Segregation - integration - assimilation

Based on Hamburgers continuum segregation - integration - assimilation, I made this graphic to explain these concepts. The word integration is often misused, acting as an agent for segregation or assimilation. If integration is about integrating, to make a whole - it's a two-way process between two or more non-constant objects seeking harmony without use of any kind of violence. Everything is process, and this graphics is simply simplifying the concepts - of course the graphics could go on and on.

Emballage poetics (dancing spirits)

Interview with Vincent representing "Wazalendo Kenya" April 20th

Vincent comes from Kenya, now a Norwegian citizen. He studies comparative politics at the University of Bergen and is an active member of Wazalendo Kenya.

Wazalendo Kenya is one of the member organizations at BIKS. It was funded in 2008, and even though there are not so many Kenyans in Bergen, it is an very active organization that often attracts people that come from other African countries and some Norwegians that often have an association to Africa (been there or married an African). This resume is based on my notes from our talk at Café Kaos.

"Wazalendo (which means patriotic in swahili) is a voluntary organisation based in Bergen and covers the whole of Hordaland province in Norway. It serves not only the interest of Kenyans and other foreigners in Norway but it is also allied to other like-minded organisations in the world. Kindly enjoy and visit us frequently!" (from blog).

DAV (Den Andre Verda // The Other World)

I had a little drawing session with Naeem today, exploring the potential of linseed oil and pencil. Also used in piece: water crayons, oil crayons, coffee, transparent tape, double adhesive tape and port-wine.

The photos are somewhat more pink than the original.

Picture 1: Against the wall.

Picture 2: Light from window coming through where linseed oil is applied.

Picture 3: The backside of the drawing against light source (window)

Resumé guidance with André March 15th (in studio)

Three levels of investigation:

- Conceptual

- Analysis

- DAV

- always change between these modes of investigation. You don't spend a lot of time on analysis, finish it and then do project - you jump between these during the process

- It's much easier if you choose a problem - you can change later if no good.

- define a platform (concept) that you always come back to after investigating in DAV, analysis or concept

- 'you are in a boat, dive in the ocean to find something, but you must always come back up to the surface to breathe, othervice you die'

-Choose keywords

- see importance of different elements - choose the most important

- some elements could be good, but for now are not so important

- change in next step if necessary

- define place - define problem

- Humour

- when communicating with others with different perception humour can be a helpful element to open up a situation

- how can I use this in architecture?

- humour can be about precision and definition of spaces

- it was not mentioned so much during the guidance, but something I continued to things about later in the evening

Mini workshop - defining concept. Work with this on Friday morning a little. In afternoon meet with André and his other student, present 2 minutes.

1 - 5 keywords

- what do you want to achieve, goals

2 - 5 actions

- which actions can be an answer to achieve the goals

3 - Object

- now you can know what kind of object you will make

- ask questions to guide you to a spesific location (use actions and keywords)

4 - Logo

- make a simple logo, some lines - that say a lot

Resumé guidance with Vibeke April 14th (skype)

Creating scenarios

- sum up thoughts in relationship with scenarios

- make readable to others

- thoughts about BIKS rehabilitation

- abstract map of ideas

- be done with some discussions

- sort main choices. establish conclusion. visualize choices already made

- whick scenarios for building?

- establish key words

- define set of expressions that you use in relation to work. define meaning of expressions

- 'confrontation'

- 'time' - what is it that is important about time

- availiability (-> library...) places have expressed degree of public/private

- what do we share? food... what else?

- decide what to use in project

- diagrams (bobble diagrams)

- deconstruct expressions:

- multicultural

- intercultural

- transcultural etc

-make decision to what you will investigate

-how will that be expressed, set premisses, in organization of building

Working with diagrams

- comment on diagrams, give name

- organize input

- how long are you an immigrant

- to what extent is this a common space?

- staticity/elasticity of objects

-relationship city-common space

- migrationmap from blog

- arrows, circles

- plandrawing for such a place (hint of program)

- areas that overlap

- if this is a building it has many entrances

- north pole in middle - Bergen is almost like north pole. in middle of map

What is the architecture of transcultural space?

- where in Bergen are there arenas for this kind of activities? Look at Fantoft

- map where the environments meet in Bergen

- is there a place that tells what is on?

- meeting place

- what is missing? what do you want? what is already there?

- new ideas compare to these answers. make big questions always present

- what are the time frames for building?

- built all in one or over time?

About program

- how to make program. where, how, process/time

- list of key words. what are main key words? input, meanings, consequences

- research this type of center (intercultural)

- information board? type of structure that is not there already

- infrastructure, how to get information

- SPRINGCLEAN (for the May queen)

- remember why you clean

- cleaning for place, name, why...

- make clear

- what can I concretely offer that has to do with integration?

- what can be done over time - persons, meetings you cannot see today

- make visual without exposing

- uppercase, lowercase

- how to relate to secrecy

- if something is secret must everything be secret?

- open up for transparancy without eliminating right to secrecy

- who are organizing?

- identify what you are talking about

- e.g. food... kitchen... who makes food? fireplace or hi-tech? degree of participation, visual exposure

- life in itself is a process (only), we don't sit in little boxes

- BIKS, no fluidity between boxes

- hard to meet BIKS.

- Bergen municipality lost interest in immigrants and that work

- FRP, many want to close borders

- I must define where I stand -> apply to architecture

- difference between temporary and permanent stay

- poles that come to work

- organize, decide functions, how much of the problematics will I bring with me? how meet architecture and program

- then next step

- many have needs to meet others from same country. to get in contact

- a meeting place for the whole world. is about getting contact with the whole world

Resources

- BAS people from all over the world

- interview of experience coming from outside to inside

- prepare before interview

- combine intentions (to fluer i en smekk)

- sound recording & get more contacts from BIKS

Concrete ideas how to integrate in building

- installation idea

- make soundwall in project

- attraction

- sound showers

- lydgalleriet Bergen (previous project make your own cd)

- architecture is many things

- space for communication - also skype

- people want to communicate.

- telephone, touch...

- use techinical methods that are not site specific to a specific place

- architecture is frame - at the place architecture is not what is happening, but actions

- combine high tech and low tech. tactile qualities of the low tech with the posibilities in high tech

Finally don't be to broad, loose. Squeeze problematic now. Can loosen up again later if needed.

Immigrant density in Bergen

Statistics from Bergen immigrant population (article in BT March 19th 2007). The statistic show that the highest density, at the time of this publication, was at Årstad (8-11% of population), followed by Bergenhus and Laksevåg, then Fyllingsdalen and Åsane. Less immigrants are found in Fana, Ytrebygda and Arna. This confirms global investigation that immigrants are more likely to move to more urban areas and more likely to move to areas where there is already a larger density of immigrants.

Today 10,5% of Bergens population has immigrant background (1st or 2nd generation). Bergen has a total population of 256,580 as of 1 January 2010. In relation the percentage is 10,6 on country basis, with Oslo, Drammen and Stavanger really pulling that statistic up.

About prejudice or ignorance

I found this strange looking guy in a book about the worlds famous beasts, often mythological characters, called "Beasts".

How do you know who I am?

The Polish are the largest immigrant group in Norway, 44 500 registered by 2009, but they are not visible. Article from Morgenbladet March 19th-25th.

Migration

World map of human migrations, with the North Pole at center. Africa, harboring the start of the migration, is at the top left and South America at the far right. Migration patterns are based on studies of mitochondrial (matrilinear) DNA.

Numbers represent thousand years before present.

The blue line represents area covered in ice or tundra during the last great ice age.

The letters are the mitochondrial DNA haplogroups (pure motherly lineages); Haplogroups can be used to define genetic populations and are often geographically oriented.
(wikipedia)

Assimilation vs integration

Assimilation cartoon from HarmonyStorm.com.

Assimilation: similar - the same. To become similar to something. Sameness. (by extension) The absorption of new ideas into an existing cognitive structure. The adoption, by a minority group, of the customs and attitudes of the dominant culture. (wiktionary

Cultural assimilation is a political response to the demographic fact of multi-ethnicity which encourages absorption of the minority into the dominant culture. It is opposed to affirmative philosophy (for example, multiculturalism) which recognizes and seeks to maintain differences.

Researchers have assessed that assimilation exists among immigrants because we can measure assimilation on four primary benchmarks. These core measurable aspects of immigrant assimilation that were formulated to study European immigrants to the United States are still the starting points for understanding current immigrant assimilation. These measurable aspects of assimilation are socioeconomic status, spatial concentration, language attainment, and intermarriage.^[3]

1. Socioeconomic Status is defined by educational attainment, occupation, and income. By measuring socioeconomic status researchers want to find out if immigrants eventually catch up to native-born people in terms of human capital characteristics.
2. Spatial Concentration is defined by geography or residential patterns. The spatial residential model (based on theories of Park) proposed by Massey states that increasing socioeconomic attainment, longer residence in the U.S, and higher generational status lead to decreasing residential concentration for a particular ethnic group.^[8].
3. Language Attainment is defined as the ability to speak English and the loss of the individual's mother tongue. The three-generation model of language assimilation states that the first generation makes some progress in language assimilation but remains dominant in their native tongue, the second generation is bilingual, and the third-generation only speaks English.^[3]
4. Intermarriage is defined by race or ethnicity and occasionally by generation.^[3] High rates of intermarriage are considered to be an indication of social integration because it reveals intimate and profound relations between people of different groups, intermarriage reduces the ability of families to pass on to their children a consistent ethnic culture and thus is an agent of assimilation.^[9] Intermarriage came under particular scrutiny by the Jewish community in the early-mid 20th century as Jewish leaders more and more often turned to social scientists to explain why Judaism was a typically endogamic religion. Although intermarriage was viewed as a firm base from which to begin an argument for assimilation, it was also seen as a way to gradually ease the transition into their new culture. Julius Draschler, a graduate student at Columbia University, believed that as long as people are allowed to maintain some differences, such as the Jewish practice of only marrying another Jew, they will delay the inevitable while simultaneously enriching the nation in the process of their slow assimilation. While Draschler acknowledged that assimilation was the ultimate endpoint for all American groups, he hoped to prove through his intermarriage studies that, the more gradual the process, the better. Such need to justify (or vilify) the intermarriage practice became increasingly important after the 1950's as Jews (as well as other typically endogamic cultures, such as African-Americans) began to engage in more exogamic relationships.^[10] (wikipedia).

Consciousness, art and processes

Photo: from Kurt Johannessens photo series "Flying stones" (2007)

I just came back from a study circle (lesesirkel) hosted by Bergen performance artist Kurt Johannessen. A little less than 20 people with connection to the art environment (mostly artists) in Bergen attended what became a very in depth and interesting discussion on the text "Maxwells meg" ("Maxwells me") - about consciousness, sub consciousness, the thinking me, the sublime me, artistic processes & art, roles and so on (for about three hours).

Haiti earthquake: Who gives what?

From Information is beautiful. Click for larger image or go to this site.

Waste = Food

Large scale approach to sustainability from Imaginary Foundation blog.

The song of our solar system

Click here to see/listen to link. What if the spaces we made reacted to their environment, the wind making it sing... a movement somewhere releasing a chain reaction telling this story in every joint of the structure... Real sensual space.