Impermanent Interiorities: the fragile encounter of meeting by Robyn Ho

IMPERMANENT INTERIORITIES the fragile encounter of meeting Robyn Ho

Preface

The fol lowing resea rch wa s conducted over a f ive mont h period from Ma rch to Aug ust 20 06 a s developmenta l work for t he f ina l yea r t hesis project for t he Bachelor of Design (Interior Design) Progra m at R MIT Universit y, Melbourne, Austra lia. This public ation is intended to be rega rded a s a docu mentation of my investigations into t he topic t hroug h t he activit y of writing t heoretic a l texts a nd per forming design stud ies. My intention is to establish a conceptua l fra me work in which t he f ina l design project is about to explore, cu lminating at t he end of November 20 06. Wit h t his in mind, t he resea rch compiled in t his docu ment a ims to propose a conceptua l position, a s wel l a s design notions, for generating met hod s of t hink ing about a nd designing for imperma nent states of interiorit y.

Content s

Int roduc t ion

The Nat u re of Imperma nence

The Nat u re of Interiorit y

The Nat u re of E x ist ing Interior Space

The Nat u re of t he Meet ing

The interiorit y of t he meeting 25 Minutes : 25 Meetings Project

Not ions for Meet ing Imperma nence

Meeting wit h materia lit y Derive Project

52 53 56 62 74

Meeting wit h form Ceiling Project Binding Project Reactive Floor Project Reactiive Field Project

A n Interior/it y Projec t

End note s

Reference s

Ima ge Cred it s

A pa r ticu la r sense of interiority is a fleeting and fragile condition. That specific spatial state is dependent on varying environmental phenomena and means of perception meeting . The synthesis of a multitude of stimuli is framed by the participant’s bodily perception, resulting in a unique spatial experience whose duration is dictated by the particular configuration of those specific phenomena. Due to the infinite variables involved in generating a spatial condition, a specific experience of interiority is extremely

difficult to faithfully reproduce and can be easily changeable. In fact, a sense of interiority intrinsically engages with degrees of impermanency in its production and experience. This ephemeral nature of interiority poses a challenge for the Western practice of Interior Design in dealing with existing interior spaces, which are predominately concerned with the material construction of interiors whose intention is for multiple use over a long period of time. The construction of physical interiors has been concerned with the provision of static receptacles to place objects, people and activity within. Such immobile spaces are created in the expectation that the environs will form the boundaries of a particular activity and to be relevant for an infinite period of time. However, such a fixed approach to designing interior spaces is done so without an acknowledgement of the malleability of the experience and production of interiority – its fragile and impermanent nature. This book is, in part, an exploration of ways such competing issues can find a space of negotiation between . The practice of interior design cannot avoid dealing with permanency as the majority of the work conducted entails the erection of physical elements fixed onto architectural structures. That is the reality of the practice that cannot

be evaded. Conversely, interior design consists of the production of spatial experiences of interiority, which is an inherently dynamic, changeable and impermanent condition. The concept of interiorities as impermanent also cannot be circumvented, especially with the current dominance of the philosophical concept of space-time as a fluid amorphous continuum, full of networks of catalytic events. Ultimately, what is posed is the question: How can changeability and impermanence be imbued in existing interior space to provide effective frameworks for the formation of impermanent experience of interiority? Such a quest would be too immense for the time available, without a program or frame in which such propositions could be generated. Meetings are an intriguing ritual of producing interior space because they have

varying levels of impermanency and stability – either in their frequency of formation, the number of participants, the spatial characteristics and experience, the agenda…etc. I consider the meeting as the gathering of people or objects producing an exchange or dialogue. The action of forming that relationship generates a particular spatial condition that may differ from the experience of the space outside from the meeting – an interiority. Meetings are a spatial typology that is filled with impermanence and is formed only due to fact that the meeting will eventually dissipate. These aspects, as well as others that will be further elaborated upon, make the activity of meeting an ideal platform to engage with the issue of time and duration within Interior Design practice and production. With this frame of reference in mind, the question I wish to pose in this book is:

How can impermanent interiorities be introduced into existing interior spaces through the designing for meeting activities?

7 Introduction

Introduction

Impermanent, a. f. IM- 2 + PERMANENT.] Not perma nent or lasting; unenduring; transient 1 Permanent, (sb.) [as. L. permanēnt-em, pr. pple. of permanēre to stay to t he end , f. PER- 1, 2 + permanēre to stay; perh. through F. permanent (14 th c.), OF perma-, permenant (13 th c. in Godef.).] 1. a. Continuing or designed to continue indefinitely without change; abiding, lasting, enduring; persistent. Opposed to temporary. b. That remains fixed, motionless 2 - Oxford English Dictionary (Second Edition)

THE NATURE OF

IMPERMANENCE

Impermanence is not just the complete dissipation or disappearance of objects, but can also entail changeability,

transformation, movement or adaptation in experience, relationship or

The Hanover Merzbau by Kurt Schwitters was constructed by a continual accumulation of objects and construction of architectural forms. The Merzbau is an apt description of impermanence as it was in constant flux, always being added upon, disrupting existing spatial relationships and creating new experiences.

eme nt or adap tatio n cha ngea bilit y, tra nsfo rma tion , mov

Nature of Impermanence

understanding. Impermanence can involve the dissipation of a particular state or experience, even though the elements of that experience physically remain. The issue of impermanence has great relevance to the present understanding of the modern experience. Especially with the influence of technological and industrial modernisation, the immediate access to various sources of information results in a society that can rapidly change their perception and the range of experience and understanding. ‘Modernity is the transitory, the fugitive, the contingent, the half of art of which the other half is the eternal and immutable.’ 3 However, this notion of the ephemerality of human existence is not a modern one. Impermanence is considered to be one of the three characteristics of human existence within the philosophy of Buddhism. Buddhism envisages the world in terms of continual becoming and transformation, which consequently suggests that things do not have an abiding and unchanging essence. Both views share a commonality in that they allude to a conception of the space of human existence as full

of dynamic elements, whose intrinsic urge is to transform and to initiate transformations.

cha ngeabilit y, tra nsformation, movement or adaptation

There ha s been a shif t since t he ea rly t wentiet h centur y away from a Western vie w of space a s homogeneous, but space a s continuu m. Moholy-Na g y describes t his continuu m of space : ‘Bounda ries become f luid, space is conceived a s f lowing… Openings a nd bounda ries, per forations a nd moving sur faces, c a rr y t he peripher y to t he center, a nd push t he center out wa rd. A consta nt f luctuation, side ways a nd upwa rd, rad iating, a l l-sided, a nnounces t hat ma n ha s ta ken possession… of… omnipresent space’. 4 This vie w of space a s heterogeneous a l ludes to t he f luid movement a nd consta nt f luctuations of t he components t hat constitute space. It is upon cer ta in elements being a rrested in c ata ly tic immobilit y t hat relationships a re produced, a n experience of interiorit y. However t hese entities t hat comprise t he sense of interiorit y intrinsic a l ly yea rn to move a nd tra nsform – not only t he physic a l spatia l objects t he body is experiencing, but more so your perception a nd t hink ing about t hose objects a nd t he relationship you have formed wit h t hem. A s Sig fried Gied ion expresses in “Space, Time a nd A rchitecture”: ‘ The essence of space a s it is conceived today is its many-sidedness, the infinite potentiality for relations within it . Exhaustive description of an area from one point of reference is, accordingly, impossible; its character changes with the point from which it is viewed .’ 5 Upon dissipation of that experiential relationship, the interiority’s components will have transformed or moved away, making the spatial condition impossible to faithfully replicate. The nature of the formed interiority will eventually differ from the next, making a sense of interiority far from a permanent condition that will exist infinitely.

Conclusion The current view of the space of human existence is of constant transformations in perception and experience, which elevates a consideration of impermanence to become a fundamental notion in designing for human use and living. Through this research, I am suggesting that some existing spaces persist with enforcing permanency and resist change, when a significant form needs to be developed to express our impermanent world.

9 Nature of Impermanence

Space as continuum. Kiesler’s installation was one of the first modernist expressions of space as a grabity, non-material element of urbanism. Though this emphasises rectilinear movement, it communicates a perception of space full of floating intersecting elements

Space as continuum

THE NATURE OF

Nature of Interiority

INTERIORITY Interiority, [as. Med.L. interiōritās, f. interior: see –ITY. (in mod.F. intériorité.)] a. The quality or state of being interior or inward. b. an inner element. 6 – Oxford English Dictionary (Second Edition)

Inner character or nature;

Interiority is a state / experience / condition – it is the quality of experience from existing within. That differs from the interior space that it may be physically located in (referred in this book as “existing interior space”). Upon entering and existing within a field or space marked by perceived limits, either that be physical or intangible boundaries, one engages with the system of inner relations that exists within. An experience of interiority is produced through your body engaging with elements contained within the interior, tapping into an existing condition and transforming them by merely existing within them. Objects, materiality, lighting, sound etc that characterise the interior space become elements of significance when they are seen, touched, heard and sensed by the body. Through the meeting of the body and various spatial elements in the interior, an experience is produced within that interior, creating an interiority. An experience cannot be produced without a mediating being engaging with the stimulus they are confronted with, encountering and forming a relationship with spatial elements. It is this point of meeting and dialogue whereby interiority is born. As a point of clarification for the purposes of this book: The region in which the participant enters is an interior space whilst the qualities of existing within that particular interior are a state of interiority. That spatial condition of interiority is formed

by a relationship and dialogue between two elements formed by their act of meeting. Meetings create experience The concept of producing spatial experience through a series of encounters correlates with Homer’s notion of chore. In Maria Theodorou’s essay entitled “Space as Experience: Chore / Choros”, she explores the perception of space within Homeric texts as a space of events, whereby the encounter between things produces a space of experience, termed chore, and which I refer to in this book as interiority. Theodorou suggests: ‘The relation between chore and things, where things are not so much situated in but

produce the very possibility of space / place …’. 7 The importance of the encounter in producing a condition is also reiterated by Bernard Tschumi: ‘…the architecture of pleasure lies where concept and experience of space abruptly coincide .’ 8 This space of experience is generated from the relationship between things and cannot be detached from the objects and events that produce it. With such reliance on the point of encounter between objects, there must be an acceptance of the eventual dissolution of that relationship. This space of experience, chore / interiority, is thus a non-enduring impermanent condition. The notion of abrupt or chance collision that creates experience was a dominant consideration in the works of the Dadaist and Surrealist Movements. Though they were quite different artistic movements in their emphasis on particular ideas, the use of chance seem to have a correlation with each other. Their work consisted of the amalgamation of supposedly disparate images to produce chance intersections where unexpected revelations may arise as ‘ Beautiful as the chance encounter of a sewing machine and an

umbrella on a dissecting table.’ 9 The process of chance in these artistic movements was about the present experience of indeterminacy, to be at the whim of something outside their preconceived selves. Though Dada and Surrealism was concerned with revealing unexpected experiences through the meeting of disparate concepts, the fact that they proposed the actual meeting of things as a process of producing a quality of experience – either that be confusion or new sublime revelations – is of importance.

Ducamp’s Bicycle Wheel expresses the Dadaist emphasis on elements meeting to create an experience. Though they were concerned with absurd groupings to create unexpected revelations, the importance of the meeting is still prevalent in this work

relationship a nd d ia log ue bet ween t wo elements formed by t heir act of meeting.

11 Nature of Interiority

The concept of the chance encounter of Dada and Surrealism consequently informed the Situationist movement. The Situationists’ notion of the dérive was an urban enactment of the chance encounter. Developed by Debord, the dérive was a ritual of aimless meandering in the urban landscape to discover new spatial and conceptual relationships with their built environment. They aimed to meet their previously understood urban surroundings with a fresh perspective and transform their emotional experience of their respective cities. The rationale for the dérive was that ‘…any elements, no matte where they are taken from, can serve in making new combinations’ 10 Continuation of this notion consequently informed the Situationists’ pschogeographical maps that expressed their concept of their urban surrounds being defined by their emotional experience of the city. It is through the process of the Situationist body physically encountering the built environment that produced their emotional experiences and which informed their view of the urban spatial condition.

relationship a nd d ia log ue bet ween t wo elements formed by t heir act of meeting.

Guy-Ernest Debord’s Naked City was the result of a Situationist dérive where the city was rethought in terms of personal emotional relationships, reconstructing the metropolis as a system of zones linked by arrows of desire

This idea of interiority produced by catalytic meeting is architecturally explored in the work of Alvar Aalto. Many consider Aalto’s attention to materiality, rather than the predominance of form that characterises most Modernist architecture, as a desire to engage the participant in episodic experiential relationships with the built environment. Aalto’s perception of our existence in space as a series of experiential meetings is appropriately detailed by Juhani Pallasmaa: ‘In his episodic architecture, Aalto suppresses the dominance of a singular visual image. This is an architecture that is not dictated by a dominant conceptual idea right down to the last detail; it grows through separate

architectural scenes, episodes, and detail elaborations . Instead of an overpowering intellectual concept, the whole is held together by the constancy of an emotional atmosphere, an architectural key, as it were.’ 11 Aalto’s notion of producing architecture as a series of bodily encounters is evident in his design of the Säynätsalo Town Hall. Throughout the building, the architectural elements are organised to meet the participant’s body at varying scales. From the large scale of the brick exterior to the most intimate level of the varying materiality employed in the different door handle types inside the building. The instant of touch of the door handles produces a spatial experience, an interiority. When the participant releases their grasp of the door handle, that particular experience ceases to exist as it did, but does not completely disappear from significance. That experience becomes something else and develops into knowledge, edited and transformed by the participant’s perception and memory. This moment of meeting is coupled with the experience of the materiality throughout the building to create a series of encounters, culminating in a tapestry of interiority woven

from these altered individual meetings. According to Aalto, a spatial experience is created through the bodily meeting of participant and spatial components in separate encounters or scenes.

Detail of the different door handle types and an imageof the council chamber stairway in the Säynätsalo Town Hall. It is through the synthesis of individual meetings with materiality that create a spatial experience

r e la t io n s h ip a n d d ia lo g u e le m e n t e bet we s fo r m e en t wo d by t he ir a c t o f m e e t in g .

Nature of Interiority

Conclu sion If t he creation of a sense of interiorit y is considered to be insepa rable from t he meeting of t he objects t hat produces it; a nd space itself perceived a s a heterogeneous space of components t hat in herent ly desire to move a nd tra nsform (see previous chapter); t hen t he issue of imperma nence c a nnot be evaded. Since Interior Design prima rily contend s wit h t he design for / of experiences of interiorit y a nd space, consequent ly t he act of designing interior space must enga ge wit h t he notion of imperma nence.

EXISTING INTERIOR SPACE In this book, existing interior space is intended to refer to material, built, permanent, fixed and physical environs. Interior spaces are constructed to provide a forum for interiority to be enacted but many restrict the changeability of the condition of interiority. Many interior spaces restrict the presence of time by resisting change . They can become static and inert monuments that are expected to continue indefinitely from its original conception. This perception of architectural space may be contributed to the idea of space as a neutral volume that the designer fixes and encloses with physical elements. The role of the designer is thus relegated to the mastery of the matter of space, to reign in and place limits upon this expanse. The view of design practice has been primarily attributed to the German theorist and architect, Gottfried Semper, who proposed that the fundamental impulse of architecture was to enclose space. ‘…the wall is that architectural element that formally represents and makes visible the enclosed space ….’ 12 Enclosure has been the emphasis for designing the built environment due to the perception of space as an enduring container for things to exist in and be defined. Space as receptacle The notion of space as receptacle has a long lineage in Western philosophy. Maria Therodorou suggests Plato’s concept of chora as the origin of systematic Western thought about space. Plato defines chora in the “Timaeus” as ‘… a third nature, which is space [chora] and is eternal, and admits not of destruction and provides home for all created things, and

is apprehended, when all sense is absent, by a kind of spurious reason, and is hardly real ...’ 13 According to Plato, space was a non-material abstract space that contains and defines all things. Space as finite can also be seen in the medieval metaphysical view of an overarching hierarchy. The medieval cosmological view which was of a universe consisting of ten celestial spheres centred on the earth. Beyond the outermost sphere, the Primum Mobile, was the space outside of space and time occupied by God. The medieval view of existence and space was of elements stratified into a strict organisational structure. Such a view of space as a receptacle suggests that space has limits to what it can contain. The Renaissance notion of space did free the medieval vision by introducing the concept of space being infinite, though human mastery and structure still pervaded. The development of the Cartesian grid allowed the perception of space in terms of a Euclidian void with movement and location capable of being mapped out in terms of linear coordinates. ‘The classical grid system does not, strictly speaking, limit one to static models of form, but it does limit one to linear models of movement or change .’ 14 Decartes’ grid system allows the effective plotting of bodily movement, though only linear movement, but continued to accept space as a neutral void nothingness that contained that movement. The grid was never intended to map the transformations within the space itself. This concept of space as a static entity was also espoused by the Baroque system of Newton, as space essentially became ‘… an absolute, independent, infinite,

three-dimensional, eternal, fixed,

uniform “container” into which God “placed” the material universe at the moment of creation.’ 15 The concept of space being a neutral void has been the basis that underlies most modern models of form.

Detail of AutoCAD workspace. The primary tools of contemporary professional practice of design are computer programs that utilises the Cartesian grid to locate elements in a eternal void. Objects are made and conceptualised according to abstract points in space in a linear system. Compare this traditional hand drafting and recent 3D programs where the object is physically made and altered more organically, with the sculpting of forms being able to utilise a multitude of directions in three dimensional space

materia l, built, perma nent, f i xed

Nature of Existing Interior Space

THE NATURE OF

Nature of Existing Interior Space

Eradication of experience – representation of the abstract An abstract view of space as inert container requires the separation of thinking and experience, of not having an affect on what it contains. ‘…[R]eductionism must reduce phenomena to the ideal scale at which no

more qualities exist within a system , until what is left are only quantities, or quantitative relations.’ 16 This occurrence demonstrates man’s ultimate mastery of the world by ignoring the ‘real’ affects of space and reducing space to an abstract idea that represents the space of human existence. ‘To struggle against Nature and give it shape becomes Western Man’s destiny, the goal of his earthly experience: to labour at making the latter resemble ever more closely, without ever fully succeeding, the world of ideas which Plato saw as fundamental to Greekness and civilisation itself.’ 17 If architecture and interior design are to be considered as the production of smaller pockets of space, then considering space as an abstract and representational entity will engender the built space as symbolic values signifying the qualities of existence, rather than creating it. With such a view, the architectural form is relegated to exist as iconography . The built environment as a representation of an abstract idea has a strong presence in the practice of architecture. In Classical architecture, the Greek orders of column types were representative of archetypal personalities. 18 The Classical influence is further perpetuated in its rebirth, the Renaissance. 19 Though these examples focus upon Classical architectural intentions, there is a more recent illustration the abstract reductionism of space which contemporary architecture is still feeling the effects today – Modernism. The Modernist Movement of the early twentieth century intended to create a

pastoralist architectural aesthetic that would whitewash all cultural or existential difference. What resulted was architecture using Euclidian geometrical forms that were dictated by use and function. Modernist architectural ideals were very prescriptive, dictating such abstracted forms were in service of an absolute truth and a moral unity that represented the modern age. The De Stijl Manifesto V demonstrates this Modernist emphasis on an orderly unity: ‘We have examined the laws of space and their endless variations and have established that all these variations can be welded together into a balanced unity. We have examined the laws of colour in space and time and have established that the mutual harmonization of these elements produces a new and positive unity. We have examined the mutual interrelationships between dimension, proportion, space, time and material and have discovered a final method of constructing a unity from them.’ 2 0 The De Stijl view was of distilling the experience of space that would erasr all difference of culture or tradition into an arbitrary universal language that would unite all mankind in an Utopian harmony. ‘A pastoral view denies the contradictions, dissonances, and tensions that are specific to the modern and sees modernity as a concerted struggle for progress, uniting workers, industrialists, and artists around a common goal.’ 2 2 The Modernist quest for unity denies the existence of the individual and consequently subdues the influence of the quality that defines a sense of individuality – experience and a sense of interiority.

Mondrian’s Composition with Yellow, Red, Black, Blue and Grey: ‘The three principal colours are essentially yellow, blue and red. They are the only colours existing…yellow is the movement of the ray (vertical)…blue is the contrasting colour to yellow (horizontal firmament)…red is the mating of yellow and blue.’ 21 Such a reduction of all experience shows a particular Western bias

materia l, built, perma nent, f i xed

symbol is no longer the dense brick, but the open box .’ 24 This legacy of

constructing and visualising space continues to the present time, with the continued use of the all white model for conceptualising space in design education and professional practice. (# - pic of models) Modernist attention on form was intended to signify the abstract in a universally relevant, and therefore eternal, constructed space.

ter ial t, uil ,b

Conclusion

pe rm an en t, fix ed Model of Le Corbusier’s Plan Voisin for Paris, 1925. Modernist preoccupation with form disassociates bodily experience

The eradication of individualism in Modernism also materialises in Le Corbusier’s proposal for a Utopian urban plan. The Ville Contemporaine, the basis of Le Corbusier’s 1925 Plan Voisin proposal for Paris, consisted of residential blocks with office towers in the centre. Of particular interest is the architectural scheme of the repeated rectilinear cruciform office blocks arranged in a Cartesian grid that constituted the city’s centre. According to Kenneth Frampton, the skyscraper form was reminiscent of stepped Indian or Khmer temple forms - religious symbols to replace as a secular hub of power. 23 Le Corbusier’s symbolism demonstrates the Modernist emphasis on an abstract idea, but also expresses the suppression of individual experience by imposing a universally ‘significant’ form upon all inhabitants. Note in the adjoining image, the disassociation

of the hand (the body’s fundamental tool of experience) from the whitewashed immaterial model of the Plan Voisin. The image also reveals the Modernist preoccupation with form as the lack of materiality of the model focuses attention to the shape and the volume that the building inhabits. ‘The effect

With such a philosophical and architectural lineage, it is no coincidence that some existing interior spaces do not have a dialogue with the notion of impermanence. If space is to be considered ‘…an absolute, independent, infinite, three-dimensional, eternal, fixed, uniform “container”…’ 25 , then the constructed space would also adopt those qualities. This view requires an emphasis on an abstract notion of space that denies the qualities of the experience of space, interiority, by eliminating differences of experience.

There is virtually no movement in architecture these days. It is no wonder that the constructed environment can provide monuments encapsulating the convictions of civilisations. Though this is a mass generalisation, Western societies give reverence for buildings that have persevered for hundreds of years, compared to Japanese traditional architecture whereby structures are built to last only two or three generations. Especially considering the upset caused by contemporary notions of our very experience, the view of interior space as built embodiments cannot be the ultimate objective of design practice. 2 6

15 Nature of Existing Interior Space

of mass, of static solidity, hithero the prime quality of architecture, has all but disappeared: in its place there is an effect of volume, or more accurately, of plane surfaces bounding a volume. The prime architectural

THE NATURE OF THE

Nature of the Meeting

MEETING stagnation or gathering of people or objects, where an exchange and/or a dialogue ensues and a relationship is established , though temporarily . The activity of A meeting is the

meeting referred to in this book mainly concerns the congregation of people and the relationships and conversations that are generated between those participants in the act of assembling together. These can include an informal meeting between friends, the business meeting, public forums where a particular issue is being discussed etc. Interiority is created by the relationship between people that generates discussion and people’s relationships with that ensuing discussion. There is also a quality of inclusiveness (to feel inside of something) that participating in a meeting instils. Meetings are an intriguing ritual of producing states of interiority because they are a spatial typology that is filled with impermanence, as they can grow and change rapidly and are formed only on the proviso that they will eventually dissipate.

The behaviour of meetings Elias Canetti explores the qualities of the meeting in his book, “Crowds and Power”. Though Canetti has employed the term “crowd”, he does not definitively state his definition of the term in his book. It is only through conducting my own investigation entitled, 25 Minutes: 25 Meetings (detailed in the next section), that I am able to perceive there is only a slight difference in terms of their stage of development. A meeting is generally instigated as a structured environment with a planned agenda arranged by a particular initiating party, but concludes with that complete control being weakened as participants sway discussion. The meeting disperses before the initiator-participant hierarchy is completely dissolved. In this nature of meetings, the number of participants has the possibility to increase. However, it is when the boundaries of the meeting are closed is when complete equality between initiator and participant can eventuate. However, a crowd may begin as a meeting but has grown to such a size and/or achieved over time absolute equality in its members, that most participants do not know the reasons for the original meeting. Behaviour amongst certain members of the crowd is equally acceptable regardless of how long they have been participating. Compare this with a meeting whereby certain mores of the relational hierarchy must be respected by any newcomers. Though there is a minor different between the two, since there is a causal connection between them, Canetti’s text still provides insight into the nature of meetings. According to Canetti, the behaviour of the crowd is as follows:

1. ‘The crowd always want to grow. There are no natural boundaries to its growth. Where such boundaries have been artificially created…an eruption of the crowd is always possible and will, in fact, happen from time to time.’ 27 Growth and changeability is evident in my experience of Meeting No. 5 (see page 24), whereby other participants were permitted to leave and join as they wished. However, the most telling indication of the meeting’s desire for growth was the request made by an initiating party for increased patronage and member contribution to the organisation. This aspect of meetings reinstates the meeting’s association with concepts of impermanence.

2. ‘Within the crowd here is equality. This is absolute and indisputable and never questioned by the crowd itself….It is for the sake of this equality that people become a crowd and they tend to overlook anything which might detract from it.’ 2 8 As discussed previously, equality is

generally never fully accomplished in a meeting and it is normally dispersed before complete egalitarianism can be realised. A positive experience of the meeting is had by all parties when the meeting is at the very precipice of achieving equality. However, respect of the hierarchy and the individual roles of the meeting’s members must be maintained in order for any feeling of effectiveness and purpose after the meeting has disbanded. For example, Meeting No. 13 (see page 32), which was a business meeting, shows the reaffirming of the social order at the conclusion of the meeting. I am sure that a feeling of partial equality was felt towards the end of the meeting. However, through the actual creation of the minutes document, the organisational structure is reinstated through the assigning of issues to particular people. It is through this assigning of roles that action can be performed – which was the purpose for the meeting. However, equality

can be achieved by defining the numbers allowed to participate in the meeting . This is most evident in the social meetings where additional inclusion was restricted.

3. ‘The crowd loves density . It can never feel too dense. Nothing must stand between its parts or divide them; everything must be the crowd itself. The feeling of density is strongest in the moment of discharge. ‘ 29 The perception of density is the most significant quality that contributes to a spatial experience. Physical and perceived density is produced through the created distances between people and ideas, these distances are an indication of the state of the relationships between the meeting’s component parts. Therefore, density affects the spatial condition of interiority as distances reduce, the

density increases and a stronger inclusion into the meeting results . Throughout the 25 Minutes: 25 Meetings project, the perceived physical, ideological and experiential distances of the various meetings are articulated by the visual density of the text on the page.

to all its members, strengthens the feeling of equality. A goal outside the individual members and common to all of them drives underground all the private differing goals which are fatal to the crowd as such. Direction is essential for the continuing existence of the crowd....A crowd exists so long as it has an unattained goal.’ 3 0 In all of the meetings I had participated in, all contained degrees of movement – physical, emotional and ideological. Movement is illustrated in various minutes in the 25 Minutes: 25 Meetings projects, by the arrows and directional text that track the development of the discussion, my own diversions of thought and bodily movement. The perceived movement amongst the meeting generally is in advancement towards an objective. This goal can be a clearly defined, such as the gathering of certain information, the negotiation of a group consensus or assigning of further action to members. Most of the meetings initiated by organisations or institutions have the presence of such a clear objective, though note that the movement is relatively structured compared to the other meetings (see page 27). However, such a clear objective is not always easily discernable in all meeting situations. Especially for the more informal social meetings, the goal is performing the act of meeting itself. Conversely, movement can also be directed towards dissolving the meeting as an objective. It is an intriguing circumstance that the social meetings are more likely to achieve equality, possibly as they facilitate a more dynamic field of movement in terms of expressed ideas and agenda (see page 22). Irrespective of the identity of the actual objective, the occurrence of a focus upon a central physical and/or ideological point is what characterises the experience of the meeting.

17 Nature of the Meeting

It is in movement and it moves towards a goal . The direction, which is common

4. ‘The crowd needs a direction.

Nature of the Meeting

The interiority of meetings The 25 Meetings: 25 Minutes Project The following project, 25 Meetings: 25 Minutes, the experience of interiority is observed through the notation dialogue and experienced spatial relations of various meetings. Originally, the project was intended to explore the roles of the initiator and the participant and how using the tool of the participant, the meeting minutes, could be used to empower them to become an initiator. This involved the production of minutes from a variety of meetings that I had attended, with a selection of them being placed in known meeting locations to spark new meetings based upon the minutes of the initial meeting. (The minutes from these secondary meetings can be seen on page 41 - 44) However, these resulting meetings were not very successful in producing positive meeting environments. This outcome could have been contributed to the forced nature in which I was attempting to begin these meetings, by introducing a detailed document for discussion. The experiment made the unsuspecting participants defensive and thus stifled conversation as they were thrust into a discussion they had not previously agreed to. This â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;failureâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; was not without merit. Through this experiment, I had realised that to produce meetings, it required the full acceptance from all parties of the discussion subject. The meeting is

produced through a generally equal urge to move together towards the agreed central focus . It is not merely the physicality of gathering that initiates the meeting, but it is the emotional desire to meet that is fundamental.

Meeting Type:

Date:

Location:

Time:

Re: Attendees:

25 MEETINGS : 25 MINUTES a work in progress[ion]

minutes designed and compiled by robyn ho

Meeting No.

Nature of the Meeting

Minutes

Nature of the Meeting

Minutes Meeting Type:

Internal Meeting

Date:

06/04/2006

Location:

Rogerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ofďŹ ce, RMIT University

Time:

12:00 - 13:15

Re:

Self-set project tutorial

Attendees:

Roger and myself

Richard

Meeting No.

I can ways tt are Wha ent mee nd, m u docu ideo, so V ings? s... e t minu

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i Naz l, a tah on of s n ti se Rie esenta anda eni g r at L w rep propa ok o e o H l What are the spatial affect of public meeting m r. a a e c e h e on its occupants and its potential for maintainHav ograp ings b t t pho e met ing / initiating public meetings? s tho There are 2 positions in the formation of the meeting: 1. the initiator 2. the participant

Wh a doc t coul d u imp ment be w a in lica tion g the ys of sp s of me atial etin g?

What are the spatial implications of those two approaches to meeting people? What are the characteristics? And how can they be utilised to deform, transform, accentuate the characteristics of the meeting? The positions of initiator / participant have implications on the level of control that the individual imposes on the meeting.

s ort rs the eting o e se po d m pro an be tings y Ma met of ces a sp

???

The initiator begins and dictates the inital agenda and establishes the framework in which the meeting is conducted. However, this does not decide on how the meeting will result. The participant has no initial control (especially about agenda) but has power in their ability to sway discussion.

are powerBut both roles re ing the natu ful in dictat ea ng... Is ther of the meeti rre at blu d th ich wh in way n be made distinction ca aparent?

Meet ing No.1 This wa s t he intita l meeting t hat prompted me to begin t his project. The centra l text wa s t he proposa l I had sug gested to Roger (my super visor). The a rrows were to track t he movement of t he issues d iscussed, whilst t he broken lines note my persona l ref lections

Meeting Type:

Internal Meeting

Date:

06/04/2006

Location:

RMIT Student Union ofﬁce

Time:

13:45 - 13:50

RMIT Student Union upcoming events

Attendees:

6 Student Union ofﬁcers and myself

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He Ch re y ou ha ec can ve k o bo cu ut r r ow rr th en e thi s. t w i nf ebs o. it . e. I t sh ou ld

Have you g ot a p Ih en? op e I’m no ti nt er up tin g. ..

ed ne ew nd xt f g a t ne rin en e de few ud th n t st er wo nex n ov as e ig es gs I w th r d etin nd g in o i a in e r n te m t, in e jec ppe an som pro ha ’m d y ny , I en m a Hi att for are o u. t ys re yo da the . for wn if ys o it d da rite ’ll w I re He Th an ks .

ive w. G I still . orro tom details ting he mee ou t ives ’ll tell y I llect a co il, and . a ime re’s The our em ise a t n y me to orga e hav

Tha nks gu ys.

to do th is?

the c o lle cti ve s.

Meet ing No. 2 This wa s a breif meeting where I had approached members of t he R MIT Student Union, inquiring about upcoming meetings. The d irection of t he text wa s used to phycia l ly loc ate t heir source. The people I wa s ta l k ing to were quite a gressive a s t hey inundated me wit h information, so t he loc ating source of t he comments wa s impor ta nt to me

go ing to

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Re:

Meeting No.

Nature of the Meeting

Minutes

Meeting Type:

Social

Date:

06/04/2006

Location:

The Lounge, Swanston Street

Time:

13:40 - 16:49

Re:

Catch-up, uni work

Attendees:

Monika, myself

Sat down and ordered food

Meeting No.

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How

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I know th at were arch too. You need a w ide group ite of need diffe cts and designers I’d just ta friends. If all my fri rent frien ds to stay lk about un en sane i all the tim ds e. You

to g in it go vis nds is to ie r a ik ne d f on a n M risb ly a i B m fa

ing go ct je ro rp ou sy w’ Ho

ed a ve Left the Lounge and ge Ye walked down Swanton bu a rg Street to Flinders Street got h, er ni to I s ,M g Station h he ht g ou on o . sic ap I’ to ld ik a go k s m ve a go of or sti me to ts th e ll o e em an go tin . I ou d t t g ’ve p I’m o t o go al re to ad o y ht nas er o o M for h t h go to searc ve lea for re o t as ook a h ry b a nik Mo a libr t ge ject. Ye pro in ah bu g o , I’m tu t I ut a th tor fee abo lrig br e ‘n ial. l so ut ht sit ief ot I w m wha now e. an on as uc t .I .. d h I I c gro hav be wa wa an un in tte s d s f o re ’t d l g i r re ev ss aft ing akFOOD ARRIVES al el ue er , ly ’ p s th ar wi the in t th k o of f th a e

st ill

Nature of the Meeting

Minutes

Meet ing No.3 This wa s a lunch wit h a friend. I had noticed t hat we kept repeating t he sa me issues. W hen I had t houg ht we had moved away from a pa r ticu la r issue, we t hen moved sea m less back to it. This meeting wa s ver y inclosing a nd engrossing, which c a n be seen t he dy na mic movement of t he d iscussion a nd t he fact t hat a l l but a fe w events occuring in our physic a l environment d id not brea k our d iscussion

Meeting Type:

Social

Date:

06/04/2006

Location:

Glen Waverley Train

Time:

18.:57 - 19:10

Re:

Meeting between strangers

Attendees:

Drunk man, 3 teenage girls, 2 teenage boys, myself

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sing something i know so I can sing girl along with drunk W girl you! do you he man know any re w AC/DC? Sex e ge Pistols? en tt in be te? g ou ma of y f? t g Ri ha in ch W ink r m d on d? [sing Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;v ing]...t alk t eh om a e d , I need as you co / talk tch to m e, I need you. .

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Meet ing No.4 This wa s a meeting I had witnessed bet ween a group of teena gers a nd a dr unk ma n who d id not k now each ot her. I had mapped out t he space a s I felt I needed to be awa re of t heir loc ation in relationship to me. The d iscussion wa s initiated by t he teena gers, a nd it wa s interesting how t hey d issolved t he meeting by leaving t he tra in when t he ma n wa s not respond ing how t hey wa nted him to

Meeting No.

Nature of the Meeting

Minutes

Nature of the Meeting

Minutes Meeting Type:

Informal Public Forum

Date:

06/04/2006

Location:

50 Orr Street, South Carlton

Time:

19:40 - 22:45

Re:

Architects for Peace

Attendees:

myself, Anthony, Beatrice, Karen, 10 other people (identity unknown)

Meeting No.

lack of social responsibility of architectural practice - how it is not supported by the RAIA and other professional organisations anthony is a lecturer in public art at rmit i’m an interior design student i’m actually here due to a project i’m doing at the moment i’m concerned with the idea of public space how people can spontaneously gather and disapate and how a conversation and dialogue can constitute an interior space its an enclosing and inclusive space whereby the perception of time can be manipulated public art is a conversation or a dialogue that occurs when the the general public meets the public space and the work i work as an interior designer for six degrees six degrees have just done the bayswater shopping centre anthony is interested in urban renewal issues and urban planning smaller groups of people have conversations and anthony circulates around the room to introduce himself to the newcomers holidays in costa rica beatrice begins the meeting by introducing the architects for peace organisation it began in 2003 in response to the iraq war they were dehumanising the enemy trying to break down man-made divisions between people war is an unnatural organisation / structure they deal with political / environmental / social issues combating “otherness” by democratising space and promoting respect for people wonder why he’s leaving? anthony talks about the website allows access for professionals as well as the general public allows for the interstate collaboration also there are physical elements with the intencity event wish to reclaim the streets for knowledge without paying for the conferences break down exclusivity of knowledge a relationship between the built environment and world peace young kid crying ...much of the dialogue occurs on the web which serves as a collection of knowledge news articles and dialogue with the public forum and blog the website is a construct for discussion request for more contributions due to lack of people and technical expertise new speaker (name unknown) talks about events and publications intencity was the ﬁrst event was a public forum or place was free aimed to include people who may be walking past who may contribute under construction was the second event charged other people not members was a panel discussion after some public happenings the next one will be about public housing currently involved in a project in the collingwood housing commission carpark they hold a forum once every month on thursday called words students can talk about their work

they are interested in work to beneﬁt people rather than just people who can afford it karen talks about upcoming events everyone moves to accomodate her at the front of the gathering

way to engage with communities tion wanting to do pro bono work

pro bono work as a legal issues with the organisa-

first organisation that is pro bono legally in australia differences in professional relationship when dealing with non-profit organisations social justice is very important for the group difficulties in completing project overseas especially with language problems and the geographical distance wish to do a project in south africa a container village as an aids hospice updates everyone of the progress on the collingwood project it had never worked as a carpark due to ventilation problems it has been empty for a number of years wish to do a public forum or workshop at the collingwood carpark is it the fact the housing is a high rise building that is creating the problems? if it was a low rise there would still be the same social problems there needs to be a thourough integration of public and private housing in areas to avoid the occurence of ghettos

Meet ing No.5 This wa s a public for u m whereby I felt a sense of immersion in t he issues being d iscussed. It wa s only when t heir wa s loud physic a l movement by t he aud ience t hat broke my at tention (which c a n be seen t he la rge gaps wit hin t he text)

Meeting Type:

Social

Location: Re:

Phone call to catch up

Attendees:

Djena, myself

Date:

07/04/2006

Time:

11:26 - 11:45

Meeting No.

Hello? Hi, it’s Djena Hi. How are you? Good... You? Good. I’ve changed my project - yet again! I’m now taking minutes for meetings I’m attending. So that avoids all that videoing and technology problems I was so worried about. That’s really good. You have to work with your strengths. So what have you got planned, now that you’ve got the year off? Don’t really know actually. Thinking of starting my own design business on the side of my colour consulting job. Do you know how much you’re supposed to charge when you start out? I think Prue mentioned that she charges clients $75 per hour for her own business.

Meet ing No.6 This wa s a phone conversation wit h a friend. In t his meeting, my d ista nce from her wa s impor ta nt. A s t he conversation progressed, I felt physic a l ly closer to her a s I overlooked t he fact t hat I wa s on t he phone. It wa s towa rd s t he end of t he conversation t hat I felt t he origina l d ista nce bet ween us wa s reinstated

I have no idea. It would be in that hand out that she gave us in class. At my old job, I know the clients were being charged $90 per hour for my admin work, but that was a big commercial ﬁrm. I think it would be best if you contact the DIA, I think that’s where you go for all that information. I think I’ll have to do that. There’s also a job advertised for Chris Connelll. Also, I could call Marcus Ieraci... You know him? Yeah.... Well, I did a class with him and he said that I could contact him if I needed a job when I graduate Deﬁnitely do it! I could also make some calls at my old job. They just recently got the Convention Centre job, so they are probably needing some more people. Though, it would probably be an admin job. Anything will do as long as it’s a foot in the door, and I need the money. I’ll give my friend a call to see if there’s anthing available. How much work are you willing to do? How many days? I could do four days, maybe even full-time. It would probably be admin. It’s shit work but at least you’ll learn a lot and the people are really nice. I’ll do some calling Yeah that would be great. I’ll call you back. I really appreciate this.

Nature of the Meeting

Minutes

Nature of the Meeting

Minutes Meeting Type:

Social

Date:

07/04/2006

Location:

Six Degrees Ofﬁce, Federation Square

Time:

18:21 - 18:21

Re:

Introduction

Attendees:

Penny, Jo, Eva, Matt, Danny B and myself

Meeting No.

Hi everyone I don’t think you two have met. This is Penny. Penny this is Robyn, Matt and Eva...

And you know Danny B...

...we’ve met

Hi! Nice to meet you.

Meet ing No.7 This wa s a brief introduction to someone I had previously not k nown. I had felt quite a la rge emotiona l d ista nce from t hat person, accentuated by t he fact nea rly ever yone else had previously k nown t his person

Meeting Type:

Social / Work

Date:

07/04/2006

Location:

Six Degrees Ofﬁce, Federation Square

Time:

17:25 - 18:45

Meeting No.

Re:

New ofﬁce launch at the Princes Walk Vaults

Attendees:

Marko, James, Simon, Barbara, Mungo, Lucinda, Matt, Eva, Jo, Greg, Sarah, Danny B, Barney, Roger, 6 other people (identity unknown), myself

The arduous process of moving and packing and how the unpacking will is something I’m not looking forward to. I’m going to be busy

Wan t to go ou tsi

an d

The view of the Arts Spire and the Tour of the new ofﬁce. Some river is great desks have been set up My desk is yet to be built and I don’t think I could concentrate installed. I do have a great view now that I have such a great view though te? The spaces and kitchen etmeeting r ga The trade literature librarya cisi yet e to be unpacked v a

Meet ing No. 8 This wa s a a f ter work drink s event whereby I had felt quite a bit of restriction a s to what I cou ld ta l k about (evident in t he restrictive f low of conversation of t he top ha lf ). However, it wa s bec ause of a friend who a sked me to go outside t hat t he conversation felt more freedom to move

D co efin tle nv ite st ers ly!! al at e io It’s n’ s ge ge tt tt ing in g a a lit What are you doing for the holidays? Nothing exciting. I’ve got to do my homework. I’ve got a presentation on the first day I get back from holidays. You doing anything exciting? Going to Felix da Housecat on Good Friday. But its at Public Office, which will be weird. If I was going, I would just be thinking, “This is where I have lunch, and this is where I sneak off to have a cigarette!” It’s going to be strange. Well, we’d better get back in there. I’m getting pretty tired. I might head home. I’ll just say good-bye to everyone.

Nature of the Meeting

Minutes

Nature of the Meeting

Minutes Meeting Type:

Public Forum

Date:

07/04/2006

Location:

Trades Hall

Time:

19:00 - 20:00

Re:

The growing resistance to Bush

Attendees:

Ahmed Shawki, approx. 100 people and myself

Meeting No.

SHAWKI IS THE EDITOR OF INTERNATIONAL SOCIALIST REVIEW MASSES OF AMERICANS ARE AGAINST THIS WAR AND ARE LOOKING FOR A WAY TO EXPRESS THAT SHAWKI IS HEAVILY INVOLVED IN THE ANTI-WAR MOVEMENT ESPECIALLY ON CAMPUSES MOBILISATION OF OPPOSITION NOT AS LARGE AS IN 2003 DROP IN THE MOVEMENT’S SIZE DUE TO ANTI-BUSH AGENDA RATHER THAN ANTI-WAR US OPPOSITION HAS GROWN DUE TO CONTINUED PRESENCE OF US TROOPS IN IRAQ AND GUERRILLA ATTACKS BY IRAQI RESISTANCE AND LIES ABOUT WMDS THE 2004 US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, PEOPLE WERE SUPPORTING KERRY EVEN THOUGH HE WAS PRO-WAR PEOPLE HAVE MADE THEIR PEACE ABOUT BUSH, BUT ANTI-WAR SENTIMENT IS STILL PRESENT 45% OF AMERICANS NOW BELIEVE THAT IRAQ IS NOT WORTH FIGHTING ANOTHER 10% OF AMERICANS ‘KINDA’ FELT THAT THE WAR IS NOT WORTH FIGHTING THIS IS COMPARED TO 2003 WHEN 61% AGREED WITH THE WAR MOST AMERICANS DISAPPROVED OF THE WAY BUSH WAS HANDLING THE SITUATION AND THOUGHT THERE WERE AN UNACCEPTABLE NUMBER OF CASUALTIES COMPARISONS OF ANTI-WAR SENTIMENT IN THE ARMED FORCES IN THE VIETNAM WAR, WHICH RESULTED IN THE DESTABILISATION OF THE MILITARY’S FIGHTING FORCE ACTIVISTS WITH MILITARY BACKGROUND IMPORTANT TO THE MOVEMENT THERE IS GROWING OPPOSITION AMONGST SOLDIERS DUE TO SENSE OF MORAL OUTRAGE AT THE ACTS THEY HAVE TO COMMIT THERE IS GROWING SUPPORT FOR FAMILIES OF SOLDIERS WHO OPPOSE THE WAR AND WANT THE TROOPS BACK THE OPPOSITION OF THE WAR IS REVIVING THE LEFT AN ANTI-IMPERIALIST / ANTI-EMPIRE FORCE TO CHALLENGE WASHINGTON’S PROGRAM FOR WORLD DOMINATION THE RIGHT HAVE TRIED TO SPLIT THE LEFT OVER THE ISSUE OF THE IRAQI’S RIGHTS TO RESIST THE OCCUPATION

Meet ing No.9 This wa s a Socia list A lternative meeting whereby I felt t hat t here wa s no excha nge of d ia log ue. Instead, I felt t hat t he spea kers were stating t heir comments like a ma nifesto

Meeting Type:

Social

Date:

08/04/2006

Location:

Melbourne Central Food Court

Time:

13:20 - 13:21

Re:

Overheard conversation

Attendees:

myself, 2 teenage girls

Meeting No.

A: … he was just looking at me, like I’m stupid or something, and I was just staring at him like, oh my god, and he gave me detentions, he just couldn’t take me lookin at him B: hes so sad, Mr. Rodek told us that all the teachers hate him A: he wouldn’t have said that B: yeah he did A: oh my god, my sister told me that he harassed some girl when she was in like year 8 B: errrggghhh, yeah he looks like a paedophile (giggle) A: nah seriously, my sister said that the girl left school and nothing happened to him. B: Oh my god A: Yeah B: Are you goin to michelle’s on Friday? You cant tell anyone though, cos last time she had a party all these lionel hall guys crashed it and her dad had to call the cops A: Yeah im goin…

Meet ing No.10 This wa s a conversation bet ween t wo unk nown teena gers t hat I had overhea rd. The way t hey were ta l k ing a nd t he content wa s ver y melodra matic. I felt t hat I wa s quite excluded from t his excha nge but it wa s t he focus of my at tention at t he time, demonstrated by t he conversation’s placement in t he centre of t he pa ge wit hout at tachment to a ny ot her elements

Nature of the Meeting

Minutes

Nature of the Meeting

Minutes Meeting Type:

Public

Date:

09/04/2006

Location:

MacLeay Park, Balwyn

Time:

12:55 - 15:04

Re:

FC Casuals practice soccer match

Attendees:

myself, Andrea, Pete (both previously unknown)

Meeting No.

Hi, I’m Robyn I’m Andrea Nice to meet you. How are you connected to these guys? I know Ed. He’s number 32 standing over there. You? I know Oskar, number 17. He seems to know Chris, who seems to know everyone else. But we’ve never known these guys before. I don’t know much of the people here either. Ed knows Chris and Anthony and that’s all I think. Hey, I didn’t know you were coming down.

13:30

Just thought I’d support the boys and see if they needed any extra players. I brought the paper for you. Thanks. Pete this is Robyn, Robyn this is Pete

Nice to meet you

14:05 14:15

14:23 14:29

15:04

So how are you? I’ve quit my job and now just trying to ﬁgure out what to do now. But lets not talk about that. How’s Shelley? Yeah she’s good. We’ve actually got a new room mate. His name is Craig. You should meet him, he is really chilled. Not like Bec... Nothing like Bec! What are you doing next Thursday? I don’t think we’ve got anything planned. Why? We’re having a house warming. You should come and bring Brendan and all the guys.

Meet ing No.11 This wa s a soccer match I wa s spectating where I met someone who I had not met before. A s we excha nged conversation, I felt t he d ista nce bet ween us shor ten, until a not her pa r t y had joined who t he person I wa s ta l k ing to had k nown. Slowly, t he d ista nce bet ween us grew

Meeting Type:

Social

Date:

10/04/2006

Location:

Six Degrees Ofﬁce, Federation Square

Time:

12:45 - 12:46

Re:

Overheard Phone Conversation: Danny B’s lunch date

Attendees:

Danny B, mystery caller and myself

Meeting No.

Hello stranger, are you still wanna meet up for lunch?

I wonder who that is? Probably the ‘lady friend’ When will you be ﬁnished that?

Ok, that shouldn’t take that long. Shall we meet at the corner?

Cool. How did your interview go?

Well, she’s trying to ﬁnd a new job. I think she does some sort of hotel hospitality job or something. Or was it real estate?

I wonder where he’s going? I wish I was going on a holiday. Somewhere with sun, beach... Well that sounds promising. Yeah, works OK. I’m busy though. I’ve gotta get everything ﬁnished before we go.

You know I’m not good with packing!

Meet ing No.12 This wa s a phone conversation I had overhea rd bet ween a work col leg ue a nd his pa r tner, who I had not persona l ly met. By overhea ring his responses, I d iscovered more information about his pa r tner a nd which made me form a perception of her (a nd my work col leg ue), wit hout meeting her

We’ll have enough time, don’t worry. Anyway, I’ve got to get back to work. I’ll see you soon.

Yeah I could see that. He’s such a messy little boy. Bet she cleans up after him all the time. Gee I’d hate to live with someone like him!

Nature of the Meeting

Minutes

Nature of the Meeting

Minutes Meeting Type:

Work

Date:

12/04/2006

Location:

Six Degrees OfďŹ ce, Federation Square

Time:

9:20 - 9:35

Re:

Type up of UTAS Site Meeting for Pete

Attendees:

myself

Meeting No.

Meet ing No.13 This wa s a trad itiona l work meeting. Notice t he strict heira rchy a nd t he a ssigning of roles. It is t hroug h producing t he meeting minutes t hat undoes a ny equa lit y t hat may have developed, ready for t he heira rchy to be rea f f irmed in t he next meeting

Meeting Type:

Public Forum

Date:

12/04/2006

Location:

Lvl 5 Bld 29, RMIT University (City Campus)

Time:

16:00 - 17:00

Re:

Biology inspired nanomaterials

Attendees:

Dr Murali Sastry, myself and 23 other people (identities unknown)

Meeting No.

study of the synthesis, exotic properties, assembly / packaging and potential commercial application of nanomaterials

important global impact

emerging branch of nanotechnology

derived from biological elements tems

some nanomaterials are made by biological sys-

diatoms magnetotactic bacteria

laboratories use plant organisms like fungi in the making of nanomaterials in chemical compounds

use plant extracts in nanoparticles

gold nanotriangles

Meet ing No.14 This wa s a na notechnolog y lecture, a subject t hat I d id not a nd stil l do not k now a ny t hing about. This c a n be seen t he spa rseness a nd t he unconnected positions of t he information on t he pa ge

biochemical transformations throws up exciting possibilities

trained bacteria?????

Nature of the Meeting

Minutes

Nature of the Meeting

Minutes Meeting Type:

Public Chat Room

Date:

13/04/2004

Location:

www.games.yahoo.com/games/

Time:

10:25 - 10:33

Meeting No.

Re:

Attendees:

agitate_me_now, lor_mor, ht103ch@sbcglobal, bocobell, smiley_amber 2003, bam42053, erberlyn, valenciac@sbcglobal.net, r_byn83 (myself)

agitate_me_now: ugot 4 already wtg lori_mor: cool ty ty ht103hc@sbcglobal.et: yw yw bocobell: hellooooooooo baddiesssssssss r_byn83: hey ppls lori_mor: hi bocoooooooooooooooooooooo bocobell: anybody need a p agitate_me_now: bocoooooooooooooooooo agitate_me_now: for agitate_me_now: bocoooooo agitate_me_now: what smiley_amber 2003:(((((((((Boco)))))) crysee_td: no ty, i can p on my own agitate_me_now: i do bocobell: tag doms agitate_me_now: when bam42053: typ tag anber lori_mor: 9:15 bam42053: amber bam42053: tk jelly 4bn my p agitate_me_now; ok smiley_amber 2003: CONGRATS TO ERB AND DEMON WOFR WINNING 1ST PLACE AND 10000BUX AND A GREAT SECOND TO BAM AND FELLY WTG ALL!!! TYVM FOR PLAYING BADDIES---GLIR!! agitate_me_now: i will agitate_me_now: if u want me smiley_amber 2003: YVW BAM bam42053: anyonw nees a p for tag? bocobell: oh they r different times tonight smiley_amber 2003: DOMS TAG*-*SL7 *-* REG SWISS *-* 9:15 *-*-1663167 *-* 100 bux *-*-*-* www. myleague.com/ badboysleague/ 10,0000 td donation....DOMS WEEK erberlyn: hey demon we did it lori_mor: yes all for 10k agitate_me_now: ok bocobell: i was thinking 8:45 lol agitate_me_now: now do if u don’t want me will do bam bam42053: weeeeeeeeeeee do bam weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee bam42053: that sounds fun lol bocobell: no do boco agitate_me_now: ok erberlyn: do these bux go into the same as gin lori_mor: lmaoooo lori_mor: yes erb agitate_me_now: sorry bam baby muah agitate_me_now: ill do u later erberlyn: ty lori bam42053: np agi lol erberlyn: demon are you there bam42053: i don’t blame u i would do boco to lol agitate_me_now: lol agitate_me_now: yeah u know men agitate_me_now: gotta luv em bocobell: once u do boco theres no going back valenciac@sbcglobal.net: WHAT UP PERRA lori_mor: ~~ 8:45pm ...... 9/1000 all opts ~~ JUMP # 1663331 ~~ $35 BUX ~~ SL7 ~~ lori_mor: ~~join us at www.myleague.com/badboysleague ~~ valenciac@sbcglobal.net: fucken youngsters agitate_me_now: or is it to early to spame it agitate_me_now: spam agitate_me_now: i’ll wait

Meet ing No.15 This wa s a n internet chat room where I at tempted to join in t he d iscussion. However, t his wa s a rat her closed meeting a s t he pa r ticipa nts seemed to k now each ot her. I tried to express my extreme d ista nce from t his d iscussion by placing my contribution away from t he ensuing conversation

Meeting Type:

Social

Date:

14/04/2006

Location:

Burnley Street, Richmond

Time:

17:20 - 17:21

Re:

Chance encounter

Attendees:

Pat and myself

Meeting No.

Rob. Rob! Hey! Sorry Pat. I’m just so out of it. I didn’t even see you there. Why are you down this end of town? I was at a friend’s house in that street on the left after the trafﬁc lights. You know Mike, Jim’s friend. Nah, I don’t think I’ve met him. What were you doing there? Had to get some CDs off him. What you got there? I need some new stuff on my iriver... Sorry to interrupt, but I really have to dash. I’ve got to get on the train That’s OK. We should meet up for a drink sometime soon. I’ll message you. Cool. I’ll see you soon. Bye!

Meet ing No.16 This wa s a cha nce brief meeting wit h a friend on t he street. The t wo pa r ts of t he conversation pa ss each ot her, a s d id we.

Nature of the Meeting

Minutes

Nature of the Meeting

Minutes Meeting Type:

Social

Date:

16/04/2006

Location:

Cnr Burnley and Swan Streets

Time:

14:20 - 14:21

Re:

Chance encounter

Attendees:

Jimi, Lis and myself

Rob,

Rob!

wh oI St ha t? Look over here E

Meeting No.

itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not those guys, is it? BE

are they beeping at me?

who the hell is that?

Meet ing No.17 This wa s a n encounter wit h some friend s in a c a r. They had honked to say hel lo a s I wa s crossing t he road. It wa s impor ta nt to k now t he loc ation of t he sound a s at t he time, I d id not k now where t he sound wa s coming from

Meeting Type:

Social

Date:

15/04/2006

Location:

Westlake Restaurant, Chinatown

Time:

13:30 - 15:00

Re:

Introduction

Attendees:

Anthony, Mum, Dad, Oskar and myself

Meeting No.

Hi sorry we’re late. [in cantonese] Uncle, this is Oskar Oskar this is Anthony

Hi, nice to meet you

[in cantonese] what does Oskar like to eat?

We go to Yum Cha all the time so I like to eat most things You understand Chinese?

Some words, especially food [in cantonese] He’s more Chinese than any of our children. He speaks mandarin

What did your Mum say? She said that you’re more chinese than any of her kids [in mandarin] You can speak Chinese? [in mandarin] So so. I’m learning it at uni

Meet ing No.18 This wa s a lunch wit h my pa r tner, my pa rents a nd some fa mily friend s. T he d ista nces conveyed here a re of understa nd ing a s my pa r tner does not spea k Ca ntonese whilst I k now a lit t le. However, I do not understa nd Ma nda rin, but my pa r tner c a n spea k it

Nature of the Meeting

Minutes

Meeting Type:

Internal

Date:

16/04/2006

Location:

Home

Time:

17:40 - 17:45

Re:

Camp Sovereignty

Attendees:

Oskar and myself

Meeting No.

i un r you

alk ot e t e!! v a m h ti you the Do k all r wo

ut abo

ts , i nce cou pa c s the bli y pu ed b it’s roll ce’ gh nt spa ou co th nd ublic a ‘p en Ev ned ah, ow . Ye cil

We rea lly sh ou ld go do wn to tha t Well I ha ve that hu ge essay due. e hav ey h T at. g th oin re d land ’ y he the at t se d th to u goo right o s Its imate it leg It is a pu bl ic pa rk ,t he y ha ve a rig ht to us e it nce signiﬁca l ra u lt ing cu as it hav l el w s A

esis, my th

Nature of the Meeting

Minutes

r od fo be go . ight .. at m tings sue th ublic mee an is p That’s ide to do ec if I d

Meet ing No.19 This wa s a d iscussion I had wit h my pa r tner about a n issue in t he paper. The f low of t he d ia log ue is to sug gest t he unraveling of t he issue, t houg h wit hout much dept h

Meeting Type:

Work

Date:

18/07/2006

Location:

Six Degrees Ofﬁce, Federation Square

Time:

9:45 - 9:46

Re:

RMIT bid presentation

Attendees:

Pete and myself

Meeting No.

Hi Pete. You busy? It’s just I’d better get a start on that RMIT presentation, since this is the only day I’m working this week Oh, I forgot about that. Ok... Pull up a chair.

I’m not sure if you know that we have been shortlisted for the RMIT job, and I need to do a presentation on Thursday So do you want me do do it in powerpoint? Yeah, powerpoint so that I can add to it if I need to And what projects do you want me to include? For a start, just put in the project that you put in the EOI then I’ll work from there. I might put in some site photos. Right I’ll get onto it.

Meet ing No. 20 This wa s a meeting wit h my boss at work a s he wa s a ssigning me a ta sk . The level of d ista nce a nd domina nce in t he workplace heira rchy is expressed by t he la rge a mounts of paper a rea given to my bos’s responses

Nature of the Meeting

Minutes

Nature of the Meeting

Minutes Meeting Type:

Public Online Messageboard

Date:

19/04/2006

Location:

http://groups.msn.com/GetawayTravelTalk/ general.msnw.

Time:

1:00 - 1:05

Re:

Travel: The Worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Top Ten (according to us!)

Attendees:

myself (r_byn), Anthony Sydney1963

Meeting No.

Meet ing No. 21 This wa s my at tempt at joining a n internet messa ge boa rd, wit hout much success

Meeting Type:

Social

Date:

19/04/2006

Location:

NH Architecture reception area

Time:

13:00 - 13:20

Re:

Meeting No. 6

Attendees:

Jo C and myself

Meeting No.

Hey Rob! How are you? Yeah, busy - very busy... Me too. So what’s this uni work you need me to do?. It’s not much. I’ll try to explain it, though its going to be a little difﬁcult. My project is about how people could initiate meetings through participating in them OK... So, what I’ve done is I’ve attended many meetings and have constructed these minutes in response. Then hopefully, these minutes will be a way for me to initiate meeting and impose some agenda on these meeting based on the minutes. Right... Do you mind reading this? [reads minutes] What’s this? It’s a phone conversation. It doesn’t matter though. Just keep reading. [reads minutes] Finished. So what would you like me to do? Well we’re going to discuss it. I don’t know what to say. What do you want me to say? I dunno, this was supposed to be an experiement. I don’t think I can help you. Sorry... It’s OK. It’s all about giving it a go. Sorry...

Meet ing No. 22 This wa s a n at tempt at beginning a meeting wit h minutes from ot her meetings. This wa s not ver y successf u l a s my friend wa s rat her conf used by t he proposition a s I wa s rat her forcing t he minutes upon her. W hat resu lted wa s t he aba ndonment of t he minutes a nd we had a conversation of our own

It’s really OK. So what’s been happening? Same old, especially work. Any new goss? Yeah heaps. ‘You know who: is giving me the shits!...

Nature of the Meeting

Minutes

Nature of the Meeting

Minutes Meeting Type:

Social / Work

Date:

19/04/2006

Location:

RMIT Canteen

Time:

14:40 - 14:45

Re:

Meeting No. 14

Attendees:

Sarah, Christie, Allison, Tonya (previously unknown) and myself

Meeting No.

Me: Hi, I’m just wondering if you guys could help me. I’m not interrupting, I hope.

Christie: Nah, it’s OK. I wanna get away from this stupid presentation!

Me: I’m just wondering if you read this conversation I got from a chat site, and see if it makes any sense to you. It’s part of a project I’m doing. I’m Robyn by the way.

Christie: I’m Christie, and this is Allison, Tonya and Sarah

Me: Nice to meet you. Thanks for doing this for me. I’ve got some extra copies if you guys wanna have a crack at it.

Sarah: Yeah sure I’ll help you. Christie: Anyone know what ‘wtg’ is?

Me: I think that’s ‘waiting’ Christie: Oh yeah, I can see that Sarah: Why’s this guy asking the room if they need a p? That’s rather personal information. Allison: People who chat like this anyway are weird people. Why can’t they just type the whole word out. I guess they only want similarly minded people to be able to read it. You know, like some code that normal people can’t decifer. Sarah: They’ve got the weirdest names Tonya: ‘agitate_me_now’ sounds like it has some sort of perverted innuendo, or something. Just sounds...eww Christie: That line by crysee is funny, ‘No thank-you, I can pee on my own.’ Allison: What’s this ‘tag’ mean? Me: I have no idea Allison: And that line by bam, ‘tk jelly 4bn my p’. That just looks like the person has just temporarily fell asleep on the keyboard Allison: And ‘YVW’? You’re Very Www... Me: Welcome maybe? Sarah: Yeah that sounds right. It’s just so confusing with chat because they have all these different conversations happening at once Christie: They all seem to know each other Tonya: Wow, there’s a fair bit of money in whatever they’re doing. I wouldn’t mind ten thousand dollars. Christie: I’d so go to India in a ﬂash Me: I’ve never been before, but I’ve got some friends that just came back and they won’t stop raving on about it. Christie: Anyone else make out anymore? Allison: No, not at all. Especially ‘np agi lol’. Laugh out loud of course, but have no idea about the other stuff. Sarah: Yeah sorry. Me: That’s cool. Thanks for helping anyway.

Meet ing No. 23 This wa s a not her seconda r y meeting whereby I approached sta ngers to help me decipher what wa s t y ped on t he internet chat room, a s t he abbreviations d id not ma ke sense to me. This wa s successf u l in spa rk ing a d iscussion a s I relinquished some control of t he meeting but stil l reta ined some control by intitiating it

Date:

19/04/2006

Time:

15:50 - 16:05

Meeting No. 9

Attendees:

myself and others

Ih ave no ide aw he re

b ec

tr ai ni

Re:

Meeting No.

Public Forum Flinders St Station steps under the clocks

ause a man directed

Meeting Type: Location:

oo ty

is e f tiv ec to p t ? rs ce ge pe an ale tta he d o m t g o a t e m I’v her fro et de a g m o i ts gt s on I reckon th oin at stuffs all bullshit, the only rea Ig m a w ho l? So ote eh th r fo ff to ge to me School kids are just so ve ha obnoxiously annoying e e lov …I

he at wh

d di

go ,h av

I don’t think anyone is going to stop

I really hope I don’t look like a dick

…

gu y. ..

Meet ing No. 24 This wa s a not her seconda r y meeting whereby posted up a meeting minutes at t he Flinders Street steps a nd wa ited if a nybody wou ld join me. No one d id, but what most impor ta nt wa s t he conversations I wa s hea ring, t he movement of t he people (a s it wa s pea k time a nd I wa s in t he way), a nd t he fact t hat I felt quite sil ly doing t his

ha vi o u n a I wa w s in Pe om rth at the time an t urn out to b e t h e narra tor wa s geni us

fo r

Id o u n’t kn k ow n o w .N w i ck hi I’v ch eg ip ot ar st to en op get ts to M w ar acc as. e I’ve so b ee st ns ric tar t vin g sin ce Bi ol

og y. ..

s o y he d ’ s ju s Min t ! loade , d it up and took off rs te ac ar t s just a way of doin these thin ch , therhe gs … still, ya know e t u b yep, I’m not sayin he was ug th ca ith ’t w en

tr ai n

y e ar s. I’l l

Nature of the Meeting

Minutes

Nature of the Meeting

Minutes Meeting Type:

Internal Meeting

Date:

20/04/2006

Location:

Lvl 11 Bld 8, RMIT University (City Campus)

Time:

16:50 - 17:15

Re:

CAD project - â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;25 Meetings: 25 Minutesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; (Meeting Nos. 1 - 25)

Attendees:

Roger, Astrid, Nick and myself

Meeting No.

Meet ing No. 25 Initia l ly t his wa s lef t bla nk a s it applied to t he presentation of t his project. I had placed t he comments produced from t hat a ssessment in t hese minutes. It cou ld be sa id t hat t his book ser ves a s t he minutes from action decided upon va rious subsequent meetings originating from Meeting No. 25

Minutes Date:

Location:

Time:

Attendees:

Meeting No.

Nature of the Meeting

Meeting Type: Re:

Meet ing Minute s Proforma Meet ing No. n+1

NOTIONS FOR

Notions for Meeting Impermanency

MEETING IMPERMANENCY The notion of impermanence may be seen as a conceptual proposition, however the experience and condition of impermanence

resides in the technique of construction . The following projects are studies into possible spatial interventions as methods to introduce impermanence in the physical spaces for meetings. Since I am contending with the built and constructed interior space, then it is understandable that I examine how impermanence could be introduced using the main components of the architectural language – materiality and form. The first section shall detail the Dérive project which explores how materiality can facilitate meetings. I have documented moments of meeting in my urban landscape by participating in my own dérive around Melbourne. In the second section, a series of small explorations of impermanent constructed interventions will be proposed as ways of affecting the physicality of the meeting, resulting in various experiences of interiority. Through the synthesis of the following notions, I will attempt to propose avenues to develop in the final project. Throughout these various investigations, the qualities of the meeting discussed in the last chapter have been a constant consideration, with some of the projects offering ways of accentuating those attributes in order to heighten the experience of interiority within the meeting.

Matter conveys the affects of time through their inherent levels of decay and impermanence. Juhani Pallasmaa describes materiality’s expression of the passing of time: ‘Stone speaks of its distant geological origins, its durability and inherent symbolism of permanence; brick makes one think of earth and fire, gravity and the ageless traditions of construction; bronze evokes the extreme heat of its manufacture, the ancient processes of casting and the passage of time as measured in its patina. Wood speaks of its two existences and time scales: its first life as a growing tree and the second as a human artefact made by the caring hand…. These are all materials and surfaces that speak pleasurable of time.’ 31 Reflection to facilitate meetings - the Dérive project The particular aspect of materiality that I had observed in the Dérive project was the qualities of visual reflection that certain materials possess, with the objective of using these attributes to establish connections between people. In the following images, various meetings that I had engaged with via a reflective surface have been documented. These photographs are the result of embarking on my own dérive to rediscover my own built environment in terms of how its materials could assist me in producing connections with other people.

47 Notions for Meeting Impermanency

Meeting with materiality

Notions for Meeting Impermanency

Gla ss

Notions for Meeting Impermanency

Water a nd V inyl

Notions for Meeting Impermanency

Mirrors

Timber

Stone

Met a ls

Notions for Meeting Impermanency

Meeting with form This section of the book will document and analyse various projects which propose how changeability could be produced through the exploration of built forms. Throughout the development of the following four projects, the behaviour of the meeting (discussed in the previous chapter) was in constant consideration.

Main design concerns:

Growth Growth is not to be restricted with ease of access and egress to be provided

Density Decrease distance between people to intensify the feeling of interiority Intensify the density of the interiority by evoking a sense of inclosure

Direction Assist in the focusing onto a perceived centre/s

Equality of initial desire To be constructed and affected by the participantsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; physical or other action to evoke impermanence and changeability

53 Notions for Meeting Impermanency

Ceiling The use of varying ceiling heights has been traditionally utilised in architecture to experientially partition smaller parts of a larger interior expanse without the erection of walls. By the lowering of the ceiling height, a sense of enclosure is experienced, marking a region whereby a particular activity is held that differs from the activity occurring in the adjoining area. The power of the ceiling to evoke a particular experience can be seen in Cristina Iglesiasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; suspended ceiling installation in the foyer of the Barcelona International Convention Centre. The installation piece has no structural function but has an important experiential purpose, as the presence of shadows become the defining material within the large expanse, which projects a formal impact on the activities carried out anarchically on the floor. In the Ceiling project, I have analysed the changes of the experience of interiority within an archetypal impermanent ceiling, an umbrella. The umbrella is an intriguing production of a ceiling element as it is portable and relatively inconspicuous, but with an ease of physical construction in opening the umbrella, a particular interior space is formed and isolated.

View of the foyer in the Barcelona International Convention Centre

CEILING PROJECT Description

Proposed applic ation

Notes

A ba sic met hod of tempora rily forming a ceiling to ma rk a n t he extent of a n interior space L ecture Ha l l L a rge inclosed interior space (in a la rger ma nifestation of t he concept) The u mbrel la wil l not be t he f ina l design. A simila r, t houg h la rger, design wou ld be eventua l ly proposed

Notions for Meeting Impermanency

All parties can converse with each other producing an open and â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;thinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; experiential interior space.

SECTION 01 1:20

The overhead cover forces the two inhabitants to move closer together and focus their attention to the centre of the created interiority generating an intense and dense feeling of intimacy

SECTION 02 1:20

The onlooker is left to be excluded and exists on the outside, even though they may not have physically moved

Notions for Meeting Impermanency

Binding The use of string or rope can visually and emotionally isolate an interior space within a larger expanse. For example, the use of hazard tape on a construction site disbars any unacceptable intruders whilst also affirming the inhabitantsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; inclusion within the marked region. The use of string or tape is a deliberate choice, as the bounded space is to only exist temporarily and dissolves with the mere untying of rope. Notions of binding to mark an interior space can be seen in the proposal for the North London Eruv submitted to London Borough of Barnet Planning Department in 1991. In the Jewish tradition, the marking off of the region would designate the public area as a private space whereby the Jewish community could conduct activities otherwise restricted on the Sabbath. It was in binding the space with fishing line that it became a private interior space, as the Jewish community could conduct activities normally restricted to the inside of their homes outside. In the Binding project, I have proposed a method of binding as an embodiment of the behaviour and activity of meeting. However, through a proposed use of materiality and formal changeability, I aim to propose an experience of impermanency.

Notions for Meeting Impermanency

Map of the proposed Eruv and image of the boundary markers, which were to consist of posts with fishing line stretched between

BINDING PROJECT Description

Proposed applic ation

Notes

Bod ily bind ing of meeting pa r ticipa nts at tched at t he wa ist. The bind ings bet ween people wou ld d if fer accord ing to need Sma l l meeting rooms - no more t ha n 12 people Bind ings wou ld need to be a va riet y of materia l wit h d if fering rates of d isintergration - materia lit y to be investigated

Notions for Meeting Impermanency

Relationships are formed and marked by the bindings. Flexibility of the connection points allow for other relationships to ensue.

PLAN 1:20

The harness has four connection points - front, the two sides and back. The connection points allow flexibility of the bindings to allow for the freedom of movement

Length of the bindings can be altered by stepping closer or furtherer away due to a mechanism similar to a tape mesure. They can also be unattached and reattached to a new position

200 400

Notions for Meeting Impermanency

A dense network of discussion is generated

1000

2000

SECTION A - A 01 SECTION A-A 01

Notions for Meeting Impermanency

The more connections points are utilised over the duration of the meeting, the more that person is ensconsed in the discussion and cannot move as easily.

PLAN 1:20

Bindings disintergrate due to the stresses of movement. The more the participant moves, the less involved discussion does that person affect, and the less they are a part of the meeting. A variety of materials with varying rates of disintergration will be used according to need.

200 400

1000

2000

SECTION A - A 02 SECTION A-A 02

Notions for Meeting Impermanency

Reactive Floor A n undu lating f loor pla ne, like t he a f fect of t he ceiling d iscussed ea rlier, c a n be utilised in isolating zones a nd producing d istinct experiences in a va st interior space. For exa mple, t he elevating or sink ing of f loor levels c a n The inf luence of t he f loor pla ne in producing interior spaces a nd experience c a n be seen in t he intel ligent room, dubbed Ada, for t he 20 02 Swiss Nationa l E x hibition E xpo. Ada wa s a space t hat interacted a nd communic ated with its inhabitants. Ada located inhabitants and interacted with them by playing games or changing her appearance according to her â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;moodâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Though the reaction of the floor was arbitrarily decided upon by a computer program, it is interesting to note the ability of a changeable floor plane to produce an interior space that is contingent upon the inhabitantsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; movement. In a sense, the inhabitants are sculpting their surrounds and producing their individual and impermanent experience of interiority. In t he Reactive Floor project, I have proposed a f loor pla ne t hat reacts to t he lack of physic a l movement t hat cha racterises t he activit y of meeting. A s people sta gnate a nd sta nd stil l, a n a rea of t he f loor depresses to ma rk of f a n interior space made for t heir specif ic cond itions for ind ividua l meetings.

Image of Ada and the changing floor

Notions for Meeting Impermanency

REACTIVE FLOOR PROJECT Description

Proposed applic ation

Notes

Hexa gona l f loor plates t hat depress depend ing upon time spent on a pa r ticu la r spot Foyer L a rge open interior space Conf ig uration wil l depend upon circu lation in space applied

Notions for Meeting Impermanency

PLAN 1:50

The floor remains flat when walked upon

Notions for Meeting Impermanency

Two people view each other from across the room

PLAN 1:50

0 200 400

1000

2000

SECTION A - A 01 SECTION A-A 01

Notions for Meeting Impermanency

PLAN 1:50

Notions for Meeting Impermanency

They meet, creating an experience of interiority, a relationship The floor begins to depress as the two people stand on a spot on the reactive floor

0 200 400

1000

2000

SECTION A - A 02 SECTION A-A 02

Notions for Meeting Impermanency

PLAN 1:50

Notions for Meeting Impermanency

The lowered floor level generates an interior space which is experienced as separate from its surroundings due to the lowered eye level and feeling of enclosure The floor begins to depress futher as more time is spent in discussion - the continued localised pressure on the floor making the floor react

0 200 400

1000

2000

SECTION A - A 03 SECTION A-A 03

Notions for Meeting Impermanency

PLAN 1:50

Notions for Meeting Impermanency

The steps create a visual and experiential seclusion and compell the two people to focus on the centre of their new space, increasing the sense of interiority

The floor sinks even further creating a series of steps that surround the two people

0 200 400

1000

2000

SECTION A - A 04 SECTION A-A 04

Notions for Meeting Impermanency

PLAN 1:50

Notions for Meeting Impermanency

The sense of interiority increases further as the division between their meeting space and its surroundings increase. The feeling of enclosure increases as the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;step wallsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; grow and all attention from within the meeting space can only be placed upon the centre

0 200 400

1000

2000

SECTION A - A 05 SECTION A-A 05

Notions for Meeting Impermanency

Reac t ive Field The notion of a reactive f ield is simila r to t he concept of t he reactive f loor proposed ea rlier. Instead of t he spatia l response being isolated to t he horizonta l f loor pla ne, what is sug gested is a responsive ver tic a l pla ne. The ver tic a l pla ne ha s been t he chief element in isolating a nd d isting uishing interior space, wit h t he prelimina r y concern in t he professiona l practice of interior design being t he loc ation a nd inser tion of constr ucted wa l ls. The Reactive Field project shows an aesthetic and conceptual correlation with Makoto Sei Watanabeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Fibre Wave installation which consists of arrays of carbon-fibre light rods which move in response to the wind to evoke the motion of plants. Any experience of this installation is dependent upon a variety of environmental conditions. Therefore, any particular spatial relationships and configurations are non-lasting, enduring only for the moment when particular factors are in affect.

Image of the Fibre Wave. It was said to convey the swaying of trees in the wind

Notions for Meeting Impermanency

REED FIELD Description

Proposed applic ation

Notes

A series of single units creating a f ild t hat reacts wit h t he movement of t he in habita nts Ha l lway / corridor Some where where privac y is required but c a nnot be ea sily achieved ot her wise Conf ig uration wil l depend upon circu lation in space applied

Notions for Meeting Impermanency

PLAN 1:50

The portable reed units can be arranged in any configuration to suit any site

0 200 400

A relationship has already been initially formed yet they require privacy

1000

2000

SECTION A - A 01 SECTION A-A 01

Notions for Meeting Impermanency

PLAN 1:50

Consists of carbon-fibre rods with a small weight on the end will bend when brushed with the body then revert to its original position

0 200 400

1000

2000

Notions for Meeting Impermanency

The relationship is temporarily broken as the two people interact with the installation to generate their own interior space

SECTION A - A 02 SECTION A-A 02

Notions for Meeting Impermanency

PLAN 1:50

Any observer will be able to hear the disruption to the space and be aware of the pressence of the inhabitants. The observer will not be able to see the inhabitants and would feel it would be unapproachable

0 200 400

1000

Notions for Meeting Impermanency

The sense of interiority would be reformed and remade denser and more intense by the installation due to its screening ability

2000

SECTION A - A 03 SECTION A-A 03

Notions for Meeting Impermanency

In retrospect The previous notions that I had proposed had revealed one affect of impermanence on the activity of meeting that I had not previously thought about. In many of the previous proposals, the introduction of

impermanence also imbued an informal experience in a normally quite formal activity. The correlation between impermanence and informality seems natural, especially when you consider that most things that have an ephemeral existence in our surroundings are often considered inconsequential and unimportant compared to things that are constant. This relationship between impermanence and informality could be an avenue of further investigation. On a more specific note, the projects investigating form could be refined. The notions that I had proposed at their current state of development, require the conscious and deliberate participation rather than permeating the existing activity of meeting. Through refinement to more subtle expressions and synthesis with my explorations into materiality, the spatial interventions that I have proposed may allude to more apt expressions of impermanent experience in the activity of meeting.

IMPERMANENT INTERIOR/ITY PROJECT

An Impermanent Interior/ity Project

Proposed site The proposed site is the Melbourne Convention Centre (MCC) on the corner of Flinders and Spencer St, Melbourne CBD. This existing building was selected as it was designed specifically to house the activity of meeting and is an accepted location to hold meetings. The MCC site also has a relationship with the notion of impermanency at varying levels. Firstly, the meetings that are held there are normally one off, or at least, rarely repeated occurrences. Additionally, the building’s architectural interior can already facilitate varying meeting volumes, as it has moveable elements within the building’s internal structure. Whilst on a more recent note, the MCC has been considered outdated and ominous for quite some time, which has been responded to with the recent announcement of the government redevelopment of the whole site. It is interesting to note that the site has functioned as a convention centre since 1990, which could be considered quite a short lifespan for a public building of that magnitude. The fact that a comprehensive redevelopment of the MCC is supported by government and the general public is testament to the building’s lack of a more thorough understanding of the nuances of impermanence involved in the activity of meeting. Instead of a sole focus upon a functional impermanence, a consideration of an experiential impermanence could have altered the public perception of the building.

View from river facing north

Ballarine Room

Corryong Exhibition Hall

John Batman Theatre

You Yangs Exhibition Hall

An Impermanent Interior/ity Project

Convention centres as a spatial typology Large architectural structures built to provide specific facilities for meetings have only been a recent occurrence. Much of the design for meeting architecture has been primarily concerned with facilitating changing functional requirements rather than producing positive experiences of interiority for the activity of meeting. Lluís Josep Mateo expresses these difficulties when initially confronting them for his Barcelona International Convention Centre project: ‘A convention centre is…the typical contemporary non-place . They are spaces of large dimensions, in this case some of the largest in the world, designed for brief, ephemeral use, where flexibility is restricted to produce architectural non-expressivity, tending to absolute rubbish. They emerged in opposition to the sculptural congress halls of the 1960s, considered to be too expensive, determinant and rigid, and are characterised by a potentially infinite, flat-hierarchy mix between commercial trade fair, meetings and gastronomic services. The ideal model would be a space that could at any time host one of these functions (or all at once) at random, as well as contracting or expanding at will depending on the number of participants. They are also set apart from their historical precedents by being very large – that is, they have to be able to host any mass event (from rock concerts to boxing championships). They are spaces of trash architecture where all that matters is their use. They have to be cheap. Their profitability lies more

in the induced effect they have on the entire area they influence than that which is produced internally . Even in the USA, where the model originated, they are publicly developed. They are, however, sophisticated buildings with regard to environmental conditions….’

Our position, faced with these data, was ambivalent. On the one hand, they inspired an anthropological fascination with these places that are configured as pure expression of use, movement, activity – a whole line of work that many of my generation have been keen to address. And then distance and displeasure at seeing the difficulties

that contemporary architecture experiences in giving significant form to these conditions .’ 32 However, one possible anomaly may be the United Nations Building in New York City, completed in 1952. This building has been considered as an exceptionally expressive piece of Modernist architecture, and in true Modernist design ethic, was originally conceived to accommodate the practical workings of the components of the UN organisation at the time. This aspect may have rendered the built form incapable of changeability, yet however, the building had proven to be proficient in supporting its original 54 members as it does with the UN’s present 160 members. The reason could be attributed to the means in which the building was designed. The building was conceived by collaboration between leading architects of the time in an international Board of Design in which nearly every member state had an architectural representative. Headed by Wallace Harrison, he insisted on conducting design meetings without the customary revisit of minutes from the previous meeting but instead emphasised a process of constant progression. This detail demonstrates the Board of Design’s understanding of the experience of meetings, which has been impressed upon in the building

The UN General Assembly room. Though I have not physically experienced the space, from what I can project from the images and assessing it from the list of qualities discussed before, this space would be quite successful as a meeting place. The physical focus is upon the front whereby the Secretery General would sit. The metal cladding speaks of permanence, which is what would be an attribute the UN would want to communicate. However, the radiating forms of the cladding exudes movement which seems to be facilitated by the openness of the seating. There is a definite heirarchy being expressed which would ensure true equality does not eventuate

85 An Impermanent Interior/ity Project

The Project The project shall comprise of a series of spatial interventions into the existing interior meeting spaces in the MCC. These interventions will react to the meeting activity enacted within them, which shall generate impermanent interiorities or experiences that are specific to particular moments of meeting. These spatial interventions shall be derived from a synthesis and refinement of the notions explored in the last chapter, as well as new proposals that will be developed to cater for interior spaces still requiring expression.

LEGEND appropriate inter ventions CEILING BINDING REACTIVE FLOOR

HOTEL

REED FIELD

BELLARINE ROOM SITES FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATION

JOHN BATMAN THEATRE MEETING SUITES

ATRIUM PRESS RM

LATROBE THEATRE

YOU YANGS EXHIBITION HALL CORRYONG EXHIBITION HALL

LOBBY / ENTRANCE

CROSS PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE OVER YARRA RIVER FOR THE EXHIBITION CENTRE

SPENCER STREET

MELBOURNE CONVENTION CENTRE DIAGRAMMATIC SECTION

An Impermanent Interior/ity Project

The Revealed Possibilities The practice of interior design is currently at a dilemma. On one hand there is the urge to give significant expression to our impermanent experience of our spatial existence. While on the other, interior design aims to pragmatically provide fixed and permanent structures to house human activity. Our contemporary failure to assuage this turmoil is evident at the relatively short life span of interior fitouts, with the existing interior space being overhauled every few years. This occurrence can be attributed to inhabitantsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; feeling unable to relate their built environment, considering it to be an insufficient expression of their existence in the world. This project aims to discover a space of negotiation between these two concerns â&#x20AC;&#x201C; of engaging with the notion of impermanence, whilst also an acceptance of the physical permanency of the built form. I do not think this can be achieved by imposing signs of impermanency into existing spaces, but to discover and activate

the impermanency and presence of time already existing within the language of interior design, the constructed form. Though this may be an Utopian view, an embrace of impermanence could make existing interior space timeless, as it will sit outside of architectural fashion or style as the design shall be specific to function, site, environment, activity etc. On the other hand, an embrace of impermanence could generate interior spaces that are full of time, as they will be dictated by the duration of events that occur within them.

End notes

Simpson, J. A. and Weiner, E. S. C. (ed.), ‘The Oxford English Dictionary (Second Edition)’, (1989, Oxford: Clarendon Press) 2 Ibid 3 Heynen, Hilde, ‘Architecture and Modernity’, (2002, Cambridge, Massachusetts, MIT Press), p. 12 4 Maholy-Nagy, The New Vision in Forty, Adrian, Words and Buildings: A Vocabulary of Modern Architecture (2000: London, Thames and Hudson), p. 267 5 Giedion, Sigfried, ‘Space, Time and Architecture (Fifth Edition)’, (1967, Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press), p. 435 6 Simpson, J. A. and Weiner, E. S. C.(ed.), op. cit. 7 Theodorou, Maria, ‘Space as Experience: Chore/ Choros’ in AA Files 34 [Autumn] (1997: London: Architectural Association School of Architecture), p. 49 8 Tschumi, Bernard in Forty, Adrian, op. cit., p. 270 9 Ducasse, Isidore in Rubin, William S., Dada and Surrealist Art, (1978, London: Thames and Hudson), p. 26 10 Andreott, Lebero and Costa, Xavier (ed.), Situacionistas: arte, politica, urbanismo’ (1996, Barcelona: Musen d’Art Contemporari de Barcelona and ACTAR), p. 28 11 Pallasmaa, Juhani, ‘Hapticity and Time: notes on fragile architecture’ in Architectural Review [Vol. 207, No. 1239], (May 2000, London: Emap Construction Network), p. 82 12 Semper, Gottfried in Forty, Adrian, op. cit., p. 257 (author’s italics) 13 English translation by Jowett, B. from: Plato, Collected Dialogues in Theodorou, Maria, op. cit., p. 34 14 Kwinter, Sandford, Landscapes of Change: Boccioni’s Stati d’animo as a General Theory of Models in Hays, Michael K. (et al) (ed.), ‘Assemblage’ [Vol. 19], (1992, Cambridge, Massachusetts, MIT Press Journals), p. 53 (author’s italics) 15 Ray, C., Time, Space and Philosophy in Theodorou, Maria, op. cit., p. 34 16 Kwinter, Sandford, op. cit., p. 53 17 Calza, Gian Carlo, Japanese Architecture: Relationship to Nature, Aesthetic of Impermanence

in Derossi, Pietro (ed.), ‘Triennale di Milano – XIX Esposizione Internazionale: Identity and Difference: Italian Pavilion: Countries and Institutions’, (1996, Milan: Electa), p. 37-8 18 Symbolism has a strong presence in Classical architecture. For example, the Doric column was said to represent the young soldier 19 In the Renaissance, the floor plan of cathedral buildings were said to have a correlation with particular parts of the body. 20 Conrads, U.(ed.), Programs and Manifestoes in Twentieth Century Architecture in Evans, Doug, ‘Modernism + Modernity Lecture notes’ [online]: http://users.tce.rmit.edu.au/e03159/AI311%20Theo ry%20and%20Arch/index1.html 21 Mondrian in Hetnieuwe Wereldbeeld in Frampton, Kenneth, ‘Modern Architecture: A Critical History (Third Edition: revised and Enlarged)’ (1997, London: Thames and Hudson), p. 143 22 Heynen, Hilde, Architecture and Modernity, (2002, Cambridge, Massachusetts, MIT Press), p. 13 23 Frampton, Kenneth, ‘Modern Architecture: A Critical History (Third Edition: revised and Enlarged)’ (1997, London: Thames and Hudson) 24 Hitchcock, Henry-Russell and Johnson, Philip, The International Style, (1935, exhibition catalogue, Museum of Modern Art, New York) in Frampton, Kenneth, op. cit., p. 248 25 Ray, C., Time, Space and Philosophy in Theodorou, Maria, op. cit., p. 34 26 I am not suggesting the physical embodiment of abstract ideas as a design approach is to be wholly rejected, but from that, a consideration for experience / interiority in the proposed interior space be performed. 27 Canetti, Elias, ‘Crowds and Power’ [translated from German by Carol Stewart] (1962, London: Victor Gollancz), p.29 (author’s italics) 28 Ibid 29 Ibid 30 Ibid 31 Pallasmaa, Juhani, op. cit., p. 79 32 Mateo, Lluís Josep (ed.), ‘Barcelona International Convention Centre’, (2004, Barcelona: ACTAR), p. 7-8

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Ca st le, Helen (ed.), ‘A rchitectura l Design: 4d space : interactive a rchitecture’ Vol 75, No 1, Ja n /Feb 20 05 (20 05, West Sussex: John Wiley a nd Sons Ltd) Her z, Ma nuel a nd Weizma n, Eya l, Bet ween Cit y a nd Deser t: Constr ucting t he Nor t h L ondon Er uv in Wa l l, Ma r y (ed.), ‘A A Files No. 34 Autu mn 1997’, (1997, L ondon: The A rchitectura l A ssociation)

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Ima ge Cred it s

8 Schwit ters, Kur t, Ha nover Mer zbau in Burns, Eliz abet h, ‘Kur t Schwit ters’ Mer zbau: The c at hedra l of Erotic Miser y’, (20 0 0, Ne w York Cit y : Princeton A rchitectura l Press), p. x iii 9 K iesler, Fredrick, L a Citeda ns l ’E sc ape in For t y, Adria n, Word s a nd Build ings : A Voc abu la r y of Modern A rchitecture (20 0 0 : L ondon, Tha mes a nd Hud son), p. 266

20 01 52 Ibid 53 Mateo, L luís Josep, Ba rcelona Internationa l Convention Centre in Mateo, L luís Josep (ed.), ‘Ba rcelona Internationa l Convention Centre’, (20 04, Ba rcelona: AC TA R), p. 222

10 Duc a mp, Ma rcel, Bic ycle W heel in De L’É cota is, Emma nuel le, ‘ The Dada Spirit’, (20 02 , Ne w York Cit y : A ssou line), p. 27

56 – 57 Her z, Ma nuel a nd Weizma n, Eya l, Bet ween Cit y a nd Deser t: Constr ucting t he Nor t h L ondon Er uv in Wa l l, Ma r y (ed.), ‘A A Files No. 34 Autu mn 1997’, (1997, L ondon: The A rchitectura l A ssociation), p. 69, 72- 4

11 Debord, Guy Ernst, Na ked Cit y in Sussma n, Elisabet h, ‘On t he Pa ssa ge of a Fe w People t hroug h a rat her brief moment in time : The Situationist Internationa l 1957 – 1972’ (1989, Ca mbridge, Ma ssachuset ts : MIT Press), p. 135

62 Ca st le, Helen (ed.), ‘A rchitectura l Design: 4d space : interactive a rchitecture’ Vol 75, No 1, Ja n /Feb 20 05 (20 05, West Sussex: John Wiley a nd Sons Ltd), p. 87

12 A a lto, A a lva r, Saya natsa lo Town Ha l l in Weston, R icha rd, Town Ha l l, Säy nätslo, A lva r A a lto (1993, L ondon: Pha idon Press), p. 141 13 Screen shot of AutoC A D progra m – my work space from t he Bind ing project features 14 Mondria n, Piet, Composition wit h Yel low, Red, Black, Blue a nd Grey in Gold ing, John, ‘Pat hs to t he A bsolute’, (20 0 0, L ondon: Tha mes a nd Hud son), p. 39 15 L e Corbusier, Model of Pla n Voisin in Fra mpton, Kennet h, ‘Modern A rchitecture : A Critic a l Histor y ( Third E d ition: revised a nd Enla rged)’ (1997, L ondon: Tha mes a nd Hud son), p. 155 16 Photograph origina l ly ta ken for t he 25 Minutes : 25 Minutes project 47 Photograph origina l ly ta ken for t he self por tra it project, First Yea r Interior Design,

74 Fibre Wave in Nute, Kevin, ‘Place, time, a nd being in Japa nese a rchitecture’ (20 04, Ne w York : Rout ledge), p. 84 83 Melbourne E x hibition a nd Convention Centre, ‘Welcome to t he Melbourne Ex hibition a nd Convention Centre’ [online]: ht tp://w w w.mecc.com.au 84 Murphy, Ben, ‘ The U.N. Build ing’, (20 05, L ondon: Tha mes a nd Hud son), p. 162