It's a Thesis V.2

I've been really getting into photography lately. I should be more specific, the connoisseurship of photography not the actual taking of photos [although I'm sure that is to come soon if weekend tips at the bar allow me to splurge on this as a Christmas gift to myself].
One of my favorite photo-blogs is done by New York photographer Joseph Holmes, which he posts at joe's nyc. I think everyone should check him out especially his series of workspace photos - which are so fantastic. Anyhoo....I popped by his website this morning to see this photo in all it's glory. [click on it to make it bigger/better]


As you can see the framing, subject matter, and especially lighting are really striking. What I like about this photo and one's like it is how no one really ever gets to see this sort of stuff which is so integral to how the city they live in works. Exploring these spaces for the most part is illegal, however prevention is almost impossible so if one wants to have a look around you just have to know where to go. One of the unexpected results of these spaces is how eerily beautiful these spaces can be.


Now once you start getting into the 'urban explorer' community you end up in storm sewers in toronto [as in the photo above by Michael Cook] or in a Russian Subway Tunnel Construction area like this one taken by the group Russos:


A thesis on this type of material will obviously take me towards how this type of infrastructure shapes the way cities develop much more than private investment and public desire. It's interesting how this overlooked aspect of our cities is more in control of the city than we think it is - and possibly even more interesting is how just a few people in the city wield control over a system which undoubtedly influences millions.

It's a Thesis

Since my last post I've started about a half dozen comments on all kinds of subject matter - none of which I've finished. I've been all over the map lately and not actually getting anywhere.

Thesis has been on my mind for most of the semester and I think I have narrowed it down to looking at The Vancouver Art Gallery. The gallery is looking to expand since their digs in the former courthouse are starting to become a little cramped and a wee bit damp.

So what does this mean? It means that I'm thinking of designing a new art museum for Vancouver as my thesis. It means I drill my girlfriend who is taking a masters in Museum Studies here at UofT for ideas and ideologies about museums. Architecturally I could design the museum, that I'm not worried about, what I am worried about is my architectural approach to the act of design. Do I think museums are elitist institutions and should be catered to the rich, or are they places of education and centers of cultural heritage?
Do I design for the masses or the patrons, and why?

MOMA, having just undergone a major renovation is becoming a major focus for me. There is lots of material on the expansion of Modern Arts beloved major institution and I've been starting to amass material and approaches. There is much to do and I have no idea where it will take me [probably a trip back to New York and one to Vancouver].
Bernard Tschumi's envisioning of MOMA

Herzog and de Meuron take a look....

Rem Koolhaas and OMA

Three

The next step/year of school is upon me. On Monday third year begins and the world of electives runs amok. Studio choices are broad and range from: a trip to Santiago to study urban planning, a real design project for a high rise on Bloor Street West designed according to Taoist principles, a carbon neutral school, a[nother] trip to Vegas this time to create a transitory park on an undeveloped area of the Strip, rethinking approaches to residential spatial design, and using sound as a design tool. Choice is broad, professors are good, and I haven't made up my mind yet....

More nerve racking is a required course next semester entitled Thesis Research and Prep. Thesis is appearing on the horizon and admittedly I'm a little nervous. I haven't quite figured out exactly what I'm doing here yet and the carte blanche possibilities makes me feel overwhelmed.

So what is the approach? What I think about architecture would be a good place to start. So what exactly do I think about architecture?
I have no idea...

The Never Ending Process

"If you are satisfied with what you do, you are dead.
Me, it is worse than that - I am ashamed of what I do." -Philippe Starck

Pulling Back The Rug

Looking Back

There is something I think which is rather peculiar about my creative mind. It is my own worst enemy. Often in studio reviews things I have already thought of and either forgot about them because I was too stupid to write them down or simply didn't have the time to complete them are mentioned. Most of the time I am prepared for the criticism I am going to receive, almost down to the point of what they are going to say.

Now self editing happens in all fields, but when you look at something long enough the border between creative and critical viewing becomes blurry. When I look back at the above projects from the last few years not only do I think about what went into them, but I also think about what I would have changed. Perhaps that's where time comes into play. Now matter what it keeps going - moving - changing. Maybe the project never ends. Maybe I'll never be fully satisfied with something.

For those of us lucky enough to have experienced a Richard Serra sculpture, his work is commanding in its massiveness. On the occasion of a 40 year retrospective of his work at MoMA he talks about how he wouldn't build the sweeping forms if he knew what the experience of them would be ahead of time. For Serra it seems to be one large project encompassed in several individual works of art. From each project he learns something and takes it with him.


Can I treat architecture as my personal exploration - a selfish indulgence. It is a rather public art form. Somebody will most likely have to live/work with this thing. I want to build something, not just be a paper architect like the deconstructivists were for so long.

The M80

An eye opening technological development occurred in recent weeks. I really can't say it any better than this.

This image should look familiar to someone....

The Glass Is Half....

A rather substantial void has appeared in the last few weeks in my life. There is the expected low after finishing a chaotic year of school. And there's also the half empty house as my girlfriend is working in New York City this summer. The two have combined into a deafening silence which is starting to drive me a little stir crazy.

I was expecting to get a job in an architectural/design firm this summer, having more experience than last year, and having a decent portfolio this time around. The sea of rejection was expected but still moderately depressing when it started to come in. On the bright side, many of the firms I applied to at least responded with a 'no' instead of ignoring me outright. On top of that the responses I got from several firms were notes from the principals themselves telling me they liked my work but had no room for me this summer. I came close once when a firm in New York requested an interview with me; they later declined when they realized I was in Toronto.

I was really hoping to work on my skills acquisitions this summer and learn tons at a firm but I've pretty much given up on that. Right now I'll be happy if I can make it through the summer without incurring any more debt, forget learning anything.
I've down shifted my expectations for work this summer and cannot even seem to be able to find the famous - and soul crushing - entry level burger flipping bare minimum.
Last summer I got a job tending bar at a hotel restaurant/lounge. I managed to hold onto Saturday night shifts through the school year but there just isn't any more hours there for me. Now it's not that there isn't any jobs out there, it's just that they all want to hire extra help for Saturdays. Funny how the only thing keeping me alive is also holding me back. I won't give up what I have at the hotel because its the perfect school job, I just wish I could find something to compliment it.

Scenery

Was in New York recently. Here I am enjoying quite a view from the top of 30 Rockefeller Center.

(re)Think

When I first saw this project a while ago I thought they had lost their marbles - both Kentucky, the city that said yes, and the architects, OMA. However this year I have begun to re-evaluate the practice of architecture, the built environment, and the artifacts (buildings) we leave behind.

I happened to have just passed by this video which I thought I would share of architect, Joshua Prince-Ramus, who at 36 years old has been the chief designer of one of my favorite buildings, the Seattle Library. I only just learned that Prince-Ramus was also the chief designer of a building which sort of frightened me but now I find completely fascinating.

It's well worth the 20min and it might help to explain to some people exactly what I'm trying to do in school. [It's also easier to watch if you blow it up to full screen.]

The Short Road Ahead

The road to the finish seems to be taking forever. I'm done. Not work wise [that happens on the 27th] but mentally, emotionally; everything.
I need a break. I need a trip somewhere else, a fast car, an open road, and some sleep.
Enjoy the very real, un-staged trip through early morning Paris, it looks like heaven...

#1

Okay. It's been decided. Daniel, you're my number one draft pick.

So Daniel, how do you like my cover?

A Trip Down Amnesia Lane

Last year I avoided this chaos.
Last year I was unemployed during the summer.

It is Reading Break this week. Usually time to go skiing or hang out on a beach for many students. For me I get to sift through the startling amount of data I have amassed and make something useful out of it.
IT'S PORTFOLIO TIME.

Four days in I have a layout pushing a measly 150Mb and about 18 pages. It now takes several minutes to save the Illustrator file so I thought I would update this woefully neglected blog as I wait.

There is some slight motivation for this labor intensive process besides applying to local firms for summer work. The PEP, or The Professional Experience Program Award is up for grabs. Or more specifically the chance of being placed at a MAJOR international firm for an internship over the summer. The firms up for grabs are:
Allies and Morrison - London
Behnisch Architekten - Stuttgart
Studio Daniel Libeskind - New York
Kohn Pedersen Fox - New York
Morphosis - Los Angeles
Michael Maltzan Architecture - Los Angeles
OMA/Koolhaas - Rotterdam
Skidmore Owings and Merrill - New York/Chicago.

Prestigious? Certainly. Competitive? Absolutely. Out of my reach? Possibly.
However, you don't get in if you don't apply.
I list in order my top three choices, the faculty reviews the portfolios received, and sends each firm a small handful of portfolios deemed worthy enough to choose from. The only question is where do I apply?
Any Suggestions?

School

New projects abound and yet I'm feeling unmotivated. This semester is the Comprehensive Building Studio - the most practical studio. We have been given an elementary school in the to be developed West Don Lands Development Project. It will be challenging and I'm looking forward to getting started this week, after a few weeks of preamble, but I'm not completely here...

I'm in search of an architectural identity I guess. Its causing a creative block, and is making school difficult. I don't know where I want to go in my work, but I know I need to find what is missing. I'm starting to think I need to do an Independent Study course, a course of my own creation, to explore the random ideas I have in my head. I need to figure this out.