–los magazine | #1 | angstlos

#1

angstlos

Wenn einer keine Angst hat, hat er keine Phantasie.

Erich Kästner

–los magazine #1 MMXVIII Berlin cover image by Marta Szymanowska

Good News are Bad News, too

by Martin Meyer p. 6-9

How To Disappear Completely

by Marta Szymanowska p. 10-17

Control, Space and Power

by Mark Donnelly p. 18-25

Fernand Pouillon

by GrĂŠgoire Guex-Crosier p. 26-29

Break

by Mariia Smirnova p. 30-31

Good News are Bad News, too von Martin Meyer

Ich war immer der Annahme, durch nichts erschüttert werden zu können. Weder von dem, was ich schon als Kind in den Nachrichten sah, noch von dem, was in meinem direkten Umfeld passierte. Mir wurde bewusst, was noch heute am lautesten schreit, am unumstößlichsten scheint, kann schon morgen heiser verhallt und zusammengebrochen sein. Was als naive, kindlich optimistische Weltanschauung begann, wurde zu einer erfahren filternden und für Zwischentöne sensiblen. Ich stieg aus der Erregungskultur aus, weg von überdramatisierten Schlagzeilen hin zur Abstraktion und Analyse - oder auch vom was zum warum. Mit einer entscheidenden Ausnahme: meiner eigenen Arbeit und meiner kreativen Integrität.

Jeder selbstgewählte Filter, jedes abwägen, selbst der einfachste Menschenverstand wurde in mir unter einer Lawine des kreativen Inputs und endlosen Möglichkeiten erstickt. Meine Arbeitsweise wurde zur Bulimie. Jedes neue Programm, jeder Blog, jeder Post, jedes Bild war super, musste gefressen, benutzt werden um alles schnellstmöglich, halbverdaut wieder herauszukotzen. Lieblose Daily-Challenges, beweise, dass du was machst, präsentiere dich, bleib aktuell, denke nicht, mache, bleib niemals stehen: Stillstand. Lärmende Leere. Prokrastination.

In meiner selbst mit heißer Luft aufgeblasenen Filter Bubble, gab es keine schlechten Arbeiten, keine Fehler, nur das Beste vom Besten, Erfolgsgeschichten, der Rest war immerhin noch 6

#angstlos

Geschmacksache. Jede eigene Idee gab es schon, besser, smarter, professioneller. Es blieb scheinbar die Wahl zwischen der unmöglichen Suche nach Individualität und Vorhandenes zu imitieren.

Good news are bad news, too. Diese Erkenntnis musste sehr langsam, teilweise schmerzhaft durchsickern. Ich musste akzeptieren, geduldig zu sein und Fehler zuzulassen, weg von der Illusion jedes Ergebnis sei so schnell entstanden, wie es gescrolled werden kann. Unter den tausend ausgezeichneten Projekten bei Behance, den Rebrands von Pentagram auf BrandNew oder der divers kuratierte Content auf it’s nice that, sind ungleich mehr gescheiterte, kleine, unfertige Projekte. Und selbst bei den genannten war es ein Weg, ein Prozess, ein Ergebnis von vielen verworfenen Ideen.

Zurückblickend komme ich mir völlig naiv vor und kann mich dennoch nicht komplett vom Vergleichen frei machen. Auch wenn es eigentlich anmaßend ist zu glauben ich könne die gleiche Qualität, allein oder in kleinen Teams in einer völlig irrationalen Zeit liefern. Es bleibt der fade Beigeschmack, sich mit weniger zufrieden zu geben, sich und seine Träume zu verraten. Bis jetzt helfen mir zwei Ideen diesen Beigeschmack langsam wegzuspülen:

1. Starte am Anfang, nicht mit dem Ergebnis Diese völlig logische und banale Erkenntnis manifestierte sich erst, als ich hinterfrage warum ich nie voll hinter meinen Projekten stand. Stets fühlte ich mich als Betrüger oder Imitator, nur darauf wartend endlich aufzufliegen. Immer 7

war nach einem Abschluss die ganze Arbeit sofort entwertet, ich sah nicht mehr die Idee, die ich nutzte, sondern die Menge an Ideen die liegen blieben.

So begann ich neue Aufgaben nicht mehr mit einer endlosen Recherche auf Pinterest und Tumblr, ignorierte bewusst, was die Konkurrenz trieb und kam zum Denken.

Ich versuchte so lang wie möglich auf Papier zu bleiben, zu skizzieren, zu verwerfen, zu überdenken, erste Ideen in diesem Zustand zu diskutieren und mir zu erlauben unfertige Konzepte zu pitchen. In diesem Austausch gelang es mir, besser auf Kritik zu reagieren und diese einfließen zu lassen, als an einem vermeintlich fertigen Produkt. Kurzum: Die eigenen Ideen und Prozesse so lang wie möglich offen zu gestalten. Erst wenn alles probiert und diskutiert wurde, wenn Konzepte nicht einfach so verworfen wurden, sondern bewusst, begann ich mit der Ausarbeitung des Ergebnisses. Und plötzlich legte sich der fade Beigeschmack, ich stand hinter dem was geschafft wurde, weil es natürlich gewachsen war, weil ich mich vom Vergleich der Masse befreien konnte und endlich das Gefühl hatte, selbst etwas erreicht zu haben.

2. Vertraue auf dich und den Menschen in deinem Umfeld Ohne mit esoterischen Zen-Weisheiten zu langweilen: Ich gehöre einer Generation an, der Selbstbezogenheit, Selbstinzenierung und Egozentrik nachgesagt wird. Was wir nicht sind, ohne für alle sprechen zu wollen, ist selbstbewusst.

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#angstlos

Wir machen uns immer abhängiger von der Meinung anderer, von Zahlen, Likes, Engagements von dem Doppeltab noch leicht verballerter Partygänger am Sonntag Nachmittag in der U-Bahn. Viel mehr noch verbiegen wir uns dem, was gerade en vogue ist, um mehr zu bekommen, bis zu einer völligen Selbstaufgabe der eigenen Identität. Wir produzieren glattgebügelten Pop und hören dabei Post-Progressive-Shoegaze-Geschrammel und fühlen uns anerkannt und super individuell. Wie kann es sein, dass ein paar Likes, eine Vibration mehr Dopamin im Hirn ausschüttet, als anerkennende Worte eines guten Freunds?

Meine Erklärung ist, dass Kritik kaum noch sinnvoll verarbeitet und sofort als negativ wahrgenommen wird. Online gibt es nur Anerkennung oder keine Reaktion, die paar wenigen negativen Interaktionen werden als irrelevant abgetan, nach dem Motto: Was wissen die da draußen schon?

Ja, wie auch?

Die die dich kennen, dich begleiten sind die wichtigen Indikatoren in deinem Leben und deiner Arbeit. Angst etwas nicht gut genug geschafft zu haben, kommt zum einen aus der eigenen Unzufriedenheit und mangelnder Kommunikation. Wer sich schafft dem auszusetzen, vor Menschen die einem viel bedeuten und vice versa, wird überrascht sein, wie fruchtbar dies ist. Das Herz klopft wieder in dir, nicht nur virtuell.

Los Angst geh woanders spielen.

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How To Disappear Completely

How To Disappear Completely

by Marta Szymanowska

The photographs are part of a bigger series.

They focus on the fear of the future and show an attempt to escape from reality.

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Control, Space and Power

by Mark Donnelly

The Militaristic history of Belfast’s Architecture.

1 (The Spartanburg Herald, 1972, p1) 2 (Davis, M,

The car bomb

2008, p50)

3 (Davis, M, 2008, p57)

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In 1972, the first car bomb exploded in Belfast city centre on Lower Donegal street, blowing out all the windows in the vicinity and sending shards of glass into the air 1. This marked the beginning of a shift in tactics from civilians as the intended targets, to buildings’ 2. The introduction of the car bomb significantly transformed the terms of the conflict between the IRA and the British government. For the first time both parties had the militaristic capacity to compete on level terms. ^ The IRA envisaged a ‘bombing offensive of the utmost ferocity and ruthlessness that would literally wreck the colonial infrastructure and over throw the unionist government in Stormont’ 3. The car bomb had the capacity to shape, adapt, transform and obliterate space.

With this they could translate their political agenda into a spatial reality. For the first time, the government no longer held control over the city centre. They now feared that a bomb could be executed by anyone, anywhere and at any time.

In the beginning, they responded with ’13,000

Context

‘A revolution which does not produce a new The car bomb

space has not realized its full potential; indeed it has failed in that it has not changed life itself’ (Lefebvre, H, 1991, p54).

Known bomb locations within the city centre 1968-1998 .QRZQ ERPE ORFDWLRQV ZLWKLQ WKH FLW\ FHQWUH Page 19

troops led by centurion tanks’ 4. However they quickly discovered that this was a new type of conflict, which did not come from the traditional form of direct confrontation. The bomb literally and metaphorically created space within the city centre.

4 (Davis, M, 2007, p5)

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Ring of steel

Context

Areas within the ring of steel

Areas within the ring of steel Page 23

‘no more than some pathetic strings of barbed wire abruptly dropped on the imaginary line of the border, its physiological and symbolic effects infinitely more powerful than its appearance’ (Koolhaas, R, Mau, B, 1995, p5).

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5 (Boal, F,

Ring of steel

On the 18th of July 1972 the government attempted to regain control over the city centre.

This was done through the introduction of barbed wire fences. These were placed across the city’s main streets, dividing the space into four controllable segments. However by 1974 these were no longer deemed suffice, and as a result they were replace with steel gates. This action transformed the entire space of the city centre into one zone under the control and supervision of the army. Access to the centre became restricted to two pedestrain gates. Vehicles were required to park in securitized zones on the peripheries. A curfew was introduced from 9AM-6PM everyday. As a consequence of this, any remaining residents within this zone were driven out of the centre.

This made access to amenities such as shops, cafes, bars and restaurants impossible at night.

Between 1968-1998, bombing destroyed ‘over 300 retail outlets’ 5 within the city centre. This resulted in a ‘loss of almost one quarter of total retail floor space’ 5. As a consequence ‘the price of insurance soared’ 5 for local business. Many of the smaller venues were ‘choked out of business’ 6. This led to a thinning out of the city’s retail core and investment within the city centre ‘inevitably slowed’ 7.

1934, p89)

6 (Coaffee, j, 2003, p27) 7 (Evans, D, 1977, p44)

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Bureaucracy

2IÀFH EXLOGLQJV LQ WKH FLW\ FHQWHU Plan X,

Office buildings in the city center 1968-1998

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Page 33

Bureaucracy

On the 28th of March 1972, parliament in Northern Ireland was suspended. This lead to the re-introduction of direct rule. Power was now transferred from Belfast to Westminster in London. It was decided that the powers of planning, which had previously been held by numerous local councils, would be transferred to a newly created central planning authority in Belfast.

This new department was to be overseen directly by the British sectary of State. This process established a system in which, the city centre could be used as an experiment for new techniques of urban fortification. This mean that all new decisions regarding what was built as well as how it was built were controlled directly by the British Government.

As a result, the police and army became major agents in restructuring this new landscape.

There aim was to use architecture as a means to exercise power and control again over the city centre. Newman’s principles of defensive space were ‘adopted and radically applied to an unprecedented scale all areas of Belfast, in the fight against the bomb’ 8.

8 (Coaffee, J, 2003)

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9 (Boal, F, 1934,

Conclusion

p89)

10 (Boal, F, 1934, p94)

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During this period ‘ the local government was desperate for development to take place anywhere in the city’ 9. However, as a result of these security measures private investment from residential projects or small/medium retail/entertainment businesses was no longer plausible.

By the 1970s unemployment was an all time high across Northern Ireland. This resulted in Westminster, passing legislation to increase funding to prevent the total collapse of the economy and country. Over the course of the conflict fear continued to grow and the amount of funding continued to increase.

By 1980s it accounted for 56% of its economy.

As a result this led to a dramatic expansion in public work, as Boal notes: ‘The centre was stabilized by the relocation of government office jobs from sites in the suburban fringe and by relocation of selected back-offices from the London area’ 10.

As government investment increased and became the only type of funding available for construction, office buildings became the only plausible typology. Furthermore, with the army/ police in charge of planning, development became seen as a weapon in the fight against the car bomb. During this period, over 150 office buildings were build within the city centre. It became a single monument d reflection of the fear of the British government against the threat of the car bomb.

Context

%XLOGLQJV EXLOW ERPEV DQG ULQJ RI VWHHO

Buildings built, bombs and ring of steel 1968-1998

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Fernand Pouillon

by GrĂŠgoire Guex-Crosier

Fernand Pouillon

The comic is about Fernand Pouillon, a fearless French architect from the 50s. He built radical stone buildings in Algiers - Paris - Marseilles - Aix-en-Provence - Iran - and his passion for building lead him to jail where he wrote a book, before escaping, fleeing to Italy, only to come back illegally to Paris to assist in its development.

Fernand Pouillon was a modern architect, but not a modernist. He applied modern urbanism to the collective

Fernand Pouillon was a fear-

housing projects he designed,

less architect, which lead him

but refused to use modern

to fail in being recognised in

building techniques such as

his time by being too arro-

concrete, preferring a pre-fab-

gant. He succeeded in making

ricated stone system which he

atemporal buildings, rec-

reused in each of his buildings.

ognised by their inhabitants, but his fearless arrogance lead

Even though his use of stone

him to not be accepted by his

lead him to be labeled as a

colleagues, to not be followed

passĂŠ architect by the followers

by other generations, and to be

of Le Corbusier, the French

forgotten by history.

builder adopted a fearless position towards the conventions of his times, preferring an atemporal constructional conception made out of a rational use of stones blocks.

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Fernand Pouillon

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Fernand Pouillon

Fernand Pouillon

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Break

by Mariia Smirnova

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There is no fear anymore. But...

There is the belief that we must still remember.

There is the opinion that in a world filled with hate we must still dare to hope; hope to remember...

There is the peaceful place for gathering.

There is some coffee left. Someone left a cup of coffee.

Someone left.

Do we still remember?

There is no fear anymore...

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the authors Mariia Smirnova 31-year-old Mariia Smirnova, an architect, designer and photographer of Russian descent.

Since 2012 she lives in Finland.

Mariia has a wide range of interests. She believes in a holistic approach and the efficiency of knowledge gained from different the authors

fields. To Mariia’s mind, participation in various international events helps not only to enrich her experience, but also

GrĂŠgoire Guex-Crosier

enhance her knowledge and skills.

Swiss architect and artist. Under the pseudonym GOULLAGOULLIK, he researches the programmatic organization of space on paper using india ink.

His comic strips are used as a tool to perform the reality and apply it as dreams and fantasies into everyday life. The storyboard is a theoretical tool confronting and merging divergent realities into one place, which finds the consensual solutions of spatial organization. http://goullagoullik.com 32

Martin Meyer

Marta Szymanowska

Dresden based multidisciplinary

Architect and photographer based

graphic designer and autodi-

in Wrocław, Poland. She is a grad-

dact. Currently into branding,

uate at the Faculty of Architecture

editorial design and infographics.

(Wrocław University of Science and

Strong background in science

Technology) and a student at the

communication. Since 2017 a

Institute of Creative Photography

freelancer. Always open for inspi-

(Silesian University in Opava).

ration and new connections.

Marta currently works as an interior architect and prepares her

wearemrde.com

photography book.

Instagram: @folgtmir Instagram: @szaman_szyman https://szamanszyman.tumblr.com/ the authors

Mark Donelly Mark Donnelly is an Architect and Illustrator from Belfast, Northern Ireland.

He studied at Queens University and has a Masters in Architecture. He has previously worked in Belfast, Dublin, London, Venice, Rotterdam and Copenhagen. http://cargocollective.com/markdonnelly

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the

Founded 2018 in Berlin, –los magazine is an independent publishing project aiming to present remarkable sustainable design and ideas, in order to provoke a beautiful revolt.

We are practicing architects and designers, introducing the -los project as a platform for concepts and experiences.

Exploring different themes, we publish

hello

quarterly.

Editor

Sara Czerwińska

–los Editorial Design

Daniel Eichenberg Publishing Team

Sara Czerwińska Daniel Eichenberg Patrycja Czaplinska Agnieszka Kotschy © MMXVIII –los magzine hello@loszine.com

All Rights Reserved.

www.loszine.com

thanks to

Hugo Bernard-Lecharpentier Denis Kolesnikov

team 34

bye bye

Dada @ computing Inspired by the DADA movement in 1916, the dada-computing proposes: a manifesto // Convinced that the artistic research shouldn’t lead to melancholic decline but open to new territories //

trasncipt p. 27

the dada@computing movement explores the alternative forms of expression of the technological fascination // For this, we will combine computer science and the ideology of dadaism // Inspired since 1900 by the African art, Pablo Picasso painted « Les demoiselles d’Avignon » // The reappropriation of congolese art by the European dada avant-garde // opens up alternative paths to the technology the Bourgeoisie already praised since 1930 // Technology ! // History // Society: // Architecture // Computer // Dada // @

The last (or latest?) Neo-Dada speculation article Dada: art movement of the 20th century that uses provocation and absurd situations // in order to revolutionize established aesthetic norms Irrational ink mark // Also his buildings are all dada@computer, this man is not Fernand Pouillon // Computing: from the English verb ÂŤ to compute Âť // defines an algorithm that repeats an action an infinite number of times // <I> The greatest technological advance of the digital age is to make computing // an instant and immediate task </I> // Oxymoron: a poetical figure of speech // that associates contradictory terms // (merge two separate concepts) // With the repetition of ink marks, this page is a dada@computer

trasncipt p. 28

//