Isometric drawing describes technology

Draft animated diagram

thingandvirtual from madeoftwo on Vimeo.


The voice over will talk about translating tool that translates ideas to physical.
Without the tools ideas can't be translated and without knowing language the tool can't work.

Vihara Mongkon Bohpit - furnitures

furniture that allows programs locating inside and around Vihara

furniture that allows trades

furniture that allows spiritual exchanges

Vihara Mongkon Bohphit

Vihara Mongkon Bophit

Buddhism as a form of trade

Mongkon Bohpit Buddha image were sculpted by bricks and countless tiny Buddha images that were given away by Ayuthya people as their contribution and cast by plaster. It was made during the beginning of Ayuthaya period.
In this present time, small stalls sandwiches the walk way from car park to Vihara Mongkhon Bophit. Their products were targeted towards pilgrims and tourists.
In Buddhism practices, exchanges are made all the time. As an equivalent comparison of buddhism to capitalism realm, temples and its complex can be viewed as a form of economic trade. Visitors expect an 'object' or a 'product' from the place and are willing to give some sort of 'currency' or 'mediator' in return. In Economy, the currency often is money.
What is the currency in Buddhism practices then?

THE ECONOMICS

Vihara Mongkhon Bophit situates in Old Palace Compound. Since 1956 when the restoration was completed until presence, Vihara has been the most active religious destination out of other historical sites in Ayuthaya which can be said that it has positive 'economic' status as it supplies and produces products of its own in and immediately around its walls. The production lines come from many places above, down under horizontally around and sometimes from spiritual places.

Revised Storyboard

Here I have rearranged the sequence of the storyboard from the beginning to the end. I have also included the revised narratives that should match with the thesis that I am now working on. Texts that are in blue are those that I do not have a clear script for yet. I will measure how much time each narrative takes and will animate the diagrams accordingly.

Medium through Virtual Interaction : Wat Mahathat

By using the three main equipments, user is able to immerse into the virtual environment at Wat Mahathat.

1. V-Helmet : Allowing projection of surrounding virtual space

2. V-Gloves : Interaction of Virtual Ruin through hands i.e. touch

3. V-Shoes : Interaction of Virtual Ruin through feet i.e. stamping 

The user is then tracked by the System Camera and the point of position is transferred to the Networks where all his interactive data is collected and stored for others to see.

Medium: Technology of Virtual Space / Project Thesis

Divergence of Buddhist Experience

Creative Platform of Experience Manifestation

For long, Buddhism has spread and materialize its ideology and teachings through the experience created by architecture and ceremonies that the Buddhist perceive in order to plant and manifest the idea into ones mind. Divergence of Buddhist Experience is a virtual space that allows the user to illustrate and materialize their envisagement of the experience that they desire to enhance the Buddhist practices and ceremonies according to the individual preference. Each contribution from the user will then be used to form a creative network platform that act as an archive to store all the designed virtual spaces that can be shared and accessed by every user. The constructed virtual space must be used to house virtual 16 meters tall Phra Sri San Phet, the same as what the Grand Hall used to function. Each space will then be used for Buddhist practices and ceremonies, accessible by the people onsite and online.

The user who is on the real physical site of Wat Phra Sri Sanphet Grand Hall will be granted access to the design interface via the creative virtual headset consisting of a virtual ocular device with a camera attachment to record the surroundings, a hand gesture recognition device, and a built in open back headphone, allowing them to see, hear, and manipulate the virtual elements respectively, of both the design interface and the constructed virtual space. Only the user onsite will be able to construct the virtual space as they will be able to perceive and scrutinize the context, ambient atmosphere, and variables of the physical site. The user will be given the constructed virtual grammar that act as a foundation where they will be constructing upon. Every architectural design element must be placed on the same existing layout of the ruin.

The design interface aids the user by enabling the new perception through transition of reality such as the ability to see sound, enhancing the creativity and as well as truly understand every single choice and element that they choose. Each choice being made will be shown to the user instantly so that they may experience their creation in real time to achieve the desired effects. They will interact with the design interface through physical body contact with the virtual elements which will response with the user for every certain body gesture. Once the virtual space has been constructed, it will be stored in the online archive of each individual account. It is an interactive platform where different users can access and experience every virtual space through the same medium of the virtual headset and a 3d scanner to record their body and transform that into digital format into the online network. This network allows the Buddhist society from all around the world to form a new community through virtual space that doesn’t just give the user conventional spaces but a holistic archive where contribution creates the network itself. The users are able to interact with other online and onsite user who chooses the same space to perform the practices and ceremonies together.

This interactive network is designed to blur the demarcation of ideology on how Buddhist practices and ceremonies should be experience. Being a core of the space, the Buddha image act as a portal in which the user is able to materialize and manifest their thoughts of the new space should be. This space embraces different perspectives from both Buddhist and non-Buddhist user, creating a divergence to enhance the experience.   

Updated virtual space **Unsure and Unfinished**

Iso metric Drawing of the technology or medium the visitor experiences the virtual space

Since the Phra Prang was built to represent the Mount Meru, the center of the universe. In hindu belief, Mount Meru is ringed by six mountain range, each pair separate by the ocean. Along with four continent where the human live. Then Phra Prang derive it from the Hindu belief and use the strategy to design Prang and that make Prang unique and meaningful.

The isometric drawing show one of the virtual space idea that, when the visitor get inside treasure room with their 3D virtual glasses the existing Phra Prang and site itself would be transparency and fade out, open the vision looking on to the Mount Meru symbolisation with that signify only the essence of the meaning of Mount Meru, which in this case is the ground represent as the ocean, border wall and four continents represent by the Chedi. So all the treasure would fall separately into the different category and meaning according to the symbolisation and representation (I'm still not sure about the treasure category yet)

The visitor can choose whether they want to experience Phraprang with 3d virtual glasses or not, because if they want to experience without glasses they would see just the existing site as normal people usually do. If they want to experience it virtually they need to wear glasses.

For the surface of inside out and outside in, the people from outside would see just only the existing Phra Prang with the picture of the treasure virtually on the surface of the brick and ornament, the treasure that overlay on top of the brick surface would related with the brick itself, but for inside people need to get inside the treasure room as the center of Phra Prang, because the top of Prang itself symbolize the God that is in the middle and in the highest range of all, so visitor need to get in first and then they can explore the meaning and virtual space of Mount Meru with the treasure.

In order for the treasure, visitor would only generate with their visual attention according to the object. Treasure would show in a collection of data, when visitor interested in some object, the object itself would be more prominent and coming closer to the visitor while getting bigger to capture the attention.

Presentation Story Board

Presentation storyboard

Storyboard of presentation video

This is the storyboard showing the sequence of the final presentation video. The Virtual Pavilion has not yet been included as I am still deciding where and when it should be mentioned to make a coherent presentation.

FINAL PRESENTATION STORYBOARD

Story board and Research book

Research Book

Story Board

Update : Isometric drawing of past and present + access/circulation & Virtual Space

Isometric Drawing :

- Grand Vihara was added on to the drawing
- Environment and circulation were also put into the diagram.
- The drawing was zoom in from the previous one to enhance the main Mondop.
- The information boot was use to portray the main circulation.

Virtual Space : Screen Captured from Rhino

- 35 frames are added on to the isometric
- Pictures are source from Instagram, Google, and Facebook

Update; Isometric drawing of the past and the present and Virtual space showing how to use and access the space

Dictionary of Thai Architecture

Sequence of learning process through the virtual space 
by tracking the position of the visitor on the site

Further Research on Buddhist Ceremonies

Wan Kao Pansa / Wan Awk Pansa

During the first day of Wan Kao Pasa, meaning the monks must stay remain inside the temple for 3 months, people will give candles and light bubls to the monks as offering because they believe that light source symbolizes wisdom. They also offer a special clothe to the monk so that they can use during this rainy season. At the end of the Pansa (Wan Awk Pansa) religious places will place buddhist flags in front of their buildings. There will also be a big ceremony called Tak Baht Tevo which involves placing a Buddha image on a cart inside a bussabok with a big alm infront. Then the monks will walk in rows after the cart downtown so that the people may give offereings (food) to the monk, symbolising the day Buddha himself descend fromt he heaven.

Additional Research

Some research on the locations and types of unprotected sites in the world.

RESEARCH UPDATE

Human and architecture. 
Each person can perceived different resolution of different things according to their experience, background and imagination. This diagram is presenting 5 resolution levels compare a human body to architecture. The more experience, background and imagination his or her have, the more of high resolution image they get.

Roleplay resolution survey. 
A question is "Draw a Thai's temple, Thai vihara and Thai traditional house with least line used". The diagram shows the level of symbolic resolution and an ornament (masking) resolution from each person. In which this can be apply to the making of the event in the virtual interface.

Site ISO Update. 

The background environment was lighten to make the Grand Vihara stand out. The 3 stupas scale was fixed. Also, text font was changed to make the graphic more coherent with other diagrams. And the visitor's visual screens were taken out because it wasn't necessary.