Laboratory on Writing Day 4 : MA History and Critical Thinking

Day 4: Translation of Bruno Munari ‘Arte Come Mestiere’ (1966) A Living Language “On its own, a good language will not save humanity. But to research what is behind names will help us to understand the structure of the world in which we live. A good language will help us to communicate between each other, the realities of the environment by which we are surrounded, in which, at present, we speak in darkness, in foreign languages. (Stuart Chase, The Tyranny of Words)”1 ‘Good language alone will not save mankind. But seeing the things behind the names will help us to understand the structure of the world we live in. Good Language will help us to communicate with one another about the realities of our environment, where we now speak darkly, in alien tongues.’

(Stuart Chase, The Tyranny of Words)2 “The mandate, seeing that he could have other not, left from him badly satisfied, doubting being birded.” Can we have a public conversation today using the language of the 14th century? The public probably wouldn’t understand, or would understand badly. Should we try with the language of the 17th century?

“Having sensed a certain demonstration that everyone obtains to make us large and ignorant, thus knowing that all the literates will be fruitless and entangle not in these matters” Just as there are dead languages, it is only natural that there should be other means of expression and communication that are out of use. We know that in order to communicate a message we do not only use words, but in certain cases we use images, colours, forms, symbols and signals. So just as there are words of other eras, there are colours, forms symbols and signals that no longer convey anything, or even warp the original meaning into a misconception.

What does the sign of the blacksmith say to children today? To the children of the 1900s it said a lot, it must have had a great appeal at the time; at the sight of this sign everyone would have ran to witness the spectacle of the blacksmith beating the ardent iron on the anvil, occasionally reheating it the forge, in a firework of sparks, then nailing it under the hoof of the horse in a cloud of intense smell, whilst the horse, huge and impassive, minded his own business, tied to a metal ring attached to the external wall of the dark and smoky passageway.

Maybe today’s urban child wont even know what a horseshoe is, and thus this object (which was a symbol), and the sign, (a signal evoking so many images and meanings), is reduced to a lucky charm nowadays.

We could make similar observations regarding colours in visual communication. We can also note, that for great periods of time, certain colours and forms were most prominent, there have been periods of time in which all colours seemed to be earthy and forms were hard, periods in which all of the colours were constantly present, periods in which everything was solved with three or four colours alone; until today, where thanks to chemistry, to plastic materials and other inventions- colour lies in the spectrum of chaos.

If we were using the colours synonymous with the Liberty Style for our road signs, these would be perfectly camouflaged with the environment. At this particular time, the colours favoured were particularly refined. We can get a faint idea of this if we look at the label on Roberts brand talcum powder and the liquor ‘Strega’. At the time it was fashionable to place pink adjacent to yellow, brown next to blue, coffee and coco were aligned, pea green was partnered with lilac and then there

1 The original English text, which was found, already translated in Bruno Munari’s book, in Italian, which I therefore translated back into English (see 2). I included the original version in order to compare how meaning has been warped through the process of translation.

2 Translation of Stuart Chase, from Italian, back into English (without having read the original version).

were tonal increments; red and sky blue (instead of red and navy) and so on and so forth. Now, can we imagine a <no overtaking> sign with a purple background and a coffee coloured car next to a coco coloured car? Yes, we can picture this for fun, but we certainly can’t use this on road signs.

In the past, a series of colours (let’s presume these were all muted, dark tones) were adaptable indifferently to all human activities. The colours of home interiors were not different to those of clothing or those of vehicles, whilst today there are separate, different colours for all manner of purposes. Road signs are red, blue and yellow, they are vibrant in order to convey precise meaning.

Then there is the green of the traffic light, and for adverts; garish and vulgar colours are chosen, or light and very refined ones, selected and appropriated accordingly to the content. In the press, monotonous quadrichrome is used, to level out all colours, whilst in fashion all variations are used in cycles.

Images used to always be painted, sculpted or drawn, reproducing the real as the visible, the recognisable. Today, we can also see the invisible: what the eye cannot see machines can now see for us. X-rays, images form the microscopic world, the artist’s invention. Machines that can let us see music and sounds, noises in the form of luminous waves, machines that can show us photo-elasticity through colour and polarized light, machines that slow down the images of a movement so much that they become multiplied in order to show us each dilated moment. And then the lights that are now part of the night skyline, fluorescent ones, lights running on sodium vapour, neon, black light. And the forms, the real forms and thus the exact beautiful forms of airplanes, missiles, forms created by speed, forms that were once entirely inconceivable. Forms we see everyday, the colours and lights of our time. To accept, know and use these tools means to express yourself with the language of now, for the man of today.

This is a sign indicating sharp turns in the style of Louis XIV (14th). There have always been sharp and dangerous bends, even during the time of Louis, but at that time there were no road signs yet there were royal emblems. The reduction in ornamentation was directly proportional to the increased amount of traffic on the roads (and the speed at which it travelled), until we came to the imperative (and essential) signage we use today.

Reality changes visual language.

-Translation By M.Audisio

Caitlin Daly Misadventures of Google Translation

Le Mur- Jean-Paul Sartre (Excerpt)

Ils savaient ce qu’ils faisaient: j’avais passé la nuit dans l’attent; après ça, ils m’avaient encore fait attendre une heure dans la cave, pendant qu’on fusillait Tom et Juan, et maintenant ils m’enfermaient dans la lingerie; ils avaient dû préparer leur coup depuis la veille. Ils se disaient que les nerfs s’usent à la longue et ils espéraient m’avoir comme ça.

Ils se trompaient bien.

Dans le lingerie, je m’assis sur un escabeau, parce que je me sentais très faible et je me mis à réfléchir.

Mais pas à leur proposition.

Naturellement, je savais où était Gris: il se cachait chez ses cousins, à quatre kilomètres de la ville. Je savais aussi que je ne révélerais pas sa cachette, sauf s’ils me torturaient (mais ils n’avaient pas l’air d’y songer). Tout cela était parfaitement réglé, définitif et ne m’intéressait nullement.

Seulement j’aurais voulu comprendre les raisons de ma conduite. Je préférai plutôt crever que de livrer Gris. Pourquoi? Je n’aimais plus Ramon Gris. Mon amitié pour lui était morte un peu avant l’aube en même temps que mon amour pour Concha, en même temps que mon désir de vivre.

Sans doute je l’estimais toujours; c’était un dur. Mais ça n’était pas pour cette raison que j’accetais de mourir à sa place ; sa vie n’avait pas plus de valeur que la mienne; aucune vie n’avait de valeur. On allait coller un homme contre un mur et lui tirer dessus jusqu’à ce qu’il en crève : que ce fût moi ou Gris ou un autre c’était pareil. Je savais bien qu’il était plus utile que moi à la cause de l’Espagne, mais je me foutais de l’Espagne et de l’anarchie : rien n’avait plus d’importance. Et pourtant j’étais là, je pouvais sauver ma peau en livrant Gris et je me refusais à le faire. Je trouvais ça plutôt comique: c’était de l’obstination.

Je pensai: « Faut-ill être têtu! » Et une drôle de gaieté m’envahit.

The

Wall-

Jean-Paul

Day 4: Translation Consulting an ‘Expert’

Sartre(Excerpt) The Wall- Jean-Paul Sartre(Excerpt)

They knew what they were doing: I had spent the night in the [ok..], after that, they had me [wait maybe] an hour in the cellar, while they [ooo scary] Tom and Juan and now they locked me in [What?]they

ATTENT YET FAITATTENDRE GLARED

They knew what they were doing: I had

WAITING, after that, they MADE ME WAIT ANOTHER hour in the spent the night

EXECUTED Tom

BY FIRING SQUAD

cellar, while they and Juan

[that is better]

and now they locked me

THE LAUNDRY ROOM LINGERIE HAD TO [whew]. They MUST HAVE BEEN PREPARE THEIR SHOT[Excuse PREPARING their PLAN since in

said that YOUR nerves WILL wear DOWN THAT THE NERVES SUBJECT TO WEAR AND THEY HOPED TO OVER TIME and they hoped to have HAVE ME LIKE THAT.[That just me like that.

They WERE VERY sounds so wrong in this context.]

MISTAKEN. In THE LAUNDRY

They made mistakes.

In LINGERIE[Well still in my ROOM, I sat on a stool, because I

me?] since yesterday. THEY SAID yesterday. PEOPLE

underwear, ok], I sat on a stool, because I

felt very weak, and I started thinking. But

felt very weak, and I started thinking. BUT not ABOUT their proposal. Naturally, I

NOT TO THEIR PROPOSAL.[That knew where Gris WAS: he hid is not a proper sentence]Naturally, I AT his cousins HOUSE KNEW WHERE GRIS: HE HID [much nicer, no?],four kilometers from

IN HIS COUSINS[One not a

I also knew that I would NOT reveal his hiding PLACE proper sentence, two WHAT?!], four kilometers from the city. I also knew unless they tortured me (but they the city.

CARE ENOUGH).

All this was perfectly REGULATED AND DEFINITIVE, and does not seriously need to work on sentence interest me AT ALL. I ONLY wanted to structure...](but they do not seem to think understand the reasons BEHIND for my of it). All this was perfectly tuned, final and BEHAVIOR. I preferred to die rather than does not interest me. Only I wanted to that I would reveal his hiding not unless they tortured me [They

understand the reasons for my conduct. I preferred to die rather than give up Gris.

Why? I no longer loved Ramon Gris. My friendship for him had died shortly before dawn along with my love for Concha, along with my desire to live. No doubt I always felt, IT WAS HARD.[What??] But that was not why I ACCETAIS[accept(ed) to perhaps?]die in his place, his life HAD? no more value than mine, no life had value.

[What it?] stick a man against a wall and shoot him until he bursts: it was me or GRAY[Who?] or another it was the same. I knew IT[It who?] was more useful to me the cause of Spain, but I did not care about Spain and anarchy: nothing was more important.

And yet there I was, I could save my skin by delivering GREY[??] and I refused to do so. I found it rather comical: it was stubbornness. I thought,

IT WOULD

BE STUBBORN!”[Is

do not seem

give up Gris. Why? I no longer loved Ramon Gris. My friendship for him had died shortly before dawn along with my love for Concha, along with my desire to live.

A

doubt

WITHOUT

I STILL HOLD HIM IN

HIGH REGARD,

[with feeling!]

DAMN IT.

But that was not why

I ACCEPTED DYING

in his place;

his life had no more value than mine, no life

EVER HAS ANY VALUE.

THEY would stick a man against a wall and shoot him until he DIES: IF it was me or

GRIS or another it was the same. I knew HE was more useful THAN me TO the

cause of Spain, but I did not

GIVE A

Spain and anarchy: nothing

IS

FUCK

[like you mean it]

ANYMORE.

about

important

And yet there I was, I

could save my skin by delivering

GRIS and I

refused to do so. I found it rather comical: it

was stubbornness. I thought, “MUST I “IS ILL be BULLHEADED!” [stick

I’ll speak to your guns] And a BOUT English??] And a funny gaiety came over me. LAUGHTERcame over me.

OF

Die Aufgabe1 des Übersetzers

The Task1 of the Translator

… Auch im2 Bereiche3 der Übersetzung4 gilt: έν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ Λόγος5, im Anfang war das Wort6.

Dagegen kann, ja9 muß dem Sinn gegenüber10 ihre7 Sprache8 sich gehen lassen, um nicht dessen11 intentio als Wiedergabe, sondern als Harmonie, als Ergänzung zur Sprache, in der diese14 sich mitteilt, ihre eigene Art der intentio ertönen12,13 zu lassen. Es ist daher, vor allem im Zeitalter ihrer Entstehung15, das höchste Lob einer Übersetzung nicht, sich wie ein Original ihrer Sprache zu lesen16. Vielmehr ist eben das die Bedeutung der Treue, welche durch Wörtlichkeit verbürgt17 wird, daß die große Sehnsucht18 nach Sprachergänzung19 aus dem Werke spreche20.

Die wahre Übersetzung ist durchscheinend, sie verdeckt nicht das Original, steht ihm nicht im Licht21, sondern läßt die reine Sprache, wie verstärkt durch ihr eigenes Medium, nur um so voller aufs Original fallen22. Das vermag vor allem Wörtlichkeit23 in der Übertragung der Syntax und gerade sie erweist das Wort, nicht den Satz als das Urelement des Übersetzers. Denn24 der Satz ist die Mauer vor der Sprache des Originals, Wörtlichkeit - die Arkade.25 …

… Also to the2 field3 of the translation4 applies: En archē ēn ho Lógos5, in the beginning was the Word6.

In contrast its7 language8 can, and indeed9 must let itself go with regard to10 the sense, not to have its11 intentio reverberate12 in the form of a rendition, but to let its own kind of intentio resound13 as a harmony, as an addition to the language in which it4 transmits itself. It is therefore, foremost in the era of its formation15, not the highest laud for a translation, to read itself16 as an original of its language. Rather this is precisely the meaning of the fidelity, which is vouched17 for by literality, that the great yearning18 for language extension19 speaks from the work20.

The truthful translation is translucent, it does not occlude the original, does not stand in its light,21 but lets the pure language, as though reinforced by its own medium, fall22 even stronger on the original. Especially the literality23 in the transfer of the syntax is capable of this, and proves specifically the word, not the sentence, to be the Urelement of the translator. For24 the sentence is the wall in front of the language of the original, literality the arcade.25 …

1. The title of Walter Benjamin’s essay is, as Paul de Man has pointed out, somewhat ambiguous: Aufgabe could be translated as both the “task” and as the act of “giving up” – thus suggesting both the necessity for, and the impossibility of transfering a text from one language to another.

2. “Im” is a combination of the words “in dem” – which corresponds to “in the”.

One of the few instances where German is actually shorter than English. Also Benjamin repeats “im” - “im Bereiche” / “im Anfang”.

3. “Bereich” is derived from “reichen” – “reach”. “Field” again would translate into German as “Feld,” which is – rarely – used synonymously.

10. “gegenüber” means to be “vis-à-vis.”

Here it acts both as “in regard to” and as “in the face of”.

19. “(Sprach-)ergänzung” implies simultaneously an addition and a (possible) completion. As a language can never be complete, “extension” was chosen.

11. The sense’s.

20. Benjamin repeats “speaking” by using it as a noun (“Sprach[ergänzung]”) and as verb (“sprechen”).

12. This verb needs to be included because the English sentence structure would not allow for only one action word.

“Reverberate”, as “Wiedergabe” reflects the idea of a reflection of something.

21. “Im Licht stehen” could also be translated as “to be in the limelight” thus “to stand in its light” here means to take away the light / to obscure.

13. “Ertönen lassen” is an active verb that means “produce a sound”.

22. Benjamin probably uses the expression “fallen” to reinvoke the idea of light falling on something.

14. The language.

4. “Translation” stems from lat. “transferre” – the equivalent to the meaning of the German “Übersetzung” – “transfer”.

15. “Enstehung” is passive. It is not done by anyone – which is why “creation”or “articulation” would not be adequate.

5. Transliteration of the Koine Greek.

16. “es liest sich”: the way a text “appears” when read.

6. John 1:1 - capitalization of “Word,” as it is God: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

Winston Hampel

9. The german “ja” here functions as an emphasizing focus particle.

7. The translation’s.

17. “verbürgen” is not related to “Bürger” but to old German “purigön” – “to appeal” or french “appeler”. Thus “vouch” which is related to lat. “vocare” – “to call, summon”

8. “Sprache” is derived from “sprechen,” “speak,” and thus has a much more “applied” connotation than the passive language.

18. “Sehnsucht” describes an emotional state, that is not completely translatable into English...

23. “Wörtlichkeit” actually means “wordliness” and stems from “Wort”, the word, unlike ”literality” which relates to the single letter. In reference to the content the reference to “words” seems more accurate, as “wordliness” seems to relate primarily to a religious context.

24. The apodictic character of the sentence seems to be amplified by the rather archaic use of “for” instead of “because.”

25. This does not anticipate Benjamin’s focus on the arcades. The term for the “arcade” in the “Arcade project” was “Passage”. Thus this translation could mislead the english reader...

Het Lelijkste Land ter Wereld/The Ugliest Country in the World Maarten Lambrechts Original text: Braem, R. (1968) Het Lelijkste Land ter Wereld Davidsfonds, p.1

Wandelgids in de Belgische jungle, bestemd voor ontwakende slaapwandelaars.

Een blik op de jungle.

‘Don't smoke, fasten belts’. Lichtende letters verschijnen vooraan in de kabine.

Deemoedig onderwerpen we ons aan het opgelegde rituaal en proberen intussen door de venstertjes nog een en ander thuis te brengen in het dichter naar boven schuivende landschap, dat dit is van ons geliefd vaderland, zo klein dat we reeds vóór de grenzen begonnen te dalen, om de wielen te Melsbroek aan de grond te krijgen.

Daar beneden ligt het dus, ‘het lieflijk plekje grond, waar eens mijn wiegje stond’. Typisch ziet het er wel uit, duidelijk herkenbaar, andere schaal, andere kleur, andere sfeer, anders dan welk ander ook.

Waar we enkele minuten geleden nog landschappen onder ons zagen wegglijden, door de natuur gemodeleerd tot monumentale komposities, breed behandelde reliëfs, doorsneden met de harmonische meanders van stromen en rivieren, van heuvels en bergen, met de climax van de met sneeuw bedekte toppen, gletschers en meren van Ober-Bayern, Oostenrijk, Zwitserland, de Dolomieten, met daartussen het duidelijke stramien van de wegen, de kristalformaties van dorpen en steden, organisch daartussen kruisende spoorwegen en kanalen, verschijnt daar onder ons ineens een door een krankzinnige bijeengenaaide lappendeken, God weet van welke afval bijeengeknoeid, en daarop door een woest geworden reus, de inhoud van hele bazars blokkendozen rondgestrooid, met verachting neergesmeten, klinkt het niet dan botst het, om er van af te zijn. Daartussen een warboel van wegen en straatjes, kriskras in alle richtingen, schijnbaar slechts luisterend naar de wet van de angst voor de leegte die, naar men ons geleerd heeft, ook de komposities van de grootste kunstschilders van het landje daar beneden heeft bezeten.

Daar ligt het nu, het land van Brueghel en Hiëronymus Bosch, maar ook van Atrimo en Hemelinckx.

Het Lelijkste Land ter Wereld/The Ugliest Country in the World Translation of: Braem, R. (1968) Het Lelijkste Land ter Wereld Davidsfonds, p.1 Travel guide in the Belgian Jungle, intended for awaking sleepwalkers.

A look at the jungle.

‘Don’t smoke, fasten belts’. Luminous letters appear in the front of the cabin. With humility we submit ourselves to the imposed ritual and, in the meanwhile, we make an attempt to bring round, through the tiny windows, one thing or another out of the emerging landscape, which is that of our beloved fatherland, so little that even before reaching the borders we already started landing, in order to reach the ground at Melsbroek1.

So down there it is, ‘that lovely patch of ground, where once my cradle was to be found’2. It does look typical, very recognizable, different scale, different color, different atmosphere, something different from anything else.

Whereas a couple of minutes ago we still saw landscapes, sliding from beneath us, modeled by nature in monumental compositions, widely handled reliefs, intersected by the harmonic meanders of streams and rivers, of hills and mountains with the climax of the snow covered peaks, glaciers and lakes from Ober-Bayern, Austria, Switzerland, the Dolomites, with inbetween the clear pattern of the roads, the crystal formations of villages and towns, organically interwoven railroads and canals, there now suddenly appears from beneath us a patchwork quilt sown together by a madman, God knows with what sort of rubbish bungled together, and on top of that covered by an enraged giant scattering about the content of entire bazaars of boxes of bricks, hurled down with contempt, caution thrown to the wind, to be done with it already. Inbetween, a clutter of roads and narrow streets, crisscross in every direction, only seemingly recognizing the law of the fear of the void which, as we are taught, was also present in the compositions of the greatest painters of that little country down there.

So there it is, the land of Brueghel and Hiëronymus Bosch, but then again also of Atrimo and Hemelinckx3.

Military base, not the airport of Belgium. An ironic addition to “our beloved fatherland”?

Or: ‘that lovely spot on the earth, where once I was given birth’; ‘that lovely patch of land, where my I was to come and stand’ 3 Rerence to Etrimo and Hamelinckx, two of the largest project developers at the time.

1 2

Het Lelijkste Land ter Wereld/The Ugliest Country in the World Notes on translation of: Braem, R. (1968) Het Lelijkste Land ter Wereld Davidsfonds, p.1

Travel guide in (not ‘for’ but ‘in’, slightly different from the norm in both languages) the Belgian Jungle, intended for awaking sleepwalkers.

A look at the jungle.

‘Don’t smoke, fasten belts’. (the use of English as the language of modern life loses its effect in the translation) Luminous letters (keeping the alliteration) appear in the front of the cabin. With humility we submit ourselves to the imposed ritual and, in the meanwhile, we make an attempt to bring round (literally ‘bring home’), through the tiny windows (diminution in Dutch, used ironically as reaction to catholic petit bourgeoisie), one thing or another out of the emerging landscape, which is that of our beloved fatherland (there’s no ‘motherland’ in Dutch. The archaic connotation should again be understood ironically), so little that even before (use of ‘even’ to replace the stressing with accents on ‘vóór’ (before), emphasizing the smallness of Belgium) reaching the borders we already started landing, in order to reach the ground at Melsbroek4. (possibly a reference to the war and its consequences which are still felt in the distinction between the modernist and socialist camp of the author and the conservative, catholic camp) So down there it is, ‘that lovely patch of ground, where once my cradle was to be found’5 (keeping rhyme since it is again used ironically as a kind of folkloristic expression). It does look typical, very recognizable, different scale, different color, different atmosphere, something different from anything else.

Whereas a couple of minutes ago we still saw landscapes, sliding from beneath us, modeled by nature in monumental compositions, widely handled reliefs, intersected by the harmonic meanders of streams and rivers, of hills and mountains with the climax of the snow covered peaks, glaciers and lakes from Ober-Bayern, Austria, Switzerland, the Dolomites, with inbetween the clear pattern (the original word ‘stramien’ doesn’t exist in English but is etymologically linked to the technique of weaving, a theme that reappears in the text) of the roads, the crystal formations of villages and towns, organically interwoven (literally ‘crossing in between’) railroads and canals, there now (adding ‘now’ to emphasize the shift with beginning of sentence which is a bit clearer in the original text) suddenly appears from beneath us a patchwork quilt sown together by a madman, God knows with what sort of rubbish bungled together (repeating ‘together’ as in original text to emphasize the urge of bricolage), and on top of that covered by an enraged giant scattering about the content of entire bazaars of boxes of bricks (literally ‘boxes of blocks’ but bricks might even work better in the described context of Belgian architecture), hurled down with contempt, caution thrown to the wind (free translation of a Dutch expression), to be done with it already. In-between, a clutter of roads and narrow streets (originally diminution of ‘street’), crisscross in every direction, only seemingly recognizing the law (literally ‘listening to the law’) of the fear of the void which, as we are taught, was also present in the compositions of the greatest painters of that little country down there.

So there it is, the land of Brueghel and Hiëronymus Bosch, but then again also of Atrimo and Hemelinckx6. (footnote included in second publication of the book)

Military base, not the airport of Belgium. Again an ironic addition to “our beloved fatherland”?

Or: ‘that lovely spot on the earth, where once I was given birth’; ‘that lovely patch of land, where I was to come and stand’ 6 Rerence to Etrimo and Hamelinckx, two of the largest project developers at the time.

4 5

Marzia Marzorati 13th February 2014 Design by words - Day 4 MA HCT Laboratory on Writing with Fabrizio Gallanti and Marina Lathouri

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‘CORSARISM’ by Pier Paolo Pasolini

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<<Conversation>> on hair (1)

I firstly saw a capellone (2) in Prague. Two young foreigners, wearing shoulder-length hair, entered the hotel hall. They reached a secluded corner, and they sat on a table.

During their half-hour stay, everyone including myself- gazed at them. They did not say a word, neither when they passed through the packed lobby or while sitting on their private spot. (Perhaps, although I do not recall it, they once whispered to each other. It should have been something very flat and pragmatic, I suppose.)

In that specific position there was no need to talk. In an essentially public or social (I would dare to say official) state, their silence was severely operational, while words would have proved to be redundant. The pair was exploiting an original language, deprived of any verbal speech, in order to convey with the onlookers.

The traditional, by then superfluous, oral code was finally supplanted by a wide supremacy of <<signs>> and their related semiotic domain. The idiom of their hair.

(1) The original title, as published on ‘Corriere della Sera’ on the 7th January 1973, was ‘Against the long hair’.

(2) Literally ‘hippy’. Here, capelloni refers to those young men -as a rule bourgeois and left-wing sympathizers- who, a couple of years before 1968, started to wear long hail all over Continental Europe.

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I will piercingly conclude. The repulsive masks that youngsters persist to wear, besides obscenely revoking the old whores of an inequitable iconography, detachedly recreate on their physiognomy what they have permanently, but only verbally, disowned. Faces of priests, of magistrates, of public officials, of fake anarchists, of foolish clerical workers, of Azzeccagarbugli (1), of Don Ferrante (2), of soldiers of fortune, of swindlers, of hoodie orthodoxes: these faces have all since reemerged. The severe and indiscriminate censure against their padri simultaneously representing the evolving history and the preceding culture- has ended up by segregating these youngsters. It has prevented any possible, dialectic confrontation that would have helped them reaching a tangible historic own awareness.

They could have gone forward. They could have outdone their fathers. Instead, the self referential, juvenile ghetto where they have isolated themselves has since constrained them on their insuppressible historic reality.

This has fatally caused a regresso (3): they have receded, more than their fathers. Their souls have resuscitated fears and conformisms, their appearances conventionalities and miseries that seemed to be over for good.

(1) A character from the novel ‘The Betrothed’ by Alessandro Manzoni. By then, the term has identified an inadequate and deceitful lawyer.

(2) Another character from ‘The Betrothed’: an empty man, coming from the ruling class, who has consecrated his entire life to knowledge. This choice represents his only, possible alternative as the matter of fact acting as an ‘erudite’ allows him to finally hide his overall mediocrity.

(3) I have chosen to keep the original Italian word because the literal translations ‘regression’, ‘lapse’ and even ‘decline’ did not completely satisfy me.

“The Infinite Abstraction”

By Yanisa Niennattrakul

I didn’t mean that I exactly know what is meant by “______“…. In fact, the more I think about it, the more mysterious and complex. But the thing that I am confident is when architect thinks about “______“. Thing that we think is less when compared without boundary of this entire world. But every work that we carefully create appears as a “place” in that particular unbounded “______”.

Peter Zumthor, “A Way of Looking at Things”

Since when studying at architectural school, a word that we frequently use when to talk about architectural work is “______“or สเปซ (space), studying in many subjects, especially in architectural studios, that we can’t completely say about architecture if we didn’t talk about space. In fact, even the story of “______“is occurring in architecture work in the whole history. However, this topic just come into attention for analysis and criticism in architecture and gets a great attention for about only 100 years ago. It can be said that the word “space” and the way of looking at things through the subject of “______“is an invention from modernist architectural world (modern architecture).

*translated from a book called “คำ ควำมคิด สถำปั ตยกรรม” by Piyalada Thaveeprungsriporn

Design by Words: Laboratory on Writing with Fabrizio Gallanti and Marina Lathouri MA History and Critical Thinking, February 2014 María José Orihuela Translation: Chart for automatic speech in architecture [Spanish > English]

B 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

A

C

D

F

G

the epithelial the modal the pertinent

texture treatment materiality

of the building, of the environment, of the image,

manifests expresses exhibits

a tangibly a peremptory an unmistakably

complex deep

the lineal the intrinsic

visualization reading

of the function, of the design,

provides proposes

a mistakably a superficially

the ulterior the structural the interior

philosophy idea clarity

of the proposal, of the ictus, of the solution,

holds implies entails

a voluntarily an intentionally a maturely

composed ephemeral macroscopic continuous

the tonal the instrumental

assembly concatenation

of the lineament, of the making,

delimits points out

an intimately a generically

the ambiental the tipological the topological the logical the intimist

ambivalence scale harmony character memory

of the corpus, of the civery, of the facade, of the section, of the skin,

organizes mirrors flaunts discovers hides

a specifically a faintly a strongly a “balanced-ly” an evidently

the prosaic figuration the epistemological vision the phenomenological conception

of the block, of the elevation, of the material,

shows indicates presents

a certainly a “veiled-ly” a subtly

the ideal the rational

of the colour, of the form,

registers reveals

a gradually

geometrical topical idealistic abstract ficticious utopian realistic

an intensely

chimeric

overlapping composition

The intrinsic ambivalence of the design entails a tangibly complex disposition.

The interior clarity of the solution mirrors an intensely utopian vibration.

The prosaic character of the form reveals an evidently ephemeral strategy.

The rational conception of the facade manifests an intentionally geometrical rhythm. ... [to be continued, used and ab-used]

plastic

relative metaphisical oblique inmaterial twinning

E space. volume. aspect. stratum. strategy. structure. construction. disposition. rhythm. modulation. order. body. expression. finish. coldness. warmth. tempo. vibration. symmetry. impulse.

Betal: Wa! I accept, Brave Vikram Aditya, Wa! In you there is strength, courage, I would say I am Betal but if you wanted you could vanquish anything. Wa! Wa! I concede! You really are brave, hmm! I have been solely waiting (patiently) for you. I knew it, that (dhrut) corrupt/unclean/bad/fake (yogi) priest, definitely would send you to me. Yes! Carrying me, will tire you not but bore/be heavy (udjaiga) you, for you cannot speak to me, as soon as you say anything to me I will fly back to my place. You will not say one word, remember that! It is my condition/dare/demand/challenge, you say a word and I magically disappear/shazam/abracababra.

Alright (listen)! I will tell you story (Listen! I will make you hear a story). A very fun one/good one the way/direction/road/journey will pass quicker and your mind will also be distracted (flow away).

Listen! Patalyputra has a very majestic temple, very big temple for Devi Ma. People from great distances arrive here. One day, Suryaman and his friend Chandra Sher come here for the Patalyputra holy voyage (yatra). They arrived at the temple to pray (ceremonial prayer) to the deity. What he asked the Deity I do not know, but when he turned around and saw, he felt like Devi had granted him a wish/gift (vardhan). He thought within his own mind, that if you could not marry this (virgin) maiden his life was (bekar) useless/meaningless. He expressed his thoughts to his friend, his friend said, that if he wanted to be married (beha - urdu) what was the problem/obstical? Let’s go/walk to and speak to the maiden’s father.

Arre! What father is not worried about his daughter getting married (vivah - hindi), and when the groom comes forward himself to invite them, considering it a sign (vardhan) form Devi Ma, the father excepted. For this Devi worshipper daughter he accepted Suryaman.

On the way back to Suryaman’s hometown, they were ambushed and the new bide ran away.

After a while, everything was pilfered. When the new bride came back, she saw nothing, no one, all the bandits had run away only 2 dead bodies with their heads cut off.

Sketchy portion: (The bride tries to kill herself but Devi appears and tells her she will bring them back to life) By sprinkling Amurt (ambrosia/holy water/nectar/immortality/potion) the deity brought them back to life, but Vikram, she made a very dire mistake. Arre! The mistake was made by that bride.

The deity had told her to attach her husbands and his friends head to their bodies. But the bride, in happiness and fear forgot everything and attached her husband’s head to his friend’s body and his friends head to her husband’s body, so his head and his body and his head and his body.

Vikram, you are very smart and very understanding, I have heard that when you sit to decree justice, (Dodh ka dodh and pani ka pani) a spade is relieved a spade. Look, think and answer!! In front of the beauty both the young men are present. Between the two who is her husband? One

which is the body she married, and now where her husband’s friend’s face is present, and the other the husband’s friends body which has the husbands head, his face.

Justice Vikram Justice! You are very just and intelligent!! Say! Or I’ll break your head into a tiny, tiny pieces!!

Vikram: Listen Betal!

The Human body’s construction/system is unimaginable/unfathomable/unrealistic and special/different/unique, every part doing its own work. The task done by one part cannot be done by another. The ruler, the owner of all these parts, the only one that can control them is the (upper part of the face) brain, which is the mind.

Only with its permission can they do anything. The brain is unique, the body its attendant. That is why, the body with the woman’s husbands face attached to it, that body, that person is the woman’s husband.

Betal: Very good Vikram! That was correct justice! You are very good at being just, knowledgeable, smart. But you did make a mistake. I had told you not to talk. You speak and I disappear, you spoke so I leave.

Vikram runaway.

Stop following me.

I will not be captured by you! The man who sent you is a huge fake.

-

Devanshi Shah

Georges Perec La Vie Mode D’emploi

CHAPTER 5

Foulerot, 1

The fifth right, all the way at the back: this is just above where Gaspard Winckler had his workshop. Valene remembered the package that he had received every two weeks for the past twenty years: even at the height of the war, it had continued to come regularly, identically, absolutely identical; obviously the stamps were different, that allowed the concierge, Mme. Claveau, not yet Mme. Nochere, to claim for her son Michel; but besides the stamps, there was nothing to distinguish one package from another: the same kraft paper, the same twine, the same wax seal, the same label; it is believed that once before leaving, Bartlebooth asked Smautf to predict the exact quantity of tissue paper, of kraft paper, of twine, of wax seal, there should be for five hundred packages! There should not even have been a need to ask, Smautf certainly knew already! And they were not close to a box.

Here in the fifth right, the room is empty. It’s a bathroom, painted a matte orange. On the edge of the tub is a large pearl shell, in the oyster shell is a bar of soap and a pumice stone. Above the sink, there is an octagonal mirror framed with veined marble. Between the tub and the sink a Scottish cashmere cardigan and a skirt with suspenders are thrown on a folding chair.

The back door is open onto a long corridor. A young girl about 10 years-old move towards the bathroom. She is naked. She has in her right hand an egg which she uses for washing her hair, and in the left hand, the No. 40 (volume) of the journal, The News Letter (July-August 1956) which happened to include, in addition to Jacques Lederer’s note on The Journal of a Priest, by Paul Jury (Gallimard), a piece of news by Luigi Pirandello, dated 1913 titled In the Gulf, which recounts the story of how Romeo Daddi went insane.

translated by L Stamps

Introducci贸n al libro Plan B, 25 actividades gratu铆tas para tiempos de crisis. Echeve.

Traducci贸n por Alvaro Velasco

Translation by Alvaro Velasco

Plan B. Echeve.

In the beginnig 1 Introduction to the book Plan B, 25 for free activities for times of crisis. Echeve.

Translation by Alvaro Velasco

Magris looked for the origin2 of the Danube and bumped into a spring of legends. It usually happens. When is something originated? What determinates this decisive instant that we call “beginning”? We usually give importance to the end of the stories without realizing that it is more delicate to decide how to start. It takes3 more to light a fire than to extinguish it, more to create than to destroy.

It is the sunset of one of the last days of winter.

Nobody expects something new when everything proclaims end and ruin. Being Monday doesn´t contribute to anything new. The day for the premiere of a pantomime, the guaranty of vital routine. It is hard to distinguish the “end of the beginning” from “the beginning of the end”. In fact, I usually confuse my “things to do” with the things that I have almost done. Perhaps,

1. The literal translation would be “First of all”, but here the author is playing with the idea of the beginning, the origin, the foreword, the inception of the text and the white sheet. I decided to use the expression “In the beginning”, linking it with the narrative of the Creation of the World in the book of Genesis.

2. The source of a river: in Spanish the word is “nacimiento”, same word used for “birth”; again the author is playing with the idea of the origin.

The use of the word “source” loses some connotations.

3. Echeve uses the word “costar” that means both “it takes” but also “it costs”, linking the second meaning with the isue of the economic crisis, and the idea of the of “25 for free activities”.

4. The expression used here by the author “alumbrar”, which means “to light” but also means “give birth” continuing with the idea of the origin of a work of literature.

Translation by Alvaro Velasco

Plan B. Echeve.

that is the reason why I walk lost in thoughts, when

I

leave

my

work.

Today

as

well.

—Careful! Do not shot now.

A woman has shout. Her voice takes me back

to the ground that I step: this small square5 that surrounds the apse of the medival church. For a moment, everything is where it belongs to be. Everything but me, that have invaded the very center of the battlefield. The warriors look at me with an aloof 6 but protector gesture. They are kids that play balon7

tiro, led by a girl slightly older than them, that has stoped the battle protecting me from a likely impact.

It has been some days since the event. There is

no need to say that I felt disoriented. I felt so many things that, for a moment, I suspected that it could be the beginning of something. First, the sensation of being “offsite”. I know that the battle they were fighting was not important but, the struggles that I was brooding on, semmed even more ridiculous. After a strong envy, first from the kids, but overall, from

5. The use of “Plazuela” does not only implies that it is a small square, but also it is pointing that the context is more rural than urban. Plazuela is overall applied to the squares in small towns.

6- “Huraño” not only means “aloof” but also unsocial.

7. In Spain, a popular game for kids.

Translation by Alvaro Velasco

Plan B. Echeve.

from that woman that knew how to play with them, and like them.

Many things are said about crisis, in so general

sense that it is scary. Is it only a money problem?

This thing of “the” crisis sounds too global for only referring to bank accounts.8 I have the feeling that, when we express like this, what it is in critical state is our hope. That we all feel that it is the sunset of one of the last days of winter, and nobody beliefs in spring.

I ignore if you need a beginning. Neither I say that I have one. But this same night I wrote a long list of wonderful and “for free”9activities. The same ones that we forgot since a long time. Things to do in crisis time. So stupid that they could save us.

8. Bank Account in Spanish is “Cuenta corriente”. The adjective “corriente” also means “banal, mundane, trivial...Here he is playing with the importance that give to money, and at the same time the banality of it.

9. The direct translation would be “for free”. “Gratuitous” could be used, but in English could be confused with the idea of “uncalled for; lacking good reason; unwarranted” changing the sense of the author.