ARCH 642 Reflections on Koyaanisqatsi

1. Formulate at least three points of analysis in relationship to your [architectural] interpretation of the film “Koyaanisqatsi” that touch your individual way of understanding spaces. Were you aware of those topics? Explain how.

The movie Koyaanisqatsi started out showing natural features of the world. Which at that point I found interesting because there was no way of knowing when the movie was actually filmed and produced. While our man-made world is constantly changing, the natural world withstands the test of time unchanged. So when people started showing up, and specifically man-made things, it was quite obvious what time period was being filmed, The natural elements were relaxing to watch, while the man-made movement was taxing to watch, yet I still couldn't look away. I think that's a metaphor for how we live nowadays. While we know that giving into the demands of the world can be a bad thing, we can't help but do it anyways.

2. Are those interpretations, those inquiries related to your individual architecture searches? How? Why?

I have always found nature fascinating and necessary, and have always wondered why we don't focus more on incorporating it into the built environment. This movie made it quite apparent that we don't focus on nature, and we haven't been for some time.

 3. Are those interpretations influencing your individual architecture thesis question[s]? How should they be considered in the current architecture discussions? Bring to the discussion examples of that influence.

My thoughts about the movie are strongly reflected in my thesis. My thesis is about incorporating the nature world into the built world, and the movie made it very obvious to me how much that isn't happening and how necessary it is.

4. As a reference search for an article, a piece of architecture, a design position that take into account the topics you are listing/observing.

I recently read an article/journal written by Maggie Jencks, an architect who died in 1995 from breast cancer. She described hospitals as places that people dread going to. While the buildings 'serve their purpose' of providing medical care to patients, they are not conducive to helping people (family, friends or patients) deal with the harsh reality of their illnesses and overcoming them. Maggie came up with the idea of the Maggies Centre, a place for patients and their families to go to deal with their illnesses, get help and comfort, and realize they have a community who supports them, so they know they aren't alone. It's all about designing and providing an appropriate space where these types of interactions and relationships can happen, and people feel comfortable in them.

ARCH 642 Koyaanisqatsi

My word to describe the movie Koyaanisqatsi was MESMERIZING.

dictionary definition of mesmerize:
[mez-muh-rahyz]
1. to hypnotize.
2. to spellbind; fascinate.
3. to compel by fascination.

Others words:
enthrall
fascinate
hypnotize
stupefy

Typically when someone is fascinated by something, you assume it is something good. But this movie I think was the exact opposite. It was a series of videos basically showing the metaphorical bad of what was happening in the world at that time. Yet I still couldn't look away. I don't know if it was because I was amazed by what was happening, or anxious for what would show up on the screen next, but I was mesmerized by it none-the-less. I t brought to my attention the issues of our reality at that time, and made me realize what we had done to 'fix' some of the issues, and what we hadn't done to make some of the issues even worse today. I imagine the other movies related to this one show even more relateable things to my lifetime and experience thus far. Regardless, I was still fascinated with what was happening. Kind of like when you watch Criminal Minds or visit a memorial, it is still interesting to learn more about what has happened, even if it is bad.

ARCH 642 Challenge vs. Comfort

Rem Koolhaas explains to us that designers used to come up with really unique and groundbreaking ideas that were unpredictable and maybe even controversial. But now, designers have gotten into this rhythm of predictable and safe designs that don't challenge the designers or the users of the space to have to think about it. We design spaces for specific people and only those specific people tend to congregate there. It used to be that designers could create a space that would apply to multiple types of people and therefore would allow for a variety of humans to come to the space, spurring social interaction with new types of people. Many designers now are afraid to take a chance and try something new and crazy because they fear being ridiculed and rejected.

This is an example of a "comfort" plaza. It is safe, symmetrical, flat, and predictable.

This is a "challenge" plaza. It has a sense of danger, has a giant curve that people can climb on if they desire to, and has multiple levels of space.

While both spaces are intended for people to spend time on and congregate in, they are completely different in design. There is nothing in you that desires to walk to the other side of the safe plaza because you know that it will be the same on one side that it is on the other. But there is a part of you that wants to climb the curve on the challenge plaza, a part of you that wants to run down it or sled or just see what the view is from up higher. The challenge plaza creates different types of spaces for all types of people, not just one massive space for a few types of people.

ARCH 642 Invisible Cities

When reading about the city and the sky, I started imagining how you could bring the city level up closer to the sky. I envisioned terraces towering over a city that create a long but meaningful journey up, with connections along the way and multiple paths to choose from. 

One of the city and the sky chapters discussed a city that had a very complex and confusing road system, but if you stood in one specific spot in the city, the paths would all make sense, This model is a conceptual idea representing finding order in chaos. Bright colors, multiple shapes and scales, and blocked views make this environment difficult to travel through, but if you recognize that the patterns on the vertical surfaces are the same as the pattern on the horizontal surface, you can begin to understand the repetition. 

ARCH 642 Theory Less More

LESS seriousness MORE humor
less blah blah blah more ha ha ha

In a society where we are told to be professional, look our best, and behave, it doesn't hurt to break from the norm every once in a while and have a good laugh. Laughter is the best medicine. It is scientifically proven that children laugh significantly more than adults do, but as we grow older we lose our laughter. And that is not okay. If not for pure enjoyment and bliss, laughter can at least help manage stress, decrease blood pressure, and help with anxiety. I think we all get caught up in life and our jobs and forget to have fun with it. I am not immune to it, but I am aware of it. If you aren't surrounding yourself with people who make you laugh or with an environment that you can have fun with, then I think it's time to make a couple of adjustments.

LESS talk MORE action

This is something I have to remind myself of. I am notorious for having big ideas and big dreams for things, but never fully executing them the way I had imagined. That is not to say I am not a highly motivated and goal oriented person, because I am. I think I just am very optimistic when starting something new, and by the end of it the realism sets in and I finally see what I can realistically get done in the amount of time I have and with the resources I have access to. I'm hoping this doesn't happen with my thesis. I have already started doing readings and research for it, so I am trying to get ahead of the game as much as I can while I have the time to do it now. I am very excited about my thesis topic and about the work I have ahead of me to get it accomplished, so I just keep telling myself to 'shut up and do it!'

June 9: 22,792 steps in Lima, Peru

Today is our last day in South America. I can’t believe I have been here for the last 25 days. This morning Kristi, Zach, Paige, and I went down to the beach and Zach and Kristi went surfing! Zach already knew how to surf, but it was Kristi’s first time, and she did great! Paige and I sat on the rocky shore and watched as we breathed in the fresh salty air. I ended up getting a little sun burned, but oh well!

This afternoon we went to Lugar de la Memoria la Tolerancia y la Inclusión Social. It is a building built as a memorial and cultural center that just opened. It was a very modern and simplistic building made out of mostly concrete with a very open floor plan.

In the evening Kristi, Ana, Zach, and I went for a coffee and snack before dinner. We ended up liking the place so much that we went back for dinner with the entire group. It was our last super, South America version.

I’m still in awe of everything I have seen and done over the last 25 days. I still can’t believe I did it all. I’m sure I’ll have more words tomorrow as we make our journey home, but for now, I will sleep on it. I found this quote today in the back of our dinner menu, and I thought it was appropriate for our last day in South America. 

June 8: 24,112 steps in Lima, Peru

This morning we walked down to the beach. It is very warm and humid here! There is a big drop off from the city down to the beach, so we didn’t actually go down to the water today, but we at least got to see it from above. It was a pretty relaxing morning.

We took a bus to another part of town (Lima is very large) that took about an hour and a half. Traffic is crazy here! I fell asleep on the bus for part of it, so the ride didn’t seem as long to me. We ate lunch, looked at a cathedral, and shopped a little. By then it was 5:00pm, which was rush hour. It took us an hour just to find the right bus to get us back to the part of town we are staying in.  Once we found the bus and got on, it was another long ride back.

We finally got back to the hotel at 7:30pm and rested for a bit before dinner. Dinner was quite the adventure. We went to a pedestrian street that was full of restaurants to find a place to eat. Every couple of steps we took there was a new hostess trying to bribe us to come into their restaurant. Most of them offered us free drinks. We finally decided on a place that offered all of us free drinks, but when we went in he said he couldn’t offer that to us anymore, so we left and went somewhere else. The next place also offered us free drinks, but we ran into the same problem where they could only offer certain drinks for free. Some people in the group were very upset about it, but I just wanted food and didn’t really care. We all had delicious pizza by the end of the ordeal, and I think I finally have my appetite back!

Lima is a lot like New York City. A lot of people, traffic, and things going on. Our experience today is the reality of a large city, and it is important to experience it to understand how some cities work, especially major cities. Grateful for the bus experience, but glad I don’t have to do it again anytime soon!