Research Method Statement

Methodology of the Narrative

In a universe where time travel is possible an architect, Dr Bray, researches and develops a novel working relationship between himself and AI. Over the same period in multiple universes he infinitely works on this thesis and at the end of his research, he sends the manual back in time for his younger self to find, learn from, improve and then again send back to his younger self in an alternate universe for the process to repeat indefinitely in infinite universes.

This thesis will take the form of a physical handbook “Human Beings, Machines & Architectural design Ecologies: The Deep Architect’s Handbook” written in 2028 by Dr Bray which was sent back in time to 2018 to a younger version of himself, Jab, taking advantage of faster than light communications technology, hypothesised by Einstein1 and R.C.Tolman2. By sending the manual back to a younger version of himself, Dr Bray causes a space-time event3 and an alternate universe was created (fig. 1).

The sci-fi time-travelling element of this narrative is in place for two purposes: Firstly as a nod to the media that gave birth to the concept of artificial intelligence; and secondly to frame this as a speculative work. By speculating on the future use of AI and architecture we can inspire hope for an affirmative future as stated by Rosi Braidotti in one of the key texts of this thesis The Posthuman (2013) “The yearning for sustainable futures can construct a liveable present”.4 The thesis employs the use of heteroglossia to express Jab’s thoughts as he learns and builds on Dr Bray’s work via marginalia. The two voices enable the thesis to explore technical aspects via Dr Bray while the informal notes and sketches by Jab are free to explore the social aspects of this research and evidence primary research. The manual contains references to people, events and texts that do not yet exist; a supported literary technique used by Jorge Luis Borges in Fictions5 .

-

Methodology of the Handbook

The architecture and narrative of this thesis have been designed to mirror the methodology of researching this topic and the fast pace of change in the field of machine learning. The heuristic feedback loop required to research and develop a new creative relationship for architects and AI as a cognitive collaborator, and a never-ending state of refinement and updating. These methods also reflect the learning process of neural networks presented in this thesis.

The thesis code will be hosted in interactive notebooks for others to use, share, adopt, adapt, refine and improve the framework; the reader will be able to interact with this information via QR codes throughout the book. This is designed to reflect the open-source research community working at the forefront of Artificial Intelligence research who are working together as a community; sharing information freely with one another without limitation so we can better understand the implications, uses and issues of working with AI going forward into the future. It is through these networks of communities that the author was able to learn and adapt network architecture for the AI and algorithms used in the thesis.

This thesis is an example of ergodic literature, in that the reader does not read it linearly, they may be lead to run a python script on Google Colabs to teach an AI how to tell us the architectural style of fish or investigate the notes and sketches in the marginalia to gain a deeper understanding of the subject matter. This reflects the non-linear creative process to which one must submit when working with the AI in an assemblage where the architect must listen to the voice of the other, the voice of AI.

Primary research such as learning Python coding language and machine learning, countless hours evolving imagery and building intimate relationships with AI using Artbreeder web app, Google Colabs and RunwayML was carried out. By applying this research to architectural design projects over the last two years the author has been able to build a framework and workflow for architects working with artificial intelligence. The handbook shows how AI is coded, how it understands concepts and sees imagery and how these systems can be applied to architectural design through working examples developed by the author over the research period. Books by Rosi Braidotti6 and Katherine Hayles7 texts have provided the ethical and theoretical underpinning for an approach to technology as kin, relationships in design that are largely unexplored in the field of architecture. This combined with the evolutionary aesthetics developed in William Latham’s art practice an ecology of architectural design has taken shape. Through the continued development of these relationships and workflows by the author and readers alike this thesis hopes to inspire a positive and proactive approach to our working relationships with cognitive technologies in the present for a planetary architecture of the future.

-

Research Timeline

Aug 2019:

Attended exhibition ‘AI: More Than Human’ at Barbican. Works such as Memo Akten’s ‘Learning to See’12, Anna Ridler’s ‘Mosaic Virus’13 and Neri Oxman’s ‘Vespers II’14 inspired the possible use of AI in architectural aesthetics and design.

Neri Oxman’s Vespers Mask.8

Sept 2019:

Visited Trevor Paglen’s ‘From Apple to Anomaly’ exhibit at the Barbican15. Inspired the idea of the hidden images and concepts learned by AI through datasets.

Trevor Paglen’s From ‘Apple’ to ‘Anomaly’ Exhibition photo.9

Nov 2019:

Utilised Artbreeder web app to develop imagery for architectural model and renders used for design project Future Representations. The beginnings of developing an intimate relationship with AI.

Image developed with Artbreeder app by author to inspire ‘meat factory’ render.

J.Bray

‘Meat Factory’ model and render produced by author for future representations module.

J.Bray

Jan 2020:

Wrote essay on evolutionary image development and genetic workflow concept of working with AI “The Posthuman Architect: Artificial Intelligence, Aesthetics and Novelty”.

Front cover of ‘The Posthuman Architect: Artificial Intelligence, Aesthetics and Novelty’ Essay written by author.10

Image: Sofia Crespo's Neural Zoo series of artworks in collaboration with AI

May 2020:

Completed architectural design project ”Data Treatment Works: Ascetic Retreat for Data Cleansing” using evolutionary development of inspirational imagery based on purely aesthetic choices. At this point the author had spent so long working with abstract representations of concepts and intangible aesthetic choices presented by the AI that new neural pathways in the authors brain were forming to respond differently to stimulus. The author was beginning to understand the language of the AI. The author was becoming cybernetic.

Image developed with Artbreeder app by author to inspire ‘Holomines’ render.

J.Bray

‘Holomines’ model and render produced by author for Data Treatment Works architectural design project.

J.Bray

Oct 2020:

Learned python using Codecademy.com learning portal.

Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) coded by author to classify images into one of six architectural styles.

Nov 2020:

Learned to code machine learning using python. The author began to understand how the AI was thinking, at first the AI is becoming less mysterious as the author learned simple concepts of machine learning algorithms. When deep neural networks were learned the author gained a new appreciation of the unfathomable depths of the complexities of AI networks.

Trained first machine vision AI on food and doors from dataset curated by the author.

‘Food Door’ Image developed by author using Deep Convolutional Generative Adversarial Network (DCGAN).

J.Bray

Utilised modelling techniques and post-processing utilising AI. Style transfer and AI depth mapping in third dimension from 2D images.

Render post processed with style transfer AI by author and Visions of Chaos Software.11

J.Bray

Dec 2020:

Trained text based AI on Dezeen articles to generate architectural text.

Image one showing architectural personality of AI trained on Dezeen articles, developed by author using AI and custom algorithms.

J.Bray

Jan 2020:

Wrote bespoke algorithms to work with the data produced by the AI to ‘meet’ the AI and discover its architectural personality visually.

Image two showing architectural personality of AI trained on Dezeen articles, developed by author using AI and custom algorithms.

J.Bray

Read ‘The Posthuman’ by Rosi Braidotti16 and ‘Unthought’ by Katherine Hayles17. These inspired the new materialist posthuman relationship described in the handbook.

1 Einstein, A., & Lawson, R. W. (1921). Relativity: the special and general theory. New York, Holt. Einstein’s theory of special relativity states a phenomena of our universe known as time dilation. Time dilation describes that the faster matter is accelerated through space, the slower it moves through time relative to other points in space. Because of this there is a limit to the speed matter can travel before time slows and eventually stops, this speed is also the speed of light. Tachyons are hypothesised particles of antimatter they behave in the opposite manner to normal matter on the other side of the speed of light. Tachyons therefore always travel faster than light and backwards in time due to reverse time dilation.

2 Tolman, R., 1917. The theory of the relativity of motion. Berkeley: University of California Press, pp.54-59. Tolman proposed a thought experiment for faster than light communication, in which it is evident that if the message is sent faster than the speed of light then the message is received before it is sent

3 Every space-time event branches many alternate universes each of which represents every possible outcome of the spacetime event. For example if you say yes to a yes no question, 2 universes branch from the current timeline. In one universe you said yes the other you said no and so a tree of universes sprawls out in the multiverse linked by paths of causality back to the origin of the multiverse.

4 Braidotti, R., 2013. The Posthuman. Cambridge: Polity, p.192.

5 “The composition of vast books is a laborious and impoverishing extravagance. To go on for five hundred pages developing an idea whose perfect oral exposition is possible in a few minutes! A better course of procedure is to pretend that these books already exist, and then to offer a résumé, a commentary” Borges, J., 2000. Fictions. London: Penguin, p.5.

6 Braidotti, R., 2013. The Posthuman. Cambridge: Polity

7 Hayles, K., 2017. Unthought: The Power of The Cognitive Nonconscious. London: University of Chicago Press.

8 Oxman, N., 2019. Vespers II. [image] Available at: <https://mediatedmattergroup.com/vespers-ii> [Accessed 18 March 2021].

9 Paglen, T., 2019. Apple to Anomaly. [image] Available at: <https://www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2019/event/trevor-paglen-from-apple-to-anomaly> [Accessed 18 March 2021].

10 Bray, J., 2020. The Posthuman Architect: Artificial Intelligence, Aesthetics and Novelty. MArch. University of Greenwich.

11 2021. Visions of Chaos. Softology.

12 Akten, M., 2017. Learning to See. [online] memo.tv. Available at: <http://www.memo.tv/works/learning-to-see/> [Accessed 18 October 2020].

13 Ridler, A., 2020. Mosaic Virus, 2019. [online] ANNA RIDLER. Available at: <http://annaridler.com/mosaic-virus> [Accessed 30 December 2019].

14 Oxman, N., 2019. Vespers II — MEDIATED MATTER. [online] MEDIATED MATTER. Available at: <https://mediatedmattergroup.com/vespers-ii> [Accessed 18 March 2020].

15 Barbican.org.uk. 2019. Trevor Paglen | Barbican. [online] Available at: <https://www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2019/event/trevor-paglen-from-apple-to-anomaly> [Accessed 18 March 2020].

16 Braidotti, R., 2013. The Posthuman. Cambridge: Polity

17 Hayles, K., 2017. Unthought: The Power of The Cognitive Nonconscious. London: University of Chicago Press.