UNITE
PROF - DANIEL ROEHR
A11 - SEEING > VISUAL THINKING
18/11/23
49.267272043159494, -123.25512855975735
A1 - Time to Align
A2 - Adding Dimension
A3 - Mapping
A4 - Above, At & Below Ground
A5 - Using Our Hands
A6 - 1 - Tactile Body Space
A6 - 2 - Flow of Experience
A7 - 1 - Forest vs Engine
A8 - 1 - Tuning In & Windplay
A8 - 2 - Sonicollage
A9 - Smell Notes
A10 - 1 - Taste Rave
A10 - 2 - Drinking Object
A11 - 1 - Seeing > Visual Thinking
A11 - 2 - Pattern—Re—Pattern
A12 - Summary
This week we go on a photographic journey to hone our skills in visual perception and conceptual thinking. My toolkit includes a camera and a sketchbook, essential for capturing and annotating my observations. The task begins with a walk, observing and mentally noting various elements, from natural features like trees and shrubs to details like doors and roofs. At this stage, we are asked to resist the urge to photograph; focus is on observation and selection.
After careful consideration, I choose an element that resonates with me for a deeper exploration – it could be anything from intricate paving patterns to the varied designs of public seating. Using the camera, I capture this element in different settings and from multiple angles. This part of the process is about seeing the chosen subject in detail, and perhaps even considering aerial perspectives for a comprehensive view. I then categorize these images, looking for recurring themes or distinct forms. My task is to annotate these findings, understanding why certain patterns or designs recur. This exercise isn’t just about photography; it’s a journey into understanding the nuances of design and pattern in the environment around me.
Process
Something that's drawn my attention on campus is the harmony between the growing plants and the walls of older buildings. They change everyday. There is this giant wall of it in front of the nest, across the bookstore. You can find another tall one on the frank forward building - this one is especially stunning with the brick art as it flows with the natural overgrowth.
The one I documented in most detail was the old administration building. I haven't been inside yet, but I assume it's similar to the maths building where I had a class in last year. Walking in that building feels homy for some reason, it feels alive. I often wonder if I am drawn to that because it feels familiar and we are drawn to tradition, or does it have intrinsic proportions between elements of design such as texture, light, shape, size, colour, etc, regardless of prior bias... Perhaps it's a bit of both, as usual.
I enjoy how the plants transform the facade of the university into a living mural, and how they introduce organic forms into the seemingly rigid geometry of the built environment. They adapt, and in their search for life their form offers us beauty — if form ever followed function, without the need for meaning. I've often, upon walking past these murals, desired to document the transition throughout the year, on a daily basis, from the same geographical point. But then I think, "my eyes can take what they need to take, let them grow".
And then I wonder, why do they enjoy climbing those walls and not other walls. One reason could be that they aren't routed in the surrounding soil. But a more fascinating reason to me is that perhaps, the texture of the building, the skin, is not welcoming or vulnerable enough to allow for other natural elements to permeate and interact with it. What if concrete could be optimized enough for raw permeability that offers a group of species to co-habitate it without longlasting structural damage?
The example of a building that is newer that embraces the plants along the walls well in my opinion is the biological sciences building SE corner of the circle fountain. Check it out if you can.
My favourite one is probably the neville scarfe education building with its easter faces on north and south sides covered in greenery.
Today I saw some birds going back and forth on it. I wonder what they are up to...