Monday, 14 November 2011
Reflections
I entered my Danish transgression with pre-conceptions of my experience to be. However, as will become evident through the medium of these musings, these pre-conceptions were broken; erased; warped, as my emersion within Danish culture grew.
Silence
The dominant memory for me of the Danes was their quiet contemplation; everything they (the Danes) seemed to say had been conceived, reflected upon and announced with such calm confidence that it was intoxicating. Perhaps this was because they were speaking in, their non-native English, but I like to think this merely enhanced the experience.
Solitude
A further reflection upon my transgression into the Danish way of life was the importance of solitude. By this I now realise I do not mean this in an antisocial manner (as I had originally pre-conceived); I witnessed solitude as a means of reflection, an opportunity for hard work, and a means of self-acceptance. An attribute that I have actively sought upon my return to England.
Solitude is something that I have long held close. However perhaps with not the same agenda as the Danes. My solitude was simply a means of escapism, a means of shedding the stresses of he day. However, now I try to consider my solitude more. Why could my solitude not be more? A focus for an inward reflection perhaps.
I am not quite sure where this inward reflection would take me, or even yet if I am comfortable with exposing myself to it, but I do have a real desire to test if I can better myself through the use of silence, solitude and stillness.
Stillness
Post transgression I have been trying to explore the idea of stillness as a way of enabling inward reflections. I believe that a meditative state of silence and stillness can encourage “otherness”. Throughout history stillness has been used by monks, poets and artists (to name a few professions), with great effect to sharpen focus and aid creativity. But are there any architectural traits that could encourage inner reflections?
Silence
The dominant memory for me of the Danes was their quiet contemplation; everything they (the Danes) seemed to say had been conceived, reflected upon and announced with such calm confidence that it was intoxicating. Perhaps this was because they were speaking in, their non-native English, but I like to think this merely enhanced the experience.
Solitude
A further reflection upon my transgression into the Danish way of life was the importance of solitude. By this I now realise I do not mean this in an antisocial manner (as I had originally pre-conceived); I witnessed solitude as a means of reflection, an opportunity for hard work, and a means of self-acceptance. An attribute that I have actively sought upon my return to England.
Solitude is something that I have long held close. However perhaps with not the same agenda as the Danes. My solitude was simply a means of escapism, a means of shedding the stresses of he day. However, now I try to consider my solitude more. Why could my solitude not be more? A focus for an inward reflection perhaps.
I am not quite sure where this inward reflection would take me, or even yet if I am comfortable with exposing myself to it, but I do have a real desire to test if I can better myself through the use of silence, solitude and stillness.
Stillness
Post transgression I have been trying to explore the idea of stillness as a way of enabling inward reflections. I believe that a meditative state of silence and stillness can encourage “otherness”. Throughout history stillness has been used by monks, poets and artists (to name a few professions), with great effect to sharpen focus and aid creativity. But are there any architectural traits that could encourage inner reflections?
Container
The Brief:
Prior to our Danish transgression we would like you to immerse in the paradigm that is Nordic architecture through emersion in the ideas of Jørn Utzon.
7 elements of the paradigm have been identified and we would like each of you to explore the reading associated with one.
• Utzon Paradigm.
• Embodied memory.
• Nature.
• Transcultural influence.
• Landscape and place.
• The primitive.
• Ethics, humanity and community.
Following exploration of the texts you are to design and beautifully craft a container that embodies the theme.
We suggest you consider the meaning of ‘container’ in relation to the paradigm & subject area, materiality & meaning together with scale & appropriateness.
The object needs to represent itself without your commentary.
"‘Music begins to atrophy when it departs too far from dance […..] poetry begins to atrophy when it gets too far from music…..’
(Ezra Pound cited in Pallasmaa 2011)
And goes onto say:
‘Similarly, in my view, architecture turns to mere visual aesthetics when it departs from its original motives…..’
(Pallasmaa 2011)
Those original motives reside within embodied memory."
Prior to our Danish transgression we would like you to immerse in the paradigm that is Nordic architecture through emersion in the ideas of Jørn Utzon.
7 elements of the paradigm have been identified and we would like each of you to explore the reading associated with one.
• Utzon Paradigm.
• Embodied memory.
• Nature.
• Transcultural influence.
• Landscape and place.
• The primitive.
• Ethics, humanity and community.
Following exploration of the texts you are to design and beautifully craft a container that embodies the theme.
We suggest you consider the meaning of ‘container’ in relation to the paradigm & subject area, materiality & meaning together with scale & appropriateness.
The object needs to represent itself without your commentary.
"‘Music begins to atrophy when it departs too far from dance […..] poetry begins to atrophy when it gets too far from music…..’
(Ezra Pound cited in Pallasmaa 2011)
And goes onto say:
‘Similarly, in my view, architecture turns to mere visual aesthetics when it departs from its original motives…..’
(Pallasmaa 2011)
Those original motives reside within embodied memory."
My Container:
Having read the “embodied memory” element of paradigm of Utzon, I found myself considering my early childhood memories. One particularly prominent memory was that of waiting for my father to come home after a week away at work. Myself and my brother (at about the ages of 2 and 4) used to sit with our noses on the living room windows transfixed awaiting the headlights coming up the drive. This was exciting, thrilling and there was a sense of anticipation.
Within my container I wanted to get the user to engage with some of these feelings. I created a window with an outline of a person on it. However under further investigation this outline was actually a poem entitled “The family” by Mary Oliver. The container was placed upon a plinth that made the user bend down a height more befitting a child.
The Family by Mary Oliver
The dark things of the wood
Are coming from their caves,
Flexing muscle.
They browse the orchard,
Nibble the sea of grasses
Around our yellow rooms,
Scarcely looking in
To see what we are doing
And if they still know us.
We hear them, or think we do:
The muzzle lapping moonlight,
The tooth in the apple.
Put another log on the fire;
Mozart, again, on the turntable,
Still there is a sorrow
With us in the room.
We remember the cave.
In our dreams we go back
Or they come to visit.
They also like music.
We eat leaves together.
They are our brothers.
They are the family
We have run away from.
The dark things of the wood
Are coming from their caves,
Flexing muscle.
They browse the orchard,
Nibble the sea of grasses
Around our yellow rooms,
Scarcely looking in
To see what we are doing
And if they still know us.
We hear them, or think we do:
The muzzle lapping moonlight,
The tooth in the apple.
Put another log on the fire;
Mozart, again, on the turntable,
Still there is a sorrow
With us in the room.
We remember the cave.
In our dreams we go back
Or they come to visit.
They also like music.
We eat leaves together.
They are our brothers.
They are the family
We have run away from.
Reflections
The container on the whole got a great reception. The studio group all had similar childhood memories which made it all the more appropriate. The only suggestion was the addition of a step. This would give the feeling of a child climbing up to the window and reinforce the embodied memory further.
Pecha Kucha
The Brief:
To create 20 images of interest. These may include the beginnings of your thesis ideas, travel or objects of personal importance. These should be presented to your peers allowing 20 seconds per image. This short amount of time should encourage you to critically reflect on your chosen images.
To create 20 images of interest. These may include the beginnings of your thesis ideas, travel or objects of personal importance. These should be presented to your peers allowing 20 seconds per image. This short amount of time should encourage you to critically reflect on your chosen images.
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