freudian theory of gender which proposed that infants had a “psychic bisexuality” (Freud, 1949, p.24), therefore, maturing as a male or female is a result of social influences, and in fact not a predetermined resolution. Therefore, this actively questions the dominance of male and dynamically challenges stereotypical female roles within the realm of architecture. Architecture began as a solely masculine profession; the model of a successful starchitect is almost always a white male. Butler claims that “gender is a choice” (1987, p.128) whereby to “choose a gender is to interpret received gender norms in a way that organises them new”. In this sense, each individual can enact as much femininity or masculinity as they so desire to create their own personality and gender performativity. It is apparent that women have always been “associated with ornament” (Betsky, 1995, p.41). The image of a woman has been constructed in a way that her beauty and aesthetic qualities completely overshadow her functionality as a contributing member of society. For centuries, women have been disregarded as not contributing to an equal extent of their male counterparts. At the turn of the modernist era, a woman’s aesthetic and reproductive qualities form the basis of the image of her gender.

Alison Ali A lison so Sm S Smithson mit ith i t th hso hson so on n

Third year undergraduate student Katherine Birkett explores fluid nature of gender and its relationship to architecture

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Eileen Gray

Throughout history, architecture as a profession, has failed to challenge gender binaries. Most significantly, the practice of architecture has been unable to simultaneously re-evaluate sex differentiation, stereotyping and gender imbalance, while also arguing for a practice and discourse that celebrates feminine strengths. According to Butler, gender is not a stable and fixed identity; it is a repetition of acts whereby gender becomes more a behaviour and an act to be performed. The theory of the enactment of gender, proposes that the performativity of gender can be feminised or masculinised according to how an individual practises their gender. Within the rigid structure of heterosexual binary of male and female, gendered stereotypes and expectations influence one’s own performativity of gender, which spans to influence social and professional aspects of life. The relationship gender holds with societal hierarchy, and by extension, expected gendered roles, results in women having lower social status than men within the realm of architecture. Moreover, gendered stereotypes act as a catalyst to prompt reactions which effectively penalise powerful and assertive women for violating their expected gendered roles and character. Sexism and gendered practices in architecture condemn all to a set of expectations centred on gendered stereotypical behaviour. For those whose gender and sexuality do not conform to the binary conception of male or female, resistance is encountered on entrance to the profession. Despite not only the traditional binary definition of gender, but also a mono-dimensional conception of gender along a spectrum, one that ultimately categorises everyone between the same binary. From analysis of the three case study architects, female architects seeking to belong to the minority starchitecture canon, their success is contingent on assuming gender androgyny rather than a fixed identity.

“wOmEn wErE dEpRiVeD oF pOwEr bEcAuSe tHeY cOuLd uSuAlLy nOt gAiN aCcEsS tO, bUiLd, oR dEfInE tHoSe fOrMs tHaT wOuLd... iNvEsT tHeM wItH rAnK, pRiViLeGe, wEaLtH, aNd a pArTiCuLaR iDeNtItY. wOmEn wErE nO pLaCe aNd tHuS wErE nO oNe... sHe wAs pArT oF tHe bAcKgRoUnD, pArT oF wHaT tHe mAn oWnEd; sHe wAs rEaL eStAtE iN tHe sTrIcTeSt aNd mOsT eLeMeNtAl sEnSe.” (bEtSkY, 1995, p.32)

Zaha Hadid

Eileen Gray: Independent of Sex The image of Eileen Gray, can best be described as androgynous. The way in which she performed her gender, transcended the very notion of gender itself. Her appearance was effectively a concealment, a mimicking of the more masculine, ‘pale and male’ architectural models; Gray portrayed the wrong sex stereotypically, therefore presenting gender subversion. She thus drags biological sex into the gendered gaze, fully subverting the distinction between inner and outer psychic spaces (Butler, 1993, p.2). In this way, the gender subversion displayed proudly by Gray was remarkable in the fact that her image acted as a transgressive strategy which aided to break down rigid gender categories and facilitated the reconceptualization of gender.

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Alison Smithson: A Process of Becoming Unlike Gray who adopted a more masculine appearance, Smithson remained at the feminine side of the spectrum of gender. Smithson is a pioneer in the fact that she broke the gendered glass ceiling, becoming an equal part of the most influential architectural collaboration of the 20th century. The synergy of collaboration with her husband, allowed an easier passage into architecture than the likes of singular female architects. Successfully bridging the gap between private and professional divide, their collaboration represented a huge breakthrough in the way women could access the architectural professional, whilst upholding the values that society expected of women. Not simply partaking in two parallel aspects of life, professional and motherhood, Smithson blurred the distinctions between the two. The iconic photograph of her working in conjunction to caring for her children has remained an idol for young female practitioners today. The image of Smithson was stereotypically feminine; however, the way in which she performed her gender, transcended the very notion of fixed gender binaries. She championed the fact that she detached herself from socially constructed stereotypical gendered expectations, independently constructed her own image in a strong avant-garde style and thereby presenting disregard for conforming to an expected image. Through her novel, A Portrait of the Female Mind as a Young Girl (1966), Smithson drags biological gender binaries into question, through the direct portrayal of inequality, entrapment and despair. Frustrated with fixed gender binaries, the image of Smithson acted as a transgressive strategy which aided to show a way to break down rigid gender categories and facilitate a way into the architectural profession. Zaha Hadid: Wardrobe of Gender A “combination of beauty and strength” (Winston, 2016), Hadid’s embodiment of the image of gender appears neutral and androgynous. As appearance forms an intrinsic part of gender performativity, Hadid effectively diminishes attention on her female gender, instead portraying the link between her bold architectural designs and the way in which she dresses the architecture of her body. It must be considered that this is representative of the fluid boundary between the outside and inside: Hadid effectively uses her body and aesthetic appearance to highlight her repudiation of gender stereotypes and portray the irrelevance of her gender in the realm of architecture. Hadid’s overwhelming success sets a precedent for aspiring women architects that it is indeed possible to defy the challenges of entering a persisting masculine profession. It is evident that the sheer prestige and fame of Hadid itself was enough to prompt revaluation of the inequality, whilst “offering aspiring women a possible image of the female architect”, which is a prominently significant factor in the development of gender roles within Architecture. The fact that Hadid did not conform to established gender distinctions, resulted in diminishing attention from her gender, thus implying her desire that no gender distinctions should be made within architecture. Irrelevant of gender, Hadid presented a transgressive strategy to challenge gender binaries and forged a new way for women to shatter the glass ceiling that had victimised women in architectural history. It is apparent that each case study architect entered the profession through a variation of strategies. The Future of Gender

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It can be argued that Smithson presented the closest to gendered stereotyped behaviour, through her construction of a mostly feminine image. Through collaboration with her husband, Smithson arguably had a smoother entrance into the profession compared to the struggles of Gray and Hadid. Therefore, she had more freedom to retain a feminine construction of gender as a result of the security of her collaboration. Contrastingly, the image of Gray was overtly masculine; constructing what could be described as a disguise, a mimicking of the masculine model of the architect proper. Gray’s construction of an androgynous image fully subverts the notion of rigid gender binaries. Effectively disregarding all gendered stereotypes, Gray can be attributed as a pioneer in the fact that she prompted and facilitated a complete reconceptualization of gender. The obscurity and anonymity from the practice of architecture is mirrored in the career of Hadid. Despite Hadid’s overarching success within the practice of architecture, she remains excluded and an imposter on the outside of the ‘pale and male’ social circles. Hadid’s strive to diminish all attention away from her female gender, results in a construction of a gender neutral image. As appearance constructs an intrinsic part of gender performativity, Hadid effectively repudiates gender stereotypes and portrays the irrelevance of her gender within the practice of architecture. Despite remaining mostly excluded from the inner circles of the architectural profession, the sheer prestige and fame of Hadid was sufficient to create a primary precedent of a singular female architect with the ability to succeed in the architectural profession. Irrelevant of gender, Hadid presented gender slippage and an overtly transgressive strategy to challenge gender stereotypes and promoted a breakdown of gendered binaries completely. These case studies cover a hundred years in the profession of architecture. Whilst the fight to achieve gender liberation within the profession, and indeed society, appears to improve with time, however, the struggle to collapse gender binaries continues. The test will be whether in another century, women will be inspired by the precedent set by Hadid and succeed to reign at the helm of major practices, or whether they will have faded from view like so many women architects before them. Inevitably, from shattering through the glass ceiling, the influx of more diverse practitioners will simultaneously prompt more original and innovative architectural design, positively benefitting the architectural profession. As gender binaries are deconstructed and the very notion of gender itself is challenged, the profession will finally relinquish the exclusivity of the ‘pale and male’ stereotype, which has continued to encumber the profession. It is apparent that only through a continued dialogue across generations and between marginalised majority groups, will complete professional liberation occur. A post-gendered profession of architecture will be liberated from gendered stereotypes, sexism and injustice.

“wHeN tHe cOnStRuCtEd sTaTuS oF gEnDeR iS tHeOrIzEd aS rAdIcAlLy iNdEpEnDeNt oF sEx, gEnDeR iTsElF bEcOmEs a fReE-fLoAtInG aRtIfIcE, wItH tHe cOnSeQuEnCe tHaT mAn aNd mAsCuLiNe mIgHt jUsT aS eAsIlY sIgNiFy a fEmAlE bOdY aS a mAlE oNe, aNd wOmAn aNd fEmInInE a mAlE bOdY aS eAsIlY aS a fEmAlE oNe” (bUtLeR, 1990, p.8)

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mUsEuM oF fAcT aNd fIcTiOn MArchD graduate Annovab Deka speculates on the spatial qualities of a Museum of Fact and Fiction, entered for the RIBA Silver Medal in 2016

Everything in life is as much fiction as it is fact. The inherent contradiction ignites a sparkling processus which enlightens consciousness and illuminates the view of the world. (AApress,May,2009) Fact and Fiction and the boundaries that separate it can be explained in a multitude of ways and yet still have a sense of obscurity. The statement holds true to the fact that every fiction has a basis in fact and permeates through constantly morphing and modifying. The objective is to create a similar phenomenon of space which the mind holds and creates. A space that is in choreographed or unchoreographed motion, revealing its histories and excavating embedded fictions within the landscape and through the journey of enclosures and exposures will make us question between what is fact, and what is fiction.

sOlItUdEwHaT dOeS mAnHaTtAn nEeD?

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sYnAeStHeSiAsTrAdDlE bEtWeEn tHe aMbIgUoUs tHrEsHoLdS oF fAcT aNd fIcTiOn

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rEsUrReCtIoN-tHe wOrLd fOrGeTtInG, bY tHe wOrLd fOrGoT.

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tHe sUbTeXt oF cOnTeMpOrArY aRcHiTeCtUrE: tHe sHaPeLeSs aRcHiTeCtUrE oF pTs ‘Hitler liked to say that the purpose of his building was to transmit its time and its spirit to posterity. Ultimately all that remained to remind men of the great epochs of history was their monumental architecture (...) Our architectural works should also speak to conscience of a future Germany centuries from now.’

Second Year MArchD Student James Redman attempts to put a face to the architecture of today.

So said chief Nazi architect, Albert Speer, in his somewhat intellectually bland work, The Value of Ruins. The basic premise upon which his celebration of ruins was based proffered the ostensibly obvious notion that a civilisation’s architecture tells us something about its values. Accordingly, it was his view that the Third Reich should wherever possible build in stone and concrete, as opposed to more perishable materials like timber or steel, as these embody a longevity to which the Nazis aspired towards. Indeed, Speer’s plans for Hitler’s Berlin abounded with such architectural metaphors: eternity promised by materiality; order inferred by symmetry; and dominance threatened by the imposing scale of his imaginations. Compare Speer’s vision then to the architecture of the Occident now, where biodegradability is valued over perpetuity; dissonance is embraced over harmony; and the frontage of buildings are made to be less ‘confrontational’ through the liberal use of glazing and permeable curtain walls. In fact, architectural orthodoxy today demands buildings designed to a set of values that are the

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precise opposite of those espoused by the likes of Speer. And if we are to acknowledge Speer’s basic premise - a civilisation’s architecture tells us something about its values - clearly, it is reasonable to presume that by looking at our own buildings, we might infer that we wish for our civilisation to be nothing like that of Nazi Germany; its antithesis. For ours is a civilisation of Social Democrats in which political dictate and social intervention are subordinated to the measures of a capitalist economy. In light of the disastrous adventures of totalitarianism that dominated the ﬁrst half of the twentieth century, this would seem a shrewd move. Unlike human beings, who are fallible, the open market is blind to those things that divide us such as our creeds and colours. It ensures, at least in theory, democracy, social justice and egalitarianism. It took a few years for the architecture of social democracy to develop; the early years after the second half the same century were replete with vast modernist experiments in concrete stacking Though adored ado d red by savvy v vvy and vertical stacking. d , creations suc su h as as architecture students today today, such Garrdens fail ailed ed Trellick Tower and Robin Hood Gardens failed a public.. Whilst Wh st Whil to win the hearts of the general ssame e spirit of sociall they were conceived in the sam

democracy - democracy, social justice, and egalitarianism, guided by the hand of technology – their architectural language was communicated in an altogether different tone that for most resembled the voice of totalitarianism a little too closely. They key ingredient they lacked was the individualism, enshrined by the measures of a capitalist economy, that almost defines social democracy. Too prevalent was the post-war architects’ will to collectivise; too sombre their utopian messages of unity. Those architects were too heavy handed, too controlling and they used far too much concrete. It was not until 1977, when Richard Rogers completed the Pompidou centre, that social democracy was able to find lasting architectural expression. The movement that would follow, the so called High Tech architecture, has come to define the architecture of the latter half of the twentieth century and beyond and all of its democratically flavoured ingredients that can be found in Rogers’ seminal project: transparency, permeability, open plan spaces, modular components, exposed services, bright colours, anodised metal al panels. panels pan nel els. It wou w ld seem then en, thatt just st as the ar archi chitec tectture would then, architecture o the Third Th hird Reich ich wa was fond of ar archi chitec tecttural of architectural metaph met aphors rs, so o too too is soc so ial democ mocrac racy. y. The metaphors, social democracy.

fOr oUrS iS a cIvIlIsAtIoN oF sOcIaL dEmOcRaTs iN wHiCh pOlItIcAl dIcTaTe aNd sOcIaL iNtErVeNtIoN aRe sUbOrDiNaTeD tO tHe mEaSuReS oF a cApItAlIsT eCoNoMy. eCoNoMy eC Co oNoM No oMy. y.

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historical mission of architecture as an ‘art of building’ is conceived not simply to provide shelter but to construct a subject. In so doing, architecture collaborates with any form of power by means of symbolic appropriation. The architecture and whole aesthetic of the Third Reich was awash with this sort power play; symbolic embellishment was at the heart of how the Nazis constructed the way they saw themselves and wished for others to see them. Contemporary architecture of social democracy is only different insofar as it represents the negation of this process, with its transparent surfaces and shapeless forms resisting the attribution of a subject. By aligning architectural gestures with political, social or economical realities history assigns them a moral value in the same way that it does for attitudes towards different ideologies. To elucidate: from our current historical perspective, National Socialism is generally considered to be ‘bad’ and Social Democracy is generally considered to be ‘good’. Accordingly, by association the architecture of the National Socialism is considered to be ‘bad’ and the architecture of Social Democracy is considered to be ‘good’. This moralisation of architecture has had disastrous consequences for creativity in the discipline. When a type of architecture is considered taboo and another virtuous, design becomes not just about a matter of taste but of morality. One postgraduate student told me that a tutor had chastised him for a Neo-Classical ﬂourish because of its Nazi connotations. Is it not troubling that in the highest echelons of education students regularly encounter censorship of this kind? It is not even a matter of potentially giving offence as an ionic column is really not the same as goose-stepping around studio in an SS uniform. Not the same at all. It is

a censorship of a comparable kind employed by the Nazis themselves with the suppression of what they called ‘degenerate art’. It is strange then that an ideology such as Social Democracy; an ideology that enshrines democracy, diversity and individual freedoms; an ideology that completely opposes the tenets of National Socialism, should play similar sorts of power games with its architecture. Cedric Price, upon whose liberal ideas Rogers’ architecture are founded, was deeply suspicious of architecture’s role in consolidating authority by way of the built environment. That is why we largely have him to thank for architecture’s aversion to symbolic appropriation as witnessed by its transparent, permeable and shapeless forms. Indeed, the best way an architect could possibly hope to avoid being just another stooge of power is to build nothing at all, which Price succeede d d iin n d o g oin succeeded doing rather well. His disciples however, Rogerss and his star-chitect peers, were not so successful in n this capacity, having built and inspired others to build ild ratherr a lot. The problem is that architecture does not construct a subject just through ssymbolic sym b lic app bolic ap ropriation alone: power inherently appropriation develo de elops architecture’s very raison d’etre as the develops containment nt of soc ociet ie y. Thus, it is unavoidable society. that so long as we insist insis sistt o n alig gnin ningg a rchitectural on aligning architectural tropes with facets off id ideology, thus hus mo moral ra ising moralising them, that c the ontemp ont empora orary architecture ure,, despite d contemporary architecture, its be best intentions, intentions,, cannot cann but be anythingg but dogmat dog matic ic. dogmatic.

The consequence is an enfeebled profession. Gradually, the world is being ﬁlled with glazed ofﬁce blocks of spindly atria and oxidised curtain walls, high tech spaces suitable only for the happy-healthy ghosts of 3D renders, media walls endlessly repeating advertisements or meaningless patterns of light, all thrown up in the spirit of regeneration. Where socialists and radicals could once read within the language of explicit engineering signs of redemption or change, the post High-Tech architecture in our cities has no such associations: it may not be historicist, like the postmodern architecture of the neo-liberal turn in the 1980s, but rather its anaesthetised formal language is a perfect complement to the hollowed out shell of Social Democracy; an ideology beset by the ghosts of 2009, food banks and Donald Trump in the White House. The insipidity of contemporary architect ture represents repre presen sents a society s lockedarchitecture in wit within h its own wn ina inabil bility ity to ex expre press ss its itselff fo for inability express fear of repeati ting the th totalitarian total to talit itaria ian n nightmares nightma nigh t res repeating of ye yesteryear. Its architectural archi h tec tectur tural al muteness mutene mut e ss res esemb embles something like a pat pati ientt suffering suffe suff eringg resembles patient from post ost-traum aumati a c stress,, un unabl ab e to o move on post-traumatic unable from the event eve ent n of the he tr traum au a. The only l hope off trauma. recourse is to rescind the the architectural archit arc hitect ectura ral taboos tabo aboos os that prevent us from leaving the pas past b ehind, ehi nd, behind, not as provocation, but merely just to cha change nge the subject: we have talked about the warr lon lo longg enough.

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First Year MArchD Student Rob Nolan illustrates ...

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sKaTeBoArDiNg, sUbCuLtUrE aNd sOcIeTy The purpose of this article is to provide an initial insight into the subculture of skateboarding and its relationship with space and society. This article is split into four short chapters, each with the intention to encourage further exploration into their focus. First year MArchD student Daniel Lam writes about the skateboarding as a culture

01 // Skateboarding as Subculture It is what we experience, it is what we produce, it is what we share with others. Culture is what defines a group of people. The community is a substantial part of the phenomenon of skateboarding. This text aims to explore and dissect this phenomenon to understand what makes it a culture and what makes it a subculture. It is what connects each individual with a social network. Simply going to the local skate park and coasting around can connect you to the community. Unlike competitive sports, other skaters will and want to help you succeed. The community aspect goes far beyond the sport itself - it includes in sponsored skate trips, video launches and sponsored events. This shows the depth of skateboarding as a culture. Group moral enhances the general process of learning to skate, it teaches people to fail and start again. This life lesson is then able to reach all sorts of teenagers who are not integrating with the traditional school system. In Sweden, a skateboarding school has started to utilise this, by letting the students teach themselves. Applying what they learn from skateboarding to life skills. The creative mediums that capture skateboarding then draw the students towards careers in journalism, photography, graphics, film and the skateboarding industry itself. The common ground being the visual representations of the sport, which is culture as art. Furthermore, the creative arts within skateboarding doubles as it is two definitions of culture. The art is created for and by skateboarders, connecting them, sharing values within the community. Another example of the production of art and sharing of values is the presence of music in skate videos. In 2014, Jenkem Magazine released their first of many Jenkem Mixes. This is where a famous skateboarder shares their selection of songs to the readers. These outputs become part of the culture. The clothing, hardware, magazine, film, photography, music and graphics are then representative of the culture and identify it. Skateboarding can be considered a subculture for many reasons, but mainly because of how it is separated from more conventional cultures. It can present itself as exclusive, mainly because of its visibility. The separation is in its unseen side, the side outside of advertised competitions and music videos, the community, social network, travel and non-sporting aspects, how it chooses not to conform to mainstream society. This is what makes the phenomenon a unique subculture.

02 // Creation and Appropriation of Space Since skateboarding is a culture, the act of skateboarding can be seen as appropriation of space and an instance when a culture alters and uses a space for something other than its intended use. An example of this is the use of the urban realm for performing tricks on a skateboard in spaces originally designed for designed for the vehicle or pedestrian. Because of the temporality of a trick, the space is only appropriated for an instance. During that instance a new epistemological space is created. A set of stairs can superficially be used to show the ability to ollie (jump) over a gap. The classic example is the use of empty swimming pools as bowls, in the early days of skateboarding. The appropriation of space is often considered as a method of production. Since you are altering a space and changing it, it becomes something new. Although the appropriation is temporary, the most significant movements and tricks are captured in photographs and films. In addition, if everything we create is a cultural embodiment of ourselves, these films and photos are cultural artefacts. Even with the invention of skate parks, street skating has always been the most prominent part for the skateboarding community. This is to do with how skateboarders are recognised for their creativity and skill in spatial appropriation and their ability to envisage the potential of a space. This skill is derived from the unique representation of the temporary appropriation in film and photography. Since this ability is unique to skateboarders, the idea of a set of stairs or sculpture in a public square being used to skating is completely foreign to the public. It is invisible to them, unless observed at the point of execution. From skate deterrents to no skateboarding signs, skateboarders face exclusive design within the public realm. However, some cultures welcome the sport in their public space, recognising its social contribution to the urban realm, such as Jan Gehl’s designs for public spaces in Copenhagen. This shows skateboarding’s relationship with different political attitudes. Skateboarding’s anti-authoritarian nature is one that exists as a critique of capitalist societies, and so its visibility is also telling of the freedom of individuals in that society.

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03 // Representations and Misrepresentations There is no doubt that the media’s representation of skateboarders has an impact on social opinion on the subculture. A most notable representation of skateboarding in cinema was 1995’s Kids. The film shows adolescents in New York living the culture. Clark’s aim was to present this misunderstood subculture’s perspective to the audience. Thus, it left the viewers either appreciating their perspective or continuing viewing them as delinquents. The film has had a substantial impact on youth culture and its representations in TV and film. Another representation is 1985’s Back to The Future, where present day skateboarding is presented as ‘alternative’ and unconventional (right down to Marty’s Chuck Taylor’s). Sum 41’s Fat Lip is a seminal example of how skateboarding culture is represented, appropriated and marketed. The video does everything within its power to convey an ‘underground’ scene. It is this amalgamation of punk fashion, piercings, tattoos and graffiti that automatically create this stereotypical youth culture image for skateboarding. This can also be seen in the early episodes of The Simpsons. When our favourite rebel Bart Simpson is given a skateboard, possibly to symbolise skateboarding’s place in anti-authoritarianism - the non-conformer.

04 // Skateboarding and Society Considering the public’s view of skateboarding is derived from the media’s misrepresentations and the general anti-skateboarding culture in the public realm, it is not surprising that the tension between police and skateboarders exists. The painted image of skateboarders does not help when it comes to police confrontation. Countless videos of police brutality and abuse of power towards skateboarders can be found online. In some states in America skateboarding is illegal and is an example of the neoliberal system clamping down on freedoms of expression. However, skateboarding is not immune to the changes and movements in general society either: consumerism, globalisation and social media are all having a direct impact on the culture. As noted before skateboarding is commercialised for its alternative aesthetic often in the fashion industry. Even though this representation is its least genuine self, it is the marketing tool used for adolescents. There is a recent phenomenon of skateboarding being used to liberate young girls in Afghanistan. With strict rules on the correct behaviour of young girls, sports can be inappropriate. In this context, however, skateboarding is not considered a sport and has become a way for the youth to be liberated and feel free from the restrictions placed on them by society, again becoming an anti-authoritarian activity. Skateboarding as an activity has the potential for examination on a level much deeper than can be seen from the surface. It teaches us the importance of subcultures, especially in our neo-liberal societies. It shows a way in which human nature chooses to express rebellion against authoritarianism. It shows how a subculture can affect and be affected by society.

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vEnIcE sTaIrCaSeS 2nd year MArchD student, Angus Clogg creates evocative studies the evolution of the Venetian staircase and its ramifications on Palazzo design.

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Stairs are an integral element to the evolution of Venetian building scale, housing in particular. During the transition from the Late Gothic to Early Renaissance, there was a vast progression in vertical circulation techniques. The typical external courtyard staircase could no longer provide service to the increasing sizes of palazzo. The use of this stair was to create a direct access between the piano terra and piano nobile for the people of nobility to use. As the scale of palazza rose, the external courtyard staircases became illogical in design due to weight and size. This served as a catalyst to the progression of vertical circulation. The scala leonardesca, inspired by drawings of double staircases by Leonardo da Vinci, was a pioneering design that would be autonomous to alternating landings. In the 20th century, stairs have continued to be reinterpreted in ways that develop the Venetian palazzo. The staircase in Zattere House by Ignazio Gardella, built in 1958, shows a modern interpretation on past techniques with the window module allowing light into the stairwell at half landing level. The idea of the whole building was to create a modern palazzo that was empathetic and responsive to its context. sitting in harmony with much older and more traditional buildings along the Fondamenta delle Zattere.

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pRoDuCt dEsIgN: aRcHiTeCtUrE oF sUgGeStIoN by Isis Dapling

Third year undergraduate architecture student Isis Dapling dissects the relationship between cinema and architecture.

There is a conceivable dialogue between cinema and architecture; Production sets are spatial designs which provide a sub-narrative to a director’s concept. They can be an art form in their own right: the sets of Metropolis (1927) provided a form of artistic expressionism, as well as a visual for director Fritz Llang’s dystopian forecast of societal future. However, generally, set design is a form of spatial art produced to highlight its twin craftsmanship - performance art. Production design encompasses this role as well as taking a degree of control over lighting, cinematography and directing; it is essentially responsible for the overall look of the performance. Often, the cinematography of a film determines the relationship between the performance and the architecture presented, hence being a key pointer towards a hidden agenda. In this article, I shall briefly explain the sub-text created by the film sets/film architecture in Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane and Stanley Kubrick’s Dr Strangelove and consider in what way this subtext was generated.

Stanley Kubrick’s Dr Strangelove or: How I learned to stop worrying and love the Bomb (1964), draws upon themes of Cold War paranoia, the threat of nuclear annihilation of all life on Earth and psychotic narcissists in power to create a ‘visionary’ comedic performance. Kubrick originally intended to film the story as a serious drama, following the tone of the book it was based upon – Red Alert by Peter George. Influential production designer Ken Adam, whose long list of credits included the sets for six James Bond films, was a key player behind the success of this film. The embodiment of his “gleaming and sinister” set designs created the tense atmosphere Kubrick wanted to achieve. Adam’s War room in Dr Strangelove, was perhaps one of the most critically acclaimed film sets in history, being described by none other than Steven Spielberg as ‘the best set that’s ever been designed’. It was an enormous concrete room, (Forty metres long by thirty metres wide, with an eleven-metre-high ceiling) in an expressionist, triangular shape resembling

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a bomb shelter. One side of the wall is covered in great strategic maps which reflect onto the floor’s surface. The choice of any set, whether real or constructed, influences the audience’s view of the script; this one acted as an agent to the satire of the film, rather than mirror the dialogue itself. The vast empty space, accommodating its nucleus of one round table highlighted by a ring of artificial light, was the controlled vessel for the ‘lunatic antics’ of world leaders to take place. The absurdity of this immense spatial atmosphere being used by squabbling ego-maniacs to decide the fate of the entire world, was an intentional, satirical subtext behind the use of the acting and dialogue. Kubrick originally intended for the round table in the war room to have a ‘poker’ feel to it – referring to the stakes being played with as if it were a game - however the green baize on the table surface could not be seen in black and white motion picture when it was revealed to audiences.

as ‘unentertaining’. Nevertheless, it is certainly one to learn from in terms of how the ﬁlm architecture and cinematography is used for sub-text. A man, driven by idealism and a desire to do good for the “common man,” wants to be the biggest and the best newspaper publisher in the United States in the early 1900s. However, on his ruthless pursuit in doing so, he alienates himself from his friends and family, and slowly regresses from a sympathetic character, rooted for by the audience, into an ill-favoured personality.

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Citizen Kane, directed by Orson Wells, attracted incredible critical reviews, but largely for its technical brilliance. The expert reviews were so complimentary they led to an anticlimax in the eyes of the public, often stated

The production design of Citizen Kane grew progressively more extravagant as Kane’s wealth and distance from his old friends and relatives increased. ‘The sets are instrumental in helping the audience feel that Kane is losing “sight of his original humanity.”’ A series of shots at the point of the ﬁlm in which Kane campaigns for the ‘working man’, follow him through several speeches. The set design decisions throughout the campaign highlight the change from sincerity for the common good to a loss of connection with who he’s campaigning for. The earlier shots are set in a dank alleyway, where Kane’s friend and colleague stump for him amongst a small gathering of working class individuals, whereas the last shots of his campaign utilise lighting, sets and camera angles in such a way that Kane’s image is lost within a sea of men in

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suits. Using a single perspective view, focusing on the distant stage from behind the tens of drab, identical rows, the cinematography draws attention to the symmetry of the seating and impersonal hierarchy imposed by the stage, decoration and enforced light. Cinematography is the main enhancer of film sets, indicating when set features become important and how they are spatially utilized. In the Citizen Kane scene where a bitter argument of few words is held between Charles Foster Kane and his second wife, Susan, the ‘180-degree rule’ was used to expose the living room of Xanadu in the clearest way possible; the camera oscillates amid two opposing points of view, following the conflictive dialogue for the audience to get a balanced perception of the space throughout. The enormous space, in conjunction with the sparse, ornamental furniture resembles the interior of a cathedral rather than a home, and subtly underlines the torn, detached affiliation between the two characters, whilst signifying the worthlessness of ostentatious materiality and abundant wealth.

Production design and cinematographic techniques can be beneficially employed when representing newly designed spaces; the use of film in representing architecture is becoming more widespread, especially by means of CGI technologies. As an effective way of portraying atmosphere and mood, architectural companies such as Factory Fifteen have taken ‘A design led approach to film making / A narrative led approach to architectural visualisation’. Hans Richter’s ‘Die neue Wohnung’ (1930) is one of the earliest examples of this using one short, silent film to expose problems with existing housing design and present alternative solutions.

For the interested reader, other recommended ﬁlms with powerful cinematographic spaces include The English patient (1996), The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), Happy together (1997), The Name of the Rose (1986), Avatar (2009), Minority Report (2002) and Gangs of New York (2002).

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tHe hIdDeN rElAtIoNsHiP bEtWeEn aRcHiTeCtUrE aNd sPiRiTuAlItY

Stephany Govier, third year undergraduate student interviews professor of architecture and Grandmaster in Martial Arts, DanHoria Chinda about the unseen relationship between architecture and spirituality.

Stephany G.: Professor Chinda, you are an architect, a writer, an academic and also a Grandmaster in Martial Arts. Please take us through your story - how did you ﬁnd these passions?

Dan H. Chinda: My immediate passion was architecture and design. esign. Then came the Martial arts, which slowly became a way ay of life. As a student in Bucharest I was practicing Judo, at that time as a wrestling form, without too much philosophical implication. However at the same time, I was impressed by Kenzo Tange, the architect behind the Tokyo 1968 Olympics, I guess. I was fascinated by his understanding of tradition in architecture (which implies spiritual values), and his sincerity ity in using materials, forms and space. And I started to “dig” on Japanese culture and found about Bonsai and…Karate Do, the Way of empty mind.

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SG.: Our magazine is focusing on SUBTEXT for this issue, the unspoken, questioning the reasons behind architecture and its hidden connotations. Do you see a hidden connection between architecture and Martial Arts? In a broader sense, is your architecture influenced in any way by the lessons that Martial Art has taught you? DC: My martial arts experience, or as they say in Japanese, BUDO, revolves around control, acceptance, self-discovery, discipline, respect and open minded approach. This automatically helps me analyse the critical problems in my design in a “detached” manner, opening windows in finding solutions. SG: During your schooling and training to become an architect, what had the biggest impact on you? Was there a turning point that made you perceive architecture on a more spiritual level? DC: Probably understanding that the living space is more than a shell, a physical space, but an emotional, psychological and a spiritual space. Human desire is to be happy, which is reflected through spiritual development and enlightenment, rather that material gains. And that, happens in the environment we create, with all the visible and invisible connections. SG: How does your teaching and learning relate to your spiritual commitment? DC: Teaching done honestly, with love and faith, is a mind and spiritual window. It enriches our cognitive but also emotional body. I wouldn’t say “commitment”, I would say spiritual growth and discovery… Believing that by teaching we can make our students, the future generation better, is a great feeling. SG: After reading some of your work, I’ve seen that we share an interest in sustainable architecture. Do you feel that your spiritual knowledge was a reason for which you pursued this side of architecture? DC: I’m not sure. But definitely understanding the concept of sustainable architecture and design, opened more space for my spiritual growth, for my spiritual being. SG: Do you have a favourite example or two of great architecture that is both beautiful and reflects this unwritten spiritual connection that has guided it? DC: I can’t enumerate them, but yes, I feel that Japanese environment, indoors and outdoors, expresses strongly the answer.

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SG.:

What can the nonprofessional person who is mindful of the spiritual connection between our natural and our built environment do to support the environment?

DC.:

To believe in what they think, to be impeccable in the speech, to love and be honest, to have a sincere compassion for all around us….

SG.:

Do you think there are any speciﬁc building materials that honestly reﬂect the spiritual side of it all?

DC.:

I am not really sure, so, I would prefer not to answer. But I think there are attitudes and approaches which can do that.

SG.:

Within your architecture projects, have you ever combined or introduced spiritual elements/objects/materials to form a speciﬁc environment and atmosphere that could otherwise not have been experienced?

DC.:

In most of my designs, especially when creating an environment, I try to create and apply the emotion of what spiritual space can express… A decompressed space area, an object which expresses in a wabi-sabi* manner, and deﬁnitely, even is too much talk about it, but applying Feng Shui principles, in a honest and sensitive manner, is a way too, right?

SG.:

Lastly, do you believe that architects should place a larger importance on the “architecture-spirituality” relationship? Why?

DC.:

I am sure that this is a moral responsibility for us, but also a moral responsibility of the user of what we create, to understand the new “mutations” in the today’s deﬁnition of comfort, which is not a physical comfort anymore, but a psychological, emotional and deﬁnitely a spiritual one, in our interaction with everything around us, as a natural extension of the human being.

SG.:

Professor Chinda, thank you very much for your time.

*wabi-sabi is a concept in Japanese aesthetics that accepts and views transience and imperfection as ideals of beauty

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_________ / learning (11)

Teaching method that’s faster because you’re told the the outcomes of the learning before being taught anything

____ (8)

Word used by tutors to describe the relationships between things that are clearly unrelated.

____ (8)

Act of rubber on trace in a violent manner, likely after a damning tutorial

____ (10)

Staple food during portfolio season

____ (8)

Autocad command to clean up a laser cut ﬁle consisting purely of rectangles

____ (8)

Crowdsourcing your design project

____ (8)

To artiﬁcially create a utopian marketspace where no one gets pickpocketed, a command to switch on rocket boosters and a probiotic yoghurt.

__ (4)

The ﬁnal frontier Genderbending in the strictest way possible

____ (8)

A poor substitute for a gin and tonic.

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When the words: “stuff from what the building is made of,” just won’t do.

_______ (17)

_____ (9)

Something architects allegedly do with their designs but without the balloons, pinatas or fun.

_____ (9)

See below

_____ (11)

See above