Interim Report

Page 1

M.ARCH 2009-2010 THESIS REPORT

Seeing from different viewpoints

-Reconstructing the illusion of direct observation by observing observers in the observatory

Chao Han

Tutor: Shaun Murray Email: hc_850616@yahoo.cn Blog address: Main blog: http://chaohanarch.blogspot.com/ Inspiration blog: http://chao-han-arch.blogspot.com/


Contents Introduction 01

Chapter One

Theoretical References 02

Chapter Two

Conclusion

Methodology 06 A. Moving Image 07

Site 05 Royal Observatory, Greenwich Observatory dome at UCL

B. Photography

10

C. Scanning

12

D. Drawing

13

E. Modelling

18

Contents

18


Introduction The main idea of this project is ‘seeing in different viewpoints’. Here, the word ‘seeing’ is considered as a means of observation, the result of which may change depending on an individual’s unique point of view. This project attempts to construct a ‘landscape of observation’, by combining observation of that direct ‘seeing’ at Royal Observatory, Greenwich, which is the principle site. Underpinning this interest in seeing and perception is Frederick Kiesler’s idea of double vision (Kiesler, 1930s), which is applied in this project to construct a ‘double vision’ landscape of observation. In addition to the central idea of ‘seeing’, the idea of ‘viewpoints’ is also relevant. A viewpoint is a physical point from which multiple different perspectives can occur; it also refers to the individual process through which we see things, by the means of seeing through a different mode of observation. The first aim of the project is to use a series of methods of observation to observe the visitors and spaces at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich. Each visitor in the Observatory can be considered as an object to be observed. The spatial surfaces and mass of that object and those surrounding it are analyzed through a series of techniques, by which includes the superimposition of photos, drawings, digital models. The constructions of the objects are produced, all of which are appearance draw form direct observation. The project then locates the reproduced three- dimensional construction – a physical model, in a different form and in a different space: the observatory dome at the main campus of University College London. The purpose of shifting site is to demonstrate the possibility of a relocated landscape of observation, in another word, creating a double vision of architecture. The two sites also allow consideration for how an architectural idea may be extracted from one site and implemented in another observing how it behaves in different places. This can also be thought of as expressing a different point of view. Various research and methodologies are used to discuss and explore how we see from different viewpoints and how we reproduce information through sight. The report is structured in the following ways:

Introduction

01


Chapter One introduces the main arguments and references for the project. In particular, it discusses Frederick Kiesler’s idea of double vision and Bernie Searle’s work of Snow White. It also includes a discussion about the different modes of observation that influence the way objects are perceived in human sight. Chapter Two illustrates research into various methods in two and three dimensions by which the idea of processes of seeing are investigated. The research suggests how to reconstruct images with different technique interpretation. The methods also illustrate that it is through creative ability, not by mechanical reproduction that we seeing objects.

Chapter One Theoretical Reference William Blake expresses the idea of how we see directly, writing: “As the eye, such the object (cited in Technique of Observers, 1990).” Here, Blake tells us that our representation of things as they appear to be given does not necessarily conform to these things as they are themselves. Instead the objects we see are appearances that conform to a particular person understanding of the object’s representation. Our understanding of the world visually is a subjective interpretation. Through we are used to locating our position and understanding space through our sight, as Jonathan Crary states, “Most of the historically important functions of the human eye are being supplanted by practices in which visual images no longer have any reference to the position of an observer in a ‘real’, optically perceived world.” (Crary, 1990) As the technique of seeing is changing, people therefore have a different experience of vision compared with earlier periods. For example, at the beginning of the nineteenth century, when the camera obscura was the dominant model of observation, it was “a form of representation which made knowledge in general possible (cited in Technique of Observers, 1990).”

fig 01_Kiesler's vision machine (Source from website search)

1

KIESLER’S DOUBLE VISION In this design project, a new technique of seeing is investigated through the idea of Frederick Kiesler’s Vision Machine’ (Kiesler, 1930s) (fig_01). Kiesler used the imagined apparatus of the vision machine to express the ideas of double vision. He explains the principles behind Double Vision writing: 2

Chapter One

02


“Neither light, nor eye, nor brain, alone or in association, can see. We see only through the total coordination of human experience; and even then, it is our conceived image, and not really the actual object we perceive. We learn, therefore, that we see by creative ability and not by mechanical reproduction (Kiesler, 1930s).” In Kiesler’s opinion, "People see only through the total coordination of human experience, and he attempted to express this by creating a machine to reproduce way we interpret direct observation. In a series of steps, Kiesler construct the idea of double vision. The way information is input into the analogue computer is described in Kiesler’s brief texts:

fig 02_the process of input information (Source from website search)

“First, the object (in this case, an apple made of glass) reflects light rays which are turned into it. Second, the reflected light of object is then drawn into focus by the eye. This part of the demonstration is carried on by the means of glass tubes in which the bubbles are seen moving from the object to the retina .The stimulus the retina does not produce the actual picture of the project as is so commonly accepted. But act as a transformer of the stimuli into forces that continue the original path of light towards the internal structure of the human body, where the perception and formation of the picture is completed (Kiesler, 1930s).” (fig 02) This ideas explains Double vision methodically – the production of a vision of the project (fig 03), that sits alongside the original object itself. However, its output requires the interpretation of its users. Kiesler wants us to “see seeing,” but, as with seeing itself, our understanding of the consequences of this phenomenon is highly personal. From this, the idea of creating a double vision of architecture was developed – the construction of a landscape based on original observations taken form the exact same landscape (or site).

fig 03_ the process of re-creating a vision (Source from website search)

In addition, the design project is also influenced by Bernie Searle‘s work, “Snow White” (Searle. 2001). The ambition of her work seeks to conceptualize identity in a constant state of flux. This instability allows for incessant shifts and constructions of new selves. The self is explored as an ongoing process of creation in time and place. In her work, the self and the body are unfixed through strategies of appearance and disappearance, or visibility and erasure. The presence and absence of the body reflects a desire for selfrepresentation in multiplicitous ways, countering images that were imposed during South Africa’s era of Apartheid. Her body is remodeled from object to subject, from passive to active. Searle’s themes of fluidity, flux, layering, presence, absence, vision, and point of view will serve as a basis of experimentation for the duration of the project.

Chapter One

03


3

Bernie Searle’s strategy :(fig 04 -fig 07)

00:00:28:00

00:00:38:00

00:03:25:00

00:03:29:00

fig 04_STEP 1: Extract stills from film during crucial moments of transformative narrative.

In addition, the design project is also influenced by Bernie Searle‘s work, “Snow White” (Searle, 2001). The ambition of her work seeks to conceptualize identity in a constant state of flux. This instability allows for incessant shifts and constructions of new selves. The self is explored as an ongoing process of creation in time and place. In her work, the self and the body are unfixed through strategies of appearance and disappearance, or visibility and erasure. The presence and absence of the body reflects a desire for selfrepresentation in multiplicitous ways, countering images that were imposed during South Africa’s era of Apartheid. Her body is remodeled from object to subject, from passive to active. Searle’s themes of fluidity, flux, layering, presence, absence, vision, and point of view will serve as a basis of experimentation for the duration of the project.

fig 08_Bernie Searle ‘s work- Layering of fragmented bodies in fragments of time rendered through light. (Source from website search) fig 05_STEP 5: Select stills from animation (every 5 frames).

fig 06_STEP 6: Transfer stills onto acetate transparencies. Hold against wall.

fig 07_STEP 9: Photograph from multiple angles.

Based on Searle and Kiesler’s work, this project attempts to revisit the method of how things are observed through different modes of representation. In a series of different techniques, the project creates other interpretation of the object. The project discusses approaches to combine the reconstruction with the original appearance like a double vision, finally constructing a double vision ‘landscape of observation’ and illustrates a new concept for observation.

Chapter One - Theoretical Reference

04


Site The principle site of the project is the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, and potentially this project will also be located in the observatory dome on the main campus of University College London.

Royal Observatory, Greenwich

fig 09_Royal Observatory, Greenwich

The Royal Observatory (fig 09) is selected as a site for the project based on the interest in how observation actually occurs. The observatory is a historically critical site from which the planets and constellations are carefully observed, and, by analysing their movement and relationship to each other we have come to define space and eventually, time (Lippincott, 2007). The Observatory Building is central to the site and is therefore the heart of nautical astronomy. It was completed in the late-seventeenth-century, when Charles II commissioned Christopher Wren to design a building in which the first Astronomer Royal, John Flamsteed, would come to determine the longitude of the earth (Bold & Bradbeer, 1997). 4

Contemporary Observatory includes the buildings and the objects and information inside, which illustrate the history of the original observers, who previously worked and researched there. The observatory since becomes more like a museum than an observatory and current visitors to the site seek to understand the history of the original observers – the scientists who worked there. Compared with the original observers, we can consider current visitors as new observers of the site. While the Observatory shows histories of the original observers, this project is inspired by the possibility to design something, based on the new visitors (observers) in the current conditions of the site. The objects (visitors) are considering observation from a different viewpoint than the original observers. The purpose and interpretations at the site has therefore changed and for this reason, if reinforces the relevance of the site in relation to the project idea of seeing form different viewpoints.

Observatory dome in the ground of UCL

fig 10_Observatory dome at UCL

In the grounds of UCL, where astronomy was first taught to UK undergraduates, two observing domes flank the portico of main building of UCL (fig 10). They are self-contained units in which a telescope can sit that are protected from the elements without blocking out parts of the sky. In the grounds of UCL, where astronomy was first taught to UK undergraduates, two observing domes flank the portico of main building of UCL. They are self-contained units in which a telescope can sit that are protected from the elements without blocking out parts of the sky.

Chapter One - Site

05


The domes also present any thermal turbulence of the atmosphere surrounding the telescope to allow for clear vision. The domes were used as a model of observatory, though operations at UCL have since shifted to the dedicated University of London Observatory at Mill Hill (Stobbart, 2009). Although the two observing domes aren’t used for actual astronomy anymore, they are maintained and used for exhibition by the art department. In another words, like the Royal Observatory, they have also mainly become a museum, rather than an observatory. The project will potentially extract the landscape of observation that was created from the observations at the Royal Observatory, and reconstruct it in an observatory dome at UCL. The purpose of this is to re-observe and implement that landscape of observation in the second space, creating a sense of “double vision” expressed by Kiesler. It is expected that the project represent the landscape that contains the combination of two sites.

Chapter Two Methodology In this chapter, the theories and methods that were used to develop the project are introduced. They are divided into five categories, with the first three simply being experiments to better explain how vision works, and how it can be differently interpreted. Step four and five are test on-site at the Royal Observatory and form the basis of the design project. A. Moving Image – to illustrate the transformational geometry of a field of vision that occurs between the eyes and the object B. Photography – capturing images from multiple viewpoints through photography and then combining the viewpoints to create a complex montaged image of the object C. Scanning – scanning a physical paper model of a sculpture to record the how we might capture changing direction of spaces D. Drawing – drawing a visual landscape over a photograph to reveal how photos are constructed E. 3D modelling – digitally and physically modelling the drawings from step 4 and creating spatial forms

Chapter Two - Methodology

06


These experimental methods test my intent for an architecture of ‘Seeing in Different Viewpoints’. The final experiments in step D and F consider the visitor in the Observatory as an object to observe. From these steps, the project was developed to create a new landscape of observation – a construction that illustrates the process of producing an interpretation based on direct observation of observatory. The resulting design works and drawings of these experiments are discussed in more details below.

A_Moving Image The first stage of this project focuses on some methods to capture another person’s line of vision, understanding and illustrating the shifting field of vision of people in a street in central London. Because the direction of a human’s eyesight changes every moment, the relationship between the eye and objects in space is also always transforming. The main idea of this series of experiments was to through moving image (film), visually map this transforming relationship determined by the changing direction of people’s eyesight according to what they are observing. This method of capturing shifting eyesight through filmed observation is separated into several methods below. Though different numbers of cameras have been used, all record the line of vision between observers and the objects they are observing. The final experiment considers how this could be represented spatially using parametric modelling.

fig 11_tracking the direction of vision

Chapter Two - Methodology - Moving Image

07


1. Observe eyesight with one video camera One video camera records a person’s changing direction of their viewpoint when crossing a street (fig 11). Due to the limitation of the angle of the camera lens, the information does not exactly reproduce the direction of the eyesight. It becomes clear that a broader context, using multiple perspectives is required to capture the changing field of vision, rather than just observing through a single viewpoint. The second movie illustrates time and space in relation to observation. Again, one camera was held in the same position to record field of vision (fig N). The order of what was recorded was then disrupted by cutting and splicing the film frames with an intention to show that by observing vision in a different chronological sequence we can create a totally different way of seeing space. This broken sequence of view underlines that we are used to seeing things in a particular order, in a particular sequence of time. Therefore, the relation of time sequence and perception are interrelated.

2. Observe eyesight with two video cameras Two video cameras were held in different positions and used to record ten seconds of an event in front of a restaurant when a girl meets with her friends. At least six people were in a same space and many different actions of the eyes happened during the filmed period. In this experiment, the two cameras are held at different viewpoints and act as two observers to record events happening during the period of time. This allows for tracking more exactly than tracking this with just one camera. After recording these elements, the eyesight directions were tracked to analyze the movements of people’s field of vision. The direction of the people’s eyesight and the position of each people is illustrated diagramatically (fig 12), and shows the changing direction of eyesight in time.

Fig 12_The tracking of direction of eyesight and position Chapter Two - Methodology - Moving Image

08


3. Observe eyesight with four cameras Four cameras are held in different positions to improve on the previous experiment: Two of them were used to record a fixed perspective. The other two record cameras are used as if they were observers observing the ‘field of vision’ of the first two cameras. Through this method another film was created that illustrates a combination of subjective and (arguably) ‘objective’ vision at the same time. By observing what was seen from each video, this experiment was used to map changing direction of vision in a diagram. Each layer depicts the frame of a person’s eyesight that changes as they walk across the street. The final step combines multiple viewpoints in a series of layers.

4. Observe moving eyesight with one moving camera This test considered the changing view of a football player observing a ball. A ball is passed to another player who has a camera affixed to his head. The player must change his position physically in order to reach the ball. The following images were captured during this process. From the viewpoints of the spectator, the trace of the ball looks almost like a parabola. But from the player’s viewpoint, the image has a more complex trace, rather than simply looking like a parabola. The reason for this difference is that spectators of a football game have the playing field as their frame of reference. However, from the player’s changing of frame of references, the ball is not seen to trace a parabolic shape due to the individual’s different viewpoints. Football players in particular need to revise their positions in order to catch the ball – their eyes follow the path of the ball in the process and the path appears to be erratic, and dependent on each player’s point of view. Different players have different frames of reference and therefore different traces. The idea of tracking this movement spatially was developed further in the following experiment. fig 13_Moving perspective 5. Observe eyesight with one camera and parametric translation Joachim Sauter’s work, in particularly his "invisible shapes of things past (Sauter, J. 1995)" illustrates parametric translations of movies into space. He lines up single frames from a film sequence in space, according to the camera movements with which they were shot (Fig 13). Inspired by Sauter’s work, this experiment used one video camera held in a fixed perspective to track the visual direction of the girls in front of the restaurant. The result video represents her field of vision and angle of perspective as she approaches the restaurant. Although this field of vision was not exactly the vision field of that girl, as an experiment, this view was used to illustrate a parametric translation of the eye – the object’s movement, similar to Sauter’s work.

Chapter Two - Methodology - Moving Image

fig 14_Moving perspective

09


fig 15_One person's field of vision

This diagram depicts a shifting geometry about the field of one person’s field of vision (fig 15). The experiments provided inspiration to further consider how each person’s sight differs and how it could be represented spatially.

B_Photography Part of the context of this project is to consider how objects are observed from different points of view. The method of composite photography, where images taken from different viewpoints are combined, was seen as a useful way to explore this idea further. The intention was to capture what people saw in a single frame of vision and to transform these visions into a multiple viewpoint of one greater spatial form by assembling the images in a multiple-perspective montage. The idea behind this was inspired by Schelling who said: “We don't live vision; our knowledge is piecework, that is, it must be produced piece by piece in a fragmentary way, with divisions and gradations.” John Berger describes the idea of a ‘set of appearances’, writing: "An image is a sight which has been recreated or reproduced. It is an appearance, or a set of appearances, which has been detached from the place and time in which it first made its appearance and preserved – for a few moments or a few centuries. Every image embodies a way of seeing (John Berger, 1972)."

Chapter Two - Methodology - Photography

10


In order to test this idea the monument of King Charles II in the middle of the Soho Garden was used as an object to capture. The statue can be approached from many different directions; how the object is seen depends on their individual viewpoint. Several different fragmentary views of the monument were photographed (fig 16). For example, the front view of the arm from the monument is supplanted by a view from the side. This fragmentary composition continued until finally an image of multiple viewpoints in a single vision was created. The image was then traced and a series of sections were cut through it also from different points of view. The contour of each section from each different point of view was then outlined. The final image assembles all the lines from different viewpoints in a single vision.

fig 16_combination from multiple viewpoints

A further drawing of the monument was created by imagining that the monument was actually moving through space. The image (fig 17) shows combination of the trace of monument from multiple viewpoints of in space.

fig 17_imagine moving monument

Chapter Two - Methodology - Photography

11


C_Scanning This experiment was to test the idea of trying to use a scanner to record and observe how the form of an object is seen depending on changing directions of the scanner lens. In addition, time is an important element in the process of scanning, as information is recorded over a period of seconds, minutes or hours. In this experiment, a paper model of King Charles II was made like a circle. Each side of the model shows an image of King Charles II, one of him in his youth, and one of him as an old man. This is intended as a metaphor to illustrate time passing. After that the paper model of King Charles II was ripped apart (fig 18). The purpose of this experiment was to observe the random surfaces that were produced of Charles II.

fig 18_combination from multiple viewpoints fig 18_combination from multiple viewpoints

fig 19_scanned paper model of King Charles II

The second experiment was that keeping the paper model of King Charles II above the scanner stick; as the stick recorded the model, the direction of the model was rotated around. The scanned model of different points of view was then combined in a single image of multiple layers (fig 19). The purpose was to record and observe how the form of the paper model is seen when changing directions.

Chapter Two - Methodology - Scanning

12


D_Drawing This series of experiments was undertaken after site visits to at the Royal Observatory to observe the objects from multiple viewpoints over a period of time. The first stage of the experiment focused on camera recordings that were taken during a few seconds. The idea behind this investigation draws on the following quote by Umberto Boccioni (Boccioni, 1910) “All things move, all things run, all things are rapidly changing. A profile is never motionless before our eyes, but it constantly appears and disappears. On account of the persistency of an image upon the retina, moving objects constantly multiply themselves; their form changes like rapid vibrations, in their mad career. Thus a running horse has not four legs, but twenty, and their movements are triangular.” In another words, the motion of the object does not disappear - it leaves a trace on the film, which is a different method of observation compared with how we would observe motion with out eyes. In addition, the idea of camera recordings taken over a period of time also references from Bernie Searle’s work of ‘Snow White’ (Introduced in Chapter One).(fig 20) The observers at the observatory are comparable with Searle’s ‘layering of fragmented bodies in fragments of time’.

fig 20_Searle’s ‘layering of fragmented bodies in fragments of time’ (Source from website search)

The first image shows the visitor’s continuous movement up a staircase to the main hall (fig 21). The second image depicts the process of her looking the painting on the wall in the main hall of the Observatory, turning her body to do so (fig 22). The third image is concerned with time passing and different observers; it captures visitors taking photos inside the building (fig 23). The fourth image illustrates different shadow angles recorded at different times of one day (fig 24). These images are not only taken over a period of time, but also taken from multiple points of view, inspired by photographic with King Charles II monument. The purpose of the multiple viewpoints is to add greater spatially. Chapter Two - Methodology - Drawing

13


fig 21_the visitor’s continuous movement up a staircase

fig 22_looking the painting on the wall and turnning around

fig 23_taking photos inside the building to capture visitors

fig 24_After Eadweard Muybridge ‘Human

fig 24_taken from multiple points of view of shadow

and Animal Locomotion’ (Khan, 2005) (Source from website search)

fig 24_Bragaglia's layered effect of image (bragaglia, 1913). (Source from website search)

These image layers were then combined together and the effect observed. This approach was influenced by the work of Idris Khan, in particular his work “After Eadweard Muybridge ‘Human and Animal Locomotion’” (Khan, 2005). Both projects explore the idea of synchronisation of time in photography and cinematography. In the experiment of the Royal Observatory, by recombining the layers of images, the purpose was to look for alternative means of observing the essence and sensation of speed and motion rather than the usual sequential analysis we are accustomed to seeing through our own eyes. The result can be said to track time and motion derived from observing the visitor’s process of observing. The layered effect of the image creates a kind of spectral photography introduced by Anton Bragaglia (Bragaglia, 1913) . “We are not interested in the precise reconstruction of movement, which has already been broken up and analysed. We are involved only in the area of movement which produces sensation, the memory of which still palpitates in our awareness”. Chapter Two - Methodology - Drawing

14


fig 25_combination of the visitor’s continuous movementing up

fig 27_taking photos inside the building to capture visitors

a staircase

fig 28_taken from multiple points of view of shadow

fig 26_combination of looking the painting on the wall and turnning around

Chapter Two - Methodology - Drawing

15


In a similar way, the sculpture “Unique Forms of Continuity in Space” by Umberto Boccioni (fig 29) could be said to trace a body in space. Its human-like figure seemingly flies or glides through air, with clinging drapery around its legs, giving the sculpture an aerodynamic and fluid form. Instead of a traditional pedestal, the figure is only bound to the ground by two blocks at his feet. The figure is also armless and without a discernibly real face. The way Boccioni’s sculpture traces a body in space inspired a further step in the experiment, to re-read the composite photographs of the visitors through a series of hand drawings. The hand drawn images combine a series of contours taken from the layers of photography. They also contain the spatial condition of Royal Observatory. The outcome of that is following (fig 30-fig 31): fig 29_Bragaglia's layered effect of image (bragaglia, 1913). (Source from website search)

fig 30_re-read the composite photographs of the visitors 1

Chapter Two - Methodology - Drawing

16


fig 31_re-read the composite photographs of the visitors 1

Chapter Two - Methodology - Drawing

17


E_Modelling For the purpose of developing the spatial conditions of the project, a three-dimensional form was constructed that would translated the two-dimensional hand drawings into a spatial construction, in other words, the newly constructed ‘landscape of observation’ traces the movements of the original observers of the site. A series of layered components of the drawings were constructed and assembled into one form. At the same time, a physical model of the form was also used to investigate possibilities for its actual construction. These experiments aimed to reflect the spatial relationships created with the drawing layers.

fig 32_digital 3D model of re-reading the composite photographs of the visitors (on going).

Conclusion This project originated from an interest in how ‘invisible elements’ in the environment could be observed and re-interpreted with the ideas of Kiesler’s double vision – the real object and the interpreted object. As Hendrik Lorentz said, “An observer cannot observe without changing what is seen (cited in Technique of Observers, 1990).” The project has tested different ideas of changing and fixed viewpoints through a range of techniques. Experiments using various methods of documentation describe the subjective process of how people observe. Through these experiments it becomes clear that we observe objects in different ways, which results in different ways of seeing – and as a result, different imagery. The initial series of experiments about vision led the main analysis through drawings of photographs that record the object and the movement of visitors at site – the Royal Observatory. The series of hand drawings are created form photos are composited in multiple layers. The drawings subjectively highlight various layers of the photos and are re-traced with 3D computer modelling to construct a layered, three -dimensional form.

Conclusion

18


The new spatial form that is created therefore results from my observations taken from the observers and spaces in the Royal Observatory. The form is a landscape in space, and can be considered as a ‘landscape of observation’ that integrates the original orders of observation. In this way, the project references Kiesler’s idea of Double Vision: the combination of a conceived image and an actual object. A landscape of observation about the observers in the Royal Observatory is then introduced to another site – the observatory dome at the UCL. It is imagined that the landscape will then be combined and reconstructed as a double vision landscape of observation by adding layers of the original appearance of visitors to the second site. In this way we can see Kiesler’s idea of a superimposed object again.

fig 33_Kiesler’s plan for installation of the Vision Machine in a gallery or museum or, perhaps, a new type of building (Kiesler, 1930). (Source from website search)

“Following the glass of each cycle, a new stream of light recreated within the human body, passes from within the body outward and superimposes its own image upon the object which it has been ‘seen’. A transparent screen that is suspended close to the real object - the apple) act as receiver of this ejected picture (Kiesler D, 1930s).” Unlike combining the construction with the original appearance of the object itself, this project attempts to depict the ideas of 'implementing it through another (fig 33)', for the purpose of re-observing that in second space, by the means of a metaphor of seeing in different viewpoints (place) as well. And finally make a landscape that represents a combination of space of the sites. The original observers are reinterpreted into spatial form that is then translated. New observers will be surveyed and layered into the form, introducing a different viewpoint. The project is therefore a combination of two sites of observation; it is Kiesler’s double vision reproduced over a period of time to form new landscapes of observation.

Conclusion

19


Bibliography BOOK

Bausman, K & Pillette, P 1988,The London project. Princeton Architectural Press, New York. Betts, J 1993, Harrison, National Maritime Museum. Berger, J 1972, Ways of Seeing, British Broadcasting Corporation and Penguin Books. Bold J & Bradbeer, C 1997, Maritime Greenwich: The official Guide, National Maritime Museum. Brownell, B 2008, Transmaterial 2: A Catalog of Materials That Redefine Our Physical Environment, Princeton Architectural Press. Capra, F 2003, The Hidden Connections, Great Britain. Coveney, P & Highfield, R 1991, The Arrow of Time: the Quest to Solve Science’s Greatest Mystery, Great Britain. Crary, J 1992, Techniques of the Observer, United States of America. Evan, R 1995, The Projective Cast: Architecture and its Three Geometries, The MIT Press. Gregory, R.L. 1998, Eye and Brain: the Psychology of Seeing, Milan. Huw, P 1997, Time's Arrow & Archimedes' Point: New Directions for the Physics of Time, Oxford University Press. Kemp, M 1990, The science of art, New Haven, Yale university press. Leach, N 1997, Rethinking Architecture: A Reader in Cultural Theory, Routledge. Lippincott, K 2007, A Guide to the Royal Observatory, National Maritime Museum. Spiller, N 2006,Visionary Architecture: Blueprints of the Modern Imagination, Hardcover in the United States of America.

WEBSITE Adventures in Cybersound n.d., The Camera Obscura : Aristotle to Zahn. Retrieved from http://inventors.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.acmi.net.au/AIC/CAMERA%5FOBSCURA. html Boccioni, U 1910, Futurist Painting: Technical Manifesto. Retrieved from http://www.diagonalthoughts.com/?p=455 Kiesler, F 1930s, A Vision Machine. Retrieved December 2009, from http://lebbeuswoods.wordpress.com/2009/12/22/kieslers-double-vision/ Sauter, J 1995, The Invisibles Shapes of Things Past. Retrieved from http://www.joachimsauter.com/en/projects/invisibleshapes.5.html Searle, B 2001, Snow White. Retrieved 2010, from http://www.arch.columbia.edu/andrea-zalewski Stobbart, P 2009, Where the Sun hits the sky. Retrieved October 22, 2009, from http://kendalastronomer.wordpress.com/2009/03/10/the-dome/

Bibliography

20


FOOTNOTES 1. The camera obscura: (1) An apparatus in which the images of external objects, formed by a convex lens or a concave mirror, are thrown on a paper or other white surface placed in the focus of the lens or mirror within a darkened chamber, or box, so that the outlines may be traced. (2) (Photog.) An apparatus in which the image of an external object or objects is, by means of lenses, thrown upon a sensitized plate or surface placed at the back of an extensible darkened box or chamber variously modified; - commonly called simply the camera (Adventures in Cybersound, n.d.). 2. The vision machine consists of: (1) the object, (2) the eye, (3) the dividing partition between the outside and inside, (4) a cycle system of man’s physiology, and (5) a based upon the machine rests and which contains the built-in talking apparatus (Kiesler, 1930). 3. Bernie Searle’s strategy: STEP 1: Extract stills from film during crucial moments of transformative narrative. STEP 2: Model particles of flour in 3D space for front and top views in original film stills. STEP 3: Position / rotate front view particles and top view particles on perpendicular axes. STEP 4: Render views from multiple angles through animation.

STEP 5: Select stills from animation (every 5 frames).

STEP 6: Transfer stills onto acetate transparencies. Hold against wall. (Spatial Study / Light Study) STEP 7: Construct light box. STEP 8: Align sequential transparencies in light box. STEP 9: Photograph from multiple angles (Searle, 2001) . 4. Flamsteed desired to solve how to locate global direction precisely, which was a challenging problem in the seventeenth-century. And his main motivation was the event that a huge number of seafarers died at sea because they were unable to find their direction. By observing the positions of sun, moon and stars, scientists were able to help sailors know their positions based on geometry as they sailed to different parts of the world (Lippincott, 2007).

Bibliography

21


Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.