Topics in Convergent Media: Space (Krukowski)

BioCosmoPods

RTF 331Q, Unique #07270, TTh 12:30-2

Instructor: Dr. Samantha Krukowski
o: CMB 4.120A (the closet at the end of the long hallway) / 471.4222
c: 771-2121
office hours: Tuesdays 3-5pm
samantha@rasa.net
TA: Cameron Cooper
cam_cooper@hotmail.com

The course environment

Individual classes are about making and thinking. Some classes will be project oriented, others will be discussions of ideas and readings or of other material brought to the class by us or by you. Additional class times may be scheduled throughout the semester in order to accommodate the growth and interests of the class.

You are required to document all of the work you make in this course. At the end of the semester, this documentation should be uploaded to the ACTLab server in a web-ready version and handed in on a CD-ROM. (see actlab.us for representation requirements and examples of prior student work.) Take photographs of works in process and finished works throughout the semester.

Various events and discussions take place in the ACTLab that will be of interest to you. Watch the ACTLab web site (actlab.us) and the listserves (see below) for updates and postings.

This course has an individual listserve: space@actlab.us. Your e-mail address will be added to the listserve after the first week of class. Use this listserve to communicate with your fellow students, ask technical questions, contribute ideas, share resources. You are encouraged to go to the ACTLab web site (actlab.us) and subscribe to the two other listserves affiliated with the Convergent Media area by clicking on the “listserves” link.

Tutorials for the software programs available in the lab are scheduled throughout the semester. These are the means by which you gain technical knowledge in Convergent Media courses. A current schedule can be found on the ACTLab web site; it will also be posted in the Lab at the beginning of the second week of classes. These tutorials will not be repeated—make sure you attend them.

The ACTLab is an unusual space. You are required to attend the ACTLab orientation to be held on Friday, September 7, at 6pm.

Some things you might want to know…

You should be self-motivated to succeed in this course. Classwork is cumulative, and those of you who are unable to set your own goals and pace may have trouble participating and producing work. I am here to help you as you develop ideas, interests and questions. Do not take this course if you are unwilling to work hard, collaborate with others and stretch your boundaries.

Questions you have and develop may be resolved by practice or by other types of inquiry--theoretical, philosophical, scientific, poetic, etc. There should be times during the semester that you get stuck. You should develop the tools to unstick yourself. If you don’t know what to make, go look at what other people have made. If you don’t know what to say, go read something or watch something or listen to someone interesting. If you are still stuck, in all probability you are not making enough stuff to get yourself moving toward a question you can answer through practice or thought. A motto for the course: Make, make, make. If you come to me disoriented, I will first ask you what you are making and ask to see evidence of your efforts and research in the direction of your inquiries.

You should expect to spend at least ten hours of lab time each week in addition to class time. Your technical ability will increase in proportion to your effort. Hack and be resourceful. There are many, many online tutorials and resources for various programs. Learn as much as you can about everything that comes your way, but focus on those technologies that interest you, and seek their subtleties on your own time. Lab facilities are limited which necessitates cooperative scheduling. You may need to use resources in several locations, and finding the right equipment at the right time will require considerable initiative on your part.

Presentation is a large part of your participation in the course. From time to time you will discuss the progress of your work with the class and/or visitors. I will be reviewing your individual progress over the course of the semester by observing your skills and creative choices as you work. There will be a peer and faculty review of your final projects at the end of the semester. Scheduling and location will be worked out in class and via e-mail. The nature of the public exhibition of your projects will be determined during the semester, but you are required to attend this end of semester review.

A suggestion: Buy and keep an unlined sketchbook on you at all times.

Readings

Readings for this class are on reserve at the Architecture Library in Battle Hall.

Readings are assigned weekly. If you look at the readings schedule on the course calendar that follows, you will notice that many (big) books are assigned. The idea is that you go to these books and take what you are interested in, then bring that back to the class for discussion. Get a sense of the field of inquiry, and then narrow it according to your interests.

You are individually responsible for each set of readings. I strongly advise you to spend time struggling with them, even if they seem beyond your reach. If you are having problems with a particular week's readings, contact a classmate or three and meet to discuss the material. I grade your understanding of the readings (and your sensitivity to the issues raised by them) during class discussion, so it is to your advantage to read carefully and participate. Additional classes may be scheduled to discuss particular articles or ideas.

To see the reserve list for this course, go to: http://reserves.lib.utexas.edu/courseindex.asp

The reserve list for this class extends beyond assigned readings. Utilize this catered-to-you-mini-library extensively, and let it send you in multiple directions.

Grading

Grading is based on your participation in the course and the character and quality of your 3 projects. While class participation is not graded as a percentage of your final grade, what you give is proportionate to what you get.

In order to receive a grade for this course, there are three requirements beyond the above. First, you must attend class (you will be dropped after 3 absences). Second, you must complete all of your projects (you will fail in the event of a missing project). Third, you must present your final project in a public setting (we will discuss options). As in any creative class, grading criteria are necessarily subjective. You may not agree with my personal evaluation, but decisions are final and no post-grading negotiation will be permitted. I discourage incompletes.

Project 1: Pod / Cell / Signal (20%)

This project is to be completed in two parts, the first due September 6, the second due September 13

Part 1: Collect three pods, the more unusual the better. Study three cell types (bacteria and viruses ok). Identify three analog or digital signals. Document each group and each element within the group as if they are specimens that have never before been studied. Create or collect photographic evidence that shows multiple perspectives and developmental stages. List physical components: scale, shape, texture, color, surface, sound, contents. Describe source and natural habitat, function, contents, means and modes of dispersion and spread. Estimate limits of influence, agents or causes that test boundaries of transmission and reception. If there are particular characteristics that differentiate your specimens, create categories for them and consider how those categories implicate the other specimens you have chosen.

Part 2: Create a physical display of each group and each element within the group. The exhibition structure(s) should represent the nature of your specimens and their characteristics. Your scientific analyses should allow for metaphorical intervention. Your structure(s) should be on view in the hallways outside Studio 4B prior to class for review and commentary.

Project 2: Mobile Structure (30%)

This project is to be completed in two parts, the first due September 27, the second due October 16

Based on what you learned about architecture, information, containment, location and dissemination in your first project, design a mobile architectural unit. This unit is to be considered thoroughly in terms of its exterior and interior structural and material conditions. It should have a program that describes its scale, function, systems, propulsion mechanism(s), inhabitational parameters, potential destinations…this program should be evident in your final design solution. Your project should be presented in physical models and drawings and digitally using FormZ. Get used to moving between the analog and digital design processes while working on this project.

Part 1: Programs and preliminary ideas, sketches, models—physical and virtual.

Part 2: Final design. Choose a scale for your model(s) and drawing(s) that is appropriate. Contextual, atmospheric, experiential and utilitarian conditions should be well-represented. Exhibit process work in both analog and digital media during the review of your project.

Project 3: Landscape of Mobility (50%)

Presentation of this project will take place during Final Exam week, date to be determined

As futuristic planner, design a site that supports mobile architectures. As architect and visionary, design the 5 primary mobile architectural types supported by it. Your final project should include analog and digital representations of the site and its architectures and should clearly demonstrate your understanding of the issues raised in class.

Course Calendar (labs not included)

Thursday, August 30

Introduction

Tuesday, September 4

Reading 1 due
Leonard Carel, Dried Grasses, Gourds, Pods and Cones
W.R. Lethaby, Architecture, Nature and Magic
Nature, Architecture, Diversity
Paolo Portoghesi, Nature and Architecture
Fundamental Structure

Thursday, September 6

Assignment 1—part 1 due

Tuesday, September 11

Reading 2 due
Joseph Cornell
Deborah Solomon, Utopia Parkway: The Life and Work of Joseph Cornell
Seed for Thought: An exhibition of Early Seed Catalogues, Horticultural Manuals and Illustrated Books Related to 19th and 20th Century (HRC Library Use Only, SB115 S2 1988)

Thursday, September 13

Assignment 1—part 2 due

Tuesday, September 18

Reading 3 due
Jim Burns, Arthropods
Lawrence Halprin, RSVP Cycles
Archigram

Thursday, September 20

Tuesday, September 25

Reading 4 due
Robert Landau, Airstream
Carlton Edwards, Homes for Travel and Living
Recreational Vehicle Industry
Jane Lidz, Rolling Homes
Burch-Brown, Trailers
Richard Sexton, American Style

Thursday, September 27

Assignment 2—part 1 due

Saturday, September 29

Field Trip to RV Sales Lot and Trailer Sales Lot

Tuesday, October 2

Reading 5 due
John Todd, Bioshelters, Ocean Arks
The Immobile Home Syndrome
Yona Friedman, L’architecture Mobile
Alland Wallace, Wheel Estate
David Thornburg, Galloping Bungalows
Eco-Tech

Thursday, October 4

Tuesday, October 9

Reading 6 due
Maria Luisa Palumbo, New Wombs
Luigi Prestinenza Puglisi, Hyper Architecture
Greg Lynn, Animate Form
Jonathan Connell, Minimalist Mobile Robotics

Thursday, October 11

Tuesday, October 16

Assignment 2—part 2 due

Thursday, October 18

Continued Review of Assignment 2

Tuesday, October 23

Reading 7 due
Mario Gandelsonas, The Urban Text
Kevin Lynch, Image of the City
Ezio Godoli, Il Futurismo
Utopia Fotoromanzo
Film Architecture

Thursday, October 25

Tuesday, October 30

Reading 9 due
Bernard Cache, Earth Moves
Toyo Ito, Blurring Architecture

Thursday, November 1

Tuesday, November 6

Reading 10 due
Anthony Vidler, Warped Space
Robert Harbison, Eccentric Spaces
Lebbeus Woods, Terra Nova

Thursday, November 8

Tuesday, November 13

Reading 11 due
Manuel de Landa, A Thousand Years of Non-Linear History

Thursday, November 15

Tuesday, November 20

Work Session

Thursday, November 22

Thanksgiving Holiday

Tuesday, November 27

Work Session

Thursday, November 29

Work Session

Tuesday, December 4

Work Session

Thursday, December 6

Work Session

Final Exam Week

Final Review to be scheduled
CD-ROM and website due