A bi-annual Journal on Architecture For Monsters, Makers, Man & Machines Issue 000 — Paradox Spring Equinox 2017
PA PE R M
WELCOME.
Photograph by Ezra Jeffrey 2848 × 4288 px Edmonton, Canada 2016
2
3
EDITORIAL AND CONTACT Founding Editor-in-chief Srishti Srivastava
Say Hello! hello@Papermjournal.com
Managing Director Alexis X.A. Roberts
Paper M House of Paper 536 Selma St, The Frog Savannah, Georgia, USA
Content Editor Ali Reza Shahbazin Graphic Layout Designers Alexis X.A. Roberts Sukeshi Dalmia Copy Editor Prof. David Gobel Faculty Advisors Scott R. Singeisen Julie R. Varland Team members Sal Banks Samuel Carrilo Maggie Dunlap Samson M. Johnson Contributors Sal Banks Sunny Blount Emily Dawson Maggie Dunlap Noe Figueroa Natalie Imran Samson M. Johnson Ryan Madson Mohammed Mushaikh Alsharif Khalid Nahas 4
Find us Online www.papermjournal.com Online Shop www.papermjournal.com/ sales hello@Papermjournal.com Become a Stockist hello@Papermjournal.com
Cover by Sal Banks 3ds Max VRay Render 10” x 10” Banks of Sal
Alexis X.A. Roberts Ali Reza Shahbazin Scott R. Singeisen Srishti Srivastava Christa Iscoa Vallecillo Julie Rogers Varland
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS PAPER M We would like to thank our friends, family, professors and the messiahs we met during the process of making Paper M. Their inspiration, encouragement and guidance is invaluable to us. Of speical mention are our fellow architecture students- Ricardo Chuiz, Iman Coupet, Mariona M. Deitg, Camille Gbaguidi, Paola Perez and Professor Ryan Madson.
We loved, cherished and reveled in your presence!
Paper M is a bi-annual publication. The articles published reflect the opinions of the respective authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the publishers and editorial team. All rights reserved. All material in this journal may not be reproduced, transmitted or distributed in any form without the written permission of Paper M. Paper M reserves the right to accept or reject any article or material. We also reserve the right to edit this material prior to publication. 5
‘HEYDAY’ HUMANISM Paper M is a bi-annual journal that invites interdisciplinary practitioners to review the culture of architecture as an epistemic tool that enriches the apex relationship of mankind with machines. By observing building as a study in humanism, this publication focuses on exploring the notions of art and formality ; tête-à-tête with technological opportunity. It seeks pivotal analogies for human-centered response to systems, culture, sustainability and materiality. Characterized by a survey of history and the autonomy of present condition, the contextual development of design is supported by the reflection of practice. This liminal space is where the colloquial Monster, Maker, Man and Machine, reveal themselves.
6
OVERVIEW Paper M is Divided in three parts, 1. That which can be impressed, Profane, outside the temple of establishment. 2. That which is impressed, Project, theory in practice. 3. That which is impressed upon, Practice, design and tools. Sincerely, Team M, House of Paper.
7
8
PREFACE PAPER M started in 2016 as a survey of architectural mood in everyday surrounding. Detail; viewed as a motif of the essence of time, carries inherent value that can be unpacked and is often didactic. We began to notice a cultural shift that brought with it, a thinning down of building tradition as art and context suffered unacknowledgement. The layered principles of design process and the unprofessed tradition of humanism, was being taken over solely by the machine. This happened in an alarming, rather unruly manner over the past three decades. It brought with it a distinct jargon which was at odds with the culture of using materials expressively with formal character. “Where is the missing link?� We thought in the echoless atmosphere of a predominantly desensitized contemporary architectural function and ethos. Paper M was thus conceived as a tool for the resurgence of ideas related to the gesamtkunstwerk: total works of art that re-invent architecture as a calling of the interdisciplinary rhythms of creative disciplines that ground the making of frames informed by the revived study of the liberal arts and allied sciences.
9
PROLOGUE PARADOX Coffee & Perfume: In a perfume shop, amidst different smells and spirits; coffee beans neutralize the taste of the perfume. Here, the neutralizer and the neutralized demarkate the high and low notes: making a clearing for the middle ground. This issue of Paper M reveals the paradoxical relationships of utopia and dystopia in art & architecture, the divorce of matter, the revival of abandoned space, polysemic and monosemic drawing, model as a mark making tool through movement, time and space, the secular and the sacred, and the rise and fall of Pompeii. The negotiation of extremes often exposes an uncharted logic found in the mediation of the two. with the promise of paradox, we hope that Issue 000 of Paper m succeeds in the delightful rigor of architectural thought.
10
11
I WOULD RATHER BE A MAN OF PARADOXES THAN A MAN OF PREJUDICES. — Jean-Jacques Roussea, Emile or On Education
12
Photograph x Arvin Febry Toronto, Canada 3000 x 3000 px 2016
13
CONTENT
PROFANE 26
36
42
50
UTOPIA AND DYSTOPIA Ali Reza Shahbazin THE DIVORCE OF MATTER Srishti Srivastava ADOLF LOOS Samson M. Johnson PROJECTIVE PRESERVATION Ryan Madson
PROJECT 71
80
90
100
14
POLYSEMIC AND MONOSEMIC Scott R. Singeisen DISEGNO AND COLLAGE Natalie Imran IMAGE AS AGENT Sunny Blount FLUIDITY IN A DESIGN PROCESS Emily Dawson
PRACTICE 116
124
SECULARISM OF SACRED SPACE Alsharif Khalid LOST TOOLS Scott R. Singeisen
132
ODE TO POCHE Samson M. Johnson
142
THE RISE + FALL OF POMPEII Alexis X.A. Roberts
176
ENDNOTE Sal Banks
15
FOR MONSTERS, MAKERS, MAN AND MACHINES
16
WE SAY THIS TO YOU WITH LOVE IN MIND: BE BOLD, BE EXTROADINARY, BE NECESSARY. BUT MOST OF ALL, ALWAYS...ALWAYS BE KIND. —Sal Banks, Enter the Caves of Lignum
18
FROM HUMANS
20
SB-017 by Lynae Ashley Brooks Photograph 3024 x 4032 px Port of Savannah - Ocean Terminal 2017
21
THE ARTS ARE NOT A WAY TO MAKE A LIVING. THEY ARE A VERY HUMAN WAY OF MAKING LIFE MORE BEARABLE. PRACTICING AN ART, NO MATTER HOW WELL OR BADLY, IS A WAY TO MAKE YOUR SOUL GROW.
22
FOR HEAVEN’S SAKE, SING IN THE SHOWER. DANCE TO THE RADIO. TELL STORIES. WRITE A POEM TO A FRIEND, EVEN A LOUSY POEM. DO IT AS WELL AS YOU POSSIBLY CAN. YOU WILL GET AN ENORMOUS REWARD. YOU WILL HAVE CREATED SOMETHING. —Kurt Vonnegut, A Man Without a Country (2007)
PROFANE
P R OFANE
THOSE WHO PROMISE US PARADISE ON EARTH NEVER PRODUCED ANYTHING BUT A HELL. —Karl Popper
26
P R OFANE
UTOPIA AND DYSTOPIA FROM THE ART TO ARCHITECTURE Ali Reza Shahbazin
It is difficult to consider utopia and dystopia as the same phenomenon in the real world. In the art world, however, they figure much closer to each other. If one considers theatre as a metaphor for human society, utopia would be the act performed on stage whilst dystopia is that which occurs along the periphery: in support of the scene. Utopia is a vast subject spanning the varied disciplines of philosophy, literature, political science, social studies, urban development and architecture. The only way we can begin to fully comprehend the realities and illusions of utopianism is by studying it through the lens of various academic streams. In the design world, utopia has always been of concern to architects and urban designers as a way of solving problems to develop human life. Nobody strives to create dystopia. However, dystopia is an interesting subject for dramatic art; an imbalanced situation is lucrative for storytelling, for instance
1984 by George Orwell illustrates communism dystopias or Brave New World by Aldous Huxley depicts capitalist dystopia. The Medieval Inquisition1 exemplifies my thought how religion is primarily concerned with the creation of a utopia, although often, its structure leads to the creation of the opposite: a dystopia. Eastern believers are taught that it is impossible for human beings to create a utopia on earth because the notion of a heaven is a gift to the faithful after their time on this planet is over. The poetic location of the water pool in Islamic architecture illustrates the belief that earthly beauty is but a reflection of an eminent beauty created by God in the heavens. It is not achieved by the architect who strives for a utopian perfection. The water pool functions as a mirror for the heavenly beauty so the picture in the water is not a reflection of the architecture, the architecture is the reflection of the building in the pool against the backdrop of the skies.
1
The Medieval Inquisition was a series of Inquisitions by Catholic Church from around 12th and 13th century
27
Borujerdis House , Iran, Kashan The house was built in 1857 by architect Ustad Ali Maryam Photographer: Unknown
28
P R OFANE
29
P R OFANE
CLASSICISM & UTOPIA In Greece and Rome, the practice of anthropomorphism fostered the discussion of utopia as a philosophy. The ideal world of Plato is illustrated in his book, The Republic (Figure 3). It exhibits the canons of a masculine aesthetics with an intellectual overtone, where men are seen participating in a homosexual world. This utopia is based in the idea of exclusion, where Plato envisions a world without women and poets. I wonder, “Was Plato the first utopian philosopher, or the designer of the first dystopia?” 2. Lewis Mumford who was strongly influenced by Plato, claimed that “He had set a bad precedent for all later utopian writers in this respect”3.
30
Those influenced by the Roman and Greek traditions preferred not to wait for utopia when science promised it on earth. “Whereas Plato’s modeled Republic was governed by philosophers, Leon Battista Alberti later suggested that Jupiter 4, obliged to reconstruct the world, confided it to architects rather than philosophers.” 5 Alberti believed in a more objective utopia as opposed to Plato, projecting it as a vocation for architects instead of philosophers. Which is why, “In almost every instance, a utopia conceived by architects is a formal utopia” 6 . Classical architectural utopias in the Renaissance and the Golden Age were based in geometry. An architectural description of The
The School of Plato x Jean Delville Oil on Canvas 8.5’ x 19.8’ Musée d’Orsay / 1898
City of the Sun by Tommaso Campanella sees the city “divided into seven circular zones…The concentric rings are fortified by circular walls and above them is a temple built with wondrous art.” 7 Campanella’s geometric city derives from the ideology of Plato’s utopia which was concentric and radial in its layout. The issue is not with the circle itself, the issue is with the idea of a utopia that needs a center. With a center, an exclusion is inevitable, notably when it is religious in nature, not civic.
2 Franco Borsi, Architecture and Utopia, trans. Deke Dusinberre (Paris: Hazan Editeur, 1997), 19. 3 Borsi, Architecture and Utopia, 19
Jupiter, the chief ancient Roman and Italian god Borsi, Architecture and Utopia, 20. Ibid. 7 Ibid. 4 5 6
31
Bridge and Study of Volumes / Mario Chiattone, Ponte e studio di volumi / 1914
REVOLUTION & UTOPIA Communism dreamt of a classless society by keeping the Classical tradition of utopia as exclusion and the communist party at the center. This created a second tradition for utopia- revolution. Slavoj Žižek explains that “The biggest problem with a revolution is the morning after.” His main idea is that revolution may change the situation but not the people who created that situation. They are deemed to create the situation again. When utopia works as the idea for revolution, it seeks to destroy a structure and, inevitably, creates another one. “The morning
32
P R OFANE
after” transition turns a “progressive thought” to a “conservative thought” since people like to preserve the structures they have created. Manfredo Tafuri explains the difference between “progressive thought” and “conservative thought” in his book Architecture and Utopia, Design and Capitalist Development. “For ‘progressive thought’ every single thing receives its significance only from some other thing that is ahead of it or above it, from a utopia of the future or from a norm that exist above being.’ ‘Conservative thought’ on the other hand ‘deduced the significance of the particular from something that stands behind it, from the past or from that which already exists at least in embryonic form.’ Utopia is therefore nothing other than ‘a structural vision of the totality that is and is becoming’… ‘breaking the relationship of the existing order’ in order to recover them at a higher and different level.”
and not a great social or sentimental moment. Dada and Futurism are two of the most radical movements in art and architecture history. Franco Borsi in his Architecture and Utopia describes them as movements with an irrational rejection of the past and devoid of a humanistic dimension. In contrast to Borsi, Manfredo Tafuri describes them as real utopians. “Dada was a desacralization of values, considered to be the new value… a capability of coming face to face with the negative, in order to make the negative itself the release value of an unlimited potential of development.” Dadaism was grossly influential in modern art and architecture movements. It seems that Dadaism fluctuates between the rebel and the revolution. This poetic anarchy of a complete exclusion of the past structure was unsuccessful to the context of everyday human life due to its impetus on the collective rather than an individual revolution.
That’s why Albert Camus opposed all his leftist friends and the Communist Party. He believed in the rebellion of the individual in daily life over a collective revolution. He wrote a book length essay, The Rebel. In his book for a rebellious person, revolution is the context of everyday life
8 Harry Cross, trans., “Slavoj Žižek: The Eternal Marriage between Capitalism and Democracy Has Ended,” L’Humanité in English, September 2, 2013, http://www.humaniteinenglish.com/spip. php?article2332.
9 Manfredo Tafuri, Architecture and Utopia, Design and Capitalist Development (Cambridge, Mass.: Massachusetts Institute of Technology Press), 52. 10 Tafuri, Architecture and Utopia, 56.
33
P R OFANE
IF WE WERE TO WAIT,
Paris 1968 Riots Photographers: Unknown
TO PLACE OUR FAITH AND CALLS TO ACTION ON REVOLUTION ALONE
IT {CHANGE} WOULD NEVER COME.
— Sal Banks, Enter the Caves of Lignum
35
P R OFANE
THE BUILDING MUST BECOME AN ACT OF UNIFICATION THAT DOESN’T UPSET OUR FAITH IN SENSORY FACULTIES.
36
P R OFANE
THE DIVORCE OF MATTER CAPTURING PALLASMA Srishti Srivastava
In modern architecture, the predominance of sight over touch and intellect over feeling has created a rift in our sensory modalities. Human connection that once shaped the materiality of buildings, has been lost. In The Eyes of the Skin, Juhani Pallasmaa calls for a rebalancing of the visual with the sensual. In his attempt to foster the recovery of emotions within the built fabric; Pallasmaa says, “The hegemony of vision has been reinforced in our time by a multitude of technological inventions and the endless multiplication and production of images - an unending rainfall of image, as Italo Calvino calls it. The fundamental event of the modern age is the conquest of the world as picture, writes Heidegger. The philosopher’s speculation has certainly materialized in our age of the fabricated, mass- produced and manipulated image”. (p. 21) He points out that, “The shift from oral to written speech was essentially a shift from sound to visual space and that print replaced the lingering hearing- dominance in the world of thought and expression with the sight-dominance which had its beginning in writing.” (p. 24)
Architecture has become burdened by an artificial expectation that it conveys symbolic meaning devoid of a truthfulness to site, materials and building techniques. The text seeks to re-establish architecture’s professional ethos in developing the haptic quality of matter in addressing typological and conceptual concerns that govern its presence in time. Juhani Pallasmaa (b. 1936) is a Finnish architect, theoretician and teacher. As a scholar of culture, semantics and phenomenology, he studies the loss of plasticity by tracing the parallels between art and technology. Investigating the role of architecture as a connector between the landscape and behavior and by using the canons of Classical Italian formality as a poignant example, the writing begins with a scrutiny of causation that is divided into two; an establishment of “Ocularcentrism” and the “Psychology of inhabiting space.” Wading through deep philosophical waters like an expert pathfinder, the illustrations unfold an allegorical language that locates the author’s thoughts in time, space and materiality. 37
Christian Newman Photograph 3981 px x 5197 px Yuriria, Mexico / April 2016
38
P R OFANE
These images testify to human values like the book’s thesis on wholesomeness in building. The prose gradually builds as a juxtaposition of abstracted verbal cues that are likened to the drama of the ordinary. Pallasmaa’s personal observations are dotted across the text that help readers cultivate a participatory gaze. “The flatness of today’s standard construction is strengthened by aweakened essay of spatial narratives. Natural materials - stone, brick and wood - allow our vision to penetratetheir surfaces and enable us tobecome convinced of the veracity of matter.” (p.31) By finding the paradox of intimacy, scent, mimicry, identity, solitude and memory, Pallasmaa peers under the skin of metaphoric space. His definition of spirituality implies a four dimensional experience of architecture. This is a test of sensory stimulation verified by its perception. He refers to a unified tonal “see-touchfeel” sensation. The building must become an act of unification that doesn’t upset our faith in the sensory faculties by moving toward a spiritual elevation brought about by adhering to the phenomenal principles of light, sound, smell, touch, sight and fantasy. By calling upon these design
elements, Pallasmaa questions the validity of the architect’s skill in understanding matter. He claims that the world we live in is viewed like an inherited construction of reality. The architectural depth of place is examined by relating it to the human condition of feeling, thought and emotion. He explains, that to escape the relegated position of architecture today as standard construction, we must be “Freed of the implicit desire of the eye for control and power”, to open up “new realms of vision and thought.” (p.35) Quoting the work of philosophers and artists that attest to Pallasmaa’s concept of spatial embodiment as a synchronized play of oppositions in “Oral versus visual space”, he proceeds to “Spaces of memory and imagination” unpacking the myriad possibilities and relationships between the habitat and the inhabitants. He suggests the return of a personified design approach considerate of the primal needs of human beings and its acknowledgement in craft. By adopting this path, our response to architecture will be present as its implicit value of existence.
39
P R OFANE
Ultimately Pallasmaa is searching for a connection between the building and the principles that guide its construction. Without setting a blueprint for the processes of design, he manages to place before us a conversation that might lead to the discovery of such a thing. He calls for the working of our hands into the mud, stone and brick to instill a faith in the experience of phenomena. The book’s standpoint runs counter to the augmented movement of modern life. A powerful statement on intention, Pallasma ’s writing is a critique of the architect’s education and ethics. The Eyes of the Skin is an incandescent appeal to revive the building arts as a fully human endeavor, one that balances the rational with the sensual and the physical with the symbolic. It alludes to an architecture that addresses the formal elements of design with an unequivocal consideration for the body, mind and soul.
40
P R OFANE
“The Incredulity of Saint Thomas” Caravaggio, Oil on canvas 42 in × 57 in, Sanssouci, Potsdam 1601-1602
41
P R OFANE
BE NOT AFRAID OF BEING CALLED UN-FASHIONABLE. — Adolf Loos
42
P R OFANE
ADOLF LOOS THE REVIVAL OF GRAFITTI Samson M. Johnson
After Adolf Loos’ stay in the United states, he returned to Vienna with a remark of Louis Sullivan that admonishes that “it would only benefit us if for a time we were to abandon ornament and concentrate entirely on the erection of buildings that were finely shaped and charming in their sobriety”. Sullivan’s recommendation omits the poignant aspect which is located in the abandonment of architectural edifices whereby charming, ornament-free structures are themselves abandoned, morphing ultimately into ornaments (the singular element that was to be disposed of) in the urban fabric. Suffice to say that this consideration obviously eluded Adolf Loos and is absolutely absent in his entire sub sequential theory. One should not be surprised, however, because his entire theory could be summarized as a quest to establish an illogical comparison between the Papuan and the Modern Man. In which the resultant difference locates the Modern Man as a superior Being compared to the Papuan. In this Loosian world, the essential difference between the Papuan and the Modern Man lies in the “institutionalization” of Laws,
Conducts and Regulations. For Loos, the Papuan assumes an ethical position of amorality while the modern man is bound by, mostly, cultural laws that regulate and determine his behavior which in turn becomes the tools through which he is labelled a “degenerate or a criminal”. “The Papuan kills his enemies and eats them. He is not a criminal. But when modern man kills someone and eats him he is either a criminal or a degenerate”. Therefore, by following this logic the very act of abandoning buildings should not be expressed as an amoral act (which is usually the position expressed by mainstream media) but instead as a “symptom of degeneracy” in the modern man’s culture and society. Loos’ admonition that we should “weep not! See therein lies the greatness of our age that is incapable of producing an ornament” is invalid if we examine our contemporary epoch. According to the US Census Bureau for the Department of Commerce, 14.2 million houses in 2013 were vacant all year round. Also, according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, about 600,000 people experience homelessness at any given night in the United States. 43
P R OFANE
Photographer: Unknown Graffiti 4928 px × 3264 px
44
P R OFANE
45
P R OFANE
Photograph: Unknown Graffiti 4928 px × 3264 px
46
P R OFANE
47
P R OFANE
These statistics reveal that man still goes on “panting in slavery to ornament” and that the modern man has not “gone far enough for ornaments to no longer arouse the feeling of pleasure”. Therefore, by following the notion of totality, one is required to evaluate the validity of the operational methodology in our contemporary economic milieu that sustains and creates this “devastation”, which has perversely become an “aesthetic development”. The obvious response to this phenomenon is to apply Loos’ theory to itself, that is, through a form of negation that ultimately leads to the demise of the ornament in the urban fabric. This approach, however, lacks sophistication and the most subversive response can be located through the injection of the “culturally perceived art of resistance” which is the graffiti art. If one ever so slightly focuses while permeating through spaces in the urban landscape, one realizes that in most abandoned and decrepit architectural edifices there seems to be a universal occupant that accepts and embraces the object regardless of its typology and programmatic function. This occupant releases from the abandoned space a character and poise–usually unintended by the architect-that overwhelms any being in that space.
48
With that said, one can infer that the Papuan who tattoos his skin, his boat, his paddle in short, everything he can lay his hands on, rescues the Loosian modern man from himself.
P R OFANE
Baroque architect J. B. Fischer von Erlach passing through the Looshaus x Adolf Loos, Unknown
49
P R OFANE
THE PRESENT ORDER IS THE DISORDER OF THE FUTURE. — Louis Antuine de Saint-Just
50
P R OFANE
PROJECTIVE PRESERVATION A MANIFESTO FOR SAVANNAH Ryan Madson, An excerpt taken from Strelka Magazine
Savannah is one of the best-preserved cities in the United States. It is also one of the most regulated and prescribed in terms of architecture and public space. Savannah possesses a wealth of historic and cultural resources, which attract visitors in large numbers, but the authenticity and culture of the city is threatened by overconsumption and overregulation. Alternatives to Savannah’s conservative planning frameworks and preservation laws are needed, as are smarter ways to deal with mass tourism and gentrification. This manifesto posits a projective approach that reconciles the past with the future through presentday activities of adaptive reuse, architectural infill, landscape transformations, and the introduction of new places and uses suited to contemporary life. Projective Preservation is the name used to describe this alternative approach. It refers to the preservation of the physical object/monument as well as the conservation of urban cultures and communities with present and future needs and aspirations
in mind. Resonant with this approach are other preservation philosophies, operating in different parts of the world, in academia and professional practice, which also focus on the agency of preservationists, architects, planners, and community activists to formulate critical and experimental preservation models, with or against the mainstream of preservation.1 These statements contained herein do not propose to be original. They are unique in their application to a particular place: Savannah. Projective Preservation is a critical alternative to conventional preservation ideologies and their emphasis on what Alois Riegl has called “memory values” – the importance that we ascribe to the verifiable history and the visible agedness of buildings, monuments, places, and cities.2 The modern cult of monuments exists because of the privileging of memory values above all others. Riegl described a parallel set of “present-day values” that emphasize contemporary uses and needs alongside newness value and aesthetic value. Projective Preservation seeks to balance, or reconcile, memory values
51
P R OFANE
with present-day values. Past and present must be understood relative to the unique context of a site or community. Projective Preservation is not iconoclasm, rather it is the coexistence of icons – and built environments of all sorts – of the past, present and future. An expanded set of values, following from Riegl’s “memory values,” might offer more nuanced guidance. For example, from “age value” (the awareness and appreciation of an object’s persistence through time, signified by patina and erosion) we can further define values that speak to the human condition and our being in the world. These values and recognitions include (cycles of) death and life, collective memory, mythology, disappearance, and the melancholic object. There could also be geological values that speak of the deep time of the earth, of rocks and minerals, and thus of our building materials that age and weather and mark time with the human consciousness of duration. Imagine a neo-Ruskinian cult of age value that mourns the passing of a monument while celebrating the creation of a new one that, if built to express an authentic culture using
52
durable means, will one day become old and historic and thus acquire its own authenticity, its own memory values! William Morris, English architect of the Arts and Crafts movement and father of modern conservationism in Europe, argued for the preservation of buildings and monuments complete with the traces and layers of past additions and modifications. The monument, he argued, should be preserved so as to show the original along with the changes made over time. Those changes reveal the authentic expression of subsequent periods of craftsmanship and architectural styles. Like John Ruskin, Morris was a staunch opponent of restoration, especially the stripping back of successive interventions and the reconstruction of the “original” building, sometimes to a previous condition that may, in fact, never have existed.3 Morris and Ruskin believed that the historic monument should be preserved in situ and kept in state. No con- temporary or future alterations are permitted, apart from the minimal supports necesary to prevent a monument from total disintegration or collapse.
P R OFANE
Hardcore Savannah by Jimmy Darling 3000 x 3000 px Photoshop Savannah, Georgia 2016
53
P R OFANE
Fractal Perambulaton by Natalie Santiago Speculative Savannah 2016 54
P R OFANE
Morris writes in the “Manifesto” for the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (1877) that past additions to a building would have been made “of necessity [. . .] in the unmistakable fashion of the time; a church of the eleventh century might be added to or altered in the twelfth, thirteenth, fourteenth, fifteenth, sixteenth, or even the seventeenth or eighteenth centuries; but every change, whatever history it destroyed, left history in the gap, and was alive with the spirit of the deeds done midst its fashioning.4 Successive additions made in the past were possessed of vitality. They were worthy of preservation. Yet Morris felt that the architectural culture of his day had nothing valid to offer. Historic monuments and buildings in his time, therefore, should not be altered using a contemporary idiom. This would be to corrupt or destroy the integrity of the monument. Herein lies a paradox of mainstream preservation ideologies: we must preserve an historic artifact intact with additions and alterations from its past, as these were produced in an honest manner that would nonetheless have once been considered contemporary. Yet no further modifications, at least not ones made with deliberate contemporary expression or a modern aesthetic, should be made today or in the future. (Ironically, or tragically, depending on one’s view, it is the Victorian-style of Morris’s day that is one of the most preserved building styles in the United States. This shows bad faith in the present, in the ability of contemporary culture to offer meaningful new constructs or enter a
55
P R OFANE
dialogue with the past. We perceive historic buildings in the present, we engage with heritage environments in the here and now. History and age value are understood with the eyes and minds of today. The culture(s) of today must have something to say, too. In a city like Savannah, with hundreds of years of history, these contemporary interventions should not overwhelm the past (though they may validly confront it), nor should they be enthralled to or subjugated by the past. We’ve already witnessed the popular subjugation of the present to the past in the worst examples of architectural postmodernism, which we recognize today as historicist pastiche. The opposite of historicism is the projection of contemporary aspirations into the future. Five points for the Projective Preservation of Savannah follow. They seek an urgent dialogue about how to reconcile Savannah’s heritage and historic buildings and landscapes with present-day aspirations and future needs. They advocate for the radical coexistence of memory values with contemporary values.Herein lies a paradox of mainstream preservation ideologies: we must preserve an historic artifact intact with additions and alterations from its past, as these were produced in an honest manner that would nonetheless have once been considered contemporary. Yet no further modifications, at least not ones made with deliberate contemporary expression or a
56
P R OFANE
Preservation Through Poverty X Nick Place Speculative Savannah 2016
57
P R OFANE
modern aesthetic, should be made today or in the future. (Ironically, or tragically, depending on one’s view, it is the Victorian-style of Morris’s day that is one of the most preserved building styles in the United States. This shows bad faith in the present, in the ability of contemporary culture to offer meaningful new constructs or enter a dialogue with the past. We perceive historic buildings in the present, we engage with heritage environments in the here and now. History and age value are understood with the eyes and minds of today. The culture(s) of today must have something to say, too.
architectural postmodernism, which we recognize today as historicist pastiche. The opposite of historicism is the projection of contemporary aspirations into the future. Five points for the Projective Preservation of Savannah follow. They seek an urgent dialogue about how to reconcile Savannah’s heritage and historic buildings and landscapes with pres- ent-day aspirations and future needs. They advocate for the radical coexistence of memory values with contemporary values.
In a city like Savannah, with hundreds of years of history, these contemporary interventions should not overwhelm the past (though they may validly confront it), nor should they be enthralled to or subjugated by the past. We’ve already witnessed the popular subjugation of the present to the past in the worst examples of
1 Notable pathfinders include the preservation department at Columbia University and their journal, Future Anterior, edited by Jorge Otero-Pailos; the Critical Conservation program at the Harvard Graduate School of Design; the recent theoretical provocations of Rem Koolhaas/OMA on preservation, as well as built projects such as the Fondazione Prada which expand the category of adaptive reuse; and Kees Christianse’s recent research into the repurposing of industrial areas, published in The City as Loft: Adaptive Reuse as a Resource for Sustainable Urban Development (2013).
58
2 Alois Riegl, “The Modern Cult of the Monument: Its Character and Origin,” Oppositions 25 (Fall 1982). It was first published in 1903 as an introduction to a draft preservation law for the Austrian
government. Thordis Arrhenius gives an excellent exegesis of Riegl’s essay in her recent book, The Fragile Monument: On Conservation and Modernity (2012). 3 Ruskin and Morris were intellectually embattled with Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, who famously said that successful restoration, based on the artistic authority of the architect-restorationist, will return a monument to a “complete” condition that never existed. 4 William Morris, et al., “Manifesto for the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings” (1877), Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, https://www.spab.org.uk/ what-is-spab-/the-manifest... <https://www.spab.org.uk/what-is-spab-/ the-manifesto/>
P R OFANE
2
1
Savannah once was an experimental utopia. It could be again*. Although attempts to establish utopian communities always fall short, it would be a civilizational failure not to aspire to the condition of utopia. Urban planning policies, architecture and the arts should rise to the occasion and extend Savannah’s progressive legacy into the twenty-first century.
Housing is the primal architecture of the city (hotels are products for tourist consump- tion). *Residents are more important than tourists. They live here permanently and take care of the place. A strong counter-point to mass tourism is the presence of locals. More (affordable) housing in the Landmark District is needed to provide a critical mass of res- idents and to ensure Savannah does not become a museum city. If Savannah’s leadership is comfortable building large hotels for tourists – which it is – it should also be fine with new multi-family housing. (Note: there has not been a multi-family apartment building constructed in the Landmark District since the 1960s; more than twenty new hotels have appeared, or are under construction, since 2000.) Zooey Chen /Umwelten, City 65047 / Speculative Savannah
59
P R OFANE
3 4
60
Urban design by adaptive reuse is the ultimate conservation strategy.* There is probably no better way to preserve buildings and places than to keep them in continuous, active use. When an entire city or district is deemed historic, the past speaks through present-day ac- tivities that are enabled by the reuse of old buildings. By necessity this entails modifications and transformations to meet current needs. Architectural additions that use contemporary, critical and creative means to accomplish a reuse project add vitality and authenticity to the city.
Savannahâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s contemporary architecture should be an expression of contemporary culture.* Architecture at its best gives physical expression to the ideas, ideals and aspirations of an age. The constant formal and aesthetic revival of architectural tropes from earlier periods denies, or severely constrains, contemporary values. Innovative, challenging and progres- sive architecture should be encouraged within the legal framework of the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s codes and regulations. Our greatest contemporary buildings will be passed along to future Savannahi- ans and become worthy of preservation in due time.
P R OFANE
5
Erasures of urban fabric and architectural lacuna are opportunities for new visions. *Historicist infill and reconstructions always pale next to the vibrancy and authority of new buildings and places that are designed in accord with contemporary life. The historic city is better served by fresh visions than stale copies.
*This manifesto is a draft. The future is being written through the eternal now, and historic cities â&#x20AC;&#x201C; even you, Savannah, among the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best-preserved (and most-regulated) â&#x20AC;&#x201C; must eventually bend to the massive societal and environmental forces that are coming. How will preservation respond?
61
PROJECT
IT IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO HAVE AN OBSESSIVE NEED TO CONSTRUCT SOMETHING, TO UNDERSTAND SOMETHING FROM YOUR OWN EXPERIENCE. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Gregory Crewdson
64
P R OJE CT
65
WHAT THE ARTIST ATTEMPTS TO DO IS TO TRY TO TELL A STORY. ATTEMPTING TO GIVE PHYSICAL EXPRESSION TO A STORY THAT’S INTERNAL. EVERY ARTIST HAS A CENTRAL STORY TO TELL, AND THE DIFFICULTY, THE IMPOSSIBLE TASK, IS TRYING TO PRESENT THAT STORY IN PICTURES. — Gregory Crewdson
66
P R OJE CT
67
P R OJE CT
MY PICTURES ARE ABOUT A SEARCH FOR A MOMENT â&#x20AC;&#x201C; A PERFECT MOMENT.
TO ME THE MOST POWERFUL MOMENT IN THE WHOLE PROCESS IS WHEN EVERYTHING COMES TOGETHER AND THERE IS THAT PERFECT, BEAUTIFUL, STILL MOMENT. AND FOR THAT INSTANT, MY LIFE MAKES SENSE. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Gregory Crewdson
69
Ophelia, From the Twilight Series by Gregory Crewdson Photograph 2002
70
P R OJE CT
POLYSEMIC & MONOSEMIC IMAGE AS AGENT IN THE DESIGN PROCESS Scott R. Singeisen
Defamiliarization, or ostranenie as coined by Viktor Shklovsky, is the artistic technique of presenting to audiences common things in an unfamiliar or strange way in order to enhance perception of the familiar. Photographers such as Gregory Crewdson accomplish this through a time consuming and intricate staging of photographic sets in order to achieve an intended narrative of surreal or strange occurrences in common settings. The resultant image is polysemic in that it operates at the coexistence of many possible meanings for the viewer. The open interpretation of these images invites the viewer into the stage set of the narrative, crafting a subconscious and emotional response. (Figure 1) Polysemic drawing is a valuable although often misunderstood agent of design thinking practice allowing both students and practitioners to exercise in a realm of multiple-spatial experiences through the construction of narrative imagery. A polysemic document is designed to stimulate a multiplicity of meanings simultaneously. When viewers examine â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ophelia,â&#x20AC;? they each project upon it a meaning that has not been predetermined by the author of the image. Additionally, multiple viewers will have multiple interpretations of connotation. The polysemic richness of a document is evident in the variety and originality of meaning as it is interpreted from one viewer to the next. While the message and symbolism rests within the
71
P R OJE CT
image itself, its meaning is sited outside of itself, varied and contextually modified from viewer to viewer. It is a method of expressing the unknown, inviting as many possible resolutions as there are participants. On the contrary, monosemy is the property of having only one meaning. Representational imagery - as compared to abstract imagery – is read by the viewer for its intended face value as it represents the object or idea fully and without a need for interpretation. A traditional floor plan or elevation as drawn by a design practitioner is typically monosemic since the meaning is contained within the document itself. Monosemic drawing as an act is perceived by the public to represent what will be and to do so without an overlaid narrative or meaning, i.e. a wall as wall. In the work of early nineteenth century functionalist architect Jean-Nicolas-Louis Durand one can find the initial mutations behind the omnipresent pathology of contemporary “ethical” architectural thought—that the meaning of architecture should not be of the architect’s concern, that attempts at representing meaning and character are irrelevant, that efficient problem solving in and of itself gives meaning to architecture. Or, for example, axonometric drawings by Eugène-Em-
72
manuel Viollet-le-Duc of the Doge’s Palace, Venice, Italy in 1864 where he differentiates between human form as scale figure and human form as active participant engaged in the day-to-day life of the building. Meaning is only the face value presented within the drawing and the roles of the characters, and while the story of the role of the occupants is explained through the multiple drawings, the fine grain narrative of the experience of these occupants is not important, explained, or considered. Cubist collage as a design motivator allowed for plasticity and ambiguity, that has subsequently been eliminated in favor of high resolution static renderings utilizing the power of the computer. At no other time has the toolset been as powerful to translate the intent of a design proposal into a realized moment for the viewer, and yet the public is presented monosemic plans, elevations, and a rendered exterior. With no public engagement through use of their viewing imagination, architecture is a product that either speaks directly to you, or does not. The paradox of positioning within a single frame of space (time). And the allowance of the polysemic representation to evaluate design solutions for each of the elements
P R OJE CT
Axonometric drawing x Eugène-Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc of the Doge’s Palace, Venice, Italy/1864
73
P R OJE CT
of design as an analogous composition. The polysemic doesn’t allow for parallel narratives – the image is the structure/scaffold and the viewer’s interpretation operates on that framework. Use of polysemic and monosemic encourages thinking generatively. To reflect on a moment within the design allows for a greater sensibility imparted on the participant. Faculty who teach architecture students.to draw the monosemic representations associated with the discipline as a guarantee of professional preparedness – or worse, encourage students to augment the office standard monosemic with computer initiated dead renderings – deny students of architecture the opportunity to adequately address the conditions of the designer that will be most impactful to the user and the occupants: space. The resultant professionals unlikely to see value in the exploration of these spaces of occupation through the study of interpretation, and a subsequent slow decline of awe producing architectural space in lieu of formal exercises and good construction documents. It is presumptuous to think that we know how occupants will use the building, poor faculty. It is equally presumptuous to produce monosemic renderings that depict form and space form only one point of view – perpetuating the idealized icon of the architect, a holdover from a time when the singular architect genius passed down his vision from on high for all the world to view as he intended.
74
P R OJE CT
Cod Morning by Edward Hopper Oil on Canvas, 34” x 40” 1950 75
76
Nighthawks by Edward_Hopper Oil on Canvas, 34” x 40” 1942
77
WITH OUR MINDS FIXED ON THE PREDOMINANCE OF LANGUAGE WE MIGHT EVEN RISK ENCLOSING ARCHITECTURE WITHIN ITS OWN COMPOUND, DENYING IT COMMUNICATION WITH ANYTHING ELSE TO PRESERVE ITS INTEGRITY.
78
P R OJE CT
THIS WOULD BE POSSIBLE, YET IT SEEMS VERY UNLIKELY TO OCCUR BECAUSE, FOR ARCHITECTURE, EVEN IN THE SOLITUDE OF PRETENDED AUTONOMY, THERE IS ONE UNFAILING COMMUNICANT, AND THAT IS THE DRAWING. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Robin Evans, Translation From Drawing to Building
P R OJE CT
A DRAWING IS MORE THAN ITSELF. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Natalie Imran
80
P R OJE CT
DISEGNO AND COLLAGE AS IDEA GENERATOR Natalie Imran
A Drawing – whether as a form of visual art, means of communication, representation, or self-expression – is a form of representation that is often regarded, perhaps even consumed, in its ‘final’ state. Today, standardization of design, representation, and form making have erected barriers on architectural semantics, where ‘absolute’ form and monosemic imagery often characterize the practice. However, as a form of communication, a drawing is far more than its visual allure or physical presence; much more than a static image transferred onto paper. Through the act of their making, drawings become much more than objects or re-presentations. They become generative: transcending conventional semantics, freeing the mind of constraints, and becoming the site for imagining (not simply representing) new architecture.
to define form, but rather becomes just as much a psychological as it is a material practice. It is a drawing’s conception, as the hand moves across the page in symbiosis with creative thought, which becomes fundamental to creation itself. Drawing, erasing, obscuring, replicating, de-familiarizing, are all dialogues between the artist’s hand and his mind – a conversation that is never static nor one dimensional. As an act, not object, drawing is both an idea generator and reflective of thought: for the artist, drawing becomes a form of imaginative action; while for the viewer, the process unveils the inner workings of the artist’s mind – an expression that should not be viewed at face value, but rather, interpreted subjectively as a dynamic and ever-changing narrative.
Process is as powerful as image. It is necessary to draw a distinction between a drawing as an object, and the process of drawing itself. With the process of “Disegno”, meaning “drawing” or “design” in Italian, drawing is not simply about using line
81
P R OJE CT 82
Composite Drawing Adobe Photoshop 16” x 18 “ 2016
P R OJE CT
83
P R OJE CT
MY EXPERIENCE WITH DESIGNO Throughout my thesis investigation I have explored techniques of disegno and collage as extensions of architectural ideas freed from form. These explorations have pushed me towards a dynamic mode of thinking, in which layered drawings become palimpsests of thought, continually reworked, written over, and obscured, however never with complete erasure. These drawings become reflective of both rational thought and subjective expression, allowing me to “imagine” the possibilities for architectural experience. Challenging my preconceived notions of representation, this process has helped me to think independently of form and aesthetics, and use imagery to express emotion and metaphor. In my thesis investigation, I have used this act to supplants the use of language, translating feeling through the movement of the hand, rather than through words.
84
Using this process-based act of creation to generate ideas, I have found it easier to negotiate between subjective and objective approaches, and have begun to see drawing as a form of narrative that may offer a dynamic and compelling story. I have developed a great interest in the ephemeral quality of drawing, along with polysemic collage and abstracted imagery, which allow for multiple explorations and interpretations to take hold. Freed from form, a drawing itself becomes a biography – one that suggests a level of intimacy in which each viewer may choose to read, interpret, translate into their own imagination. a drawing itself becomes a biography – one that suggests a level of intimacy in which each viewer may choose to read, interpret, translate into their own imagination.
P R OJE CT
Composite Drawing Adobe Photoshop 16” x 18 “ 2016
85
P R OJE CT
Composite Drawings Adobe Photoshop 16” x 32 “ 2016
86
P R OJE CT
87
CREATIVITY REMAINS THE MOST UNCONTROLLABLE OF HUMAN FORCES: WITHOUT IT, THE PROJECT OF CIVILISATION IS INCONCEIVABLE, YET NO PART OF LIFE REMAINS SO UNTAMED AND UNDOMESTICATED. WORDS AND IMAGES CAN CHANGE MINDS, HEARTS, EVEN THE COURSE OF HISTORY...
88
P R OJE CT
THEIR MAKERS SHAPE THE STORIES PEOPLE CARRY THROUGH THEIR LIVES, UNEARTH OLD ONES AND BREATHE THEM BACK TO LIFE, ADD NEW TWISTS, POINT TO UNEXPECTED ENDINGS. IT IS TIME TO PICK UP THE THREADS AND MAKE THE STORIES NEW, AS THEY MUST ALWAYS BE MADE NEW, STARTING FROM WHERE WE ARE. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Uncivilisation, the Dark Mountain Manifesto.
P R OJE CT
IMAGE AS AGENT IN A DESIGN PROCESS Samantha Blount
Fiction is often disregarded as a practice of fantastical mythology and storytelling. In actuality, every aspect of the lives we live and the societies we construct is some degree of fiction. It is through storytelling that we learn about the world, the past, and about humanity. We choose which stories we believe – these are the fictions that become our perception of reality. Through visual storytelling, the artist creates the framework for a narrative in which the audience will infill with their own realities, their own truths, creating infinite interpretations of meaning. An image of many interpretations, a polysemic image, will aim to evoke a thought, inspire a reaction, but not necessarily enforce it. This is a difficult balance to achieve, an image that provides the narrative framework, but also allows the image to be evocative. Lebbeus Woods wrote that, “Only the voids – what is not there – can be fully filled by our imaginations.” Seductive imagery may grab a viewer’s attention, but after first attraction, it is the story that holds the powers to keep an audience captive. Through fantastical visualizations, we open the doors to infinite possibilities, creation and dreaming.
90
P R OJE CT
Composite Drawing Adobe Photoshop 24” x 36” 2016 91
P R OJE CT
Composite Drawing Adobe Photoshop 24” x 36” 2016
92
P R OJE CT
93
P R OJE CT
APPLICATION TO THESIS INVESTIGATION My thesis investigation has aimed to illustrate a narrative – a story of the declining human civilization in the near future and the earthly environments as they transform in the wake of human extinction. This topic – human’s impending and inevitable extinction – is not easy for people to realize, it tends to cause discomfort. While I have research supporting my projections, graphs and data do not inspire much empathy for our future descendants. Illustrating the human narrative has been important in order for viewers to comprehend the concept of the decline of civilization and even grasp the idea of a world without humans. One of the main goals of the project has been to promote overall acceptance of the infinite possibilities of the future rather than a singular interpretation, and through collaged images I have aimed to create scenarios that are not definitive, but allow for many interpretations.
94
P R OJE CT
Composite Drawing Adobe Photoshop 24” x 36” 2016
95
NOTHING IS ORIGINAL. STEAL FROM ANYWHERE THAT RESONATES WITH INSPIRATION OR FUELS YOUR IMAGINATION.
96
P R OJE CT
DEVOUR OLD FILMS, NEW FILMS, MUSIC, BOOKS, PAINTINGS, PHOTOGRAPHS, POEMS, DREAMS, RANDOM CONVERSATIONS, ARCHITECTURE, BRIDGES, STREET SIGNS, TREES, CLOUDS, BODIES OF WATER, LIGHT AND SHADOWS. â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Jim Jarmusch, MovieMaker Magazine #53
SELECT ONLY THINGS TO STEAL FROM THAT SPEAK DIRECTLY TO YOUR SOUL. IF YOU DO THIS, YOUR WORK (AND THEFT) WILL BE AUTHENTIC.
98
P R OJE CT
AUTHENTICITY IS INVALUABLE; ORIGINALITY IS NON-EXISTENT. AND DON’T BOTHER CONCEAING YOUR THIEVERY—CELEBRATE IT IF YOU FEEL LIKE IT. IN ANY CASE, ALWAYS REMEMBER WHAT JEAN-LUC GODARD SAID: “IT’S NOT WHERE YOU TAKE THINGS FROM—IT’S WHERE YOU TAKE THEM TO.” —Jim Jarmusch, MovieMaker Magazine #53
The Third Place Light + Shadow Savannah 2016
100
P R OJE CT
FLUIDITY IN A DESIGN PROCESS Emily Dawson
As an architecture student of 6 ½ years, I will not be so presumptuous to assume that I have unlocked the secrets of the design process. With that disclaimer in hand, I will present a statement so broad stroked that it can only be met with agreement: The design process is fluid. It is the kind of statement that is so obvious that it is almost not worth evaluating. However, I firmly believe that returning to the simplest truths can yield a solution free from unnecessary complication. The design process is fluid. I remind myself of this in times when my own process has folded upon itself so many times that I cannot see the way out. Fluid design does not guarantee a solid sequential solution. The order of operations that worked previously will not yield the same success under different conditions. Rigidity is the death of design. The ability to adapt and remain flexible will lead to a higher caliber and true authenticity. In architecture education, one is given an arsenal of design tools to help them achieve objectives. Drawing. Diagramming. Modeling. Diagramming that model. Modeling that drawing. So on and so forth.
From the beginning of my education, I was taught that one needed to have all of these components to communicate a clear design. My educators held my hand from step to step, teaching me how to walk before I fully understood what I was doing. At the end of those first years, I reflected back upon my experience and began to see how the seemingly repetitive (and semi-sadistic) set of assignments had guided me towards a solution. It amazed me how 20 students could be given the same assignments, same set of rules, same material guidelines, and yet develop 20 unique designs. I began to see the poetics of process. The next few years would continue to hone my skills for the prescribed processes. I learned quickly that I was a natural at drafting and terrible at model-making. When the computer was introduced, I was so ready to leave the physical model-making world that I fully immersed in computer generation. I let my preconceived talents dictate how I worked. It would take many years for me to realize that somewhere along the way, I had allowed someone else to tell me what I am good at and not.
101
P R OJE CT 102
The Third Place Light + Shadow Savannah 2016
P R OJE CT
103
P R OJE CT
When asked to write about process, I had many ideas of what I should write about and let me tell you, this essay has been none of those. I admit this to drive home a point: Don’t let what you think you should do stop you from doing. Design is fluid. When you hit the proverbial wall, don’t be afraid to seek inspiration away from architecture. Don’t be afraid to change up what you’re doing. Don’t fear failure. I have found that the only way to fail is to not move at all. The forward direction may be blocked. However, a combination of lateral, vertical, reverse and diagonal motion will lead to a new path. Sometimes this means changing mediums of working, sometimes it simply means changing your outlook. For me, thesis has given me space to test this theory. I started in books and writing. When it was time to put it into the computer, I just couldn’t do it. In my gut, I knew that I would have to approach this completely different than my usual habits. Why? Because my comfortable process had led to very comfortable, requirement-meeting designs and who wants that? I started by returning to the basics: Diagramming, modeling, drawing. As each one ran its course, I was already thinking of how I could transform it in the next step. This method took me to a place
104
I had never been and allowed me to unlock. I was able to trust the process to lead me to something meaningful. At a certain point, the project called for a transformation that would allow me to see everything differently. I used a combination of light, lines, and digital projectors for the next phase of testing. This dramatic shift in medium allowed the opportunities for observation that have proven invaluable to me. For the rest of my career, I will remember that it is just as satisfying to uncover the right questions as it is to find the right answer.
P R OJE CT
The Third Place Light + Shadow Savannah 2016
105
P R OJE CT
‘Moduli Conscriptio’ THE MODEL – AS A DRAWING TOOL by Julie Rogers Varland Professor of Architecture
IDEA
- to use something usually thought of as the end product . . . the architectural model . . . . that can become a tool and carry on a life beyond its usual final purpose . . . - to create a new process as a partner and make a new type of drawing . . . with . . . the model as a drawing tool - to capture a different ephemeral idea of time and movement as a drawing . . . using a METHOD that has parameters and consistencies in its mechanisms, but indeterminacy in its variabilities
MEDIUM
- physical model and copier glass surface (a most useful camera; ripe for experimentation)
METHOD
- open the lid, model in hand, push ‘copy’, move the model . . . - record movement (of the model) in time (of the copier light-bar scan) and space (of the glass frame area – a consistent parameter)
106
P R OJE CT
MODEL + MOVEMENT … touch, not touch, be close, not so close (unlike a pencil) . . .
skate the model across the glass . . . forward, back . . . loop around . . . catch, surf on the wave . . . a band wave of light . . . possibilities for multiple points of contact . . . urge, slide the model around and with the scanning light . . . stretching time forward with the movement
TIME … play in scan-time, in tempo, against tempo, syncopated, or different . . . results delayed . . . a blind process
SPACE ... documented with copier camera .
parameters / consistencies . .
= DRAWING . . .
The model* does not have to be stuck in time – it can be freed . . . can create something new . . . a heuristic loop . . . a new origin . . . a new tool . . . a new idea.
* etymology of model:
(Latin) modus, modulus; led to: modulate, module, mould ‘form’ (Indo-European base) met+, med+ led to: measure, metre (other English descendants) modem, modicum, modify, mode – mood (verb form alteration)
- Ayto, John. (1990) New York, NY: Arcade Publishing; p. 351
107
108
P R OJE CT
P R OJE CT
Moduli Conscriptio’ x Julie Rogers Varland Photo Manipulation 11” x 15” 109
PRACTICE
ALL THE ARTS WE PRACTICE ARE APPRENTICESHIP. THE BIG ART IS OUR LIFE. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; M.C. Richards
112
P R ACTI CE
113
114
P R ACTI CE
P R ACTI CE
YOUR SACRED SPACE IS WHERE YOU CAN FIND YOURSELF OVER AND OVER AGAIN. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Joseph Campbell
SECULARISM OF SACRED SPACE Interview featuring Alsharif Khalid Nahas (AK) & Ali Reza Shahbazin (AS) Architecture can be divided into secular and non-secular buildings, but the paradox for our era lies in preserving religious enrichment for non-religious buildings. Recent scholarship points out the lack of mystical and spiritual experiences in modern life. Friedrich Nietzsche insists that art, philosophy and music have the potential to bridge this gap; James Joyce discusses this epiphany in art as a phenomena of Modern spirituality. In contemporary architecture history, sacred spaces have been created by architects without a firm sense of religious belief. One ponders how they solve this paradox? How can we create something for believers without belief? How can we explain this dichotomy of creating a sacred space designed for a religious experience in a secular way? Bearing these questions in mind, I had a tea-talk with Alsharif Khalid who worked on his capstone studio project with like-minded underpinnings.
116
P R ACTI CE
Section Sketch Coloured Pencil 8” x 10” 2016
117
P R ACTI CE
1)
Ground Floor
First Floor
Living Space
// Kitchen Space // Open Kitchen including island bar looking towards framed views. Also looking down into the whole pod void.
// Bedroom // Optimal framed view to the Blue Ridge Mountains. Diffused sunlight and Indirect sunlight to the bedroom.
// Living Space // Natural ventelation air intake through facade. The living space has optimal views to the Blue Ridge mountains. High cielings for maximum comfortable space
3d Section Rendering 3ds Max / Adobe Photoshop 24â&#x20AC;? x 36â&#x20AC;? 2016
118
P R ACTI CE
AS Tell me about the project in detail? AK We were asked to create a sacred space; the first assignment was defining and understanding what a sacred space is. At the beginning; we think it’s either a mosque or a synagogue or a church or whatever! That’s the first thought you have into your head. I thought of it as controversial and initially it was difficult to define it. For instance, if you are a Muslim and you go to a church, you see people singing, you still feel the music reverberating, even if you might not identify with the tenets of the faith. So I choose something that was more holistic and all encompassing; I was going to explore epigenetics, which is basically the study of DNA. DNA as we understand, is just a blueprint. Whatever you inherit is given to you and you stick with it. However, couple of years ago, scientists started to understand that there is a catch. DNA is like an idea which changes through time, through the effects of our environment, food, drugs, natural causes and events. And the most influential time for a person to change their DNA is from day one of pregnancy, that is the day of fertilization to two and a half years after. This project makes a place for pregnant
women to create a healthier habit of having a healthier baby and uncover that it is possible to alter genetics naturally through epigenetics. I tried to create an architecture that alters genetics. Its possibility of success, is something I couldn’t see at this point, but this is what I was trying to achieve here. AS Your idea emerged from that of a scared space to a place for pregnant women. If we look at it from a mythological standpoint; in almost every religion, the pregnant woman is one of the most sacred elements. This tradition is also related to Middle Eastern ancient pagan religions and their goddesses. I can link this to the sacredness in your concept, theory and function. How did you apply these to architectural form? AK I applied architectural roles through diagrams. I was trying to make a relationship between the womb, the mother and the environment. That’s the reason I created a house, which is a circle inside the womb within the mother and within the environment.
119
P R ACTI CE
That’s the whole idea! AS When we think of sacred space, traditionally; mosques, churches and synagogues are at the forefront with time staking yet timeless architectural schemes. However, the space you create is devoid of this ornate celebration of form. Secularism is seen as the quality of behavior outside the realm of religious belief. What was your thought procedure like? How did you face, design and solve this paradox of what I would term as “secularizing sacredness”? AK If I ask people about what a sacred space is, most of them will respond by saying that it is a place to pray in. I understand what you are saying here; that a pregnant woman is the symbolism of the sacredness, but normally we don’t view it that way. Architecturally, that is what I am trying to explore. I might understand it as an idea and as a symbol, but how does one relate this concept to architecture? That was the challenge for the project, where t here was a gap! AS Do you think you filled the gap in your project? Were you successful
120
in doing so? AK For part of it! My theory was that, I can make a sacred space for anyone, no matter what. I cannot define a sacred space for them; my definition of sacred space is very different from your definition of a sacred space, everyone’s definitions are unique. AS This is secular! AK Yes, I tried to create a different perspective. Some people believe in God, some of them don’t. They might believe in science, facts or not even that! Some people believe in creationism, some they don’t; so, I tried to capture different perspectives and I didn’t want to capture only one. AS At first, I did not know this project was a sacred space, I thought it was a house… AK It is a house! AS Then, I felt that this is not a typical house because of your concept of placing a bedroom at the center of the house and its relationship with the womb. The womb is natural. Consciously or subconsciously, derivatives of nature, for humans, become sacred. We consider nature to be ourmother.
P R ACTI CE
AS In light of this, this project is successful, but largely paradoxical because of the way your program secularizes it. This house is non-religious; it is not a sacred space for a mother with a particular religious background. It is for everyone. How did this idea come about? AK The studio program was about finding your own definition of a sacred space, but I remember when I presented my first idea, it was confusing. Part of it was also my point of view, that I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to follow any religion. I tried to find a universal code, a universal language which could be applied to anyone. I looked at the Sancaklar Mosque in Turkey, which has a simple wall; where the play of sunlight defines a strong feeling inside. This is what I tried to capture inside the womb. It is not a matter of belief. To be in that space, which gives you the chills; that is what I tried to accomplish. AS Geometrically, the center is always important in space even if we choose to decentralize it. There has always been a dialogue with the center; in Middle Eastern architecture, water courtyards find their presence; Frank Lloyd Wright underlines the importance of a fireplace in the house based on collective unconsciousness; in her book Sexuality and Space, Bea-
triz Colomina speaks of the bedroom as the center of universe as contemporary society stays indoors due to technology. Why did you choose the bedroom as the center? AK What is the most comfortable place for you? AS Bedroom! AK That is the reason I chose the bedroom: it is a retreat space. I thought that the bedroom in this project should be a place that you want to be in it, where want to wake up, and enjoy the site view all the time! Even the kitchen on the top and living room at the bottom has the view of the sunrise. AS The culture one born in, defines sacredness, architecture and design. How does your Middle Eastern background impact this project? AK Most of the time design is affected by experience, which we understand as intuition. What is intuition? Intuition is whatever you like; whatever you read, whatever you experience and my background is part of this intuition!
121
P R ACTI CE
AS In Middle Eastern architecture, one is always found inside a space and design happens from inside to outside. Whilst in western culture, design happens from outside to inside. I see that in your bedroom, your idea starts from inside not outside, which is an Oriental mindset; a Space inside space, like One Thousand and One Nights (Arabian Nights), a story inside a story. AK I think what you say is interesting. From the beginning I tried to make something like a courtyard space, but didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t see it as successful. Perhaps this concept was was always at back of my head! AS I think your project works well without the theoretical DNA part. The idea of a mother, child, womb and environment is brilliantly simple; why did you choose to complicate it with epigenetics? AK Yes, it works. But you see, that simplicity, where did it come from? AS A lot of research..?
Inspirational image, Sancaklar Mosque Emre Arolat Architects Istanbul,Turkey 2012
P R ACTI CE
AK Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the thing. It takes a lot of time to do something simple. Without complexity, simplicity will not emerge. AS Simplicity and complexity. great, we reached another layer of paradox. Thank you, Khalid, for your time!
123
P R ACTI CE
TO THE MAN WHO ONLY HAS A HAMMER IN THE TOOLKIT, EVERY PROBLEM LOOKS LIKE A NAIL. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Abraham Maslow
124
P R ACTI CE
LOST TOOLS THE CRAFT OF RISK VS. THE CRAFT OF PRECISION Scott R. Singeisen
Tool: 1a: a handheld device that aids in accomplishing a task; 2a: something (as an instrument or apparatus) used in performing an operation or necessary in the practice of a vocation or profession While tools are commonly used in the “practice of a vocation or profession”, the skilled use of a tool is a craft. Symbiotic to the understanding of the tool as an object, is how we assess commanding the tool to accomplish a task. In The Craftsman, sociologist Richard Sennett posits the spirit of craftsmanship as - an “enduring, basic human impulse, the desire to do a job well for its own sake”; is tragically lacking in many areas of the industrialized world. For the purpose of this discussion we will distinguish fine craft (e.g., handmade ceramics, glass, metalwork, weaving, and furniture) and fine art (e.g., painting, sculpture, photography and machine-made design).
Tool crafts are a product of the craft of risk, i.e. the handmade manipulation of ceramics, weaving, and furniture will always produce slightly different results due to the uncontrollable and immeasurable differences in the dexterity of production. These variations arise due to the use of a tool as an extension of the hand, arm or body as individualization that creates personality within a piece. A product of the craft of risk is unique - even those produced by the same individual with the same tool. The antique wood molding plane is an example of a tool that will telescope the craft of risk. As the carpenter pushes the molding plane over the surface of the wood, the ‘iron’ - or blade - carves the wood to the profile of the iron. However, the fence which guides the plane along the wood allows the carpenter’s hand to wobble, resulting in variations ranging from the imperceptible, to the insurmountable error that requires a completely new piece to begin again.
125
P R ACTI CE
Bowl by Kurt G. Marsh Jr St. John, US Virgin Islands 2015
126
P R ACTI CE
The converse to the craft of risk is when a tool permits a craft of precision. Machined exactness produces an equally descriptive quality, e.g. length, diameter, or weight; a consumer expectation, where its value is the production itself. A molding produced by the craft of precision will be equally tooled, with consistent surface qualities and the general constructs. The craft of precision produces consistent results. It is possible to program both the risk and precision into craft products,however, the result cannot be assessed using prior criteria. Initial opinions must be withheld to avoid â&#x20AC;&#x153;opportunity contaminationâ&#x20AC;? with prejudgement based on prior definitions of correct or proper results. Tool craftsmanship, combining skill, commitment and judgment, establishes the close relationship between head and hand,
127
P R ACTI CE
Antique wood molding plane Photographs
128
P R ACTI CE
129
P R ACTI CE
Duong Tran Quac Photograph 3000 Ă&#x2014; 1687 px Hanoi, Vietnam
WALKING THE LINE OF CRAFT + RISK Man and machine that, Sennett asserts is vital to physical, mental and societal well-being. The process of programming the variables of the system is a craft of precision, while the product of that process is a craft of risk. Architecture expertly walks the line between the craft of risk and the craft of precision, producing multiple variations of a design problem using the same program or requirements. The architectural design process permits, encourages, and expects multiple answers (risk) to every design brief (precision) - not only from designer to designer but within each designerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own process. The iterative act of design synchronizes these crafts. 130
P R ACTI CE
Luke Chesser Photograph 3000 Ã&#x2014; 2000 px
CNC Flat Bed Router
131
P R ACTI CE
ART DOES NOT REPRODUCE THE VISIBLE BUT MAKES VISIBLE. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Paul Klee
132
P R ACTI CE
ODE TO POCHE MATERIAL TRUTHS Samson M. Johnson & Maggie Dunlap
Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines Poché as the walls, columns, and other solids of a building or the like, as indicated on an architectural plan, usually in black. Origin of poché — French, past participle of pocher, to make a rough sketch, poach. Poché is a term that refers to the technique of darkening particular areas of an architectural drawing to represent structural solids, including walls, columns, or other components of buildings. It represents a pedagogical tradition in architecture that has become a compulsory methodology, a notation convention used to communicate the significance of spatial contrast on floor plans, diagrams, and maps for hundreds of years. Its diverse usage and applicability ranges from the representation of pockets in walls --in which windows are located-- to the mapping of enclosed public spaces in an urban center. As seen in Bufalini’s 1551 or Nolli’s 1748 maps of Rome, poché becomes a significant way to express the paradoxical connection between negative and positive spaces, thereby manipulating relationships between structuresand environments.
As an element of urban dialectics, it is crucial to understand that while the poché describes an actual solid existence, the architectural components that it represents signify a constellation of materialistic history that is entirely dependent on contextual interpretation. In an attempt to understand the discourses inherent in the relationship between the abstract and the concrete in an urban fabric, one is forced to examine the poché as an entity of different potentialities. Etymologically, poché is derived from the French, pocher, meaning “pocket” or, alternately, as a verb meaning “to put in a bag” or to “blacken an eye”. According to Sudipto Ghosh, it has been used continuously at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts since the 17th century. A wall, for example, can be interpreted as more than merely a structural member; it can be understood as an epistemological descendant of its culture that speaks to economic, political, dialectal, historical, and philosophical traits that led to its very existence. To take a significant example from Nolli’s map, such as the Pantheon, we see that a social location that is listed both as an ancient monument and contemporary church, is darkened with more importance than other surrounding
133
P R ACTI CE
Nolli, Giambattista, Map of Rome (Detail), Earth Sciences & Map Library-University of California, Berkeley 1748
134
P R ACTI CE
135
P R ACTI CE
buildings. Nolli differentiates the Pantheon because of its historical and programmatic significance, arguably combining the importance of the myriad of other Roman sites into the historic density of a single monument. The building itself, like the poché, becomes a void within the entire urban fabric, signifying to us that the intention of Nolli’s engraving is that darkness is a condition in which to present a particular point. The architecture itself is having a discourse with the city, in which the interpretation lies within the varying conditions on the map. Therefore, the poché begins to embody both an interpretational instrument and an interstitial space, a space that can be utilized to expand the conventional notions and understanding of architecture. Ghosh’s scholarly interpretation of the etymology of poché tells us that it can be historically interpreted as representing a mysterious, interstitial space that has been intentionally covered up. Following that epistemological justification, poché becomes an abstract apparatus, a materialistic descendant of what it represents. As an abstraction, the poché is a tool that not only represents the spatial qualities of void and solid, but one that also delineates the
136
cultural inclination either to present or make absent infrastructural entities that act as capillaries within the urban fabric. In Nolli’s map of Rome, certain enclosed public spaces, such as the Pantheon, are presented as points of interest, while other nodes in the larger construct are hidden from view. Sociologically, it could be argued that the hidden nodes include the omission of important internal activities that are deemed inappropriate in the context of societal norms. If the poché is meant to communicate only certain areas, then it also serves to map out the voids that are set aside. This simultaneous act of inclusion and exclusion is an act of choice, a priority of one over the other that can often be an economic decision; in search of more comprehensive ways to justify its presence as it seeks to negotiate a virtual and physical boundary between the seen and unseen; known and unknown. It follows that within this interstitial space, political relationships can be analyzed within a historical materialist dimension that traces the genealogy of actual elements. If a so-called pocket exists within an urban fabric to differentiate its importance, then one has to ask what exists within the pocket. Perhaps the pocket contains infrastructural capillaries that ensure the sustenance of the urban fabric.
P R ACTI CE
Floor plan of the Pantheon by Georg DehioGustav von Bezold 1887â&#x20AC;&#x201C;1901.
137
Holocaust Memorial Berlin by Peter Eisenman Photograph by Jace Grandinetti 6000 x 4000 px Berlin,Germany August 2016
138
P R ACTI CE
139
140
P R ACTI CE
P R ACTI CE
Pianta di Roma by Giambattista Nolli Rome 1748
141
THE RISE + FALL OF POMPEII Alexis X.A. Roberts Drawings, sketches and renderings by the author Photography: Various collaborators Special thanks to Huy Ngo Sin, Ryan Bacha and Dirk Saunders
Premise: Stories bring meaning into our lives. They indicate how and why we understand ourselves in the manner that we do. It matters not whether these tales are scripted, drawn or spoken in nature, the true significance is found when we pass them on, even as fiction. In light of this, it stands to reason that we constantly add to and consult with our stories. Therefore, Architecture and Design in service of mankind should take into consideration the stories of people, their contexts and their shared pasts in order to find deep understanding prior to responding with an act of design.
Visual Stories by Savi Photography 1.5â&#x20AC;?x4.5â&#x20AC;? 2015 142
P R ACTI CE
143
IT IS IMPORTANT THAT WE ALL ANCHOR OURSELVES TO SOMETHING; TO PEOPLE, PLACES AND EXPERIENCES... TO CHANGE. WE ANCHOR OURSELVES AS A MEANS OF CREATING A SENSE OF SELF, A SENSE OF PLACE.
144
P R ACTI CE
IT IS HOW WE DISCOVER OR REDISCOVER WHO WE ARE, WHO WE ARE NOT, AND WHO WE WISH TO BE.
146
P R ACTI CE
P R ACTI CE
We Will Rise by Savi Photography 12”x18” 2015
147
P R ACTI CE
THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION; A WORK OF LOVE.
148
P R ACTI CE
The Abacos, Schooner Bay Photography 1600 x 600 px 2015
Small island nations run the risk of losing such stories with the loss of their physical landscape and their unique histories if they continue to ignore the issues of sea level rise. Without a land or their unique context to call home, these coastal dwellers would have no place to anchor their existence. The following work is an architectural thesis that seeks to respond to this problem. The Rise + Fall of Pompeii is a work of fiction. It is a tale of two worlds; two very different futures. The first scenario is resultant of an indifferent approach to the rising of the sea. The other imagines a small island nation â&#x20AC;&#x201C; The Bahamas â&#x20AC;&#x201C; responding to the environmental threats of climate change in the form of an architecture rooted in contextual research and responsive human centered design. Access to the project site is often from the sea and the architectural response begins there.
149
P R ACTI CE
THE APPROACH Response: In approach now, we trade the dark waters of the North Atlantic Ocean for the nameless aquamarine of the Bahamian seascape. Like fireflies at dusk, spheres of gold light flicker along the shore, emerging from the dark hollows of the houses that line the sandy beaches. Flickering fires that mark the presence of man and his fleeting nature. Closer scrutiny reveals the presence of something different in stature and composition. In this southern region of the Abacos, embedded in the rocky cliffs of Schooner Bay sits Pompeii. Overlooking the sandy dunes to the west, the architecture first sinks into the ground before rising above the ocean that runs freely between two ridges. Other parts of the building recede from the indentations of the landscape allowing the siteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fostered wetland habitat to hug the western side of the structure. This intervention celebrates the contrast between traditional materials such as locally sourced concrete, glass, wood and the ancient, rocky shards of the Bahamian landscape.
150
Schooner Bay Photography 1600 x 600 px 2015
P R ACTI CE
The entry building is a connector on two fronts - horizontally as a datum between transect zones and vertically as a habitat linkage between the ground and the planted tree canopies. The tectonic qualities of the building allow for both its form and essence to transform over time. There is a certain flexibility that defines the inherent physical and spiritual natures of Pompeii.
the architecture serves as a ladder for the proliferation of old and new ecosystems, within which the denizens may be participating actors. Pompeii supports not only the human chain of command but also leaves room for others to find settling grounds â&#x20AC;&#x201C; as a habitat for native flora and fauna alike. Expanding its east and west wings like the pectoral fins of the migrant manta ray, Pompeii opens up to receive both nature and man.
The museum like Think Tank, a permanent superstructure, also leaves room for substructures built by simpler construction methods to support conditions conducive to new terrestrial and marine life. Ultimately, 151
Rendering 3ds Max + Photoshop 12” x 14” 2015
152
P R ACTI CE
153
P R ACTI CE
Photograph by Brendan 4608 x 3456 px
NATURE IS A LIFE CHANGING CONCEPT. 154
P R ACTI CE
At its best, Nature is a life-changing phenomenon. Even in small doses, it shifts the way we feel, how we think and to whom we aspire to be. The arts themselves seek to imitate such a thing as the natural world. Sacred spaces like ours, past and present provide creatives a place so inspiring, so beautiful, that man has built empires to spend just a little more time within them.
155
P R ACTI CE
ON DISCOVERY This thesis had selfish motives. It was inspired by a personal desire and vision of a place, rooted in love, for The Bahamas. This project was also a collaboration. Though a very personal venture, the term â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; not only embodies the team based approach to this process but the very atmosphere that this thesis, from its inception, seeks to promote. The Rise + Fall of Pompeii links the rising of the sea - an environmental issue - to the social and economic threats that continue to endanger the wellbeing of Bahamians and other coastal dwellers today. This project initiates an important conversation that stems from systemic issues - quite wicked ones in fact. In order to combat the threat of such complex problems, we thought it necessary to foster a sense of urgency around the implications of an indifferent - and current - approach to addressing climate change. The architecture would be the mechanism to address these issues - this pending storm - by providing an environment that encourages the collection and use of narrative
156
ethnographic offerings. Some would question the reasoning behind such an atypical attempt at solution. They would be right in their thinking. We say this to acknowledge the uncharted territory this thesis ventures to tread but there are some known variables. The Bahamasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; most defined bargaining chip is its unique landscape and as a result, Pompeii would sit in an undeniably beautiful setting, one that can inspire. However, there is a more significant purpose to this investigation and its proposed site. Pompeii is also a response to the physical and social implications of climate change and sea level rise.
P R ACTI CE
Rendering 3ds Max + VSCO 12” x 14” 2015 157
Composite Drawing Mixed Media 12”x14” 2015
158
P R ACTI CE
159
P R ACTI CE 160
Rendering L + R 3ds Max VRay Render 12” x 14” 2015
P R ACTI CE
161
P R ACTI CE
ON INTENTIONS What of the actual experience? Despite the loftiness of the architectural goals, the experience is grounded by a human centered approach. This approach includes Contextual Research, Collaborative Problem Solving, Storytelling and Responsible Practice which are at the core of Pompeii. In general, the architectural process often consists of extensive secondary research but rarely do we discuss the importance of its primary counterpart. At least not in the realm of academia. At the heart of our Pre-Design phase should be primary research. In order to be more responsible as designers, we must also be ethnographers – users of contextual research tools to understand the real needs of people by asking the right questions. The perceived good (assets) and bad (liabilities) are irrelevant in the absence of context. Seek it. Value in our work is determined by the values of the players we serve and the way we learn to view them. 2016 Pritzker Prize laureate Alejandro Aravena believes that
162
architects are unable to address the complex issues posed by poverty, population growth, war and natural disasters because they assist in the making of or design for false need. He also believes that the co-making of solutions through inclusive human centered design is meant to help formulate questions, not answers. In an exclusive interview with architecture and design magazine Dezeen in January 2016, Aravena shared his belief that there is “…nothing worse than answering the wrong questions well.” To ensure that Pompeii avoided this pitfall, the information gathering process included structured conversations with real stakeholders that formed the keys to responsive design: insights. Insights encourage us to think about these stakeholders - Bahamians, climate change experts, visitors and designers. There are levels to this interaction and its possible outcomes. Some insights are deeper than others and as a result, design offerings founded in deep insights are often more meaningful because they respond
P R ACTI CE
Sketch, Rendering Watercolour, 3ds Max & VRay 12” x 14” 2016
to the actual needs of users. Pompeii allows stakeholders to conduct such research in the hope of offering up meaningful solutions. With the help of technology, users may respond to questions and information gathered as they move throughout Pompeii’s spaces; some of which mimic the rise and fall of the sea.
163
P R ACTI CE
ROOTED IN STORY Users may place their hand directly into the design outcomes generated as a result of the building and its program. This approach, invites users to build an emotional connection with the architecture and its intent. Pompeii Imagined, is a place where Bahamians and visitors alike may learn about the island nation through several lenses. The first being one that questions the motives and values of each individual. Once we understand the values of people, we can then build true value for them in our design. Most individuals form their views of the world early on in life but Pompeii hosts an experience that discovers and challenges the views of individuals from all walks of life. Inspired by the neighboring Schooner Bay community, Pompeii finds its purpose in the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Living Traditionsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; of authentic Bahamian architecture. This goes beyond architecture rooted purely in the aesthetics. This is architecture focused on purpose, intentions, meaning and preservation.
164
Though both projects emerge with thoughtful planning and sustainable practices in mind, this thesis features a program concerned with environmental issues, history, culture, storytelling, contextual research, collaboration, reflection, and finally, practice. Instead of isolating these issues into separate typologies that typically sit apart from one another, Pompeii brings these diverse programs together in a single project as one choreographed experience. You may be wondering from where the name Pompeii was derived. It is an analogy inspired by some of historyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most storied characters and places. Not unlike Julius Caesar himself, Pompeii must combat its greatest friend turned adversary,
P R ACTI CE
Rendering, Sketches 3ds Max VRay Render 12” x 14” 2016 the sea. This thesis also shares some things in common with the ancient Roman town-city of Pompeii. After Mount Vesuvius erupted in the summer of A.D. 79, Pompeii was buried under ash and rock, remaining frozen in time until it was found by a surveying engineer in 1748. In its response Pompeii seeks to preserve the Living Traditions of the Bahamian people who can boast of their own influential Pompey. Pompey, the Bahamian rebel slave and his comrades, did much to inspire this timely conversation, its chosen title - this story. However in response, Pompeii – meaning the architecture needed two ‘i’ characters because this signified a second take on how we may respond to adversity. Of course, our chosen context had its differences.
165
P R ACTI CE
Rendering (current and next page) 3ds Max VRay Render 12” x 14” 2016
166
P R ACTI CE
A SECOND CHANCE AT US Unlike Pompey the slave, we were not leading a revolution against the chains of slavery but rather, bringing water to the fight against a figurative fire. A fire that still threatens our physical and cultural existence. The idea, though soaring, remains simple. If we choose to act effectively and quickly, there exists a small chance weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll find a foothold, a chance at rediscovering who we were, who we are, a way forward; a future. Even if we were to sink beneath the surface of the sea for a time. To take a dip. We may yet rise. Till then. 167
P R ACTI CE
A GLOSSARY The Rise + Fall of Pompeii An architectural thesis that addresses the absence of an architectural response to the problems posed by the current issues of climate change and rising sea levels in the Commonwealth of The Bahamas by making apparent the imminent consequences that will come as a result of a failure to respond appropriately to the issues by the island chain. This thesis investigation demonstrates that the sinking of the Bahamian landscape will cost these people their cultural identity and through this proposal, will seek to inspire an environmental, social and cultural consciousness that utilizes architecture as a means of preserving the livelihood and cultural integrity of this seafaring people, the people of sun, sand, sea and smile. Bargaining Chip A potential concession or other factor that can be used as leverage or an advantage in negotiations. For The Bahamas, a tourist destination, its greatest asset is its unique geology.
170
Think Tank Also referred to as a policy institute or research institute, think tanks are often organizations that conduct research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Pompey (Ancient Rome) Pompey was one of the main Roman leaders during the final decades of the Roman Republic. Friend turned adversary, he made a political alliance with Julius Caesar, married his daughter, and then fought against him. A capable military leader, Pompey earned the title of â&#x20AC;&#x153;the Great.â&#x20AC;? Pompeii Pompeii was an ancient Roman town-city located near modern day Naples, in the Campania region of Italy. Pompeii, along with Herculaneum and many villas that stood around these areas, were largely destroyed and buried under 13 to 20 ft of volcanic ash and pumice in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79.
P R ACTI CE
Pompey (The Bahamas) In the year 1830, Pompey worked as one of thousands of slaves working the lands of the Bahamas. John Rolle, a British Lord and a large plantation owner on the island of Exuma, declared that 77 of his slaves would be transferred to work on Cat Island, another island in the Bahamas. Pompey, a 32-year-old slave, defied the transfer order. Rallying many slaves to his cause, Pompey fled into the bush, avoiding capture for several weeks. The group of renegade slaves later stole one of Lord Rolleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s boats and sailed for the capital of Nassau. Their Goal petition the British Governor to stop the transfer. While Pompey and his crew never struck land in Nassau, the Governor did hear of their case, and ordered that the slaves remain on their plantation in Exuma. Pompey was hailed as a hero upon his return. Many of the slaves left behind on the plantation rallied to his cause and refused to work. The rebellion was
eventually squashed by the military, and Pompey received 39 lashes as punishment. However, the rebellion is widely seen as a key moment in the Bahamian fight for freedom, by showing, for the first time, that people could not be moved like property against their will. It is considered a key precursor to the emancipation in the Bahamas, which occurred in August 1838. Today, a memorial stands in Great Exuma to commemorate this moment and its role in the fight against slavery. To further honor his memory and cause, there is a scholarship in his name that helps students in need on the island of Exuma.
171
Site Section 3ds Max + Adobe Photoshop 24” x 36” 2015
P R ACTI CE
Hero Shot, Rendering 3ds Max VRay Render 12” x 14” 2015
174
P R ACTI CE
175
MONSTER, MAKER, MAN, MACHINE DANCE DARKLY IN THE SHADOWS OF A FRIEND. MIDNIGHT MAKING WHILE WE RUN TO THE END. ENDS OF THE EARTH FOR MINE AND YOURS. FEELING SIGNS SIT BEHIND THESE DOORS. NEW BONED CLOSETS, SHUTTERED LINES.
ENDNOTE PARADOX
177
MAKE YOUR OWN CHOICE FOR THE SIGHTED TOO ARE BLIND. NOBODY MUST KNOW, THE LENGTHS OR DEPTHS WE GO. TAKE HEED FOE AND BELOVED FREE. THERE BE NO LUX FOR SUCH REVELRY. THIS IS LIFE, WHERE LAND MEETS SEA. MAKE OF IT YOUR COASTLINE, YOURS TO BE. ONLY TIME CHOOSES WHO YOU AND I WILL BE. DANCE NOT IN BUT ATOP THE BOX. ENTER BRAVELY, ENTER NOX. MONSTER, MAKER, MAN, MACHINE. THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US, NOT MUCH IT SEEMS.
179
EMBRACE YOUR FAULTS, YOUR FREE WILL INDEED. DO SO EVEN AS DEMONS NIP AT THE SEAMS. WHEN YOU CANNOT TELL THE DIFFERENCE IT MATTERS LESS WHO YOU MEAN… FOR YOU AND I STAND ON THE SHOULDERS OF GIANTS. MONSTER, MAKER, MAN, MACHINE. WHEN FORCED TO DECIDE, WHO WILL YOU OR I, CHOOSE TO BE? ON THIS VENTURE OF JUST... A MAN —Sal Banks, Venture of A Man, A Manifesto (2017)
180
181
182
Photograph x Ezra Jeffrey 2848 Ã&#x2014; 4288 px 2016
183
Photograph by Kristopher Allison 5472 Ă&#x2014; 3648 px Edmonton, Canada 2016
184
185
DISCOVERY
DI S COV E R Y
Speechless by Shirin Neshat Gelatin Silver Print 1996
188
DI S COV E R Y
CULTURAL SHIFT AND REVOLUTION Mohammed Mushaikh
Culture is a divisive concept. It differentiates some social groups, and merges others. It is ever changing linearly alongside the progression of time, but remains anchored by its core principles through history. Saudi Arabian culture presents an intriguing case study for cultural evolution. Its architecture is directly related to its culture: factors such as: education, economy, politics, technology, art, and society must be investigated.
velocity required to stimulate a more rapid rate of change. Architecture as groundwork has historically adhered to provide social needs through physical depiction. Here, architecture must function in creating flexible spaces to interlace the various social and cultural layers of Saudi Arabia, whilst incorporating heritage and tradition in its structure. Does architecture play the role of brush or canvas for cultural evolution?
Globalization attempts to tie groups, societies, businesses, and governments together through information technology succeeded modernism, and aims to construct vantage points for cultural interaction. Movements for womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rights, higher education, and technology carved out their own pockets for expression - a pocket within the Saudi Arabian society that focuses on creatively incorporating culture, social media, talent, and art to break local boundaries in accepting change, and the global perception of Saudi culture and heritage. These elements initiated Saudi cultural evolution, but recent economic and political positions of the Saudi Arabian government administered the
189
DI S COV E R Y
NOT RUINED Christa Iscoa Vallecillo
Honduras is currently experiencing a crisis among the very roots of its socio-cultural structure. Much of the country is overwhelmed by a dark, upsetting reality; one that stems from sentiments of neglect, abuse, and desolation; people desperately seeking favor from a government long disconnected from them and their needs. These sentiments â&#x20AC;&#x201C; endured by the everyday citizen â&#x20AC;&#x201C; interestingly enough, also describe the physical quality of the Mayan Ruins located at Copan City, Honduras. Therefore, the ruins have become a tangible, visual representation, emblematic of the spirits in Honduras. Zeitgeist, which has instigated the manipulation of the arts as an outlet for the creative dissemination of their sentiments â&#x20AC;&#x201C; through graffiti street art. This artistic movement continues to grow within the cities of Honduras, and with it, the people are starting to wake up. They demand more from their country; better. Rebel art has a reputation. Graffiti street art is no different. It has a negative stigma attached to it and the art form is commonly linked to gangs and crime, making it hard for these artists to communicate positively,
190
Mi Tierra Photograph x Iscoa Tegucigalpa, Francisco Morazan Honduras 2016
DI S COV E R Y
and effectively, with society, through their art. In light of this, the prompting for a larger understanding of the abstract relationship between architectural form and the sociocultural meaning behind public arts to take place. This would allow these art forms to exist symbiotically as part of the contemporary Honduran identity and expressive movement, leading to the establishment of cultural spaces that serve as outlets of expression. This thesis seeks to explore how architectural spaces can contribute to, and heighten the social ecosystem –
designing spaces where culture lives and thrives, becoming a local hub, supported by the existing cultural heritage and infrastructure. Referencing the physical “scars” – architectural ruins – seeking understanding of how form legibly expresses meaning: this thesis exploration seeks to propose the establishment of safe havens for the public expression of ideals and sentiments of the everyday citizen. Responsive architecture engaged as an instrumental advocate of the public arts’ cultural ideals, expressions, and dissemination.
191
DI S COV E R Y
Identidad Photograph by Iscoa Cane, La Paz, Honduras 2016
192
DI S COV E R Y
193
DI S COV E R Y
Orgullo Catracho Photograph by Iscoa Cane, La Paz, Honduras 2016
194
195
196
DI S COV E R Y
DI S COV E R Y
Mi Gente by Christopher Photograph by Iscoa 3872 x 2176 px Tegucigalpa, Francisco Morazan Honduras 2016
197
DI S COV E R Y
Render 3ds Max Vray Render 11” x 17” 2017
198
DI S COV E R Y
THE INSTITUTE FOR ALL SEASONS Noe Figueroa
Architecture has long been subject to the inherent expression of faith and spiritually - where the space is paired and related to a condition for an experience. Living in todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s diverse ethnic and multi-cultural society, this project is focused on designing a facility to celebrate and house a center for gathering, education, and research of humanityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ongoing quest for religion, artistic, scientific and spiritual interpretation. Given the site of Boulder, CO and program, emphasis on designing through abstraction is the overarching driver that explores the universal meaning beyond a specific or singular framework, religion, or faith. The concept of abstraction draws inspiration from flatirons seen from the site and will be explored by form, circulation, and effects of materials throughout the building. This facility will allow scholars, artist, scientist and others from around the world to come together in the pursuit of a new direction â&#x20AC;&#x201C; one for wider civilization to follow. Addressing issues of environmental and global concerns from present economic hegemony, this center will provide a neutral environment for the investigation of innovative strategies for upcoming
centuries. The efforts by the visiting scholars will focus on subjects related to the origins of human belief systems including the meaning of life and the universe, the roles of faith in community, and the purposeful joining of science, art, and spirituality within our natural living environment. Due to the public nature of the site, weekly events will be taken place in the assembly hall, classrooms and outdoor space for visitors and local patrons where scholars can take inspiration and gain inspiration from. The intention is to maintain a fluid flow of energy and ideas throughout the programmatic spaces offering initiatives for conversation and discussion alike. Although the focus will be on collaborative work between scholars, space will be provided for individual research. The goal for the institution is to commit to being a forward-thinking environment that reflects their philosophical perspectives.
199
DI S COV E R Y
Sketches Pencil 8.5” x 5.5” 2017
200
DI S COV E R Y
201
202
WE ARE B U T PAP E R
TH I NK
203
204
WE ARE B U T PAP E R
TH I NK
205
206
Photograph x Kristopher Allison 5472 Ă&#x2014; 3648 px Edmonton, Canada 2016
207
IN ALL THINGS DONE, NEVER FORGET THE WARDROBE BEHIND OR THE PAINT YOU CARRY INSIDE. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Sal Banks
208
Photograph by Fredrick Kearney Jr 1999Ã&#x2014; 2998 px 2017
209
210
WADROBE WALLS THE COVER Cover by Sal Banks 3ds Max VRay Render 10” x 10” Banks of Sal 2017
The wardrobe sits embedded within the wall. It occupies the poche. It is no longer free from it. It stands between two worlds. The wardrobe is open, full of light but, a key is also in view. Large and heavy, the purpose of the key remains unclear. It sits atop a pair of papers. On the right is an image of chess pieces. On the other is an image of a wanted man, his identity unknown. The images before you symbolize an individual’s charge to navigate the game of life (practice theory), all the while, negotiating mankind’s inherent search for meaning.
This is the Temple of Ideology. We already negotiate our lives within it. Those of us outside fight for entry. Our companion is faced with a choice here. She too may seek the promises of practices and projects tried and true or, the thrill and uncertainty of the profane. She may be deemed a Monster by the masked Man of the Temple, by the output of the Machines she commands. She would nevertheless - by choice or inaction - be a Maker. Enter the wardrobe.
Access, like context, is everything. The key is a representation of the pieces of apparatus necessary for an individual’s ability to gain access to that search and purpose. The lantern is a metaphor for truth. Anthropologists have played a role in the formation of such truths despite their own crisis of representation. Despite this crisis, the temples around the world still stand.
211
212
I AM STILL SWIMMING. SWIMMING IN A SEA OF THOUGHTS, UNSURE OF A DIRECTION. ALL I KNOW IS THAT I’M IN SEARCH OF SOME ANCHOR, SOME IDENTITY. — Sal Banks, Venture of A Man, A Manifesto (2017)
CONTRIBUTORS PAPER M Sal Banks Sunny Blount Emily Dawson Maggie Dunlap Noe Figueroa Natalie Imran Samson M. Johnson Ryan Madson Mohammed Mushaikh Alsharif Khalid Nahas Alexis X.A. Roberts Ali Reza Shahbazin Scott R. Singeisen Srishti Srivastava Christa Iscoa Vallecillo Julie Rogers Varlan
214
215
216
GET IN TOUCH WITH TEAM M Say Hello! hello@Paper.com Paper M House of Paper 536 Selma St, The Frog Savannah, Georgia, USA Find us Online www.houseofpaper.com Online Shop www.houseofpaper.com/ sales hello@Paper.com Become a Stockist hello@Paper.com
218