]]> http://clareros.wordpress.com/2009/09/25/work-sample-2009-part-i/feed/ 0 clareros http://clareros.wordpress.com/2009/09/18/statement-in-the-works/ http://clareros.wordpress.com/2009/09/18/statement-in-the-works/#comments Fri, 18 Sep 2009 04:11:16 +0000 clareros http://clareros.wordpress.com/?p=15 ]]> The Berlin wall was taken down 20 years ago this November. Although it is something that has not physically been in place for two decades, it remains present in current day Berlin as a strong architectural fixture rooted in a greater collective memory. I am curious to explore this idea that something can be in place long after it is actually gone. How may the collective memory of a condition, time, or setting persist over the element of physicality? In what ways may this idea or condition later resurface through a shared cultural experience?

Rebuilding the Berlin Wall – Photo: Liminal Institute, Amsterdam

Recreating The Berlin Wall is a project by performance artist and co-founder of the Liminal Institute, an international performance unit in Amsterdam, Martin Butler.

The artist aims to orchestrate a ‘Flash mob,’ organized through the social networking sites ‘Facebook’, ‘Myspace’ and ‘Twitter’, that will recreate the Berlin wall with the physical presence of people.

The initiative requires approximately 47,000 people to gather together in Berlin on November 9 2009 at 20:00 along the 46km route of the original wall for 30 minutes.

Martin’s endeavor, aside from commemorating the 20th anniversary of the wall’s collapse, is to create ‘a temporary monument for reflection’ a moment for collective recollection that stimulates reflection on divisions, democracy, individual responsibility and political sovereignty.

http://www.liminalinstitute.nl/rebuilding-the-berlin-wall/

At a time when we can be anywhere at anytime through an interconnected network of iPhones, Gmail, skype conferencing, and text messaging, how has the meaning of being present changed? We continually project representions of ourselves through multiple interfaces daily.

In Baudrillard’s terms, this age of Simulacra allows us to be present in many places at once without being physically there, thus contributing to a level of hyperreality that is a simulated version of anything that is actually tangible. How may architecture shape the ways in which we engage and interact? What does this say about physicality in the built environment today? To live in the modern we must be adaptable and flexible to continually changing conditions. How does architecture play into this role? How may it participate in this fluid structure? What does this say about permanence in contemporary culture?

Ex. Comme Des Garcons guerilla stores- quick installation, word of mouth, re-use of spaces, minimal impact, creates a cultural experience that is temporarily available.

As we look at the changing roles of physicality and permanence, how may we also interpret other aspects of contemporary culture that are no longer fixed? Take for example gender identity- a construct that has been historically considered stable. Although it may not be a new development, the relatively recent recognition of the potential for gender identity to be fluid or variant poses a challenge to traditional preconceptions of gender.

Left to Right: Christine Jorgensen, one of the first transgendered persons to undergo male to female sex reassignment operation in 1953.  20/20’s Barbara Walters interviews transgendered children in their bedroom environments.  MSNBC’s documentary ‘Born in the Wrong Body’ allows a glimpse into the life of transgendered individuals. Here Jake talks about how the changing of his bedroom space aided in his transition to identifying as a man.

How does this play out in architecture? One of the most highly controversial sites of resistance for trans-gendered individuals is the public restroom. The site of a basic routine that so many of us take for granted, for others becomes painfully discriminating, and in many ways threatening. Can space be designed to accommodate on a universal level? How may architecture support transgendered space?

Ex. Diller & Scofidio’s Brasserie Restaurant in NYC. The details shown offer critique regarding the assumed roles of hygiene, gender, and sexuality, while questioning the spaces in which ritualistic actions are performed.

How might this influence the changing meanings of the public and private spheres? What do we now consider public? And what has become private? Through unprecedented levels of mediation, every aspect of contemporary life is documented and broadcasted on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, etc. How does accessibility to information change the way we think about space? How may architecture protect and preserve a sense of identity and privacy? In what ways could it promote voyeurism and exposure? How have changing perceptions of comfort informed the way we design and think about space?

In 2003 Monica Bonvicini created a minimalist glass cube containing a usable toilet to stand opposite the Tate Britain gallery in London.  The work, called Don’t Miss A Sec, is made out of one-way glass which means you can see out but not in. The public sculpture was situated at the former Royal Army Medical College in Millbank, and is meant for public use. A spokeswoman for the project said: “It will arouse curiosity because people can just come and use it, although there is a question of whether people will feel comfortable doing so.

Technology has allowed us to create architecturally responsive environments that actively adjust to changing circumstances and conditions. In this example of a public restroom in Switzerland, the user controls levels of visibility, within specific motion constraints. The space is responsive to concerns over public and private exposure as well as safety. The architecture becomes performative as it responds to the user, and engages a participatory dialogue between the space and its inhabitant.

Lausanne, Switzerland – A public toilet within a responsive stall, the walls can turn opaque at the push of button. The glass sides are partly made of liquid crystal, so when the occupant hits the button they come under electric tension, going dark and ensuring privacy. There’s a motion detector that makes the glass clear again if there is no movement, or if there is too much.

Similarly in fashion, designers are beginning to experiment with the potential for responsive materials to change the way that we move and dress. Here, fashion designer Angel Chang uses responsive fabrics that adapt to movement and touch, and are structured with the intention to streamline efficiency in urban living.

“We are more mobile and heavily depend on technology for all the things we do in our daily lives. But while our roles and lifestyles have changed drastically over the last 40 years, the structure of our clothing, oddly, has not. My aim is to show that clothes can actually do something – beyond just looking good; they ought to facilitate and improve the way we live. Each piece is a collaboration with someone in the technology world. It goes beyond the forced superficial fashion & tech marketing pairings we’ve seen in recent years, and is based on a more organic creative process. The technology itself is oftentimes concealed in the design, so the clothes can maintain their design integrity. I hope to show the fashion world that innovation goes beyond just rearranging ruffles, and to convince tech companies that they should invest further in these types of collaborations.”  – Angel Chang

In looking at these examples of responsive design, it is important to note that the user holds a great level of control over their environment or materials with which they interact. It is also interesting to look at alternative situations when the distribution of power and control has been shifted.

WAFAA BILAL – DOMESTIC TENSION

In this work, Domestic Tension, artist Wafaa Bilal confined himself to living in a Chicago gallery space for 30 days. During this time a paintball gun was linked to a website that allowed people to anonymously pull the trigger, or interact with him through a live chat dialogue. The website that advertised, “shoot an Iraqi” led to over 60,000 shots, hitting him a few hundred times, and transforming this space into a site of war. Bilal’s piece is a dramatic intersection between comfort and conflict, as power and control are shifted out of the hands of the inhabitant.

Through my research I seek to establish an understanding of the negotiation between architecture and cultural experience. On a conceptual level I intend to explore the potential for architecture to serve as a platform through which an interactive dialogue may surface between a space and it’s inhabitants.

Project Website

and the proposal:

SSHRC Grant Proposal

www.cityoneminutes.org

link to video