Responses+to+Readings


 * __Week 1__**


 * Michael Winterbottom, //Code 46//, 2004.**

A story of forbidden love, //Code 46// is a look into a world where machines control human lives. The story is set in Shanghai and through technological advancements in the form of gadgets and architecture it is evident that the world is a much gloomier place where the basic human desire for liberty haunts the characters of the story. An investigator for forged travel documents, William Geld develops an intimate relationship with Maria Gonzales who is guilty of faking these documents. A world where human and genetic reproduction is predetermined by government and genetic makeup, the choice method of reproduction is //in vitro//, thereby deeming natural and unscreened copulation as illegal. Here, physical and mental traits of an offspring can be controlled in a laboratory. Also, the world is one where geographical boundaries are collapsed: international borders exist only as travel documents within heavy security, international languages are intertwined with each other in conversational and formal speech (in this case, French, Spanish and English), and a perpetual and unavoidable surveillance of all people is conducted. Disturbingly, the extreme and absolute power—whether it is government or the dictates of modern science—is also able to manipulate and erase personal memories and command personal and/or bodily desires (or a contradiction of both). People can also manipulate their own minds by taking a “virus.” William takes an “empathy virus” to enhance his mind-reading skills while Maria takes a virus that enables her to speak Mandarin.

An arguably futurological sci-fi film, //Code 46// also examines environmental issues such as dangerous exposure to sunlight due to extreme deterioration of the ozone layer and “natural” growth of plants as an extreme luxury.


 * Stan Allen, “From Object to Field,” in //Architecture After Geometry//, ed. Peter Davidson and Donald Bates (Wiley-Acedemy, 1997).**

“From Object to Field” is Allen’s critique of architecture as practice in this day and age, stating that it is chaotic, shallow and out of control. He stresses the importance of local relationships in architecture over overall form and composition in field or site conditions. In urban conditions, architecture must practice restraint and control over complexity (chaos); it must simplify itself, and not get caught up in indecipherable and unsuccessful density.

Allen’s first reference is to classical architecture: to the mosque in Spain. The form of the Córdoba mosque is one of possible infinite growth where the building is dynamic. Parts of the building are fragments, modules or simply, parts. In Le Corbusier’s proposal for the Venice Hospital, this idea of repeated parts is also evident. In contrast, St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican is a collection of parts that are distinguishable from one another by style and method of construction.

Relationships are also distinct in planning in grid for urban settings. Here, these grids are juxtaposed with the natural topography of land, where there is a balance of variation and repetition. Also in the modern idea of figure ground, contrasting images are layered, creating a new pattern where the images exist as a whole.

These lessons must be learned and practiced, applied to urban contexts. Architecture should be used as a medium to configure cities. It must recognize the complexities and unexpectedness of cities and works towards better living environments.


 * Sanford** **Kwinter, “African Genesis (A Presentation),” in //Assemblage 36// (MIT, 1998).**

In an African Genesis, Kwinter employs that human conception of form and architecture is dictated by the ecologies of our environment. Man is a product of his environment and is directly affected by it, copying nature and associating with its organisms. Nature is associated with man and man is associated with nature. Spatial organization is determined by biological needs and conditions, in this article through tension and relaxation: animals (including man) are governed by territory and their behavior is directly affected by the confines of their packs.

The organization of man in his environment is a pattern that has been exposed to unlimited variation, thus creating a universal rhythm that is capable of giving explanation to the all physical laws. This rhythm translates into art or music, and music or art translates into design. Design is a story of rhythm and rhythm is the scaffolding that supports the world. Nature is a story of events that have occurred in the past where forms are residual or a byproduct of these events. Function ultimately resides over humanly habits and man ultimately designs by this rule.

Relating the genesis of design and form to the site of the earliest people, Kwinter uses the African continent to pinpoint the birth of design potential, understanding the most primitive humanly habits applicable to man today and why architecture in its most base form is functional.


 * Mark C. Taylor, “From Grid to Network,” in //The Moment of Complexity: Emerging Network Culture// (Chicago 2001).**

The world we live in today is in transition from the post-modern world to an entirely new world where complexity must be organized in a new way. We live in an informational society where networks unite peoples and the internet makes the accessibility of information equal to all.

In the past, Le Corbusier and the Modernists theorized that the world can be translated into Euclidean geometries while denouncing the importance of historical references. With the Bauhaus and contradicting their pact of liberty in design, the Modernists became elitists, and thereby hypocrites to their own thesis: that design should be modern, accessible and affordable. In the United States, decoration was deemed as a distraction to the purity of architecture. The grid dominated all form. Mies van der Rohe’s rigid grid on the Seagram Building proved that architecture parallels the times and cannot be timeless. Robert Venturi used signs to communicate his architecture while borrowing classical elements such as arches and pediments and incorporating the landscape. Frank Gehry’s approach to complex architecture and grid is one of perpetual movement and morphosis. His manipulation of these grids into organic forms introduces a new dimension in architecture, a gateway for a new complexity and understanding of space.

The new architecture is one that must develop alternative forms that reflect the political, economic, social and cultural of the future. As technology advances so will architecture and engineering, aesthetics will change and complexity will manifest itself in a new form.

//Syriana// is a film that exposes the likes and interests of super powers around the world in regards to the global oil industry. Oil is the world’s most profitable natural resource and because of this reason, corruption is common in the business of oil. In this day and age of politics, oil distribution is controlled by large firms and corporations, in this example, firms and corporations from the United States. However, //Syriana// also exposes people working in the oil fields and how different their lifestyles may be as compared to the “big guys”: their services are imported from neighboring countries, such as Pakistan, and are treated just as any labourer would be, laid off upon instructions from executives. It is also interesting how these large corporations point fingers at each other and are somehow able to convince the world of erroneous truths. In this film, the reform-minded Prince Nasir, heir to the throne, chooses to form business relationships with China. As a result, business relationships with the United States would be cut, causing these American firms to lose money. At the other end of the spectrum, labourers who have been laid off often resort to extreme bouts of “terrorism” after joining religious groups.
 * Stephen Gaghan, //Syriana//, 2005.**


 * __Week 2__**

DeLanda opens the argument that with the advent of the modern computer, a new method of thinking and a new way of explaining universal laws emerge. In the past, where mathematical equations were inevitably a one-answer situation, the new world is now open to the idea of a dynamic equilibrium or state of multiple paths or outcomes. There is, all of a sudden, a shift from a set of predetermined reactions to variable behaviours and oscillations: an unpredictable outcome of patterns. Paralleling previous articles, self-organizing systems are made decipherable as people begin to understand this through this new hypothesis. DeLanda uses an array of examples where self-organizing systems and dymanic equilibriums are present. In geology, nature imposes itself through the layers of rock buried beneath the Earth’s surface. However complex these formations and patterns may be, they tell a story of the different paths each rock type may take: burning as lava, becoming brittle to form sand or sedimentary rock, compressing under extreme pressure such as metamorphic rock, etc. In his words, “Self-organizing processes drive the geological cycle.” Other examples include the spread and evening of energy throughout the human body, the development of an embryo and the stratification of the ecosystem. A love letter to the capabilities and the power to impose change on people’s lives, //Non-Organic Life// poses interesting questions on genesis and how man is able to understand the universe through the use of tools (e. g. culture and computers).
 * Manuel DeLanda, “Non-Organic Life,” //Incorporations//, ed. Jonathan Crary and Sanford Kwinter, Zone Books, 1992.**

//Videodrome// is a critique of howtelevision in today’s world (1983) dominates human perception and reality,mixing one with the other, both being indecipherable. It is about a televisionprogrammer who comes across a film called Videodrome, a Bondage, Discipline,Sadism and Masochism (BDSM) film that has no plot and no change of setting,only violence, murder, torture and manipulation. He becomes intrigued by it,and begins to have odd hallucinations. The Videodrome turns out to be a filmthat opens up a new part of the brain that is triggered by sex and violence. Atumor in the brain develops afterwards, supporting hallucinations. This tumoris a new bodily organ that supports signals from the main source of theVideodrome and is used to programme its victims’ minds.
 * //Videodrome//, David Cronenberg, 1983.**

Videodrome is a film about the search for anew stimulus, a new fascination. Because of the universality of thetelevision—the fact that everyone and anyone owns one or has access to one—theTV becomes the new medium for mind manipulation. Television “becomes the newreality and reality is less than TV.” Human perception is raided and violatedby images that appear on the cathode ray tube (TV). The film exposes the newchallenge of television: man’s ability to perceive reality and his ability tomanipulate reality. What is perception? What is reality? Are the different?Similar to today’s so-called “reality TV,” why is man so captivated by thisbox?

//Emergence// explores the unknown scienceof self-organizational systems of seemingly unintelligent organisms. The pointof the essay was to, through the example of slime mold, ants and humanembryotic cells, show that these decentralized systems are the ones that areable to create through co-operation, labour and communication, complex andintelligent systems or organization. When uncovering the shortest and mostefficient path, slime mold cells release a chemical called cyclic AMP. Theslime mold cells use their sensory organs to detect the highest buildup ofcyclic AMP, thus following the most efficient path out of the maze. In humancells, other than from the effects of evolution, it is through cellularcommunication that each cells knows its role in the construction of the humanform. Each cell receives its “instructions” from its neighboring cells as aco-operative system.
 * Steven Johnson, “Introduction,” “Street Level,” and excepts from“Pattern Match” and “See What Happens,” from //Emergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities and Software//,Scribner, 2001.**

These systems solve organizational problems by using their clan’s individual elementsas modules for higher intelligence. “Emergence,” as it is termed, is the use ofsmall elements to support a complex system--“bottom-up” system ofhierarchy—into a self-organizing system. Acting on a local scale, theirbehavior affects the system at a global scale: ants are able to functionthrough their sheer number and human cells can successfully complete thecomponents of the human body.

SoftSystems describe organizational logics based on their ability to adapt, morphand become dynamic in their quest to belong to a complex system. In parallel tothe //Emergence// article, it is theability of simple organisms to behave in such a way that it affects thebehavior of a much larger system. These organisms’ behavior may seem arbitraryor random at a certain scale but become predominantly ordered at a phenomenallevel. Liquid or soft systems refer to systems that are relatively unstableintermediate state between linear (where components line arrange themselves ina regular fixed pattern) and gas (a random arrangement) systems.
 * Sanford** **Kwinter, “Soft Systems,” in //CultureLab//, ed. Brian Boigon, Princeton, 1993.**

Thisarticle predicts an environmental change to our current world, as the world isexperiencing a change in technologies: increased communication lines throughdigital means such as the Internet and a redefining of the word “space” (be itcyber space or real space). Architectural advances are not simply objects ofform and structure but of self-arranging systems at all levels and all scales.Architecture in its environment then becomes a self-organizing system, handlingall aspects from its inhabitants and their behaviors to structural and ecologicalprovisions.

//Alphaville//, named one of the mostunconventional films of Jean-Luc Godard, is a reflection into the future; afuture where a centralized power or super computer named Alpha 60 controls thecitizens of Alphaville from their language to their actions and desires basedon logic.
 * //Alphaville//, J. L. Godard,1965.**

Lemmy Caution, anagent from the Outlands is sent to find Henri Dickson, another agent who he haslost contact with, only to realize upon seeing him again that he has succumbedto the habits and manners of the population of Alphaville and its full control.Upon arriving in Alphaville, Caution meets Natasha Vonbraum, the daughter ofthe creator of Alpha 60, Professor Vonbraum, the almost “god” of Alphaville. Uponsettling in his hotel, Caution notices that each room is equipped with a Bible;not a conventional Bible but a sacred book that lists words that are acceptableto use in conversation and speech. Godard believes that language is a windowinto people’s consciences. In this movie, language is used as a medium for mindcontrol. This book is updated every few days. With Natasha, Caution fights abattle with Alpha 60: he introduces Natasha to the idea of love, conscience,free will and individuality and with her, he escapes to the Outlands. A contradictionthat is present in the movie is that it is shot in black and white while thestory is a look into the future.

//Playtime// is a film without a story, a narrativethrough modern Paris,a city of soul-less human beings that even when exposed to a cold, heartlesssociety, are nonetheless human and behave in a human, emotional way. Uponwatching the film, one feels as though he is an observer, looking into thefuture. Funny enough, Tati predicts every city to look exactly alike with theexact same architecture. Scenes are packed with people, buildings, gadgets,materials. //Playtime// is a critique ofmodernity and how it has become extremely confusing to people. A comedy, it isa plethora of scenes that depict modern life: people’s now transparent livingconditions, eating out in a restaurant and enjoying nightlife, wanderingthrough the city, a technological exposition, the modern labyrinthianworkplace, small patches of greenery, etc. What links these scenes together isthe observation that people are confused, unable to adapt to this newtechnology. They confuse glass with voids, matter with voids (e. g. theshattering of the glass door and the doorman decides to just hold the doorknob).
 * //Playtime//, J. Tati, 1967.**

Themost memorable scene in my opinion is when Hulot is invited to his colleague’shome. The transparency of living spaces of two dwellings are put up againsteach other and the dividing walls of the two apartments disappear, creating aneffect of a single space and it looks like the two parties are interacting witheach other. Alsoin this film, Tati pokes fun at American tourists.


 * __Week 3__**

The “hacker work ethic” is defined as the passionate interest in programming that is all-consuming and extremely enjoyable for the programmer. Present in today’s programming and computer world, the hacker work ethic is an enthusiastic and intense work environment that is driven by pure satisfaction. It has its roots in the Protestant work ethic that dictates that work is passionate and unquestioned and is directly related to godly devotion. The Protestant work ethic supports an endless and unmitigated obligation to work, no matter what the activity consists of. The hacker work ethic, on the other hand, questions this motive of shallow work addiction, demanding reasons behind this “semi-masochism.” The hacker work ethic is more related to the foundation of the Academy and an educational setting where the pursuit of knowledge is a collective endeavour.
 * Himanen, Pekka. “The Hacker Work Ethic” and “The Academy and the Monastery,” from //The Hacker Ethic and the Spirit of the Information Age//, Vintage, 2001.**

The hacker work ethic entails a co-operative work group where information is shared, criticized and remodeled based off of members’ differing opinions and experiments. This open-source model of hackers is an effective method of learning and teaching.

This article criticizes today’s pedagogical and informational systems by proposing a “Net Academy,” an institution that has its roots in the collaborative strive towards further knowledge through free information available on the Internet. Furthering this process, Himanen proposes that this method and code of ethics should return to the personal level where interactions between people are at a face-to-face level.

Another protest on today’s pedagogical methods, “Pianos Not Stereos” introduces “computational construction kits,” methods on constructional design that exposes its learners, particularly children, to a hands-on experience of lessons typically taught to a much older age group. Just like learning to play the piano where students, through practice, repetition and technical lessons, learn to create their own personal complexities in their pieces or designs. The purpose of these methods is to establish personal connections between students as well as to encourage new and atypical ways of thinking. Three computational construction kits are discussed in the article:
 * Resnick, Mitchel. “Pianos Not Stereos: Creating Computational Construction Kits” from //Interactions, V. 3 No. 6,// 1996.**

1. Programmable Bricks: a computational construction kit that allows children to build behaviors, to learn that through one particular method, there may be many outcomes. Through a computer, they learn the parallelisms and differences of machines and human behaviors. 2. StarLogo: kits that teach open and decentralized systems where the interaction of many simple individual entities can complete complex systems or self-organizing systems (e. g. ant colonies and immune systems). Here they learn to build personal connections with others doing the same thing. 3. MOOSE Crossing: echoing the “Hacker Work Ethic,” it builds a sense of community where children learn that these activities can be extremely enjoyable, interactive and social; this of course, getting the children into the activity with passion and perseverance.

Through these kits, learning is not dictated by small, bordered fields but instead, offers many different tangents that are dense with material, highly intellectual and most of all, enjoyable.

The United States is the ultimate “Land of Consumerism” where its inhabitants are programmed to buy items that they don’t necessarily need in order to survive. Also in this Land of Consumerism, retailers make sure that they are able to squeeze out as much profit as they possibly can with the sale of their merchandise or in accessories or match-ups of their merchandise. In Schiesel’s article, consumers strike back (almost unintentionally) at Microsoft by using the Xbox as a mini computer. By hacking the Xbox’s internal computer, it can be transformed into a personal computer with a music player, storage system, etc. Not only does this system not financially support Microsoft by not purchasing game titles and accessories, it prevents consumers from buying anything else from Microsoft such as personal computers and Linux OS. By paying roughly $200.00, a price that is virtually unheard of in the realm of the personal computer world, hackers can perform under a much smaller budget that ever before. Also, because the Xbox is more portable that a PC, the hacked Xbox makes for a more marketable item. The only issue that comes up with the mutation of the Xbox and its intended original purpose is piracy. Does Microsoft have ownership rights to the Xbos even after it has been manipulated by a consumer after buying it? Is the consumer at fault for bastardizing the machine? Or is the manufacturer (Microsoft) responsible for not protecting their product?
 * Schiesel, Seth. “Some Xbox Enthusiasts Microsoft Didn’t Aim For,” from //The New York Times//, 10 July 2003.**

Dziga Vertov’s rendition of a normal day in the Soviet Union, //Man With A Movie Camera// is a celebration of workers, machinery, and their relationship to one another. It is a look into an exhausting day from dawn ‘til dusk. The film elevates the joys of the invention of industrial machines, man’s help with completing their daily tasks. It is a juxtaposition of the machine and the human being, citing a “mechanical reality,” showcasing man’s perpetual reliance on the machine from this point in history until the future. The movie opens with a manifesto:
 * //Man With A Movie Camera,// Dziga Vertov, 1929.**

//“This film presents an experiment in the cinematic communication of visible events.” “This experimental work aims at creating a truly international absolute language on cinema based on its total separation from the language of theater and literature.”//

Vertov eliminates all spoken word, forcing the viewer to focus on the rich imagery and dynamism of the bustling city of Moscow. In place of spoken language is music that directly corresponds to the activities shown on the film. The cinema is also thought of as a machine. Appearing in selected scenes, a man with a movie camera appears as if to show that the camera is universal and has no limits (privacy). It can capture anyone in any setting.

Demonlover is a movie about the cut-throat world of business negotiations and climbing the hierarchical ladder in the workplace in the field of pornographic animation. Seeming through the movie, each individual works as a group to consolidate demonlover.com, an American distributor of this type of media with a French company also involved in the animé porno field. Demonlover.com offers the French company funding and support in exchange for the brutal elimination of their main competitor. Junior executive Diane de Monx drugs her superior in order to be head of the soon-to-be demonlover deal. The twist in the movie comes when demonlover.com is exposed: it is involved with an interactive sado-masochism website called Hellfire Club, which is extremely controversial but rakes in massive profits. In the end, each of the business partners and their assistants has their own personal motives, the hierarchical pyramid is reversed and the characters turn on each other in violent, sadistic ways. Diane goes from being a chief executive that controls all business transactions to an almost schizophrenic manic who cannot tell reality from perception.
 * //Demonlover.// Olivier Assayas, 2002.**