Texas A&M University. Department of Architecture. T4T LAB Spring 2014.
"Field of Objects"
Invited Professor: Bruno Juricic.
With Gabriel Esquivel.
Team: Steven Hewett, Belinda Wood, Ricardo Gonzalez.
Field of Objects
This
project has always developed around two ideas. The first being the
epistemological approach to understanding objects and their qualities. The second being the reinterpretation of Giovanni Battista
Piranesi’s Campo Marzio Dell’Antica Roma.
We
understand the raw characteristics of the objects in terms of the physical
model. The geometry of the objects themselves is characterized as a raw quality
of the objects. There is a very clear, one to one, understanding of the
geometrical quality of the objects. We simultaneously understand the objects in
terms of the renderings as synthetic. The low polygon geometry is still present
within the objects, however the linework present begins to allude to qualities
in excess of what these objects are. This much more complex understanding of
the objects is what we define as the synthetic understanding.
The
synthetic understanding of the objects can be divided into two distinct
categories that we understand int terms of the character of the linework. There
are Exhausted objects and there are Less Exhausted objects, and the objects
level of Exhaustion has to do with ideas of turbulence. Deleuze describes
exhausted as being sort of strung out, so we understand the objects that are
more exhausted to be more strung out, much much more turbulent. The less
exhausted objects are much more resistive to the turbulence of the linework,
and are therefore much less strung out. Within the less exhausted objects the
geometric quality of the object is much more retained. The linework starts to
react to edge conditions within the objects and produces a certain tension
between the objects and their qualities.
The
tension that exists between all of these qualities of the objects
simultaneously; the Raw, the Synthetic, the Geometry, the Turbulence, and the
Levels of Exhaustion, serve to transition the objects from mere objects to
Objects of Interest.
Turbulence
is a quality shared by both the low polygon objects and the ground objects. The
turbulence found within the vortices of the ground object calls into question
it’s solidity, it’s materiality and starts then to talk about motion, flow, and
duration. Yet, the ground has clear boundaries. It is NOT boundless. These
material, formal, and idealogical qualities then allow for the self declaration
of the ground objects objecthood. It is also these qualties and the tension
between the ground object and these qualities that again, translate the object
into an Object of Interest.
Furthermore, it is the interaction between the objects of
interest and the ground object of interest that begins the reinterpretation of
Piranesi’s Campo Marzio. Piranesi was also interested in an epistemological
understanding of architectural objects. This is evidenced in that he placed
together in the Campo Marzio architectural objects from different time periods,
different physical locations, and even purely fictional objects. It is clear
that he had a very complex epistemological understanding of these objects, in
order for him to develop such a complex understanding of their figure to figure
relationships. It has been through our understanding of our objects
epistemologically that has afforded us the same ability. The placement of the
objects is in direct correlation to the ground objects turbulence. More
turbulent objects exist within the turbulence. Now that the ground has declared
it’s objecthood, the relationships are no longer merely figure to figure, but
have transcended into figure to figure to hyper-figure.
