Carlo Scarpa & Methodology

My interest in Carlo Scarpa is in the way he approached, incorporated and implicated the historical as well as the notion of transition in his architecture. In an article about the CCA exhibit they discuss "the manner in which he establishes a dialogue with the history of architecture [sic] moving into a new realm of thinking about interactions in the historic fabric." 


Excerpts from the article about the CCA exhibit, Carlo Scarpa, Architect: Intervening with History (1999)


"The CCA exhibit explores the work of Carlo Scarpa: its distinctive approach to contending with the layers of history that mark the fabric of a city and a building. ...he did not treat the found object, ie. the exsisting building, as a frozen entity, but rather as a living fabric onto which to 'collage' the present."


"Scarpa's ability to weave new work into - and out of - the desperate fragments of the old, Carlo Scarpa, Architect: Intervening with History moves beyond the focus on artistry, detail and material. It begins to unravel the complex and sometimes enigmatic symbolic programs that mark Scarpa's work and reveals how we use the irrational - anxiety and uncertainty - to open up architecture's expressive possibilities."


"Scarpa's projects unfold in time, light and space. Faced with the imperative of intervening in the historical fabric of Italian cities, Carlo Scarpa devised symbolic journeys through time and space: uncovering the various layers of a building's past, rediscovering the power of its strongest elements, transferring even its most banal accretions and returning the structure to a vital role in public life, notes Phyllis Lambert, founding Director and Chair of the Board of Trustees of the CCA. He employed contemporary means rather than a repetition of old forms; he accepted and incorporated the commonplace, the damaged, the accidental, as well as the monumental."


"...the deeper significance of his architecture is singular ability to accommodate the structures of the past - is overlooked."


"...Castelvecchio (a municipal art museum in Verona) Scarpa embarked on an intriguing strategy of demolition, change and modification, which allowed each layer of the Castelvecchio's history to come alive and take its place next to the others. Older elements of the building complex were provoked into conversation with wholly intervened new forms, surfaces, textures and motifs. For the Brion Tomb, Scarpa integrated all the concerns of the works that had preceded it. He established a new landscape within an old one, constructed a complex narrative out of startlingly fresh freestanding forms, and explored radical design and construction techniques to effect them."


"These two projects reworked or added to historic  structures to accommodate carefully planned visual narratives, in which light, space and structure come into dialogue with works of art."


"Each of Scarpa's later projects seem to be invented de novo. Distinctly new forms and ideas develop to match each new situation, but certain key themes and motifs link them. Among these are the play of levels and the idea of bridging; the use of water and its play with light and shadow and even with the void of the sky itself; an evolving fascination with circular forms; and a return to the sense of architecture as allegory, narrative, and journey."

(Source: http://www.absolutearts.com/artenews/1999/08/06/25764.html)

Festo Didactic

As part of my process I will be working with Festo Didactic, specifically their solenoid valves for the pneumatic component of my project. I had the opportunity to visit Festo Didactic at their Mississauga location. Festo is doing some amazing R&D as well as working closely with various pneumatic artists.  Artists have different priorities with respect to their projects and as such they can push their exploration in different avenues which can result in fascinating innovation. 

Here are two videos of Festo projects working with inflatables and interactivity. 

AirJelly

Interactive Wall

Discovery through making: the world of artists

There are some amazing artists working in the realm of pneumatics/inflatables/capillary action. Here are a few examples of ones I found particularly intriguing. 

Capillary Action - Compressed 02 by Kim Pimmel

Conceptually this could be an inflatable structure. 

Alleyway Abode: 4-Foot-Narrow Live/Work Writer's Studio

E.A.T. - Experiments in Art and Technology, Pepsi Pavillion for Expo '70, working with Japanese artist Nakaya. This pavillion uses fog, but the principle of air-water-gas applies - a continually changing structure. Nakaya designed the system to respond to and accommodate the changes in environmental conditions such as humidity and wind 

 

Lieven Standaert with his Aeromodeller2 is working with inflatables. Aeromodeller2 is a zero-emission airship that never needs to land to refuel and is self-sufficient in terms of its capability to replenish its energy in a renewable way. I appreciate Standaert's approach to this project, and his motivation for experimentation, which stems from the process of exploration rather than budgets and timelines. He is also using both air and water for his experiments at the level of the working model. 

Le Corbusier on Turkish Architecture

I purchased a book in Istanbul, Turkish Architecture and Urbanism Through the Eyes of L.C. In it Le Corbusier makes poignant remarks about Turkish architecture and how his experience in the city of Istanbul influenced his notion of design and the city. The city left an undeniable mark on the influential designer. Here are a few of his notes and comments during his visit.


In his book, Towards a New Architecture, Le Corbusier explains his development of a building plan. "The plan proceeds from within to without; the exterior is the result of an interior. the elements of architecture are light and shade, walls and space."


He supports this theory when describing the Green Mosque:
"A building is like a soap bubble. This bubble is perfect and harmonious if the breath has been evenly distributed and regulated from the inside. The exterior is a result of an interior. In Broussa in Asia Minor, at the Green Mosque, you enter by a little doorway of normal human height; a quite small vestibule produces in you the necessary change of scale so that you may appreciate, as against the dimensions of the street and the spot you came from, the dimensions with which it is intended to impress you. Then you can feel the noble size of the Mosque and your eyes can take its measure. You are in a great white marble space filled with light. Beyond you can see a second similar space of the same dimensions, but it half-light and raised on several steps (repetition in a minor key); on each side a still smaller space in subdued light--turning round, you have two very small spaces in shade. From full light o shade, a rhythm. Tiny doors and enormous bays. You are captured, you have lost the common scale. You are enthralled by a sensorial rhythm (light and volume) and by an able use of scale and measure, into a world of its own which tells you what it set out to tell you. What emotion, what faith! There you have motive and intention, The cluster of ideas, this is the means that has been used." (43)


The Morphological Structure of the City
"In regards to the main functions of the city he states: "It is the city's business to make itself permanent, and this depends on considerations other than those of calculation. It is only Architecture which can give all things which go beyond calculation." Le Corbusier observed two different building types in the structure of a city. He explains that through the example of Istanbul: "In Stamboul every dwelling is of wood, every roof is of the same pitch, and covered with the same kind of tile. All the great buildings, mosques, temples, caravansarais, are of stone. The basis of all this is the existence of a standard. But the spreading red roofs of Stamboul are like a sea from which the mosques rise up serenely in their sculptural whiteness. Stamboul is a closely knit agglomeration; every mortal's dwelling is of wood, and every dwelling of Allah is of stone. Here there are only two types of architecture: the big flattened roofs covered with worn tiles and the bulbs of the mosques with minarets shooting up." The first type of buildings are in majority in cities. They mostly resemble each other on their scales and materials. They are neutral, anonymous buildings like dwellings, office buildings and etc. But the second type of buildings are found rarely in the cit texture and are different from the first type in terms of scale, structure and material. they are significant original buildings. The first type of buildings constitute the main part of the city. They form a background to the second type of building."" (102)


"They have symbolic values and with their original and sculptural forms, they are in contrast to the other neutral background buildings of the city. This fact is clearly seen in the urban structure of Istanbul. With their different  scales, materials, structures and sculptural values, a Suleymaniye, a St Sophia can easily be distinguished from their surroundings."(103)


"After the Istanbul example, Le Corbusier gives us the examples of Rome, Venice and Sienna and strengthens his thesis. His observation in relation to Rome are as follows: "Against a background of houses, that is to say, of elements of the same kind, Rome raises high its palaces and its temples. They stand out from the rest. Architecture disengaging itself from the urban confusion." (103)

Beyoglu District

District of Beyoglu

Originally know as Pera (meaning 'across' in Greek) for its location across the Golden Horn and was separate from the historic peninsula of Constantinople by the Golden Horn. It was renamed Beyoglu, by Ottoman Turks to mean son of Bey, referring to the Venetian Bailo (bailiff) in Istanbul during the 16th century. Beyoglu includes Galata, the medieval Genoese citadel from which Beyoglu itself originated, which today is known as Karakoy and maintains a direct link to the old city center across the Galata Bridge and Unkapani Bridge.

Beyoglu was once the most progressive community in Istanbul, the first to install telephone lines, electricity, trams, and the underground railway. Taksim used to be the financial center of the Ottoman Empire and part of its banking district still remains in Karakoy. This initial wave of modernization gradually slowed down and Beyolu struggled with economic and social decline throughout the second half of the 20^th century. As such Taksim maintains a very cosmopolitan air. Many consulates remain in the area and people of various cultures live in the neighboring areas of Cihangir and Gumussuyu.

Located in Beyoglu is the largest Catholic Church in Turkey S. Antonio di Padova, the largest synagogue in Turkey, the Neve Shalom Synagogue, the seat of the Catholic Archeparchy of Diyarbakir, the Orthodox church Hagia Triada Church and the only Jewish Museum of Turkey. Several Sufi orders were also founded in Beyoglu.

(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beyoglu) 

The following are several maps of the Beyoglu District from the Beyolgu Belediye (Municipality) analyzing the slope, land use and activity of the area.

Map of Land Use 

Metro, Funicular, Tunel Transportation

Contour Analysis 

Slope Analysis 

 Inhabitation Density

 Transportation Arteries

Road Attributes

The Site at Taksim Square

About Taksim.

Istanbul’s area of Taksim full of life and energy and is considered the heart of modern Istanbul. In Arabic 'taksim' means 'distribution.' Originally established in the 18^th century, Takism was built to house the stone water reservoir to collect water from the north with the main water lines and distributed to other parts of the city. At the top of Taksim is Taksim Square with the Independence Monument depicting Ataturk, the founder of the Republic of Turkey. It begins the pedestrian, and tramway accessible, Istiklal Caddesi (Independence Avenue), with its restaurants, bars, cafes and shops, culminates at. It is a popular location for parades and New Year celebrations, social gatherings and as a meeting place. The square is also known for political riots and demonstrations.

The Republic Monument, Cumhuriyet Aniti, was built in 1928 to commemorate the formation of the Turkish Republic. There was also a military site built in the 19th century but was apparently destroyed in the 1940s. Opposite the Independence Monument is the Ataturk Cultural Centre (Ataturk Kultur Merkezi) which houses the national opera company, ballet company and symphony. It is still ferociously despised among the locals and was rebuilt after having burned to the ground in the late 1960s.

Since its inauguration Taksim Square is synonymous with political demonstrations as well as mass gatherings. People gather here for New Year's Eve, Republic Day celebrations, Istanbul's Annual Gay Pride and when important football matches are screened. Several significant events have left emotional scars on Taksim Square. 

- February 16, 1969 'Bloody Sunday' 150 demonstrators injured during leftist demonstrators and right-wing groups.

- May 1, 1977 'Taksim Square Massacre' 36 demonstrators were killed during Labour Day demonstrations.

- In 2000, football riots 2 Leeds United fans were stabbed to death during clashed with Galatasaray fans.

- October 31, 2010 Suicide bomb killed the bomber, injured 15 police officers and 17 civilians by a Kurdish organization fighting for freedom of the Kurds in Turkey.

Taksim is also the major transportation hub of Istanbul for the underground metro, the municipal buses and private minibuses and the funicular which connects Taksim to the Kabatas tramway and Kabatas seaport. Taksim is the collection and distribution point throughout Istanbul. During the day the retro-inspired tram takes pedestrians to the top of the Tunel tramway to connect with the seaport at Karakoy. At night the streets of Taksim flow yellow with taxi cabs until daylight breaks taking the last of the party scene away. 

District of Beyoglu

Originally know as Pera (meaning 'across' in Greek) because it was separated from the historic peninsula of Constantinople by the Golden Horn. It was renamed Beyoglu, by Ottoman Turks to mean son of Bey, referring to the Venetian Bailo (bailiff) in Istanbul during the 16th century. Beyoglu includes Galata, the medieval Genoese citadel from which Beyoglu itself originated, which today is known as Karakoy and maintains a direct link to the old city center across the Galata Bridge and Unkapani Bridge.

Beyoglu was once the most progressive community in Istanbul, the first to install telephone lines, electricity, trams, and the underground railway. Taksim used to be the financial center of the Ottoman Empire and part of its banking district still remains in Karakoy. This initial wave of modernization gradually slowed down and Beyolu struggled with economic and social decline throughout the second half of the 20^th century. As such Taksim maintains a very cosmopolitan air. Many consulates remain in the area and people of various cultures live in the neighboring areas of Cihangir and Gumussuyu.

Located in Beyoglu is the largest Catholic Church in Turkey S. Antonio di Padova, the largest synagogue in Turkey, the Neve Shalom Synagogue, the seat of the Catholic Archeparchy of Diyarbakir, the Orthodox church Hagia Triada Church and the only Jewish Museum of Turkey. Several Sufi orders were founded in Beyoglu.

From Spice Bazaar to Taksim

I am looking for a site where I can examine the exchange of vibration and pressure, looking specifically at micro-pressures such as air, gas and ether. In order to approach a close examination of this kind I will need to find some sort of tangible trace, a material analogy of something that moves in and out of a space. A sort of material analogy of exchange that moves around a city. Looking at something with a technical articulation of gases, pressures, liquids and odours that expand and contract, cycles of release of air of expansion and (in)flux. This will provide the basis of evidence of material exchanges, a trace, a history, a way to interpret the city. 

 Entrance to the Istanabul Spice Bazar. 

You can see the blocks of white cheese on the left hand side. 

 Istanbul's wonderful local fresh fish! 

 Turkish candies!

 Turkish sweets of nuts and nougat.

 The beautiful colours and scents of a wide assortment of herbs, spices and dried goods.

The connection of pressure relates to inflatables and to pneumatics, and will ultimately provide a large body of material to work with and which has a lot of complexity, modulating different kinds of pressure changes. This tactile evidence of scent, is much like a vibration drawing, of coding these events and pressures. The site must have a complexity of odours, with a detailed study of where they come from and their projected volumes. Scent in this case is examined as pressure changes, traces throughout the day, macro and micro fluxes, and the fluidity of scent. 

Based on the Spice Bazaar of Istanbul and the tremendous scents that waft throughout the enclosed space, the site in Taksim parallels what is happening at the bazar. 

Initial Thoughts on Istanbul

A fork in the road in Beskitas. 

Istanbul is wonderfully cosmopolitan, urban, dense and colourful. It engages you and draws you in to its multiple layers of history, people, aesthetic and time. It is a complex hub of culture and trade with a sense of positivity and friendliness about it. This could be related to karma and superstition, to always ward off the evil eye. 

Looking out over the Golden Horn towards the Unkapani Bridge.

The city of Istanbul is extremely ornamented, architecturally, culturally and aesthetically. It is brimming with sensory overload from the visual to auditory to olfactory. Yet the city takes care of you, it nurtures you and feeds your soul. As such, it is an extremely performative place.

People rushing through Taksim Square.

Istanbul does not let you side on the sidelines. Everyone seems to be connected somehow with an invisible tie. For me, having grown up in Canada within a Ukrainian household, and having lived in both Germany and Ukraine, Istanbul feels like the 'missing link' to a sociocultural puzzle. It simultaneously unifies European and Middle eastern traditions and allows them to not only co-exists but flourish providing rich textures throughout the city.

Another Site Proposal

2nd site proposal - behind the water reservoir building in Taksim Square.

The site - a parking lot on grade.

A protest to get rid of the Minister of Corrections.

The view from a second story building across the street.

Adjacent back lane.

Montage of backlane. The site is were the fence can be seen.

Research Creation Project

Initial Thesis Studio Proposal

My initial thesis proposal will be based on a continuation of my M1 year looking as changes in micro-pressures and vibrations depicting the subtle fluxes, ebbs and flows of exchange through the structural application of inflatables and pneumatics.

Looking for a site that contains a lot of density and complexity in terms of history, current changes, current activities and uses. The site will be located in the vibrant city of Istanbul, Turkey. In itself known for its historical significance including establishing the city of Istanbul as the new capitol of the Roman Empire to Ottoman takeovers and several crusade invasions, as well as multiple layers of complexity encompassing language, religion, commerce and trade as a result.

The initial investigation will look into the notion of scent and its permeation in, through, around a space. A smell is “a trace or suggestion” of something that has a tangible origin. This origin has a material source, which can then be linked back to how did the item come to be there, was it brought by someone thereby having a human implication, was it of a mechanical nature, such as diesel or exhaust implying an economic significance.

Smell is also closely linked with memory. So it is not only available as a current trace of ones surroundings, but also a historical link to the past. The definition of a scent is  “a pervading appearance, character, quality, or influence” or “to perceive, detect, or discover.”

Recent scientific studies have proposed that we are able to smell because different particles have different vibrations. How we smell and the vibration theory of smell is that scent molecules vibrate “quiver and shake.” Luca Turin, a biophysicist describes it as “a molecule is made up of tiny balls connected by springs, twang the balls and the molecule vibrates with a set of frequencies which can be recorded as a vibrational spectrum.” (www.sciencebase.com/elemsmell.html) “More scientifically, he believes that the vibrational spectrum of a molecule is the real property that is detected by the nose and interpreted by the brain. The idea sounds bizarre but two of our other senses vision and sound – are based on the brain’s interpretation of vibrations and spectra so why not smell?”

The major themes throughout the year will encompass scent, memory and language.

The site proposal is located in Taksim Square, perfectly presenting Istanbul’s insistent ‘joie-de-vivre.’ In Arabic ‘taksim’ means ‘distribution,’ originally the point where the main water lines from the north of Istanbul were collected and branched off to the other parts of the city. Established by Sultan Mahmud 1 and named after the stone reservoir which is located in this area. Also refers to a Turkish style of improvisational music.

Two other sites which were considered were in Beskitas on the main road leading straight into the Bosporus or a missing tooth in the Old Centre. Although both have a tremendous amount of historical significance and poetics, they seem to be lacking the connection to flux (the hustle and bustle of activity) and pneumatics.

Currently core of business, such as the Congress Valley has been host to the world’s most important meetings and summits just a few minutes away. In addition to being a major tourist destination at the top of Istiklal Caddesi, this square has been a hot spot for political riots and demonstrations as well as a point of religious confluence with its mosques, synagogues and churches, foreign consulates, suicide bombing les than a year a ago, and football stabbings between England and Turkey.

Specifically the site is located on Tarlabasi Blvd on the bus route passing through the aqueduct. On the Google map it’s the block of buildings labeled Butterfly Apart Flat (but I don’t think that exists any longer). The entire stretch of the block is one condemned building next to another. I propose to use the entire block for my site.

This site is rich in history, current activity ranging from tourist to political, and local folklore. I feel it is the right choice for my site. 

 Taksim Square for Google Earth. Look for Butterfly Apartment Flat on Tarlabasi Blvd.

 Image of site. Quick montage of the derelict block.

Taksim at 5am. This city never sleelps!

ISEA 2011 Performances - NAME Readymade

September 15, 2011


Janez Jansa     Janez Jansa     Janez Jansa

My Name Is Janez Jansa.

Three Slovenian artists decided to make a gesture, to officially change their names to Janez Jansa, the name of the Slovenian Prime Minister at the time. NAME Readymade is a project that questions the notion of a name, the significance of appropriating someone else's name, and the numerous socio-political implications this 'gesture' has in one's personal and public life and future. In this case of four people are permanently affected by this gesture, the three artists and the then Prime Minister. 

NAME Readymade challenges our position on the value of our name as our identity and as commodification. By taking on the name of someone famous questions the value of a name and it's potential devaluation. Three artists are living and working as the artists Janez Jansa. The significance of this work is how the public and private realm of the lives of the artists collapse. All three were married to their spouses as Janez Jansa, with their witnesses being Janez Jansa and Janez Jansa. Their lives are their work, and their work is their life. Where does the name of the artist and the identity of the artist begin and end? At this time all three have been issued new passports under their new names, but all three still carry valid passports under their old names. So who are they? Janez Jansa decided to sell his 'readymade' passport in an art auction, which further spawned 'readymade' legal papers required to sell a government owned property. Then he had to 'borrow" it back to travel to Istanbul for ISEA 2011. If he loses the passport he will have to refund the purchaser for the purchase price. And so it goes. 

My name is Janez Jansa. 

*From a performance at ISEA 2011 Istanbul.http://www.aksioma.org/name/

Exploring Istanbul

September 15, 2011

Traffic on the water between the Strait of Istanbul and the Sea of Marmara.

Kids hanging out on the rooftop checking out the amazing view of the sea!

1st night out with Aaron and James having local cuisine at a terrace restaurant in Beskitas Centre near our apartment. The Turkish football team was playing Israel and the city was so alive with activity!

ISEA 2011 Istanbul

ISEA Istanbul 2011, 14 - 21 September, 2011

• Over 100 international artists from all over the world at the intersection of art, science and technology.
• More than 450 presentations, over 70 panels, plus 60 workshops as well as networking meetings and special events.
• From algorithmic art to robotic, from musical plants to art with bacteria.
• ISEA 2011 Istanbul coincides with the Istanbul Biennale, Isimsiz (12. Istanbul Bienali), 2011
• As well as several art gallery exhibitions throughout Istanbul.

Keynote Speaker: Roman Verostko

"The Painter's Brush: Hand-held and Machine Held 1947 - 2011"*

Verostko's major influences include the following: Kandinsky for his visual forms analogous to music trying to transcend material object and reality. Mondrian's 3 dimensional aspect depicted on a 2D surface. Naum Gabo's kineic standing waves as a new reality which could stand on it's own and in and of itself. Piet Mondrian's dynamic equilibrium, equivalent oppositions, universal harmony and cosmic order.

The Magic Hand of Chance is "the art idea guiding the hand moving to the art idea guiding machine," thereby moving from hand painting to pen plotter drawing machine, algorithmically derived, with code set in parameters, in a sense algorithmic poetry.

"synography like a symphony"

As such code underlies much of our culture. The question is, how do you get from the composer a translation from idea to expression? Code contains something (spiritual), it transcends yet is evasive, something we can't logically explain. There is code for everything and in everything; for example our DNA is code. The process or procedure of where you go with it. During the Renaissance there was a shift in human consciousness a revelation in terms of how humans looked at and experienced the world.

In the Information Age we apply a generative procedure with computer power we can do things we couldn't do before. What influences those decisions is arbitrary, not less than, not more than, but a throw of the die. Epigenetic art is not purely generative art, yet if genotype is the code then the process by which the code unfolds. When the seed is planted it grows into a tree, epigenisis, the mature tree is the genotype. Epigenetic is the process that leads to a painting system generated from gestures.

*Notes from the lecture.

Masters of Architecture Thesis Year

Istanbul, Turkey 2011

This year the three thesis students, Aaron Simoes, James Rubio and myself decided to begin the year by attending the 12th International Symposium of Electronic Arts (ISEA 2011) in Istanbul, Turkey. We employ electronic media in our individual research creation projects towards an interactive architecture.

View from our apartment in Beskitas, Istanbul on the European side of the Bosphorus Straight. It is fantastic here! I can't get over the views.

The city of Istanbul with a view towards Ayasofya and the Blue Mosque.

View north along the Bosphorus looking at Fatih Sultan Mehemet Koprusu bridge lit up at night. We are in a penthouse apartment with a 270 degree view. It doesn't get any better than this!