Identity ~

Based on the diagrams I posted on the last posts I made six small models last week. Today I looked at them again and made immediate comments. After that I looked at them as spaces/architecture and decided what I saw as spacial elements.

~ Humanity is an extension of myself. There are no borders, just space between. Sometimes a stranger is my mother and my mother my fellow citizen.

~~ This concept model is about flexibility in space between people. Space between people, space between zones/rooms.

Understanding ideologies

I made this sketch of some predominant ideologies, how they take shape and manifest. It is related to the last post. They describe hierarchies, political systems and power. Architecture has been used to strengthen political ideas. When we die, our opinions remain in the architecture. Architecture can be mountains, but they can also be more organic and flexible to change. You need dynamite to blow up a mountain, but flowers and other plants grow on the mountain, slowly transforming its shape. When on the mountain side the mountain is not so powerfully present; you experience the plants, the trees, the flowers, the small mushrooms, hear birds, see the sun or the rain, listen to water running...

Cosmopolitanism vs. Hierocles

Another graphic I have been working on. Upper two rows Hierocles circle of identiy, lower row cosmopolitanism ideology. As an overview Hierocles defines degrees of identity, might add trust and care, to the ones close to you in life - the cosmopolitan ideal is to draw all degrees closer to your self. What I find interesting in this comparison is that Hierocles view clearly defines spaces between people, but the cosmopolitan view tries to eliminate these spaces.

Seeing Øvre Skostredet

The plot is behind those trees. In between this white building and the peach one in the back of the image.
Looking into Øvre Skostredet towards Skostredet.
The plot behind the fence. And below in between houses, seen from Skostredet.
These are images that GoogleEarth took last summer looking into Øvre Skostredet and they are interesting because the GoogleEarth car can only move along streets, much like pedestrians are led by visual signs in the city, a car is led by signs and guided by surfaces. Many people probably don't know that this place exists, because there is "nothing there", however it is located in a quiet but popular area that has flourished the last years with art, culture and café-life. It is a place in town which is in-between areas, the powerful line of municipal buildings has cut the harbor area away from the Marken area. Also busy roads following the Bergen mountainside grid the city up in areas, and areas between these roads become one identity.

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.