‘ How is s pa c e pe rc e ive d in t h e Ox f o rd Un ive rsit y M use u m o f N at u r a l Hist o r y ? ’
Ro b e r t A C r e s s we l l Re s e a rc h M e t h o d s f o r D e s i g n P3 0 026 C o u r s e w o r k 2016 -2017
Co nte nt s 1. I NT RO D U C T I ON 1.1 M a n i f e s t o o f I nve s t i g a t i o n p g.1 1. 2 H i s t o r y o f t h e M u s e u m p g.1 1. 3 S p a c e p g.1
2 . P e rc e p t i o n o f Spac e 2 .1 Devolution of the Senses pg. 2
2 . 2 Initial Investigations into the E xperience of Space
2 . 2 .1 Separ ate Spaces a s One pg. 2 2 . 2 . 2 L ayering of Foreground and B ack ground pg. 3 2 . 2 . 3 M aterialit y Alters Perceptions pg. 3
2 . 3 Construc ted Investigations into the E xperience of Space
2 . 3.1 L ayering of Individual Fr ames pg.4 2 . 3. 2 Inter t wining Spaces pg. 5
2 .4 Realigning of the Senses to aid in Perception
pg. 5
3. Conclu s ion pg. 6
4. B I B LIOG R APHY pg.7
5. LI ST OF I LLU STR ATIONS pg. 8
1. I NTRO D U C TI ON 1.1 M a n i f e s t o o f I nve s t i g a t i o n Contempor ar y societ y ei ther consciously or unconsciously have adopted an ocular centr ic mechanism for per ceiving space . T his ha s become appar ent a s today ’s societ y is bombar ded wi th visual s timuli to quick ly engage and disengage the par ticipant thr ough var ious for ms of media . T his inves tigation aims to uncover the value of vision in the per ception of space , and how the amalgamation of the senses could enable an integr ative exper ience of space to be per ceived . To do this , an under s t anding of the def ini tion of space and how this is per ceived will need to be es t ablished . T his will be achieved by explor ing the devaluation of the senses and their r econnec tion wi thin the conf ines of the Ox for d Univer si t y Museum of Natur al His tor y. T his essay, ther efor e , will pose the ques tion: ‘ How do you per ceive space in the Ox for d Univer si t y Museum of Natur al His tor y ’ ? 1. 2 H i s t o r y o f t h e M u s e u m In A pr il of 1854 an open competi tion wa s intr oduced invi ting A r chi tec t s to submi t designs for the new Ox for d Univer si t y Museum . By the submission deadline of Oc tober that year, the Univer si t y commi t tee had r eceived thir t y-t wo designs which wer e exhibi ted in the R adclif fe L ibr ar y. Af ter almos t 7 months of deliber ating a vote wa s ca s t which saw Ir ish A r chi tec t s T homa s Newenham Deane and B enjamin Woodwar d emer ge a s winner s . T he design i t self wa s of a G othic natur e and wa s cons tr uc ted under the gothic r evival of the time . (B lau , 1982). 1. 3 S p a c e In or der to under s t and how one can per ceive space , a def ini tion of ‘space’ will need to be es t ablished . Space is def ined a s an enti t y that
Figur e 1 - Image of t he Univesit y of Ox ford Natural His tor y Museum taken by Paul Cowen (About Br itain, n.d.)
can be char ac ter ised in many ways , i t is not something that is simply def ined by enclosur e (Lefebvr e , 1991), the ar tis t A nish K apoor and
many ideologies sur r ounding the philosophical meaning of space , i t
s tr uc tur ing of the scene that is at the hear t of per ception .” (20 01, pg. 71).
Dir ec tor and Chief Cur ator of Public A r t Fund , Nichola s B aume touch
is impor t ant to def ine the dif fer ence bet ween those of philosophical
L awson identif ies the integr al par t vision plays in the ac t of per ception .
on this in an inter view :
and the ar chi tec tur al natur e . Pr ofessor Adr ian For t y in summar y of
W i thin contempor ar y per ception this may be tr ue a s A r chi tec t Juhani
Fr ench philosopher Henr i Lefebvr e , r ationalises the r ole of ar chi tec t s
Palla sma a explains: “ […] today ’s pr evailing educational pr inciples fail
“ Take t he open air ed mosque; it’s a wall wit hout a building.
wi thin their métier in s t ating that “ by r ealising both physical space ,
to gr a sp the indeter minate , dy namic and sensually integr ated essence
T hat’s so power ful. It seems to magically enclose an ar ea
and a discour se abou t space , ar chi tec t s might be said to be fulf illing
of human exis tence[. . .] ” (20 0 9, pg.12). Palla sma a her e is commenting
wit hout t her e being any buildings , jus t a wall. It says
their tr adi tional r ole of f inding the means to r epr esent what other wise
on the det achment of the sensor ium and the r eliance of vision , bu t
somet hing about t he way an objec t comes to life, comes
exis ted only a s ideolog y ” (20 0 4). T her efor e , allowing space to be
the unconscious cogni tion of mul tiple senses also plays a lar ge par t .
to inf ilt rate physical space, but it also says somet hing
def ined wi thin the cons tr uc t of this inves tigation .
I t is only by r ealigning the senses to t ake an ac tive r ole in per ception that you can fully compr ehend the absolu te per ception of space . A s
about t he way space it self is a philosophical ent it y and T he per ception of space is another subjec t that ha s mul tiple ideologies .
L awson sug ges t s: “ […] this pr ocess is lar gely an unconscious one since
Fundament ally, the way in which we per ceive space ha s always been
our ac tual exper ience of per ception is not an analy tical one at all,
T his idea is one also shar ed by ar tis t and sculptor R ichar d Ser r a
consider ed a visual one . A s au thor B r yan L awson explains: “ I t is of
bu t qui te to the contr ar y is integr ative .” (20 01, pg. 71). In conclusion ,
who obser ved that “now when you close space you do one thing ,
cour se the dir ec t connec tion of eye and br ain that enables per ception .”
this empha sises the impor t ance of the sensor ium in our per ception of
and when you cons tr uc t space you do another ” (1994). A s ther e ar e
(20 01, pg. 71). He continues: “ I t is this ver y analysis , decomposi tion and
space .
not simply wher e t hings happen.” (2008)
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2 . Pe rc e p ti o n o f Spac e 2 .1 D e vo lu t i o n o f t h e S e n s e s I t is evident that thr oughou t the cour se of his tor y many of the ba sic senses began to subside due to their subser vient r ole . T his can be tr aced a s far back a s the Cla ssical antiqui t y. Accor ding to au thor David K leinber g- Levin: “ […] beginning wi th the ancient G r eek s , Wes ter n cul tur e ha s been dominated by an ocular centr ic par adigm , a vision - gener ated , vision - centr ed inter pr et ation of k nowledge , tr u th and r eali t y.” (1993, pg. 2). T he r ise of an ocular centr ic r eali t y only incr ea sed over time which lead to the exploi t ation of the senses in the moder n age . By s t ating this , this r esear ch r efer s to the continuous bombar dment of the senses - pr edominantly visually or ient ated thr ough media and adver tisement . In these ter ms , Palla sma a s t ates: “ Today, our senses and bodies ar e objec t s of cea seless commer cial manipulation and exploi t ation .” (20 0 9, pg.13). T his is not to say that i t is mer ely a ‘commer cial’ cons tr uc t . Indeed , i t is also evident wi thin social inter ac tion , a s the r ise of social media ha s continued to contr ibu te to the demise of other senses . T his concept is explained by Palla sma a who says that “vision and hear ing ar e now the pr ivileged sociable senses , wher ea s the other thr ee ar e consider ed a s ar chaic sensor y r emnant s wi th a mer ely pr ivate func tion , and they ar e usually supr essed by the code of cul tur e .” (20 05, pg.16). A s ar chi tec tur e is fundament ally a commer ce , one can dr aw par allels bet ween the demise of the senses and the r ise of ocular centr ism wi thin the f ield . ‘ Func tion follows For m’ (Hays , 1998 p142), is an example of how aes thetics of a building t akes pr ecedent over i t s use . In this contex t , A r chi tec t Fr ank G ehr y is a famous f igur e for pioneer ing this philosophy. For ins t ance , to name few examples of his ar chi tec tur e ar e T he G ug genheim Museum B ilbao, Wal t Disney Concer t Hall and the B iomueso. T hese pieces of ar chi tec tur e show that ocular centr ism
Figur e 2 - Layer ing of Space III
is ever pr esent wi thin the f ield . T he abs tr ac tion and dis tor tion of per ception in these ocular centr ic spaces only incr ea ses the cr eva sse bet ween the connec tion of the sensor ium and the dominance of the visual per ception . A s Palla sma a sug ges t s: “ buildings lose their pla s tici t y, and their connec tion wi th the language and wisdom of the body, they become isolated in the cool and dis t ant r ealm of vision .” (20 05, pg. 31).
2 . 2 I n i t ial I n v e s t igat i o n s i n to t h e E x p e ri e n c e o f Spac e 2 . 2 .1 S e p a r a t e S p a c e s a s O n e T he O x for d Univer si t y Museum of Natur al His tor y is composed of
and s tr uc tur e our r elationship wi th the wor ld , al though we ar e not
mul tiple spaces: fr om a centr al cover ed quadr angle that is sur r ounded
usually conscious of this per ceptual ac tivi t y.” (20 0 9, pg.17 ). T hr ough
by an ar r angement of lec tur e halls and of f ices that ar e separ ated fr om
the unconscious cogni tion of the senses , subtle hint s es t ablish an
the inter nal hall by a cover ed cor r idor. T he cover ed quadr angle is then
under s t anding of connec tion bet ween the individual spaces (See f igur e
divided thr ough the ar r angement of cabinet s and of exhibi t s . Despi te
2). T hus , disr egar ding the for mal division of the museum and allowing
“ I t hink it is appr opr iate to challenge t he hegemony of vision
the over all volume of the Museum being divided and divided again ,
a continui t y of space to be achieved thr ough per ception . In this r egar d ,
– t he ocular- cent r ism of our cultur e. And I t hink we need to
the r elationships of the individual spaces ar e s tr uc tur ed so one can
ar chi tec t Steven Holl explor es this by saying : “ Dimensions alone do not
examine ver y cr it ically t he charac ter of vision t hat pr edominates
or ient ate themselves thr oughou t . T his r elationship holds impor t ance
cr eate this space; r ather the space is a quali t y bound up in per ception .”
today in our wor ld.” (K leinber g- Levin, 1993, pg.205).
to the per ception of space . Palla sma a makes note: “Our senses ‘ think ’
(20 0 0 , pg. 31).
W hether the deter ior ation of the senses ha s been a volunt ar y or an involunt ar y one mat ter s not , subsequently we need to ques tion to what ex tent you can per ceive space if we ar e only using a limi ted palet te of senses .
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Figur e 3 - Layer ing of Space
Figur e 4 - Br eak ing Percept ion
2 . 2 . 2 L aye r i n g o f F o r e g r o u n d a n d B a c k g r o u n d
2 . 2 . 3 M a t e r i a l i t y A l t e r s Pe r c e p t i o n s
A pr ominent piece of infor mation uncover ed by the visual ethnogr aphy
W hile per ception can be explor ed thr ough the ini tial objec tive
is wor th noting that in this ca se , a fr ame r efer s to a snapshot in time
obser vations – wher e undis tor ted vision is used – a second inves tigation
or an individual memor y of a single objec t or viewpoint . T his is done
wi thin visual ethnogr aphy wa s es t ablished . By means of changing the
thr ough the r ef lec tions seen in the photogr aphs . T his phenomenon
appr oach to captur ing space , a second pr ominent piece of infor mation
of abs tr ac tion is expr essed by A r t His tor ian Fr ancesca B acci and
wa s discover ed . T he use of mater iali t y – especially thr ough the
Pr ofessor David Melcher who obser ve: “ W hile vision and hear ing can
r ef lec tions of the exhibi t ca ses – thr oughou t the museum allowed a
be exper ienced a s bodily senses […] they ar e s tr ongly a ssociated wi th
s tr ong r elationship bet ween det ached spaces to be ini tiated (See f igur e
abs tr ac tion [. . .] ” (2011, pg. 243). Continuing adding : “ T he immanence
4). By allowing our per ception to be dis tor ted into seeing mul tiple
and mater iali t y of the pr oximal senses can thus be the gr ound of
a spec t s of a space in a single fr ame we gather a new per spec tive .
aes thetics , k nowledge , and indeed ethics .” (2011, pg. 24 4). T hr ough the
Something that unless r eali t y is dis tor ted , would not be possible . I t
abs tr ac tion of fr ames , new r elationships ar e uncover ed .
methodolog y wa s the subtle hint s at the per ception of space (See f igur e 3). T his wa s achieved thr ough the layer ing of mul tiple spaces in one image: a for egr ound , a middle - gr ound and a back gr ound – explor ing the r elationship and inter connec tivi t y of spaces once deemed separ ate . In accor dance wi th Holl: “A r chi tec tur al s y nthesis of changing back gr ound , middle gr ound , and for egr ound wi th all subjec tive quali ties of mater ial and light for ms the ba sis for an inter t wining per ception .” (1998 , pg.12 .). T his demons tr ates that al though individual in the pr ac tical build up, the spaces wi thin the museum can be per ceived a s a continuous enti t y.
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2 . 3 C o n s t ruc t e d I n v e s t igat i o n s i n to t h e E x p e ri e n c e o f Spac e
2 . 3 .1 L aye r i n g o f I n d i v i d u a l F r a m e s T hr ough this inves tigation , i t became clear that obt aining a sense of space wa s not something that could be completed in a single undis tor ted fr ame . I t wa s thr ough the a ssembly of mul tiple fr ames that allowed a complete per ception of space to be es t ablished . A r tis t David Hock ney explains this qui te simply by saying : “ […] we see space thr ough time , I see the tip of your shoe , I see your k nee , I see this at dif fer ent times and somehow you make space in your head […] ” (2016). A s we see space thr ough the continuum of time , the images captur ed wi thin a single fr ame bes t display how the br ain cons tr uc t s space thr ough vision . I t is the layer ing of these individual fr ames that allow us to per ceive the tot ali t y of a space (See f igur e 5). In r etr ospec tive memor y, the pr ocess of cons tr uc ting space is dif fer ent a s the per ception of space ha s alr eady been for ged , one is mer ely r eimagining the or iginal cons tr uc t . Palla sma a expr esses this concept a s: “ In memor able exper iences ar chi tec tur e , space , mat ter and time fuse into one singular dimension […] ” (20 05, pg.72). T his singular dimension wa s cr eated thr ough exper ience and connec tion of memor y to a space , Sculptor Kent B loomer and A r chi tec t Char les Moor e explain this by s t ating that : “ To at lea s t some ex tent ever y place can be r emember ed , par tly because i t is unique , bu t par tly because i t ha s af fec ted our bodies and gener ated enough a ssociations to hold i t in our per sonal wor lds” (197 7 ). W hile this may seem to only be an obser vation of the eyes – a s pr edominantly memor ies ar e r elived thr ough vision – i t is also the inter ac tion of var ious other senses dur ing this pr ocess that also allow the for mation of memor ies . T his notion is expr essed by L awson who says: “ We may not even be awar e of the ex tent to which impr essions we have of a place depend on the var ious sensor y channels […] ” (20 01, pg. 71). In summar y, our per ception of space is one linked wi th time a s i t is the layer ing of mul tiple fr ames and the integr ation of mul tiple senses that allow a tot ali t y to be for med and r elived thr ough memor y in a single dimension .
Figur e 5 - Bet ween Floor s
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Figur e 6 - St itching t ime II 2 . 3.2 Inter t wining Spaces Afor ementioned , the per ception of individual spaces , is cr eated by the layer ing of mul tiple fr ames in time . To under s t and how mul tiple spaces can be per ceived in r elation to one another, an inves tigation wa s cr eated to explor e how the per ception of space thr ough layer ed fr ames can connec t mul tiple spaces to a single obser ver (See f igur e 6). T his explor ation visually pr esent s how the mind would r ecollec t the per ception of mul tiple spaces . T he piece can be displayed a s a timeline . For example , if look ing fr om lef t to r ight , i t shows the path of the obser ver. T his for ms a new image – of mul tiple fr ames wi thin dif fer ent spaces – to skew and dis tor t the concept of per spec tive . (like the ideolog y of cubism that br oke away fr om the confor m of per spec tive to per ceive objec t s in space by unconventional methods) (Dean and Zevi, 1983). Ul timately i t pr esent s a fai thful r epr esent ation of r etr ospec tive per ception . T he path of the obser ver thr ough connec ted spaces is par amount to a compr ehensive awar eness of space which is expr essed by Holl a s: “Only the cr iss- cr ossing of the body thr ough space… joins space , body, eye and mind .” (20 0 0 , pg. 38). I t is
thr ough these inves tigations that space can s t ar t to be def ined and i t s
par adigm , i t is impor t ant that the other senses ar e not for got ten . T her e
impor t ance r ecognised wi thin Ox for d Univer si t y Museum of Natur al
is a gr owing awar eness of the subser vient r oll our other senses play
His tor y. Fur ther the impor t ance of vision a s a tool for the per ception
wi thin per ception , conveyed her e by A nthr opologis t A shley Mont agu:
of space wi thin A r chi tec tur e and indeed the signif icant r ole space
“ We in the Wes ter n Wor ld ar e beginning to discover our neglec ted
plays in A r chi tec tur e . In agr eement wi th Holl: “ Space is the essential
senses . T his gr owing awar eness r epr esent s something of an over due
medium of ar chi tec tur e . Space is simul t aneously many things – the
insur genc y agains t the painful depr ivation of sensor y exper ience we
voids in ar chi tec tur e , the space ar ound ar chi tec tur e , the va s t space of
have suf fer ed in our technologised wor ld ” (Mont agu , 1971).
landscape and ci t y space , inter galac tic spaces of the univer se . Space
Once aligned a gr eater per ception of space that does not r ely on vision
is something both intr insic and r elational.” (20 0 0 , pg. 2 2). In essence ,
can be cr eated . In ar chi tec tur e , this would lead to the development
space is fundament al to the conception of ar chi tec tur e . I t is thr ough
of a heightened memor y and connec tion to a space which in tur n
means of per ceiving space by an obser ver that ar chi tec tur e is s tor ed
would lead to a bet ter per ception and inter ac tion of space and user.
wi thin memor y.
Palla sma a r einfor ces this view by saying : “ Ever y touching exper ience
2 . 4 R e alig n i n g o f t h e S e n s e s to aid i n P e rc e p t i o n T hr oughou t this inves tigation ther e have been r efer ences to the impor t ance of the sensor ium when per ceiving space . Even though the r esear ch conduc ted ha s been one inf luenced by an ocular centr ic
of ar chi tec tur e is mul ti -sensor y ; quali ties of space , mat ter and scale ar e mea sur ed equally by the eye , ear, nose , sk in , tongue , skeleton and muscle .” (20 05, pg.41). T her efor e , is i t possible that upon per ceiving space a complete sensor y exper ience t akes place , or is i t jus t that the empha sis is placed upon vision to deter mine one’s per ception of the wor ld ar ound us?
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3. CONCLUSION Space can be def ined in many ways , bu t i t wa s the def ini tion of space in ter ms of ar chi tec tur e by Lefebvr e that enabled the contex tualisation of r esear ch . T hr ough conduc ting r esear ch in the O x for d Univer si t y Museum of Natur al His tor y, a det ailed methodolog y of per ceiving space wa s cr eated . Ini tially s t ar ted by the captur ing of single fr ames , the r esear ch uncover ed the connec tion of separ ate spaces despi te physical division of the space . T his wa s achieved by the connec tion of the for egr ound , middle - gr ound and the back gr ound of fr ames (SEE FIG X X ). I t wa s then these physical divisions that , thr ough r ef lec tions in exhibi t ca ses and the exhibi t s themselves , allowed a dis tor ted per ception of space to be es t ablished . T he connec tion of separ ate spaces thr ough dis tor tion allowed mul tiple spaces to be per ceived in the same ins t ance of time . A s we per ceive space in time , this pr ovided an inter es ting compar ison to the objec tive fr ames ini tially t aken (SEE FIG X X ). Time is the key to under s t anding space , a s over time mul tiple fr ames pr ovide a cons tr uc tion of per ception thr ough layer ing. Once layer ed a fai thful r epr esent ation of space , this is s tor ed a s memor y (SEE FIG X X ). T he connec tion of these memor ies let the conventional r ules of per spec tive to be discar ded . Consequently, this allowed a tot ali t y of the space to be per ceived . Fundament ally we per ceive space thr ough memor y, a weal th of dat a thr ough visual s timuli is cons tr uc ted to for m ment al r eali ties and allow us to explor e space det ached fr om the limi t ations of time . Under s t anding the event s and exper iences that heighten memor y, i t is also essential that a r econnec tion of mul tiple senses is achieved . A s vision is only one of f ive senses i t is fair to say that al though memor y is usually per ceived thr ough vision , other senses aid in the r ecollec tion and cr eation of memor ies . Touch , S mell, Ta s te and Sound all contr ibu te to memor y and a s such can be consider ed impor t ant to the development of fu tur e expr ession wi thin the f ield . A s exper ienced
Figur e 7 - Ref lec t ions
at the Ox for d Univer si t y Museum of Natur al His tor y, ar chi tec tur e is ex tr emely impor t ant to the per ception of space a s i t s cons tr uc t s and r edef ines space thr ough the s timuli of the senses .
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B ibli o graphy Palla sma a , J . (2012). T he eyes of t he sk in. 1s t ed . Chiches ter, Wes t Sussex [ U. K .]: W iley. Pardo, A . and Redstone , E . (2014). Photogr aphy and ar chi tec tur e in the moder n age . 1s t ed . London: B ar bican A r t Galler y. Perec , G . (20 0 8). Species of Spaces and O ther Pieces , Penguin Cla ssic edi tion . Pink , S . (20 07 ). Doing visual ethnogr aphy. 1s t ed . London: Sage Publications . Rose , G . (20 01). Visual methodologies . 1s t ed . London: Sage . Sbriglio, J . (2011). Le Cor busier & Lucien Her ve. 1s t ed . London: T hames & Hudson . Serr a , R . (1994). Wr it ings , inter views . 1s t ed . Chicago: Univer si t y of Chicago Pr ess , pp. 241-242 . Sharr, A . (2012). Reading ar chi tec tur e and cul tur e . 1s t ed . London: Rou tledge . Van Schaik , L . (2014). Prac t ical poet ic s in architec tur e. 1s t ed . Chiches ter : John W iley & Sons Ltd .
L i s t o f Figur e s Figure 1 - Park s Canada Histor y, (20 0 6). His tor ical Photograph of t he Univer sit y of Ox ford Natural His tor y Museum. [image] Available at : ht tp: //par k scanadahis tor y.com /ser ies /chs / 2 5/chs2 5 -1j2 . htm [Accessed 17 Dec. 2016]. Figure 2 - Cresswell, R . (2016). Layer ing of Space III [Per sonal Photogr aph] Figure 3 - Cresswell, R . (2016). Layer ing of Space
[Per sonal Photogr aph]
Figure 4 - Cresswell, R . (2016). Br eak ing Percept ion [Per sonal Photogr aph] Figure 5 - Cresswell, R . (2016). Bet ween Floor s [Per sonal Photogr aph] Figure 6 - Cresswell, R . (2016). St itching t ime II [Per sonal Photogr aph] Figure 7 - Cresswell, R . (2016). Ref lec t ions [Per sonal Photogr aph]
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Re se a rc h Me t h od s D i a r y
9
Co nte nt s 1. R e s e arch M e t h o d D iary
T h e E x p e r i e n c e o f S p a c e p g.10 V i s u a l A n t h r o p o l o g y p g.18 S c r i p t o g r a m p g. 29 Wa l k i n g a s a Re s e a r c h M e t h o d p g. 3 6
2 . W EE K LY L E C T U R E NOTES pg.4 4 3. WEE K LY LECTU RE OUTPUTS pg. 56
4. COVE R S H EET pg. 6 4
‘ Th e E x pe r ie nc e o f S pa c e : D avid Hoc k n ey Ph ot o - c oll age ’ Re se a rc h Me t h od 1
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Figur e 1 - Pr ehis tor ic Museum Near Palm Spr ings (Hock ney, 1982)
Figur e 2 - Cover ed Cor r r idor
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Figur e 3 - Look ing Down
Figur e 4 - Bet ween Floor s
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Figur e 5 - Bet ween t he arches
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Figur e 7 - Sunday Mor ning , May f lower Hotel, New Yor k (Hock ney, 1982)
Figur e 6 - C hange of per spec t ive
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Figur e 8 - St itching t ime
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Figur e 9 - St itching t ime II
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T his
r esear ch
method
wa s
inf luenced
by
David
B ib liog r a p hy
Hock ney ’s ser ies of photomont ages that wa s displayed a s a par t of the ‘ E xper ience of Space’ lec tur e . T hr ough under s t anding the teachings of Hock ney, Zevi and For t y a conscious decision wa s made to use photomont age to r esear ch the per ception of space . T he use of this medium allowed individual snapshot s to be t aken and r ea ssembled , which in ac tuali t y is the way in which the mind cons tr uc t s space , Hock ney descr ibes this a s: “ […] we see space thr ough time , I see the tip of your shoe , I see your k nee , I see this . . . At dif fer ent times , and somehow you make space in your head […] ” (2016). By cons tr uc ting images fr om var ious moment s in time an ar tif icial cons tr uc t of space is for med . T his is essential to Zevi’s under s t anding of the pr oper ties of space , a s he s t ates: “ T he geometr ic pr oper ties of space ar e not independent , bu t they ar e deter mined by mat ter… I t appear s to me that the for mation of the concept of the mater ial objec t mus t pr ecede our concept s of time and space” (1983).
Dean, A . and Zevi, B . (1983). B r uno Zevi on moder n ar chi tec tur e . 1s t ed . New Yor k : R iz zoli, pp.186 -187. For t y, A . (20 0 4). Wor ds and buildings . 1s t ed . New Yor k : T hames & Hudson . Hensel, Hight , Menges eds. (20 09). Space Reader : Heter ogeneous Space in A r chi tec tur e (AD Reader), W iley and Sons . Hock ney, D. (1982). Pr ehis tor ic Museum Near Palm Spr ings . [image] Available at : ht tp: //w w w. hock ney pic tur es . com /photos /photos _ collages _ 03 _ lar ge . php [Accessed 17 Dec. 2016]. Hock ney, D. (1982). Sunday Mor ning , May f lower Hotel, New Yor k . [image] Available at : ht tp: //collec tions .lacma . or g /node /196853 [Accessed 17 Dec. 2016]. Louisianna Channel, (2016). David Hock ney Inter view : I A m a Space Fr eak . [video] Available at : ht tps: //w w w. you tube .com /watch? v =r nDAidgL ZiE [Accessed 19 Dec. 2016]. Perec , G . (20 0 8). Species of Spaces and O ther Pieces , Penguin Cla ssic edi tion .
T he advant ages of this pr ocess ar e: the abili t y to cr i tically under s t and how the mind cogni tively pieces together space – which is fundament al to my r esear ch – , a gr eater under s t anding of how mul tiple space inter ac t , the impor t ance of memor y in the per ception of space and a cr i tical r ef lec tion on the impor t ance of cubism in the br eak ing of the per spec tive which ha s allowed new per ceptions of space to be es t ablished . T he disadvant ages of this pr ocess ar e: the inabili t y to tr anscend senses a s an ocular centr ic per spec tive is t aken and the limi t ation in expr essing a memor y thr ough other senses , al though i t r epr esent s the r ecollec tion of a memor y well. O ver all I believe this to be a success ful and power ful r esear ch method wi thin my diar y a s the infor mation uncover ed thr ough using i t ha s enabled me to cr i tically analyse the per ception of space wi thin the O x for d Univer si t y Museum of Natur al His tor y.
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‘ Visu a l A n t h ro polog y ’ Re se a rc h Me t h od 2
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Figur e 10 - Ref lec t ions
Figur e 11 -
New Yor k Village Book s tor e - Mar ie - Clair e Montanar i
(Calder wood Galler y, n.d.)
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Figur e 13 - Realit y and Ref lec t ion
Figur e 12 - Br eak ing Percept ion
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Figur e 14 - Ref lec t ion II
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Figur e 15 - Realit y and Ref lec t ion II
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Figur e 16 - Realit y and Ref lec t ion III
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Figur e 17 - Ref lec t ion III
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Figur e 18 - Layer ing of Space
Figur e 19 - Ratclif fe Power Stat ion, Study 40 (Kenna, 2003)
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Figur e 20 - Layer ing of Space II
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Figur e 21 - Layer ing of Space III
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In using
photogr aphy a s a r esear ch method many
B ib liog r a p hy
a spec t s of the per ception of space wer e able to be obser ved . T his s t ar ted by a means of documenting how the space wa s divided and physically ar r anged , this technique is expr essed by ar chi tec t Jacques Sbr iglio a s: “ I t is a mat ter of f inding thr ough photogr aphy, beyond the visible envelope of things , the or iginal idea : to r etur n thr ough photogr aphy to the dr awing , to the disegno, to the ini tial design .” (2011, pg 14). Once this had been inves tigated subtle hint s of the connec tion of other spaces began to ar ise , these captur ed images dr ew par allels to the collec tion of wor k ‘ Ref lec tions’ by Mar ie - Clair e Mont anar i. Alongside this the sug ges tion of space beyond the r eali t y of nor mal per ception is empha sised by Photogr apher Michael Kenna : “ I am not so inter es ted in the visually specif ic, I pr efer the vague and veiled , what is unseen bu t sug ges ted .” (Kenna , 2016). T he advant ages of this pr ocess ar e: the abili t y to captur e a single fr ame that aids in the under s t anding of how the mind pr ocesses par t of a per ception of space ,
Calder wood G aller y, (n.d.). New Yor k Village B ook s tor e . [image] Available at : ht tps: //w w w.calder woodgaller y. com /mar ieclair e - online - exhibi tion /l3zjg2jcr z167611i td9h 0235q t y1c [Accessed 17 Dec. 2016]. Kenna , M . (20 03). R atclif fe Power St ation , Study 4 0 . [image] Available at : ht tp: //w w w. michaelkenna . net /galler y. php?id=7 [Accessed 17 Dec. 2016]. Kenna , M . (2016). A Man wit h a Camera: Photographic Poet r y. Look ing Glass , [online] (14), p. 82 . Available at : ht tp: // w w w. michaelkenna . net /inter views /look ing gla ss2016a . pdf [Accessed 19 Dec. 2016]. Pardo, A . and Redstone , E . (2014). Photogr aphy and ar chi tec tur e in the moder n age . 1s t ed . London: B ar bican A r t Galler y. Pink , S . (20 07 ). Doing visual ethnogr aphy. 1s t ed . London: Sage Publications . Rose , G . (20 01). Visual methodologies . 1s t ed . London: Sage . Sbriglio, J . (2011). Le Cor busier & Lucien Her ve . 1s t ed . Los A ngeles [C alif.]: J . Paul G et t y Museum . Sharr, A . (2012). Reading ar chi tec tur e and cul tur e . 1s t ed . London: Rou tledge .
the discover y of how a dis tor ted image – thr ough r ef lec tions – allows separ ate spaces to be linked and obser ved simul t aneously and build an awar eness of how for egr ound , middle - gr ound and back gr ound inter change to cr eate a per ception of space . T he disadvant ages of this pr ocess ar e: the neglec t of senses other than vision wi thin the per ception of space and the limi t ations of single fr ames in under s t anding the tot ali t y of the per ception of space . O ver all I believe this inves tigation pr ovides a key s t ar ting point into my inves tigation of how space is per ceived in the O x for d Univer si t y Museum of Natur al His tor y.
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‘ Sc r ip t og r a m’ Re se a rc h Me t h od 3
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Figur e 22 - Init ial Iterat ion
Figur e 23 - E x t rac t fr om T he Manhat tan Transcr ipt s ( Tschumi, 1994)
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Figur e 24 - E x t rac t fr om T he Manhat tan Transcr ipt s ( Tschumi, 1994)
Figur e 25 - Init ial Iterat ion II
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Figur e 26 - Iterat ion I
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Figur e 27 - Iterat ion II
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Figur e 28 - Iterat ion III
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T his
r esear ch
method
wa s
inspir ed
by
B er nar d
B ib liog r a p hy
Tschumi’s diagr ams which wer e pr esented wi thin the lec tur e ‘ Dr awing Diagr ams a s a Method of A r chi tec tur al Design’. T hr ough under s t anding the r ationale for Tschumi’s diagr ams this method wa s adopted . Tschumi used this method of dr awing to pr esent a concept of individual spaces wi thin his designs . T he concept is displayed in 3 images a s descr ibed by A r chi tec t Peter Cook : “ […] photogr aphs dir ec t the ac tion , plans r eveal the ar chi tec tur al manufac tur e , and diagr ams indicate
Cook , P. (2014). Drawing. 1s t ed . Hoboken: W iley. G arcia , M . (2010). T he diagrams of architec tur e. 1s t ed . Chiches ter : W iley. Tschumi, B . (1994). T he Manhat tan t ranscr ipt s . 1s t ed . London: Academy Edi tions . Tschumi, B ., Derrida , J . and Vidler, A . (2014). Tschumi Parc de La Villet te. 1s t ed . London: A r tif ice .
the movement of the main pr ot agonis t s .” (2014, pg 24). T he gr ouping of these key diagr ams allows a per ception of the space to be conceived and pr esented in a clear and pr ecise way. Tschumi explains his method in an inter view wi th A r chi tec t Mar k Gar cia a s: “ If I def ine ar chi tec tur e a s space occupied by bodies and the motion of bodies in that space , then inevi t ably I need a vehicle , an ins tr ument , a tool in or der to descr ibe the inter ac tion bet ween that space , and the movement of the body.” (2010 , pg 198). T he inter ac tion of the body in space will allow an al ter native per spec tive of the per ception of space to be cons tr uc ted . T his is impor t ant a s i t br eak s down the space fr om a simply visual aes thetic to i t s cor e meanings , a s expr essed by Tschumi a s: “ B efor e time and nar r ative come the body and the movement of that body in space .” (Gar cia , 2010 , pg 198). T he advant ages of this pr ocess include: the abili t y to per ceive space thr ough the mind of the designer s , pr oduce an al ter native per spec tive in the per ception of space and the abili t y to simplif y what may be por tr ayed a s a chaotic ar r angement of spaces . T he disadvant ages of this r esear ch method consis t of : the application of this pr ocess to def ine the nar r ative / concept of a space seem less useful when look ing at a building pos t cons tr uc tion , a s you ar e r ever se engineer ing the or iginal pr ocess . O ver all I believe this pr ocess to be one of mixed ou tcomes , while the pr ocess allowed me to per ceive spaces in a simplif ied and diagr ammatical way the depth of the f indings wer e not of the quali t y in which I would be able to include in my essay.
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‘ Wa lk ing a s a Me t h od o f D e sig n Re se a rc h’ Re se a rc h Me t h od 4
36
Figur e 29 - Walk 1 Point A
Figur e 30 - Walk 1 Point B
38
Figur e 31 - Walk 1 Point C
Figur e 32 - Walk 1 Point D
39
Figur e 33 - Walk 2 Point A
Figur e 34 - Walk 2 Point B
40
Figur e 35 - Walk 2 Point C
Figur e 36 - Walk 2 Point D
41
Figur e 37 - Walk 2 Point E
Figur e 38 - Walk 2 Point F
42
T his r esear ch method wa s inf luenced by that of
B ib liog r a p hy
A nthr opologis t Tim Ingold whose wor k wa s pr esented a s a par t of the ‘ Wander lus t Lec tur e’. T hr ough the under s t anding of the pr ocess under t aken by Ingold i t becomes appar ent that the aims of walk ing a s a r esear ch method ar e able to tr anscend senses and cons tr uc t a well - r ounded per ception of space a s Ingold and Ver guns t explain her e a s: “All this is not to ques tion the analog y bet ween walk ing and s tor y telling or nar r ative . I t is mer ely to obser ve that ther e is far mor e to walk ing than what is r egis ter ed on the gr ound in the monotonous tr ead of feet .” (Ingold and Ver guns t , 20 0 8 pg. 10). T his idea is also shar ed by Pr ofessor
Andreot ti, L . and Cost a , X . (1996). T heor y of t he dér ive and ot her situat ionis t wr it ings on t he cit y. 1s t ed . B ar celona : Museu d ’A r t Contempor ani de B ar celona , p. 5. Her zog, W. (1978). Of walk ing in ice . 1s t ed . G er many : C ar l Hanser Ver lag. Ingold, T. and Vergunst , J . (20 0 8). Ways of walk ing. 1s t ed . Alder shot , England: A shgate . M ac farlane , R . (20 0 8). T he wild places . 1s t ed . New Yor k : Penguin B ook s . Wainwright , A . and B r abbs, D. (1985). Wainwright on t he Pennine Way. 1s t ed . London: Joseph .
L iber o A ndr eot ti and Xavier Cos t a expr essed a s: “ T he explor ation of a f ixed spatial f ield ent ails es t ablishing ba ses and calculating dir ec tions of penetr ation .” (1996). A s per ception can be per ceived in mul tiple ways fr om dif fer ent locations A ndr et ti and Cos t a ar e insinuating that walk ing br eak fr om the concept of a single per spec tive and allowed a tot ali t y of the per ception of space to be es t ablished .
T he advant ages of this pr ocess ar e: dur ing the dur ation of this method individual element s or det ails that def ine the space wer e obser ved , I became awar e of the mater iali t y of the space and how this could inf luence other methods , how spaces ar e connec ted thr ough walk ing and the engagement of touch a s a way to explor e . T he disadvant ages of this pr ocess ar e: the limi t ations of dr awing a s a means to compile a per ception of space and the dis tr ac tion of f ine det ails in the pr ocess of under s t anding the tot ali t y of per ception of space . O ver all I believe this pr ocess to be r elevant In explor ing the fundament al layou t and char ac ter of the space bu t in r etr ospec t i t did not aid a gr eat deal in my over all inves tigation .
Figur e 39 - Drawings of walk s by Alfr ed Wainwr ight
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We e k ly Le c t u re Not e s
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
We e k ly Le c t u re O ut p ut s
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We e k 1 - Wa lk ing a s a Me t h od o f D e sig n
07/10/2016
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We e k 2 - ‘A nt h ro plog y a n d A rc h it e c t u re ’ Field wor k M e t hod s o f In t e r view in g
14/10/2016
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We e k 3 - ‘ D r awing D i ag r a m s a s a Me t h od o f D e sig n Re se a rc h’
21/10/2016
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We e k 4 - ‘ Visu a l Re se a rc h Me t h od s in A rc h it e c t u re ’
2 8/10/2016
F U LL VI DEO C AN B E FOU N D H ER E: ht tps: //vimeo.com /195494933
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We e k 5 - ‘ Th e E x pe r ie nc e o f S pa c e : B r u n o Z evi’s 7 Inva r i a ble s’
0 4/11/2 016
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We e k 6 - ‘ Pa r t ic ipat o r y Re se a rc h Me t h od s’
2 5/11/2 016
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We e k 7 - ‘ So m at ic Re se a rc h Me t h od s’
treehouse cold
2 5/11/2 016
por thole window hidden
brit tle
safe
ladder bright
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Faculty of Technology, Design and Environment
COURSEWORK SUBMISSION COVERSHEET • •
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Name of student: ROBERT CRESSWELL Student number: 16033825 Module number: P30026 Module name: RESEARCH METHODS FOR DESIGN Module leader: DR IGEA TROIANI Title of work: DIARY + ESSAY Date of submission: 21/12/2016
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