Independent Study

13/05/16 – 16/05/16

To accompany my presentation on Tuesday I want a copy of my brief at this point to clarify what I am wanting to achieve in the hope that it may a) be more clear to the audience and b) provoke some further critique, suggestions, development.

I then want everyone in the class to interact with my presentation in a similar way that may be proposed at the symposium. In order for this to be clear I have accompanied a large map (with the focus on Massey University as opposed to the three sites of the symposium as it makes it more current, and in fact the campus is our common ground, our coming together as a collective, all with unique individual experience and journey to reach that point and space in time) with a set of instructions. Without being too vague or too direct I have written a short instruction I believe that can be read and understood while allowing for subjective interpretation which will happen regardless.

An additional element I want to include tomorrow is presenting the thread and pins in such a way that it is clear they are the materials to be used.

I also very quickly edited some photographs in Photoshop (of my own journey between the Massey Marae, Bats Theatre and the Ferry Terminal for Somes Island) with sculptural pins that could be used as an active, 1:1 journey mapping performance.

This concept developed from my previous explorations as I was concerned of simply installing/reproducing a performance and system within the performing,writing symposium when it could definitely be pushed further and become a literal mapping of a journey/s within both the literal time frame and space concerned.

I had been concerned with my employment of a 2Dimensional map to represent a space and journey that is without no doubt reliant on the 3Dimensional tangibility of the space in which the journey occurs/ed.

Therefore I found a book in the library to help clarify and support my theories:

Brandis, N., & Woltrum, S. (2015). Performative Urbanim: Generating and Designing Urban Space. Berlin, Germany: JOVIS Publishers.

Rieniets, T. (2015). Unmapping Space – Some Thoughts on Maps and Performative Space. In Brandis, N., &, Wolftrum, S (Eds.), Performative Urbanim: Generating and Designing Urban Space (pp. 79-84). Berlin, Germany: JOVIS Publishers.

“Using maps we can comprehend the city as a whole, which otherwise can only be percieved as a series of spaces and situations.”

“…maps can only show the kind of information that can easily be transferred onto a two dimensional graphic representation…. it is almost impossible to map non-visual properties such as smell, or noise, or atmosphere or emotional experiences.”

“…we have to abandon all temporal features of space.”

“Maps have thus altered the way we perceive and envision space…we do not need to explore the space ourselves; we simply use maps or GPS devices. … We do not even need to … set foot in the space.”

“Maps are an inadequate means to represent the essential features of performative space.”

“… without maps and plans, no project could meet the demands of our modern construction industry…. And yet, abandoning the dominance of maps and plans might achieve something that normally gets lost in the process: that we are personally involved in space and with other human beings.”

This chapter of the book, has confirmed, open up my mind for new ideas and in some areas had me arguing some concepts. I believe it has some interesting points that could then be interpreted and applied to the reasoning behind whether or not I stay with a 2D system or move to 3D performative space. It has also surfaced some interesting critiques on the use and limitations of maps that I may not have otherwise recognised and simply within my own practice as a spatial designer, reiterating just how important and prominent space really is.

Preparation for Studio

I have the map all pinned up and ready to go for hopefully some mapping during our studio tomorrow. While I was organising this and placing pins into the map I came across some interesting thoughts about my current approach.

Ultimately they came down to:

I don’t feasibly have enough pins to cover every single possible corner and turn of the journeys that may be mapped, so then why, if I am wanting to emphasize the fluidity and individuality of the journeys experienced am I pre-pinning and constructing or placing parameters around the journeys? Why don’t I instead have the pins available and instruct the audience to pin their own journeys. I guess it came down to me wanting the activity to be as easy as possible so people may want to interact rather than feel obliged and not wanting to because of the effort required? However it contradicts my concept and I am not wanting to once again compromise my initial intent.

I then realised that I need to gather up all of the pins I possibly can so I deconstructed the map I explored earlier. This interestingly, due to the method of winding the thread around the pin, resulted in the thread staying relatively intact, alluding and representing the journeys taken. The paths taken, the crossovers, the repetition against the singularity and unique qualities of the journeys.

Studio

17/05/16

Below are some photographs that were taken before, during and after my 1:1 prototyping of the studio attendees and their journey to this space.

From this prototyping I have become to believe that the scale of the thread is not effective alongside this larger scaled map. Perhaps the scope of my approach and concept is too large in comparison and the thread is no longer succeeding in the way it is being applied.

Group Discussions

Today’s studio began with discussing our concepts and progress within small groups. Interestingly the group I was with had concepts of weaving, colour, and mapping, all ideas and notions that I believe could be interpreted within my own concept at its current point.

I began discussing my thoughts of progressing beyond 2Dimensional representation into 1:1 3D active mapping. What came out of theses discussions were that this active mapping if not flat on the ground would interact with the proceedings and usual running of the city, say a car could not drive through a multitude of threads. However with this acknowledged and able to be resolved and refined, what then does active mapping allow that a representational map/plan doesn’t?

First of all, active mapping will make you more aware of your surroundings. If you are a Welington resident attending the symposium this action, performance, would break your usual routine and would allow and spark opportunities to recognise and move within a space you already know if a new and different way.

How then does it benefit and affect those who are visiting and perhaps never visited Wellington, it could be an interesting way of explore new space and sites, taking more time and considerations within a space.

Becoming more aware of where you are, where you have come from and where you are headed. How does this one aspect of time and place fit into the whole event and your own personal experiences?

Application to the 4th year Research Symposium

Thoughts about how this could be applied/prototyped within the 4th year Research Symposium:

map how everyone got there
map how they move in the space – more active mapping relating to site
journeying between rooms and sites – currently the lighting studio and the pit

These discussions also then lead to the notion of collaborating perhaps with other similar projects – such as Zoe and Bree. In fact we are hoping to collaborate together during the next few days with some form of movement/journey mapping in the hope that the result may benefit and aid us all in different areas and applications.

Discussions with Jen:

what purpose does the system or performance serve? Is it a passive gesture? Perhaps my idea could be pushed/developed further into aspects of way showing and way finding? However once again, I worry that this is contradicting my initial ideas through beginning to construct journeys.
how does the system or performance support the symposium? Concepts of Tautoku
how do I move away from this more passive representation?
If I am asking people to perform and document as they move through space, is it then detaching them from the moment? Or does it make them more aware and appreciate and understand the space? I believe it is important to acknowledge here that ultimately all of these considerations are again entirely subjective, one person may find the process immersive whereas another may find it detaching. Perhaps this is then something I explore further?
Jen mentioned an app (Welly Walks) that allows the access to information of site specific walks around and within Wellington also including historical and cultural contexts. It is then interesting to consider how one fits oneself into this space and their historical contexts.

Independent Study

17/05/16 – 19/05/16

Possible Areas for Development

GPS tracking, able to watch and identify others from the symposium, chance of overlapping, spark conversations. Is this then not abstract enough? Is it simply accumulating data and presenting it? Or is it a form of wayshowing/wayfinding through observing the movements/journeys of others. Is it then a way to identify those around you who are also attending the symposium. How do I then keep elements that I already have and explore it further?

Return to the 1:1 material thread? Return to the studio suggestions of bracelet? Something to identify other symposium attendees. The notion that you may come across these individuals at various times and locations throughout the entirety of the 4 day event perhaps signifies the notion of subjective experiences, however does not rely on that for the entire manifestation of the concept. This then heads more towards serving a purpose and supporting the symposium. The performance of making and tying this bracelet around the wrist? Perhaps there are threads located around the city and the accumulation of these once arriving at the site is made into the subjects bracelet? Each bracelet would be different? Why a bracelet, small, personal, precious, identifiable but not excessive.

Master Plan

Overlapping plan, streets, contours of the three different sites, days, focusing more on the city than the sites themselves? perhaps the sites are left blank? Three different colors? representing the sites?

Visual Narrative

Different journeys of each day? journey there and journey back? of each person? Or in regards to the construction and deconstruction of the bracelet? the accumulation of threads? the weaving/construction/braiding/twisting? The tying of the bracelet? Clasp?

Video- timelapse – unveiling of a journey being mapped and tracked by a GPS device

Detail Drawing

A diagram of the 4 sites, Performance Arcade, Somes, Bats, Marae and the different ways to journey to them. Similar to that of the situationist mapping.

Exploded Diagram of the sites in relation to Wellington City and then the journeys in relation to the sites

Exploring Concepts of Psychogeography, Derive and Situationists

“Psychogeography is an approach to geography that emphasizes playfulness and “drifting” around urban environments. It has links to the Situationist International.”

In a dérive one or more persons during a certain period drop their relations, their work and leisure activities, and all their other usual motives for movement and action, and let themselves be drawn by the attractions of the terrain and the encounters they find there. Chance is a less important factor in this activity than one might think: from a dérive point of view cities have psychogeographical contours, with constant currents, fixed points and vortexes that strongly discourage entry into or exit from certain zones.

Perhaps rather than the traditional drawing of a map, those attending the symposium are only given a map that consists of the major streets and landmarks and it is tracked how they move through the space, how they navigate the map as well as being informed by their surroundings and how they arrive at their destination.

The performance of navigating space and how the space can inform this journey.

Real Time, Active Journey Mapping

The GPS App would need to consider these following aspects:

The choice of active mapping and not, simply final result of journey is then displayed.
No precise locations for security reasons
You can opt in or not. Not compulsory simple got those intrigued in the process and the results
Profiles vs no profiles. Creating connections. Future.
GPS live tracking showing the subjective experience, multitude of individuals creating the collective. The overlapping, collective mapping at the end puts it in context of the collective. Everyone belongs, everyone has something to contribute etc.
The profile aspect reiterates the subjective identity of everyone attending and contributing.
Somewhere to post photos, writing, thoughts. Once again the subjective experiences of taking away and emphasizing certain aspects adds to the whole picture and value of the event. A collection
Perhaps the journeys one takes between the sites and during and after the daily event within the context of the 4 days serve as souvenirs of their time. Knowing that they stopped at a cafe with such and such that they met. Knowing that they had dinner at this restaurant and spoke about such and such memorable topic.

I found an example of a real time GPS mapping software/app called Greenalp

https://www.greenalp.com/realtimetracker/index.php?guestmode=1&viewuser=demouser

Quick Sketch Exploring App Interface

Master Plan: Draft

Unsure on choice of colours.

Unsure on scope/radius of map

Just the three sites or possibly include landmarks such as Te Papa, Beehive, Cake Tin stadium, perhaps as a way to orientate people around the city and locate themselves within the maps provided.