DESIGN RESEARCH: November 2010

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

essence

http://www.flickr.com/photos/walkingsf/sets/72157623971287575/

http://128.111.69.4/~jevbratt/1_to_1/index_ng.html

Data Tower

Mvrdv´s projects are interested in data and narratives. For MVRDV information, numbers and data are not just the raw material of their designs, but also the source for critical and radical rethinking of architecture and society, creating an alternative “cultural algorithm” reality. MVRDV gives the impression that it wants architecture to become pure information.

When MVRDV begins a project, it starts by assembling information on all the conceivable factors that could play a role in the design of site´s and construction, everything from zoning laws, building regulations and technical requirements to client wishes, climatic conditions and the political and legal history of the site. Architects often view these rules and regulations as bureaucratic foils to their creativity. MVRDV see these datas as the wellspring of Invention.

Data Town is only based upon data. It is a city that wants to be described only by information. A city that does not know any given typography, no prescribed ideology, no representation, no context. Purely huge, only data. Their favourite method: stacking things on top of each other; They translate the chaos of the contemporary city into pure information and then showing the spatial consequences of that datascape through computer-generated designs. MVRDV set out to reveal how our collective choices and behaviors come to mold our constructed environments. So they show processes, which are invisible until this time.

Data Town is in progress and literally endless. Due to the possible changes within axioms DataTown will never be finished. Therefore it will be always under construction.

Pig city

In Pig City MVRDV proposes a novel way of accommodating the population of 15 million pigs that share the Netherlands with 15 million human inhabitants. To provide the large area the pigs need, a new building type is proposed the high-rise-farm. The prototype is an 80 meter high tower. Each level is divided into animal friendly farm areas including outside play areas. The biogas generated by the pigs´ waste is collected as a clean energy source; fish farms inside the towers provide animal food and help reduce transport. Precious countryside is liberated from the polluting bio-industry. The proposal has led to a nationwide discussion in the Netherlands´Europe´s largest agricultural exporter - about the bio-industry. First farming experiments based on the outcome of the study have started.

The similarity between MVRDV and our association “from face to interface”, is the work and the demonstration of information, whose “surface” finally never stands still, but it´s surface is always in a change because of the constant data flow.

From surface to interface

The cartography develops itself by possibilities of demonstration. An interesting aspect of the development is that maps can go from the surface to the intercept point between observer and reality. This formation has the effect that the surface conduced to the infrastructure with a lot of possibilities to interpret and communicate. This provides a fast access of data and information. It is not only one authority but also an always add-on and addition by the involved parties. Therefore the map becomes a collective creation.

Surface

We call it surface when a map shows the reality of different information. It´s a facing what you can look at or read it, also enclosed and not expandable - a kind of reality.

Interface

The surface of a map can be able to be an interface, if the observer has the possibility to take hold the information in switch on or off the information and add or in adding information or share personal experience. The surface is not only a static surface anymore, but underlies an ever changing act. The surface is becoming a pushbutton who everybody can handle it.

Information

The information of maps is getting more complex and use different layers of design in the same time. Furthermore the information is getting democratize by add of users. There is no hierarchy anymore, because of the disintegration of higher instance. Contradictory information were shown and objectify at the same time.

Reality

A map brings the design of the reality, whereupon it´s necessary to abstract the reality to describe it. That implicates previously a contortion of the reality. The reality addicted to subjective factor and everybody appreciate it in a different way. Actions are always in a motion and have to be comprehensible.

Parameter (properties of the legend)

The parameter of a map made up of different layers of information. You can switch it on or off at the interface, to look at it simultaneously or alone.

Parameter as Infrastructure: (google maps)

sattelite image

roads

places

boarders

stretch of water

Parameter of social cooperation: (google maps)

Personal pictures of places

Personal descriptions of places

Pictures/descriptions of actions, which took place at a location

Precise arrangement of parameter?

Facebook

how many friends have my friends and I together

friends connection

real friends

Nam June Paik – TV Buddha

The sculpture of the sitting Buddha viewing his own image on an closed-circuit television screen by mediating. An inanimate sculpture looking at its inanimate mirror images.

So the past and the presence look at one other. Also the project connect eastern religion and the western aspect of technology.

It demonstrates a closed circuit. A video camera absorbs signals via a cable which transfers the information directly to the monitor. From this monitor the information are sending back as an image. By means of this process of image transmission, time is coming to know as a new way of possibility. There is a mutual influence between face and medium!

Hyper surface – deCoi

Aegis is the name given to an innovative range of physically reconfigurable 3D screens, where the screen surface itself physically moves, producing precise and high-speed deformation across a "fluid" surface.

This surface projects information on a plane. It links information systems with physical forms. It’s digital skin reacts on various outside influences and show them information in fluid motions. The face exists on movements or sounds and his interface is the hyper surface. Digital inputs are linked to digital outputs and so outside information are converted in mathematic terms and show them in movements of the hyper surface. The hypersurface makes processes visible, which we cannot see else.

Information are translated in a form! It’s a latent surfaces, it’s “pixels” given vectorial potential. It’s a scriptural surface become spatial and dynamic!

Room is coming up as a “floating space”!

Aegis Hypersurface

How images alter reality

Today, we live in the so called 'Information Society', in which every single event of the life of a person, no matter how important it is or how far that person is away from us, can be known immediately. All the information comes to us mostly by pictures and images, so our senses have become saturated, and our minds less and less able to produce an image on their own.

So, how can a modified image introduced in the flux of information change our perception and, due to this, our environment?

From bottom to top, the influence starts with a person that changes itself according to the canons established by the modified image. Designer clothes, make up, tanning sessions... It all makes the individual closer to the herd mentality.

Then this character realizes his environment is not suitable, so the change proceeds to the place that belongs (physically or spiritually) to him.

Finally, a bigger area gets involved in the process, so the city reflects the modification of the 'likes' and 'hates' of the society that lives in it. The achievement of the ideal way of life, depicted in magazines, TV shows or movies becomes a motto, moving aside the classic values and ambitions, now considered old fashioned or naïve.

For this reasons, the next step of this research would be to trace a map of human behavior in these three stages, so in the end, we would be able to check how the modified, unreal image becomes real.

Monday, November 29, 2010

Black holes - NEXT STEP

The method of illustrating the acceleration force of time was expanded in a biaxial direction: both acceleration and deceleration were illustrated. Deceleration wasn`t understood as mere neutral area anymore. How do the emerging black holes influence the flow of information? Both, the virtual and the actual data streams should be considered.

Film without Story/Architecture without Use

In his Text "In Defense of Places", Wim Wenders talks about his way of directing a movie. A very special and interesting part is when he talks about developing the story of his films. For him the story is not the only driving force of a movie, so in his films it's not the story who finds the places and locations where he shoots his scenes, it's the places who tell the story.

According to this we are analyzing a similiar topic in Architecture: "Architecture without a Use"
There are a few examples in Architecture where the use and design follow different approaches or have even don't fit together. Like the Guggenheim in Bilbao or the Hundertwasserhaus.

We want to transform Wim Wenders approach to architecture. In his movies the places are developing the stories. We want to know whats happening when the places create the Architecture beyond recognition of the use. Will it be a buidling or a sculpture. Is it a hybrid or wouldn't you recognize it.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

link

http://www.bumblenut.com/drawing/art/plateaus/index.shtml

the virtual world as a parallel world

Like we mentioned at the end of our last presentation, we try to understand platforms like ‘Second Life’, generally speaking such virtual worlds. What kind of satisfaction the Second Life users get? The virtual platforms are directly linked to the reality. One link, for example, is the possibility to change real money in Linden Dollars, the currency in the world of Second Life. Talking in general the links to the reality are often connected with the obtaining of a personal advantage.

Gottfried Helnwein museum in Second Life

virtual museum from MOMA exhibition Andreas Gursky

But what advantage has Adobe with it’s virtual/digital museum?

Is it just a marketing gadget for the company itself?

Why does it have to look as realistic as it is?

The description sounds like the one of a real building.
Should it just hit us emotionally, or is there another aim?

We think we found the answer in one thesis of Appadurai, which is also mentioned in the source text.

He differenciate in terms of “place” and “locality”. A place is a real point. But Berlin, for example, is not only one place, it consists of thousand different places.

Locality is a social constructed site, which is a result of everyone’s own experience.

We think, the design was made so realistic because of the locality of each person.

Adobe designers wanted to built a museum which people could identify as museum, even if its just virtual.

Also the Stoffwechseltheorie of Gottfried Semper could be an explanation for the realistic design of the Adobe Museum.
In his thesis he describes that although the media changes, the techniques remain the same. (greek temple; wood techniques applied to stone architecture)

An example for the change of media would could be found in the first cars, which looked like carriage drawn by horses.

Black holes

We developed a method to investigate the airport as an acceleration force of time. The method was illustrated on the basis of Germanys international airport system.