“c o l l e c t i v e ” | c o n tex t | c u l t u re | c o n st r u c t s
integrate, exchange, learn, grow How the concept of “culture” can shape up an identity of a space which helps it nurture and evolve further to redefine its own cultural identity through the “collective” – we, the people!
Cultural Narratives 24 – 30 September 2018
In association with, Curators, n e h a korde | n i s h a n t modi | s h r i s h jaiswal | p r a k r i t i Mehta
India
1. THE COLLABORATORS 2. THE WORKSHOP a. Background b. Abstract c. Brief d. About the project - Green line (Introduction to the site) 3. WORKSHOP OUTLINE a. Structure & methodology b. Schedule - Part 01 - Part 02
contents
the collaborators
A “collaborative� initiative,
4 Curators
In association with,
Neha Korde
Nishant Modi
Shrish Jaiswal
Prakriti Mehta
Architect, Assistant Professor
Architect, Urban Designer & Assistant Professor
Practicing architect, Urban Designer & Assistant Professor
Practicing architect, Urban Designer, Green Building Consultant & Assistant Professor
2 Professionals Natalia Mysak
Olha Krivoruchko
Architect, Researcher at Center for Urban History, 109 Group
Architect, Unika Architecture & Urbanism, Founder of UrbanIdeas
3 Experts Cees Donkers
Jens Adam
Anton Kolomeytsev
Urban designer at City of Eindhoven and Research Consultant
Anthropologist, Humboldt University Berlin, Research Residence at Center for Urban History
Architect, Assistant Professor at Lviv Polytechnics
16 Participants Critically-thinking practitioners, researchers and professionals with background in urban design, city planning, architecture, and cultural studies
Having diverse climatic and cultural backdrop, Asian countries demonstrate its translation in its built spaces. A dense fabric of cities across the continent, gives an opportunity to interact and blend within its varied cultures where we integrate, exchange, learn and grow constantly. American intellectual - Lewis Mumford describes cities as "primary groups and purposive associations" and its essential social means are the "cultural processes". These cultural processes refer to a definite pattern man has developed over a period, as a response within his community or surroundings he allows to adapt. Culture gets shared and it leads to shape up voids in between, cherishing its essence! As stated above, American intellectuals – Lewis Mumford has rightly quoted in his essay “The city is a related collection of primary groups and purposive associations: the first, like family and neighbourhood are common to all communities, while the second are especially characteristic of city life. The essential physical means of a city’s existence are the fixed site, the durable shelter, the permanent facilities for assembly, interchange and storage, the essential social means are the social division of labour which serves not merely the economic life but the cultural processes.” These "cultural processes" may refer a definite pattern that man has developed over a period of time as a response to his surroundings, as said before. A city can be concluded as an end product of all these collective associations and their exchange throughout an era. His ‘essential physical mean’ of a city’s existence are inevitable out of which the – permanent facilities for assembly - can be seen as public spaces in a city. These public spaces allows an integration in between different groups, absorbs their individualistic mannerism, assimilate with each other and exchange. The culture get transmitted through these spaces in a community within different groups or in different communities with respect to the scale of the collaboration.
the background
(P.S. The extract is from one of our Phd proposals under process. It focuses on the emergence of Community Public Spaces by analysing Cultural Anthropology as a primary tool and underlying its Generic Patterns in a period.)
what is
culture?
Paul G. Hiebert (missiological anthropologist) has defined culture as “the integrated system of learned patterns of behavior, ideas and products characteristics of a society.” English anthropologist Edward Tylor has said that - culture is "that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, law, morals, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society." Of course, it is not limited to men.” What we can underline from both definitions is a common entity qualitative synthesis from a quantitative one – the society. Culture cannot be referred to an individual rather it’s a collective pattern we develop and grow constantly. It has also been demonstrated that Tylor’s was the first who specified that culture is learned and acquired, as opposed to being to biological trait. This was revolutionary against the backdrop of colonialism, racism and social evolutionism – the dominant ideologies of the 19th century. His definition is also one of the first anthropological definitions of culture.
the abstract
The idea of the workshop learns from the everyday deconstruction
of
planning and spaces in the context of social and political adversity. This adversity enables construction and re-construction of “operable” constructs by the collective. As in contrast with the “fixed” this “operable” constructs, are healthier and governed by interdependency and are independent. Chance and ambiguity as dimensions of these constructs allow performance, participation and exchange among collectives.
the project Green line
http://eng.canactions.com/event_18_09_18
the project Green line
The workshop is conceived as a center for dialogue, perhaps a collaborative studio to realize and use the cultural potential rooted or hidden in the city. The studio will work on the sites across the proposed green corridor connecting a big housing estate Sykhiv with a number public facilities and green areas and the city center of Lviv. The Green Line project was initiated by the Department of Architecture and Urbanistics of Lviv city council. And Group 109 was invited to make a research of the route.
The project — Green Line is perceived to answer the transit and recreational concerns of the place. The corridor possess constructs of university campuses and offices, urbanized high density precincts, undeveloped natural and neglected post-industrial areas. The studio will identify methods to approach an 'operable construct', through explorations of the spatial, temporal and unacknowledged orientations of the individual and collective everyday life.
The city as a limitless archive of the events, possesses multitude of narratives. This would be used to arrive at various culture and identity scenarios and intervening at different spatial scales. Learnings from a deep rooted cultural background of India would be used to expose the participants to develop a coherent idea of the corridor and define spatial identity of the segments of the corridor. The studio shall exchange Indian cultural perspectives and working methods to ensure a design process both traditional and tactical approach inclusive.
the brief
Green Bicycle Route Sykhiv - Universities
The Green Line project was initiated by the Department of Architecture and Urbanistics of Lviv city council. And Group 109 was invited to make a research of the route.
the structure & methodology
Working together,
Methodology and thematic focus The workshop is mainly divided into two parts equally, a. Part- 01, comprises of initial three days, introducing workshop brief to all participants, and exposing them to different cases from India contributing towards defining its own culture and evolving an identity as a whole. Further to which participants will be guided to head towards Green line - for site analysis through different lenses based on “Research Queries” at the end of each day. The first part of the workshop ends with the a set of observations by each group on the Green line at different scales. b. Part- 02, next four days will concentrate on identifying different scenarios based on each group’s site analysis and observations building a “Vision” for Green Line. The studio will work on the sites across the proposed green corridor connecting a big housing estate Sykhiv with a number public facilities and green areas and the city center of Lviv. Eventually, four groups of four participants each will portray four individual projects . Periodic reviews and discussions will take place at every interval by experts and professionals who have been involved in the Green Line Project from different authorities and institutions. (P.T.O.)
objective to get Exposure to a multilayered traditional urbanism of India, valuable for evolving a relevant pedagogic direction and constructing cultural territory - understanding spatial attributes of inter-culturalism and not just as social phenomena
DAY 01
DAY 02
DAY 03
DAY 1/04
DAY 05
DAY 06
DAY 07
CANactions + Natalia Mysak + Neha/Nishant/
Natalia Mysak + Nishant + Neha + Olha & Participants
Natalia Mysak Neha/Nishant/
Natalia Mysak + Neha/Nishant/
Natalia Mysak + Neha/Nishant/
Natalia Mysak + Neha/Nishant/
Shrish/Prakriti,
Neha Korde + Prakriti Shrish+ Participants + Natalia + Olha, Anton
Shrish/Prakriti &
Anton Kolomeytsev
Kolomeytsev (Review)
Olha (Review)
Shrish/Prakriti + Participants
Shrish/Prakriti + Participants
Shrish/Prakriti + Participants P
Part 01 Working and discussing of 1st set of observations from previous day site visit
Part 01 Introduction of the workshop, curators, participants
R O
2nd Set of observations from the participants, to be reviewed by Anton, Natalia & Olha
J E C
Part 02 Part 01
Presentation – C
Expert’s review by,
Presentation – A
Presentation – 01
(Olha – Past projects
Cees Donkers, Jens Adam
(Anton - History
(IND)
UKR)
UKR)
Presentation – 02
Part 03
(IND)
Part 02
Part 02
(IND)
Discussion with the participants about the site visit next day and mapping methods
Site visit 1
Presentation – 04
Division of the participants into 2 groups for analysis
(IND)
Introducing the project outline Presentation – B (Natalia - Green Line UKR)
Part 03 Set of observations from the participants (continues next day..)
E S
Generating
Generating
design scenarios
design
and working on Part 04
1ST
R
Part 03
(IND)
Part 04
P
DAY 2/04 Presentation – 03
Presentation – 00
T
Generating
E N
design
scenarios and scenarios and
Site visit 2
individual
working on
working on
Division of the participants into 4 groups for analysis
projects
individual
individual
projects
projects
T A T I O N
Expert’s review by, Cees Donkers, Jens Adam
workshop schedule Part-01
DAY 01 – A broad introduction
collective| context | culture | constructs
Part #01 General introduction of the workshop, curators, professionals and participants. Part #02 Presentation - A (by Anton Kolomeytsev) A broad idea of Ukrainian cities, in our case Lviv and Sykhiv (historical background)
Part #03 Presentation - 00 (by Neha/Nishant/Shrish/Prakriti)
“Cultural Narratives” (Stories and traditions, practices, beliefs, rituals, festivity, informality, dynamism) Portraying a broad - different and diverse parameters that defines culture across the nations and elements contributing towards it
Part #04 Presentation - B (by Natalia Mysak, 109 Group) Introducing the project Green Line and presenting different initiatives at different sites under similar guidelines Data collection and analysis
objective to get exposed to the idea of collective and to start an introspection with their own surroundings
DAY 02 – See how to “see”
collective| context | culture | constructs
Part #01 Presentation - 01 (by Nishant Modi)
“Events and Memories” (Events and impact, remembering and forgetting, burden and liberation)
Part #02 Presentation - 02 (by Neha Korde)
Part #03 Site Visit – 01
to develop a “method of observation” find parameters of understanding constructs well based on the current scenarios found within the native
Reflection of the participants on green line
objective
“Communities and Culture” (Water as a cultural element, activities, Publicness, behaviours, anthropology)
Research query What forms the basis of vision and objectives to develop the green link? Methodology Intangible and tangible practices in public spaces and open spaces, extract everyday activities and informality, mapping of events and their physical representation, define memory constructs.
Part #04 For the first site visit, participants will be segregated in two groups to look at the two nodes on the Green Line., to be discussed next day
DAY 03 – See how to “see”
collective| context | culture | constructs
Part #01 Presentation - C (by Olha Krivoruchko) Other initiatives and past projects proposed for Green line project
Part #02 Presentation - 03 (by Prakriti Mehta)
“Comfort spaces” (Thermally and visually comfortable spaces, urban form, orientations, microclimatic, energy efficiency, well-being)
Presentation - 04 (by Shrish Jaiswal)
“Street and nodes” (Urban magnets, making a street, dynamic, nodes, streetscape)
Part #03 Site Visit – 02 Research query What possibly could be the strategies for development of the green link? Methodology Street sections, built typologies, node typologies, development control norms analysis.
Part #04 For the first site visit, participants will be segregated in two groups to look at the two nodes on the Green Line, to be discussed next day
objective a walk through the city, selection of site through the lens of cultural diversity
workshop schedule Part-02
DAY 04 – Review and Scenario
collective| context | culture | constructs
Development Part #01 Presentation, discussion, observation, review of the both site visits
Part #02 Discussions towards developing design scenarios at various scales.
Scales Scale l – Regional Context ( defining a methodology using the green line as a prototype representing collectivity for ukraine. ) Scale ll – City Level Context ( developing a collective vision for districts (Lviv and Sykhviv) across green line ) Scale lll – Area Context ( developing strategies for segments based on land uses (residential, institutional, industrial, greens) found across Green line ) Scale lV – Street and activity nodes Context ( focus more on how street, intersections and social activity nodes contribute to the social, economic and environmental aspects ) Scale V – Urban Furniture ( detailing through elements and art )
objective to check “translatable” nature of such space into potential sites
DAY 05-07 - Working on scenarios to reach the final project (individual team) Part #01 Developing design Proposal ( Each team will be guided by four curators as their mentor.)
Part #02 Review and final presentations of developed scenarios. Discussing way forward to present the final project to the stakeholders for their feedback.
collective| context | culture | constructs
thank you!