"A Throne and A Chair"
When we read the above statement, the language itself provides us a pre-conceived notion of how a throne stands out itself as a word. This project however being virtual nullifies the usage of language limited only to visual importance. Choosing the Saweta Chatra Throne from the Bangkok National Museum as a starting step made an approach towards an analysis on how it acts as a powerful communicative tool (through mediums of quality representing elevation, symmetry, orientation, axis, etc.). While the Barcelona Chair, supposed to be uniquely made for a one time picture for the King and Queen of Spain, later was consumed by the mass production industry converting it to a 'quantity' rather than 'quality'.
Initial thoughts that hit me were : Did the throne only act when its user was present? Or did it appear as much as important during the absence of the King? Was his presence necessary?
Highly ornamented and elevated, it provided its cultural influence throughout Thailand's history to mark as a royal status/hierarchy. Extracted facts to work with included- Visual hierarchy, contrast, appeal. When something acted as obvious attractions/contrasts that forces us to look at it and judge its importance, what are the affecting factors that make us choose different opinions? The experience of travelling through the flower market was to explore this challenge. One interesting quote from Latour mentions the difference between texture and image. How when one flower in mass quantity would be less appealing than the same one made unique. Analysis within video captured areas that included equally valued (same selling potential) things to look at decided by the viewer's personal curiosity(matters of concern) followed by color contrasts(matters of fact).
"To thou I bestow to judge"
Since we needed to develop to a stage where we needed to extract architectural grammar, my concern was to create a strict system that included using the basic grid structure. Through this it already over-laid obvious co-ordinates and proposed a pre-initial logic that would guide the user to experience a common grammar rather than being alien.
 |
| Isometric Taxonomy of Renascita Di Valore Pavilion |
Experiencing within
The perspectives include in playing with planes that when viewed through certain angle produces specific related events or provoking visual contrast relating to judgement. These are the information layers that are formed on the basis of the second grid adhering to Matters of Concern. When experiencing the journey with the Pak Klong Flower market, the most visually stimulating part was the discovery of green+purple orchids towards the end moving to a different spatial threshold. Driven by personal curiosity (matters of concern), I tend to move forward and develop an observational interest due to the contrasting colors (matters of fact). This is the same experience I want m users to have when they enter the pavilion. The rebirth of value. Value here depending on how the users decide to be a part in it. You yourself are the judge of nominating things. My placement of things according to cultural importance/value heirarchy are questioned when you as a user might de-nominate things visually in your mind. How much ever I guide you to follow my strict order of structural placement through grids, the experience that leads further is totally dependent on what the user chooses.
 |
| Perspective looking at the Sun Path: Sun's position at Mid-day |
The complexity arises when there is occurrence of highlighting/disappearing things that lead to form a threading memory within our brains. Later after the experience within the pavilion, one might recall of what they remember or not and probably why. The analysis would include in questioning how much part lead to what. How much percent did the matters of facts play in the role of controlling your visual judgement of hierarchy?How much percent did the matters of concern play in the role if diverting (from the matters of strict fact) your attention to create visual tension?
 |
| Different perspectives of temporal appearances |
Animation of Space
Animation focuses on an exterior isometric perspective to show the whole pavilion to get an idea of structured system. Further zooms into a viewers perspective towards the bottom zone of lesser value in nomination/cultural value. An example being the Knoll Factory- the current licensed manufacturer of the Barcelona Chair. As mentioned before, the chair lost its value when mass produced to many. Therefore the placement of Knoll factory has been down. Whereas the inspirational curule seat has been placed higher than the Barcelona Chair since it occupied its own cultural value of royal status and military discipline. The Curule seat comes from the Roman heritage and therefore is considered as a higher honor. The throne however placed in the middle level, higher than this would be the King himself and the crown. Other related objects to the Thing and Counterthing are placed respectively with certain distances along each grid modules. The video further emphasizes on the central space (a view where the user looks up to see merging of both things). This is the point of fusion where there is no limit of how a thing can be elevated or de-elevated, in other words it is a mix of being nominated/de-nominated. The designation of the thing is no longer valid according to Time nor Cultural value at this central point.
Simulation of Space through Augmented Reality
Augmented Reality helped in representing my model clearly since my Pavilion dealt with levels of hierarchy and order. It was necessary to show the placement of the things, so having live sectioning was one of the key features to be used. Others included adjusting the threshold and viewing just the shadows.
Renascita Di Valore Pavilion
Matters of Fact Matters of Concern
Sun Path
The roofing indicates a certain linear axis. Since my pavilion consists of the Throne placement within, it was necessary to form an act of reverence for it to show its context. By positioning the pavilion on a strict East West Axis, I take advantage of the sun to follow its natural path. When this occurs, the throne(meant to be in gold symbolic to expensiveness) reflects its material as the rays fall on it while the chair is cast in shadow( a metaphoric way to conclude its grayish context). At Midday, the sun would further travel to reach at a point parallel with the fusion point and later during sunset in the evening would make the Chair shine and visible.
Grid
Horizontal X-axis observed the time while Y-axis initiated the role of cultural value/hierarchy. The Time from the throne would start from 1851 on the starting co-ordinate while the other end starts from 1929, the time of Barcelona Chair. The middle is the merging of both things that makes time nullified and questions the value of time itself. The higher the placed thing more important it is culturally.
Placement of related things
The positioning of such things are in respect to the distance from the thing and counter-thing. Each would be placed logically within the systematic frame modules of the grid. By doing this it would later co-ordinate with the planar informations to depict certain related events or form a contrast of visual tension.
Placement of Things
The things are placed on a linear axis. The throne being against the eastern axis to have its face towards the sun when it rises. And the Chair against the western axis to be overshadowed by the sun forming an act of de-nomination. The central would consist of the zone where both things fuse together to form new inventory where value of time and cultural value is questioned and in the end remain void. Since this area would be a representation of both Matters of Fact and Concerns, there is no strict limit to an end of analyzing.
Planar Frames
These are the information layers that add to the basic matters of concern. These would involve in portraying certain event related to the things - the coronation of King, the photograph session of Barcelona Chair, mass production of chairs, context within Barcelona Pavilion and political context of Throne's position within the Anantasamakhom Building,etc. Other information layers also consist in creating visual contrast by lighting it up so fast that the viewers attention and memory is questioned on its reliability. How effective can one be in juding when placed in an environment that involves so much Visual tension.
Secondary Diagonal Grid
This grid enables us a leap into an area where there is no fixed points of visual hierarchy or contrast. It depends on the viewer himself to focus on which direction he wants to look at and at which co-ordinates he would like to stand in to form specific perspective parameters. To thou I bestow to judge. These diagonal grids are formed by having the mid-points of each facts co-ordinates which later connect at the center to provide a zone of fusion. The radiating grid lines forms an abstract way to base the planar layers of information upon. The arrangement of planes are twisted/rotated/re-sized to follow these guides having a targetted view towards the thing/counter-thing/related object.
 |
| Isometric of Virtual Pavilion: Renascita Di Valore |
Nominating/De-nominating Ayuthaya
As per the midterm review some of the critiques included that my focus was diverted to Visual Contrast/Hierarchy that lead in dealing with Matters of Concern. The point here that I missed was to maybe include the hierarchy of the things not strictly just based on cultural value or visual nomination but also on their functional usage/value. How frequent was the things used.
The fusion part lead to an interesting discussion of how I start merging both the things in order to create/invent new zone that has another meaning as opposed to the other starting points. The value of a things differed visually when the number of elevations were taken out. This is a fact. When an object is placed higher, it automatically appears to stand out. But does it still form the same attention when the material is changed or when its more ornate?
The Grid was considered as too direct and questions about using an organic shape could be a possibility were put forth. As in the initial phase I had plans of using a landscape because of its inorganic quality, it was later left out since a grid was more logical and understandable for the visitor. Yes, I did want my users to not get caught within an unusual grammar therefore I used the Modernism + Thai traditional grammar. However , the grid in its perfectness is balanced with imperfectness when the Matters of Concern step in. That is by forming a secondary grid that is diagonally oriented rather than linear. This helps in projecting radiating lines from the center that act as guides for the information planar layers to set it.
A possible step towards Ayuthaya would include in choosing a Site and playing with its Visual Context to highlight the natural attentions. This would be the Matters of Fact, where Ayuthaya is already considered as a historic site that adds serious cultural heritage to Thailand. The challenge would be when I play with nominating or de-nominating the site. How would I do it. Since I am in control of this Visual Quality- the process would further indicate in transforming the site perhaps leaving it as a Matters of Fact or intruding the Matters of Concern by additional alien objects attached to the structure to nominate/de-nominate it.
No comments:
Post a Comment