Dominika Demlova THE VEIL FOR JOHANNESBURG, 2016
The Veil For Johannesburg The Edgeless Veil for Johannesburg is a critique of the power of authority (patriarchy), which results in high levels of violence against women in Johannesburg. The proposed series of thickened spatial envelopes of materials, would be stacked, woven and folded through columns to destabilize ideas of enclosures and authority of the institutional objects in the city. The project explores how could architecture mediate women’s relation to the city and others across architectural scales: from the most intimate encounters between two people to addressing larger social-economical issues through creating opportunities for retail activities within the space of the veil. The veil is defined as spatial arrangement of materiality in order to conceal/reveal, to have power over the boundary condition. Materiality is seen as the mediator and its importance to architecture and connection to femininity extracted from Adolf Loos’ theoretical texts on cladding as well as contemporary South African artists exploring the idea of woman’s identity. The proposed spatial envelopes latch onto the existing power structure of Johannesburg by associating them with the traditional shamans, sangomas, who are highly respected in South Africa. They further occupy the numerous taxi ranks and finally corrode the boundaries of civic buildings with downtown Johannesburg. In 2035, the veil would begin to enclose whole buildings within its space and the power structure in Johannesburg would shift in favor of the micro-institutions of the veil.
2035 Johannesburg
Spatial delay distributed through city centre
economical small scale opportunities for women
bridged relationship between official authority and most vulnerable persons
introducing spatial ambiguity into the city
vending opportunities for women Sou Fujimoto Richard Neutra Adolf Loos Authority of Magic Adolf Loos
sangoma Veil Ambiguity Readibility of Space
degrees of enclosures
spatial delay
Phase III: 2025-2035 Corroding
2018 Magical potion market re-designed
- Implementing opportunities for vendors -Slow dissolution of the institutional object
Accident AA
police, firefighters, ambulance informed transportation/urban department invites sangoma
Phase II: 2020-2025 Communicating initial ritual takes place purifying the site
- Creating waiting benches - Implementing spatial delay aorund taxi ranks growing black middle class
growing involvement of sangoma in urban planning 2016 Bridge Incident
Phase I: 2018-20120 Latching onto existing power structure: Enhancing Effect - Creating Veiled Potion Market - Implementing small vending opportunities
2006 Zuma Rape Trial
Veil for Johannesburg 1 : 4000
Adolf Loos Moller House design and the concept of creating moments of control based on the idea of spatial arrangement with focus on the ‘’viewer/viewed’’ by Adolf Loos formed an initial design refeence. And for him femininity related to architecture through cladding and materiality.
outside
women seating
view section diagram
Using View to Give Control Villa Moller Adolf Loos
So do many artists explore women’s identity through material cladding and redefining the form of the body. I would like to argue that spatial arrangement of materiality as a mediator between oneself and another in order to conceal, reveal - have power of the boundary condition - is inherently feminine quality.
Veil Photographs by Gertund Arndt 1930 Reconfiguration of face
And it is materiality inherently what gives power to the magical potions of mai mai , traditional South African healer/shamans whose power originates from the ability to pass across the boundary of the dead and the living and communicate and appease the ancestors. What happens when a woman becomes a sangoma is that she rises in authority and becomes untouchable. It is this idea of using the given power structure of the city in order to gain authority on which the project is based.
ancestors
Taxi Rank Owners
Taxi Owners
Sangoma
Government
Taxi Drivers
Market Manager
Men Visitors President
Men Using Taxi
Women Visitors ANC Party
Driver’s Wives
Other Politicians Women Using Taxi
Police
Victim
Power in Johannesburg
The veil would form a bridge and support structure between the government and the most vulnerable women who could begin to use the space within the veil as the first step from from unemployment gain business assets and skill.
laws to address formal economy
official representation
enterprises small businesses
Employed - Formal Sector
GOVERNMENT
bridge between government and informal economy
interorganisational rivaries and conflicts of representation
inclusive street trading by-laws
relationship with police
livelihood opportunities
provides: 2 million people
skill base experience business assets
(1 million women)
Informal Economy
alleviating poverty
basic shelter solid waste removal lighting toilets storage facilities
30% of GDP R160 billion
Retail Activity trade of goods and services
vendors
haircare services
most vulnerable unemployed women
Importance of Informal Economy
Unemploynment - 25%
taxi services
Direct Opposition Separated uniting visually, separating physically
Abrupted Floor discontinued, physical separation, visual continuity
Direct Opposition United uniting visually and physically, open plane, intermediate, mometary
Full Separation discontinued, physical separation, visual continuity, distorting
Large Volume Opague
Curved Enclosure Separation
creating large depth, large physical separation, large visual separation
open plane vs enclosed, transparent, visual onnection, spacious
Direct Opposition Dip uniting physically, united visually with shift in angle, open plane, intermediate, mometary
Abrupted Floor physical separation, visual disconituity
Curved Enclosure Wall open plane vs enclosed, full physical separation, geometry enforced spaciousness
Separated Volumes
Top Separation Transparent
Top Separation
visually connected through varying perforation of material
visually connected, varying height
physically discontinued, yet possible.
Op
separating physically, u angle, inter
Fo
creating de and ph
Ser
deg degrees
Tilte
discontinued thro add
Staging S
Through De
pposition Hill
united visually with high shift in rmediate, mometary
olded Surface
epth, degrees of visual hysical separation
ries of Columns
grees of materials, of visual connectivity
ed Surface
ough vertical platform, ding voids
Scoial Interactions
egrees of Enclosures
Opposition Dip
Cornered with Light
Perforated Separation Partial physical separation, partial visual separation
separating physically with shift in angle,
Layered Surface
Layered Columns
Large Volume Transparent
creating depth, degreeof visual and physical separation
creating large depth, degrees of visual and physical separation
creating large depth, large physical separation, small visual distortion
Direct Opposition Two Planes Light revealing, momentary
Folded Surface
Folded Surface
creating depth, degrees of visual and physical separation
creating depth, degrees of visual and physical separation
Two Levels
Layered Floor
High Floors
Separation through vertical separation, absolute
degrees of materials, visually connected at parts
separation through void
Extracting the relationship between materiality and space at two different scales: personal and urban, the magic of the shamans lies in the dichotomy of these two scales. Through further material research and models,the veil becomes a thickened spatial envelope of materials, which are being perforated, stacked, and woven to destabilize ideas of enclosures. It oscillates between the open and closed, interior and exterior such as richard Neutra’s Chuey house, which links directly into the essence of what gives the traditional healers their authority. And in a similar way to becoming a sangoma, the space of the veil gains aura of magic and importance to the community. The city would be embedded with the spell of spatial delay, which works across the scales of from most intimate to urban.
Wrapping of Columns
First Material Exploration: Molten Wax Structures With a reference to work of Bart Hass and his exploration into the connection between the human body and materiality, as well as reference to the materials used by the Sangomas, where they use lipids as a form of binding in potions, Through melting the wax and then pouring it into water, the material sides. The structure aquires various levels of material densities and therefore degrees of transparancy.
and refracts the light onto the wall behind the structure.
wax
Heat Source
wax
Bart Hass Wax Dresses made from suspending model into molten wax in water
Heat Source
molten wax (70C)
molten wax (70C)
warm water (30C) water bath
when in contact with water due to
wax contracts onto itself and creates various densities through the structure
warm water (30C)
water bath
walls
refracted light
iridesccent fabric wax
light source
when in contact with water due to
Polysacharrides - Oobleck - Ratio of H2O and Corn Flour As the main material for the experiments, Oobleck has been chosen as it has the same material properties as silica suspended in polyethylene glycol. Similarly to Neri Oxman, this is therefore an investigation into the potential of ‘perforamtive’ properties. In order to work on the threshold between solid and liquid state, The standard ratio of Oobleck (1:1.5) needs to be This will help to control the shape and reduce dramatically the amount of force, which needs to be exerted to turns the material into full solid piece.
200ml water
Correct mixture has primarily properties of solid than liquid
Liquid state.
Broken solid when force applied is too large.
0.5 g of silica pellets in 35 g of Oobleck
10 g of silica pellets in 35 g of Oobleck
Non-Newtonian Fluid: Material Qualities - Threshold of Solid and Liquid State Working on the threshold of solid and liquid state, where the majority of the material is kept in a solid state by applying force. Applying force
above force threshold = opaque surface (solid)
below force threshold = gloss surface (liquid)
Applying force from ttop and bottom Working on the threshold of solid and liquid state, where the majority of the material is kept in a solid state by applying force. Applying force
Technique to Vary Sound - Material Antidote to Aerogel Incident sound striking a room surface yields sound energy comprising impervious barrier. absorbers are generally porous, lightweight material. When a sound wave, which is made up of kinetic energy, collides with a surface, it will release its kinetic energy as heat at the site of that collision. If it collides with a gritty surface with many hills and valleys of molecules, it will collide against a greater number of molecules, and more of its energy will be converted to heat. Smooth materials, on the other hand, allow relatively few opportunities for small, individual collisions between the surface’s molecules and the sound wave – and therefore less of the sound wave’s energy is converted to heat, and
Copper or Steel as antidote for Aerogel As a anti-material to Aerogel I will be using Steel or copper.
Creating Echo - Room Geometry Large Room with Low Ceiling In large rooms the sound spreading is experienced as the greatest challenge, since the speech sounds can be heard over long distances.
Large Room with objects
Large Room with objects The acoustic environment in large rooms is sometimes experienced as the one at a railway station. This is partially the relatively high noise level. Another reason for this is the fact that the conversation over short distances is impeded due to the sound being masked or drowned by the surrounding noise.
Small Rooms In small rooms, the low frequencies often seem to be predominant. Therefore, the speech appears to consist primarily of humming sounds.
Round Rooms The sound moves towards the constructive centre thereby creating echoes.
Ceiling Domes The sound moves towards the constructive centre thereby creating echoes.
Inclined Ceilings Inclined ceilings have both a sound spreading and a sound because the sound regulation of the area around the inclined ceiling has not been considered carefully.
Inclined Walls Inclined walls have both a sound spreading and sound inclining the wall in proportion to other walls and the ceiling. In general, the walls inclined by more than 6 degrees ensure an by applying several angles.
The design of the veil has been further developed as an exploration into the nature of curves of various degrees, their oscilatting circles and field of columns, whose width and hight responds to the passage (curve) running through it. The density of the columns and their respected parameters have been defined through Grasshopper.
curve of 2nd degree
curve of 3rd degree
curve of 4th-10th degree
0.1 - 0.5
0.1 - 1.0
0.1 - 2.0
0.1 - 4.0
0.1 - 10.0
Based on the emerging power of sangomas within the urban development in Johannesburg which is displayed by need of their rituals during accidents, opening ceremonies of buildings etc, in the need to appease ancestors. The veil would be therefore applied through Johannesburg in three phases and through three typologies of authorative insitutions in Johannesburg in which the veil would have a different role. It would enhance the presence of the magical potion market within the city, It would use the taxi ranks as a way to communicate and reach people from around Johannesburg, and it would create a bridge and corrode the established civic buildings and begin the slow dissolution of the institutional object in favour of the microinstitutions of the veil.
This would be the time to introduce Nthati, student from Johannesburg who’s daily schedule through the city will explain how the veil would be used to support the women in Johannesburg from the most intimate moments to the larger economical and urban in 2035. So the first step would be to latch onto the existing Magical potion market, which is surrounded by a thick wall and disconnected from the city by a highway, the veil could in this instance cross over the boundary of the wall and vertically it could blur the boundary between the market and the highway. It would strengthen the presence of sangoma through the city and in return give authority to the veil itself. Nthati would go to the market for lunch to pick it up at the wife of a taxi driver who has a small food stall, then she would go into one of the consultation rooms to get advice and ask for potion of good luck for her exams,
A
6-9am People coming in for work from outside Johannesburg 12-1pm People come during lunch break to eat 5-9pm People come to take taxi back
Metro Mall Taxi Rank
9am Jurors come to work 10am Ladies start setting up 1pm Female workers get hair braided during lunch break
Waiting for taxi to Soweto Getting hair braided by High Court
5pm High Court Closes
7pm Going to Sowto 6:30pm Waiting for Taxi
8pm Stalls close down
6pm Buying groceries at Metro Mall Taxi Rank
High Court
4pm Getting her hair done by High Court
ancestors provide guidiance Woven Surface
5am Men bring animals 6-7am Meat preparation
Go for consultation with sangoma to get good luck potion for exams
8am First consultations 12pm Cooking ladies prepare lunches
1:30 pm Consultation with sangoma 1:30 pm Grabbing meal at market
Pick up meat steak from the cooking ladies at the market 1-5pm Consultations continue 6pm Closing Rooms
1pm Going to Mai Mai Market
Mai Mai Magical Potion Market University of johannesburg
Quickly hides in the veil when she notices one man watches her
Taxi Rank JR1032
Consultation with Sangoma
9:30am Getting to Downtown
9am Posts about the issues of women inequality
Nthati Food Vendor in Front of Mai Mai
Maboneng (hip tourist area)
11 ~ Meat Grill Vendors
12 ~ Housing for Mai Community
1 ~ Main Entrance with guard
2~ Housing
3 ~ Auto Mechanics
Business of M 1:500
a wild animals is hunted in the rural areas or national reserves under the heritage quota
the animal is skinned and meat separated from guts
the animal is skinned and meat separated from guts
the skin is pulled on wooden wheel to dry fat is put into bottles, meat is eaten or sold
Spell Busi
7 ~ Small Grocery Stores
6 ~ Consultation Rooms
8 ~ Manager
9 ~ Herb Preparation
10 ~ Animal Preparation
4 ~ Carpenters
5 ~ Skin Drying
Magic
iness in the City 1:500 muti is put inside a fresh cut in flesh
muti added to hot bath
muti is drank and then thrown up
muti steam by blanket enclosure and hot stones
11 ~ Meat Grill Vendors
12 ~ Housing for Mai Community
2~ Housing
3 ~ Auto Mechanics
7 ~ Small Grocery Stores
6 ~ Consultation Rooms 8 ~ Manager
10 ~ Animal Preparation
4 ~ Carpenters
5 ~ Skin Drying
Then she would walk to the building of the city library to study, in the afternoon she would remember that she wanted to get her new weave done, so she would go the the spatial envelope of the library, where one of the enclosed spaces is rented by a hair dresser who is part of the billion dollar infomal economy of haircare in South Africa. She uses not only the space of the vail but also the storage room and toilets or the civic building as well as the city provides waste disposal for the stallers. Lastly, Nthati goes to the metro mall taxi rank, where she buys groceries from a small stand, and waits within the various densities of hanging and attached strings and surfaces bend in such a way that you can observe without being viewed.
waste disposal
preparation cooking area
counter seating
copper
fabric
fur
steel
high ceiling above cooking space
lower ceiling above seating space
seating area
setting up stall
food preparation
cooking
cooking and selling area
selling
serving
Cooking Ladies scale 1:50
seating
waste disposal
cleaning up
packing up
staff work
lecture hall
lending library
office
files
wc
exhibition hall
librarian’s office
taxi drivers
reference library
bone throwing
storage
wc haircare stall
student room food stall
waiting space
waste disposal
Folded Surface
Two Levels
Layered Floor
High Floors
Gaining control of one’s personal boundaries, deciding when to conceal and reveal, would therefore directly affect the boundaries on the urban scale and would begin to create a condition of ambiguity and unreadability of space.The veil is the counterpoint to the much ingrained architecture of defined edges, which supports women in Johannesburg through materiality. The last image is a speculation how the veil would begin to enclose entire buildings within it and would therefore begin to dramatically begin to create a condition of ambiguity and unreadability of a whole city.The veil would become the counterpoint to the much ingrained architecture of defined edges, which supports the microinstitutions of women in Johannesburg through its materiality.