Program Notes

Draft notes for assignment 2

I don’t have my statement finalized yet- so I am posting my notes that explore what I am looking to analyze in terms of program temporally, quantitatively and quantitatively. One particular essay has been very helpful in directing my intentions for this assignment. “The Synthetic City: Excursion into the Real-Not Real” by Richard Scherr. Below are my notes from the readings and some ideas that I have added expanded on based on my interests. I will continue to explore this and formulate it into a clear statement. By Friday

Representation vs. actuality;

Today we are observing through lenses that magnify the invisible explore the hidden, deeper the color, freeze the moving, crop the continuous more than in the past- everything is framed for us.

Spaces serving the masses vs. the individual- the ability to control- flux and impermanence.

Between the world of real /authentic and the fictional/artificial

Deforming walls- blurring the lines - Manipulation

Fuzzy zones of a hybrid – or the in-between phenomena

Stenographic – Shorthanded sequencing- programs quickly changing around us as we become more interactive in our spaces- abrupt shifts

Imposition creating fragmentation

Blurring the edges of temporal, programmatic and spatial boundaries

Hybrid phenomenon- real – not real; familiar – not familiar : real/authentic vs fictive/artificial- becoming harder to decipher- blurring –

Synthetic city- a manufactured product that is controlled and artificially manipulated to an extend to an extent far beyond- mixed field of informatics and space

Diverging Patterns ( social, physical)

Traditional spaces based on a clear delineation of polar conditions while the new spaces create fuzzier situations, where the characteristics of urban events and places become mixed- REDEFINED and BLURRED in to new HYBRID combinations and contradictions

There used to be a clear boundary between public and private, work and live- now these boundaries are blurred where our spaces have become live-work spaces, public and private, etc.

Spaces are about the collective needs – for the larger public but they are even more so controlled than the past- orchestrated, manipulated, open, non hierarchical grid- minimizes locational preferences.

Site specifity recurs throughout the history of the city but today this has little importance – anything can be built anywhere. Preference to larger groupings of interrelated development.

ACHIEVE CIRTICAL MASS and DEFINE a self-contained comprehensive internal order and experience that can exist independently of its surrounding.

Disjunction between parts that might as well be completely disassociated or sometimes rub up again each other in odd, unpleasant or enlightening ways.

Permanent vs. impermanent.

Putting place into sharper focus- sense of place emerges as a shifting, dynamic perception.

Defining a sense of place is no longer stable – creating an experience- offering multiplicity and choice without overwhelming us.. choice – although blurred – well orchestrated.

Complex, rich, multivalent messages and settings to evolve and flourish just as our cities are.

I have begun my sketching but am still a little confused on how I will put this all together in a storyboard. Any comments, suggestions would be appreciated – if you have the time.

Also, Marc, on the assignment sheet you ask for "precedents, case studies and conclusions" as well as "Profile of client and user should be elaborated"... any suggestions on where I can look for this? Specifically related to blurring and defining the edge between the worlds of public/private, between programmatic definitions, masses vs. individuality, flux and impermanence