ARC 6853-Theory and Research In Design Theory Forum-Urban Blind spots Xuan Lu-MAAD-Reg NO. 120185377 2013/1/16
Outline i. Abstract---------------------------------------------------------------------------------(3) ii. Introduction--------------------------------------------------------------------------- (3) iii. Lectures---------------------------------------------------------------------------------(3) iv. Comparison----------------------------------------------------------------------------(4) v. Evaluation -----------------------------------------------------------------------------(5) vi. Conclusion-----------------------------------------------------------------------------(6) vii. References------------------------------------------------------------------------------(7) 2 / 7
i. Abstract This essay mainly compares two research methodologies used by lecturers in their works. For the reason that both of them were giving lectures in the Theory Forum which topic was Urban Blind Spots, their works are all related to a certain urban space. At the first part of this essay, a simple explanation based on my understanding of urban blind spot will be stated. Following that the basic information of the projects those two researchers worked with which showed in their lectures will be demonstrated. The research methodologies will also been compared and evaluated below. At last a conclusion will be made based on all those analysis. ii. Introduction A blind spot is defined in the dictionary as a permanent or temporary area of depressed or absent vision caused by lesions of the visual system, viewing the sun directly (eclipse scotoma), squinting, etc. This phrase has some figurative meanings in many different contexts: in a Wei Chi 1 game, a blind spot is a fantastic cell witch none of the two players have realized; in a vehicle motorboat, aircraft, car, truck a blind spot is an area around it that cannot be observed directly by the driver while controlling it. However what is a blind spot means when it in the context of architecture or urban design? I consider it as an area which enough attention is not given, and is not been appropriately designed or used presently. Nevertheless, just like Wei Chi, when mentioning an area as a blind spot, it more signified that it is a place with potential value other than a place which should be ignored. This essay is mainly about comparing two lectures given by Marian Potocar and Katja Grillner respectively in the Theory Forum Urban Blind Spots in 13 th and 14 th November, 2012. In the Theory Forum which held by Architecture School of Sheffield University, a series of lectures have been given by some researchers, the reason why I choosing them is that, both of their researches were about outside spaces of similar scale, the former one is Freedom Square in Bratislava, the other one is Rosenlund Park. iii. Lectures In Marian Potocar s lecture, the history of Freedom Park has been stated and described in a chronological order, from the period after World War I to the present. His purpose is to examine the contrast between majestic history and societies of Totalitarian and liberal democratic regimes. At present, the square is a place with a fountain in the middle has not been used for a while and surrounded by a series of architecture complex. This area now is supposed to be a public place in a situation of deterioration, due to the reality that without program update and sufficient maintenance. The possible change is demolished and replaced by more profitable 1 A two persons board game originated from ancient China. Dark colored piece and light colored piece are used in a rating board when playing. 3 / 7
market oriented city planning. The final destiny of Freedom Park did not mentioned by Marian Potocar, which left a space of imagination for us. In Katja Grillner s lecture, a performative mode of writing place through different forms of self reflexive engaged in her research, and her own experience had been used as a primary source. Her research topic is role of memory and everyday appropriation in place perception. The Rosenlund Park now is in a progress of reconstruction, the entrance of the park has been emphasized as a new representative space, which not approved by the researcher, as she thought the primary users are going to lose their habitants. iv. Comparison Theory Both of the topics are about an out space which has been changed in the past several years, and seen as a place of unstably. However the two lecturers based on different theoretical research methodologies in doing the researches. Marian Potocar borrowed of Henri Lefebvre s concept take space as social product. According to his concept, the space as a whole consists of spatial triad produced by three types of practices: the first one is physical transformations of the evnrionment producing physical space ; the second one is practices of representation of space producing concieved space ; the last one is practices of appropriation of space, living in space producing representational space, or space of representation. Katja Grillner mentioned feminist academic writing in the lecture, which had a significant influence on her research. She also took a deep look into other researchers work that related to it. Site Description In Marian Potocar s lecture, a picture of the Freedom Square was showed, the square shaped out by the buildings around it, just like roads in cities of Italy, such as Venice. The shape of the road there is not just the link of two destinations with smooth boundaries, but shaped out by the buildings beside it. Both of them are negative spaces. Without too much description of the park, in Katja Grillner s lecture, the park is like an existing piece of space, and surroundings then added around it, embellished with greenbelt and play facilities for children inside it. Is this the researcher s consciously behavior of weakening the identity of the park, strengthening the subjective feeling of herself? In that some similar memories of the readers about some places where they have been might be called back by the description of the feelings of the Rosenlund Park. 4 / 7
In the Freedom Square, with the pictures showed then comparing building s scale around it, a sense of dimension can be built. However, in the Rosenlund Park, except for the facilities, buildings located nearby, it is more like a vacant existing which permeates everywhere, the size of it cannot been known. It seems more match an image in the memory. Narrative Sequence The history and current situation of the Freedom Park has been stated by Marian Potocar in a chronological order. On the contrary, in Katja Grillner s description, it seems that time stands still, different layers of time and lived experience appeared at one time. There are four layers mentioned by her, they are not showed in a chronological order but in an order of appearing in the researcher s memory. There are four layers: - In 2005, the research first encountered with Rosenlund Park. - In 1975, it was the early childhood of Katja Grillner, neighborhood in Gothenburg. - In 2008 2009, herself and 2 to 3 year old child in Rosenlund Park. - Current present, In 2010, her 4 year old child biking and playing football in the park. Angle of view The two researchers showed different angles of view. Marian Potocar was a outsider, looked down and stated the history of the Freedom Square dispassionately. Not only that, during the whole research period, few people were mentioned and also without any emotional description. Other researchers recordings and achievements had been rationally analyzed and in personally stated by him. Nevertheless, Katja Grillner s own experience has been taken as the primary source, a large amount of personal activities were involved, her own feelings were described in the lecture as well. The researcher herself was a participant. v. Evaluation and Inspiration Katja Grillner As reported by Katja Grillner, there was a renovation and redevelopment program taken in 2006 in Rosenlund Park. In order to build a place of new image for the new habitants in the housing block which built in the square Åsötorget nearby the park, climbing structures for children have been demolished, where her son and other kids lived around used to play a lot and get lots of fun. She thought the primary users were not been concerned by the designer, and the new entrance was designed for good weather only, windy winter has also been ignored by the designer. It seems that designer, client, user are three basic and central roles which involved in a construction progress. The user always been considered as a group of new comers, the group of primary users should also been taken into consideration. 5 / 7
A play ground with a piece of grasses for an adult is a place to passes by, walks dog, gets some sunshine when sitting on it for a sandwich. It seems nothing to do with playful. However, holding a three year old kid s hand makes a significant difference. The kid can be seen as a feeler of the adult which has its own subjectivity. Katja Grillner thought it like expanding herself and anticipation of the child s next move is needed. What inspired me is that, people may also get different feelings about a certain site, when taking a bike, a car, a sliding plate or a pair of speed boots as a part of our own body. The way of combining different memory layers Katja Grillner used in her research can also be applied in other projects. Actually, it has already been used in my own. After visiting the site of our studio, lower Ouseburn Valley in Newcastle upon Tyne. I tried to sketch out the most impressive images I got there, and colors, textures, materials, anything I can remember have been added to the sketches. What turn out to be interesting is that, the thing that made least mistake from my memory was colors, when compared to texture, material, location. From that experiment, memories were filtered and what left turn out to be the features a site owned. It also showed the mistakes in my memory and allowed me to correct it after that. Marian Potocar History will sediment in everywhere of a city, what people supposed to do is not only replace the former trace with a new one, or it will looks like a scar in the old city skin texture. What I suggest to do is keeping the recent landscape and remaining the fountain, but filling the site with new activities. Regarding of this, some new facilities and slight changes are essential, such as outdoor furniture, outdoor drinkable water facility, playing facility for children, etc. My proposal is more similar to the Bod 0 mentioned in his lecture to a certain extent. Another suggestion is that, in front of the fountain, the history of the square, which thought to be the barrier for the Freedom Park to change its identity, can be showed in a piece of stone or white board. Any piece of history, no matter active or negative to the development of human civilization, should be remembered. This square can be a historical retention of a special period, as well as providing people with leisure outside public space. With time passing by, people who lived in last age will decrease, one day disappear. Young generation can remember the history by visiting the square. Just like the cemetery of revolutionary martyrs in China, almost every city or town may have at least one of them. Most of them now become a park for old people to do some morning excises or play mahjong, and for kids to play hide-and-seek. Only during some special festivals will primary school and middle school organize students to pay respect to died. vi. Conclusion Marian PotocarAND Katja Grillner presented almost totally different research view 6 / 7
angles: the former one in an objective position and keep a distance with the site, another one in a subjective position and deeply involved on the contrary. While what they concerned most are both the users of the square or park and activities taking in the sites. In purpose of wipe off the urban blind spots and make them into active public spaces. Even though none of them have applied their proposals on the sites, they all presented some point of views which made sense and may work. vii. References Bryan Lawson. (1991). How designers think. Oxford: Butterworth Architecture. Collins UK. (2008). Collins Learner's English-Chinese Dictionary. Beijing: The Commercial Press. Donna Haraway. (Autumn, 1988). Situated Knowledges: The Science Question in Feminism and the Privilege of Partial Perspective. Feminist Studies, 14(3), 575-599. Henri Lefebvre. (1991). The Production of Space. Blackwell, Oxford. Katja Grillner. (2010). A Performative Mode of Writing Place Out and About the Rosenlund Park, Stockholm, 2008 2010. Katja Grillner. (2000). Ramble, Linger, and Gaze: Dialogues from the Landscape Garden. Stockholm: KTH. Marian Potocar. (2012). Freedom Square in Bratislava Monumental Space and Open Public Space. Peterson. (2000). The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. Retrieved January 13th, 2013, from http://www.thefreedictionary.com/blind+spot Petrescu, Doina. (2007). Altering Practices: Feminist Politics & Poetics of Space. London: Routledge. 7 / 7