Workbook

THE FINAL ACT

Hassan Elghayesh semester book Studio Schwarz SS15

Author: Hassan Elghayesh hassan.elghayesh@uni.li Semester Workbook 18.06.2015 University of Liechtenstein Institute of Architecture and Urban Planning Prof. Dipl.-Arch. ETH/SIA Dietrich Schwarz Studio Assistant: Dipl. Ing. Martin Mackowitz

1_WATER In the first brief we were asked to take one aspect of water that we are most interested in order to develop it further as a guideline to the whole semester. I start my search with Plato, we were introduced to ideas of Plaro from the beginning of the semester and I found his theory of forms to be particularly intriguing.

THE THEORY OF FORMS Plato argues for a dimension inwhich every object exists in its original form, rather as an essence where all the qualities and facets of an object is manifested. We, in our real word, only observe manifestations of the original object. I thought about applying the same concept to my understanding of water.

THE MULTIPLICITY OF QUALITIES I could not help but relate the theory of forms to an Islamic concept in which as a monotheistic religion it believes in oneness, but this causes a problem. How can we associate the many qualities we think should exist in a god. Polytheistic religions had many deities each assigned a certain quality. In Islam they resorted to a theory very close to Plato`s god is one but has many faces. 99 names are assigned to God. The Merciful, The Omnipotent, The Patient, The Restrainer, The Expander, The Benefactor, The distresser .. etc. as can be seen, sometimes the qualities are complimenting each other but in many other cases they start in direct contrast. I have always admired the ability to hold contradicting values and being able to defend both points of view. How can I find the facet of Water I want to work with, what if I replace God with water and capture its many faces and then decide.

Diagram, 99 dames of allah, author unkown

EROSION One aspect I find my self drawn to, is the slow action of erosion by water. But there was a need to look beyond it. To what does this quality mean. It means water is patient, water is persistent, water is powerful. through its patient movement agianst stone it can reshape it. It makes its way through the land from mountains by cutting through the ground to create rivers.

MANIFESTING EROSION Through a series of low shutter speed images, I started to understand the movement around stones. With a camera and tripod I took many picture of streams, rivers and waterfalls where water moves against stones. I also created a number of short videos 20 seconds long which could be put against each other creating a never ending loop of water moving. The editing was seamless as I used a tripod and the effect was very strong. With a gypsum model, I started to experiment with the effect, putting it under running water for almost 24 hours and with no control of the process I left the water to eat its way through the gypsum cube, simulating the action of water on stone.

eroded gypsum model, photo by author

low shutter speed image series, St. Arbogast stream, photos by author

2_INSIGHT OR THE FIRST ENCOUNTER WITH FINDING A PLACE In our second excercise Insight, we were asked by artist Philipp Furtenbach to do personal interviews, we were asked to choose the setting of the Interview. back then I did not think anything of the act of finding a place but later on it proved crucial to my approach. I was very aware of the setting I was creating. We sat next to a shop that was closing in a circle. The setting is one I usually have with friends in Egypt. When we as youth are not welcome in many places, the street becomes our gathering place.

Next to small special cigarette Kiosks, we get empty boxes and Plastic boxes for storing empty bottles and create sitting places. I wanted to be as comfortable as possible for my interview and wanted to create a similar setting to what I have with friends.

My setting, Photo by Martin Mackowitz

ICELAND EMOTIONAL SCENARIOS

Iceland was an overwhelming experience, In order to capture our first impressions and to sum up our stay we worked on emotional scenarios that best captures our feelings about the amazing island. I tried to stay true to my earlier work, capturing the short videos and focusing on my theme of water movement along rocks. Yet, two new ideas started to develop, firstly, the idea of finding a place which I strongly distinguish from finding a place “to build�. I belive it is a skill we used to have but lost as we became more and more urbanized. This was inspired by the Alting of Iceland, and how 3 years were spent to find the place that will hold the meetings of the Icelandic clans. The second Idea was the nostalgic feeling one gets in Iceland. We have been to the flea market of Reykjavik where there was an abundance of postcards and letters. Being on an isolated island makes the act of sending letters very important it is the only way. When we visited the beaches of Iceland I could imagine waiting for the boat that holds dear ones to come. without means of communication. A wife would come out every day to the beach to wait, probably spend the whole day waiting. Waiting, Rememberance and Nostalgia became important things that needed to be demonstrated in my scenarios.

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Waiting, post card bought from Reykjavik flea market

MIDTERM REVIEW TO THE RUINS AND BACK AGAIN For the midterm review, I argued for the architecture of the ruin as one that fits the ideas developed in Iceland through my emotional scenarios, ruins have to do with erosion as do they have to do with rememberance, I have made the connection early on. Nostalgia is a result of our realization that things come to an end, things disintegrate and are eaten away. A research into ruins, their meaning and how to do an architecture of the ruin led me to the work of Joseph Gandy (1771-1843) who was an architect in the office of Johne Soane(1753-1837), best known for designing the Bank of England. Jospeh Gandy created a series of drawings imagining the Bank of England as a ruin. The drawings seem very visionary to me taking into consideration the date they were created.

For my program I chose to revive the Alting as a council for Iceland. Yet, something seemed wrong about the program and it created a debate on whether it was the right thing to do in Iceland and at the moment. My agreement with the jurors led me to withdraw the idea and to critically rethink how to find a program that fits my ideas more.

Bank of England Ruins, by Joseph Gandy

Alting conceptual model for midterm, picture by author

FINDING A PLACE TO DIE THE FINAL ACT Upon conversing with my father on his 58th birthday about my project, he said “eroding; it is all I have been doing since I was 25” in reference to the erosion of the human body. Which led me to think about death as erosion. What if instead of dying in a hospital you can choose where to die. Choosing where people will go to remember you, what if your final act on this earth is to build the place where you will die and spend your last days there reflecting on the world, on all your actions and on the meaning of life and death. The idea was also inspired by animals choosing to move away from the pack when feeling the closeness of death. What if we stop trying to escape our destiny and accept the cycle of things? how can I help the user realize the cycle of things? how can I offer his close ones a place of remeemberance? As Noble Prize in Literature winner Naguib Mahfouz puts it how can I help them cease their attempts to escape.

HEIDEGGER ON DEATH I started to read on the issue Martin Heiddeger was on of the philosophers we worked with throughout the semester. In his essay “Building Dwelling Thinking” Heidegger talks about 4 things; earth, sky, divinities and mortals and stresses on our need to accept our mortality not only this but to also see it as a driving factor and a motivation for accomplishing things.

excerpt from BBC interview with Naguib Mahfouz

POETIC INSPIRATION I choose to show 3 poems that best convey my ideas.

First by Egyptian poet Amal Donkol, talking about dying in a hospital in a sterile environment surrouned with white. Feeling feeble and weak as loved ones come to visit and as he sees sadness in their eyes. He sees death in their eyes.

Second, is from the book of prayers, I came across it when I first heard the march of the funeral of Queen Mary which in turn I came across from the movie A Clock work Orange. The Music is by composer Henry Purcell, The whole orchestra has been a major inspiration and I would play it on repeat while working on the project.

Third, is a small poem I wrote that describes the qualities of the place to die. A very personal take based on the Icelandic landscape.

In the operation room, the doctor`s coats were white, the hats oft he nurses, the dresses oft he nuns, the sheets, the beds, the bandages, the cotton, the sleeping pills, the syringes, the cup of milk.

All this makes my heart weak.

All this whiteness reminds me Of the shroud.

Why it is when I die, The mourners come Dressed in black?

Is it because black is The color of surviving life.

The amulet against time.

Against who .. ?

And has ever the heart In its beating found relief?

Between two colors: I receive friends Who see my bed as a grave And my life as history And I the in their deep eyes The color oft he truth The color of the soil.

Amal Donkol translated by author

Man that is born of a woman hath but a short time to live, and is full of misery.

He cometh up, and is cut down like a flower; he fleeth as it were a shadow, and ne’er continueth in one stay.

In the midst of life we are in death: of whom may we seek for succour, but of thee, O Lord, who for our sins art justly displeased?

Yet, O Lord, O Lord most mighty, O holy and most merciful Saviour, deliver us not into the bitter pains of eternal death.

Thou knowest, Lord, the secrets of our hearts; shut not thy merciful ears unto our pray’rs; but spare us, Lord most holy, O God most mighty.

O holy and most merciful Saviour, thou most worthy Judge eternal, suffer us not, at our last hour, for any pains of death, to fall from thee. Amen.

Book of common prayer (1662)

Between two rocks I will find a place Where the sand is black So I can rest my soul Where the soil is fertile So I can be one with earth Where so sky is clear So I can unite with the heavens By the ocean where the waves are strong So I can be one with the cycle of things To the west I will sail towards the settign sun With its fading light my light will fade away I will find a place where I will die And cease my attempts to escape

author

TO CHOOSE TO DIE While the concept may seem weird, it is actually practiced and well established in many cultures. It has also made a reappearance in our modern world in the form in euthanasia which is the death by lethal injection for the terminally ill which is legal in The Netherlands (but not in Iceland). Monks in Japan also practiced a form of self mummification until they died. In Jainism there is the practice of “Sallekhana� voluntary death through fasting for the terminally ill.

The practice in Jainism is closer to a celebration.

Sallekhana procession, India. http://www.corbisimages.com/images/Corbis-42-35642753.jpg?size=67&uid=85f0d03e-11f1-4d01-8fb7-d1374158e459

FIRST ATTEMPTS taking a personal stance, and as a person who hates goodbyes. I saw the place to be a very personal place where I can reflect in peace. I saw no need for extra spaces for loved ones. One room is enough, with the earth acting as ground. A skylight above the head will be the connection to the sky. A concrete box with a fire in the middle. People can check whether or not I am alive through the smoke coming out of the chimney once it stops, they know it is time.

A platform will lead to the sea where the body will be put in a boat that is burning and sailing west.

1st sketch for new concept, “A place to die� by author

A HEAVY TRANSITION In my research for one room buildings I came across Truffle house by spanish architect Ensemble. A very interesting technique was used. Earth was used as framework. The result is a very heavy building. Something that was on my list. A heavy building that reflects the heaviness of existing. the heaviness of being. I started working on the new changes.

How to build it, sketch by author

REVIEW I had to review my ideas, which were very personal and try to turn it into a project that would be more relatable. The room has expanded to 2 more, for loved ones and family and a common place with a middle fireplace was introduced to act as a meeting place for those who will dwell for the duration of the stay, til the choice is made. The choice will also entail the method of which the person wants to leave this world and what to do with his body whether it be cremation or burial.

Models, Author

Elevations, Author

Elevations, Author

Models, Author