Day: August 31, 2019

Project 2 | Ideation | Evoke body & movement without actual presence in space

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W3 Assignment:

1-2 Project Ideas that evoke the body and movement without them being present in the spaces.

 

Digital Idea#1: <The Little Travelling Notes We Leave Behind> / <Travelling Notes>

Image result for piano travelling

An arduino will power up a “piano” in a room, which is also linked to a touch sensor and recorder (Microphone). The “piano” is actually made up of various buttons that could be placed in various places. This will be placed in an enclosed space. Whenever a person enters the space for five minutes per period, they can feel free to press any of the buttons.

When the buttons are pressed down, it will record the sound that is played while also playing a specific sound out loud. This will carry on for a whole day or period. By the end of the period, all the recorded sounds can be compiled in sequence to create a “music track” that will be a representative of the “footsteps” visitors have left behind in the booth during their visit.

Image result for arduino piano

 

Analogue Idea#2: <“All Schools are Good Schools”>

Illustration for article titled Hardcore Studying in China Looks Absolutely Frightening

by https://kotaku.com/hardcore-studying-in-china-looks-absolutely-frightening-1498555160

Revolving around the concept of how the government constantly emphasizes that “All Schools are Good Schools”, yet it is increasingly so that parents are dumping their kids in hoards of tuitions and additional classes, such an idealistic dream is clearly a flop. Every student is forced to study madly and compete with each other against the bell curve in order to get into a good school, or to make their CV look good with that 5.0 GPA. My idea will be a photographic representation of how much each student studies throughout a school year.

This Art Piece will be presented in the form of a photo collage consisting a grid of 26 by 26 photographs. 26 students, consisting Primary School, Secondary School, Junior College and University students will take part in this art collage. 

Image result for students studying hardcore

At the start of the school term and for every two weeks, each student will take a photo of the state of their study table at a consistent angle (the table they use the most for studying at home or dorms). Their study tables do not have to be the same table throughout; as long as it is a table they study at. It does not have to look pleasant either.

Image result for students studying hardcore

This will be carried out for a year and the photos will be collected. By the end of this project, each student will have submitted 26 photographs. 

Each photograph will then be arranged chronologically from Day 1 to Day 365. As shown below, each column depicts ONE person, while each row depicts each day for each photograph taken. I.e. P1 is Person 1, P2 is Person 2, etc. while P1.1 is Person 1’s first photo, P1.2 is Person 2’s second photo, etc.

 

*Note that there should be 26 squares, not just 10 as shown in the picture above. 

In that sense, once all the photos have been published, we can compare side by side how each student studies throughout the year; the number of books they study, the stationery they use, the number of foolscap paper pads they have already gone through, stale and fresh eraser dust still left behind, etc. This can even include the game consoles they play at their desks during study breaks or during vacations where they do not have to study, etc. We can compare such photos to those of extremely diligent students who still study during vacation. It will then be an artistic representation of a student moving through their days within a year while studying. 

Image result for photo collage of study tables

How hard do students actually study, then? Ultimately, it can depend on one’s individuality, or one’s home environment.

Suggested Ideas by Profs:

  1. Make physical rooms rather than photographs, many different rooms
  2. Auto-snap camera — more natural

Atmospheres by Peter Zumthor

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Reading; Atmospheres by Peter Zumthor

Text Inference:

In this text, Atmosphere defines what moves a person. This can come in forms (objects, people, air, noises, sounds, colours, material presences, textures, forms, etc.), moods, feelings and sense of expectations.

Atmospheres by Peter Zumthor elaborates about how Zumthor visions and observes when he creates an atmosphere in the houses he builds. Philosophical ventures into poetic and meaningful  atmospheres always begin with a location that links to a person, a literary event or a motif. Beauty is also taken into account when an atmosphere is being analyzed, where Outer Beauty is a measure of things, proportions and materials and Inner Beauty is the core of things. 

Atmosphere is perceived through emotional sensibility, which is instinctual in humans. When this is carried out, we are thinking linearly, otherwise known as thinking in a mentally organised fashion. This is usually largely influenced by the five senses and through the common experience.

Architectural atmosphere is also largely influenced by craft and graft. An atmosphere is a body and anatomy, which is established through collecting different objects and materials  in the world, and combining them (craft & graft) to create space. 

Image result for atmospheres peter zumthor summary movement through space

This process also involves movement, where thought can come from how people move through spaces. An immersive atmosphere, in that sense, would be a space that you can enter and begin to feel that you could stay there and not just pass by without further thought. It is a spatial art, as well as a temporal art.

Image result for atmospheres peter zumthor summary movement through space

In atmospheric design, there are also loopholes, where they are imperceptible transitions between the inside and the outside of the atmosphere. The inside and the outside of an atmosphere should communicate an impression that sends a message. For example, a person who does not like being seen will not have glass windows. Proximity and Distance then comes into play, alongside light perceptions in order to have a balanced atmosphere.

 

Personal Thoughts:

Through this reading, I am further enlightened about how we should view the invisible aura residing in the areas we are in; that is none other than an ‘atmosphere’. 

In my opinion, while Zumthor argues that it is the surrounding body of meanings and objects that influences our perception of how atmosphere can be, it differs slightly from my point of view. I agree that the 5 senses and experiences we have faced in our daily trials (such as movement through familiar spaces) will allow people to come to a common understanding about how an atmosphere qualifies. 

However, rather than only the experiences we face daily, I feel that our feelings and perceptions are the main driving force of what defines an atmosphere. If things are arranged haphazardly and messily, it is our feelings that tells us that the atmosphere is disturbing and hence uncomfortable. Our reactions towards the treatment of our own comfort zones is the ruler towards measuring how much a location should affect us.

 

Questions:

How do we then differentiate a human perception defined by the location/place around us, and one that is affected by our pure emotions only?