1997.12.18
Department of Architectural Theory
...both straight forward and experimental in the new ideas ... be as hyper-critcal of the current architectural scene as possible. ...thoughts on Las Vegas as the “virtual” oasis.
1998.04.05
Piranesi’s Campo Marzio: from beginning to end
...a hyper essay whose underlying theme is the Campo Marzio’s beginning and its end. This concerns the notions of origins and demise, rise and fall, the great span of time, extremes and means, reenactment, and inversion. At the core of the essay will be the notion of chronology, but not just a chronology of Rome as a city and its individual buildings, but also the beginning and end of the Campo Marzio text (and illustrations), and, furthermore, the beginning and the end of my own investigation and research.
...the alpha-omega theme allows inclusion of all the diverse and complexly related issues. Above all, it will get me started by simply allowing me to start at the beginning. ...an experimental document. Indeed, Piranesi’s own method of narrative with twists and turns and inversions will be a guide. ...not a meaningless “bricolage.” In fact, a proof that the Ichnographia is percisely not a meaningless “bricolage.”
1998.07.28
ideas
virtual Altes Museum: a new program for the Altes Museum, keeping the building as is, with only virtual additions. ...a redux of the murals within the porch and stair landing as hypersurfaces.
1998.08.09
hypermural @ the Altes Museum
...first experiment regarding images of a hypermural at the Altes Museum.
1998.08.27
new Quondam
...a museum to do with as I please. ...stream of consciousness and spontaneity... ...to use the museum to be hyper-creative with architecture.
1998.11.13 15:11
Re: do tell
...hyper-surface architecture, which is perhaps so far the furthest development of architecture as show (and I use the word show here in its more broad sense, and I am not at all trying to be negative, although architecture as show probably contains both positive and negative attributes).
When I think of architecture and show, my mind makes all kinds of associations. First, I am hard pressed to think of an example of architecture that doesn't represent (show) something, and in that sense all architecture could be seen as some kind of show. Next, I think of how architecture is usually shown in photographs, that is, usually without people in the same picture. Could this be an indication of the autonomy that architects like to perceive in architecture? I'm reminded of a story an architect/friend's wife told about visiting Le Corbusier's Villa Savoye. There were a handful of other architects there, and not only was each of the architects taking virtually all the same pictures, but they were all making sure not to get each other in any of the pictures. I immediately thought the best pictures would have been of the architects doing this; at least that would have been a unique set of pictures. Could it be that the presence of people in architectural photographs takes away from architecture's (preferably?) perceived autonomy?
From here I think of Maya Lin's comments on the FLW/PBS show, where she says that Wright wanted far too much control of his designs (particularly in the cases where Wright designs all the interiors down to the smallest details and furthermore sets everything in a specific position). This is a great comment coming from the very artist whose Vietnam Memorial is exactly so great because of the people that visit and leave things there, and who, in there very own reflections in the wall of names, become a part of the monument itself. Finally, I think of K.F. Schinkel's perspective of the upper balcony of his Altes Museum where he shows visitors to the museum standing as if struck with awe of the architecture and its murals. Is it OK to have people within architectural images as long as they're showing high respect for the building?
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1999.07.14
the pleasure of (being lost in translation) architecture
Although I know Marcos Novak's name and his relationship with theories of cyberspace(?), I am only marginally knowledgeable of his written work--I believe I read an essay of his in Perrella's Hypersurface Architecture, and I have visited his (dated) website. I do not know his contribution to The Art of the Accident, and therefore my experiment was not in emulation of Novak's (experiment?).
I do know what I was seeking, however.
I like the notion of quick and easy art.
I like to (literally) go to all the edges in my art.
I enjoy the process of making art.
I like my art best when it is unedited.
(I don't like to frame my art.)
I like computers to do work for me.
A lot of my art uses computers and automation in unprescribed ways.
I like the notion of quick and easy (computer doing the work) art.
I believe computers give all of us a new and additional dexterity.
The translation experiment was done quickly and easily.
The translation experiment investigated some limits (edges, margins) of the translation program.
Translating back and forth between languages used automation in an unprescribed way.
The tools you use effect the way you think, and the way you think effects the way you use tools.
Les outils vous utilisez l'effet la voie que vous pensez, et la voie vous pensez des effets la voie vous utilisez des outils.
The tools you use the effect the way which you think, and the way you think of the effects the way you use tools.
Die Hilfsmittel verwenden Sie den Effekt die Weise, die Sie denken, und die Weise, die Sie an die Effekte die Weise denken, Sie Hilfsmittel benutzen.
The aids use you the effect the way, which you think, and which you use way, which you think of the effects the way, aids.
I sussidi li usano l' effetto il modo, che pensate e che usate il modo, che pensate agli effetti il modo, sussidi.
The subsidies use them the effect the way, than thoughts and that used the way, than thoughts to the effects the way, subsidies.
Os subs-dios usam-nos o efeito a maneira, do que os pensamentos e aquele usaram a maneira, do que pensamentos aos efeitos a maneira, subs-dios.
The subsidies use them the effect the way, the one that the thoughts and that one had used the way, the one that thoughts to the effect the way, subsidies.
Los subsidios los utilizan el efecto la manera, la que los pensamientos y que uno hab-an utilizado la manera, la que los pensamientos al efecto la manera, subsidios.
The subsidies use the effect the way, the one that the thoughts and that one had used the way, the one that the thoughts to the effect the way, subsidies.
1999.07.30
Ottopia - continued development
...generated about 20 hypermarquees for Ottopia.
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1999.10.20
ideas
...the museum as a communication machine.
2000.01.10 00:26
as dense as architecture can get?
As to wondering about the 'easy' play with scale's relative to Piranesi's Campo Marzio, in part you guess correctly. I say in part because when Piranesi delineates the Campus Martius proper, he more often than not uses the correct scale for the buildings that once existed there. Piranesi grossly exaggerates building scale in the Campo Marzio's outer regions, however. Nonetheless, Piranesi is deliberately 'playing' a learning game here, in that the outer regions is where Piranesi's plans and programs lack practically all veracity, hence, the hyperbole of Piranesi's architectural imagination is coded by a hyperbole of architectural scale. In simple terms, the over-sized plans of the Campo Marzio indicate buildings that Piranesi completely 'made-up', where as a high percentage of the smaller building plans indicate buildings that actually once existed and are drawn at their proper scale. (Mind you, the drawn plans of the once existing buildings, even though at a correct scale, are still often individual plans of Piranesi's invention.)
2000.02.18
[hyper collection]
...Quondam to be a museum of hyper-architecture.
2000.02.19
a hyper architectures museum
...change Quondam into a hyper architectures museum.
www.quondam.com/www
www.quondam.com/quondam
www.quondam.com/com
www.quondam.com/a
www.quondam.com/hyper
www.quondam.com/architectures
www.quondam.com/museum
www is where all web/internet related material will be housed/compiled, links to other web sites and email lists, where virtual issues are addressed.
quondam is where the former Quondam (a virtual museum of architecture) will be exhibited and elaborated upon, where the new Not There will be introduced.
com is where all commercial activity will reside, eg, pieces, the museum shop. This is also where I can begin incorporating (banner) advertizing and links to amazon.com.
a - an alphabetical mega list.
hyper - the most experimental, the most radical, in a word, hyper. ...building collages, revisionist hyper-texts, reenactionary texts, outlandish exhibits.
architectures - Quondam designs, architectural ideas and discoveries.
museum - the Quondam archive, the infinite collection.
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2000.03.31
journeys out of the body (into hyperspace?)
All of the recent 'scientific' discussion here reminded me of a particular passage I read in Rudolf v. B. Rucker's Geometry, Relativity and the Fourth Dimension (Dover, 1977). I bought the book in 1978 just before I went to rural Missouri to work on a HABS (Historic American Building Survey) team for the summer. My work-mates/room-mates in Perry, MO thought I was pretty nutty to be reading this stuff, but I was genuinely interested. Anyway, a passage from the book's annotated bibliography has always stuck in my mind because of its intrigue--Rucker writes:
Robert A. Monroe, Journeys Out of the Body, (Anchor Press/Doubleday, Garden City, NY, 1973).
So you're tired of just reading about 4-D space and want to go see it for yourself? This book tells you how to get there. Unfortunately, it is also a blueprint for insanity.
Monroe describes a fairly effective method of inducing a state in which one has the feeling of being able to leave one's body, move through walls and so on. Although he never refers to the fourth dimension, the idea of investigating the sort of "astral travel" he describes with an eye to interpreting the observed phenomena in terms of hyperspace is a tempting one.
The technique is basically to "wake up inside your dreams." It is not uncommon for one to have this experience during a daytime nap: that is, that one is awake and aware although one's body is still asleep. If on begins to look for this experience it begins to happen more often, and then astral travel is not far behind.
I worked on this for a few months once, but finally had to give it up as the experiences were so deeply frightening and disturbing. To be fully conscious and aware, and to know that one is in a dream world where anything can happen, to try to wake one's body up and not be able to--aaauugh! Indeed, reading the book, one gets the impression that Monroe finally scared himself into a heart attack.
But forewarned is forearmed, and perhaps some intrepid reader will be able to make something of the old theory that we have souls that move in hyperspace.
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I should mention that Rucker's book is a very good, plain English science book that is all about "geomerty, relativity, and the fourth dimension," and not some sort of 'new-age' book.
I have never pursued finding Monroe's book, but there may be some renewed interest now.
2000.04.16
exploiting Quondam
...invading the existing pages with new data that is there like product placement or is disinformation or is just infringement text/imagery.
a totally avant-garde, free-spirit way... ...a museum completely otherwise. ...breaking” of all the (design) rules...
...an iconoclastic approach will engender originality at its best. I can see changing the Ichnographia, adding "bold" topics to the Encyclopedia Ichnographica, Philadelphia a a hyper(?) museum of architecture, Synopsis of Architecture by Papidakis and Lauf, "how to be the best architectural client," hyper building additions, religious conversions (Hurva goes Christian, etc.), Seroux and the Denkmal (plus more), the Philadelphia model with all the other site plans grafted on, the NOT THERE imagination.
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