Wall Mapping

As the thesis involves comparing ideas from different fields of study there is a requirement for a method that easily allows for relationships between pieces of information to be easily identified. Typically writing in blogs or notebooks forces one to record different ideas serially and separate from each other making the process of comparison more difficult.

Wall mapping gets around this constraint by working as a sort of pin board. As one uncovers information that they feel is important, it is written or attached on the wall. The information can be text or image based, depending on what is appropriate. When further information is discovered you have to choose a location for this information relative to the information that has already been plotted. With this technique, if the new information relates closely to anything on the wall then it is placed in close proximity to that similar piece of information. At this point, the similarities themselves can be written out and placed in the appropriate position on the board. Arrows and lines are drawn between different ideas and pieces of information indicating the presence of relationships. The result is a lattice that not only maps out the discourse encapsulating the thesis, but helps to generate new ideas and relationships because all the information is available for review on a single plane.

The pictures below are of an initial test run for this method of research that sort of evolved into the wall mapping that is described above. I have found that simply writing on a board is more fluid and intuitive for works in progress than working on a document that is computer based. The final version of these various maps still has to be determined but it will be based on these initial sketch maps. As this method is continuously used, ways of evolving the technique will be tested. For example, can the lines drawn between different bits of information be used to describe the nature of those connections and relationships as opposed to simply denoting the presence of a relationship? How large should the maps be, and how can other maps be referenced to each other? Should information be placed on separate pieces of paper then pinned to the wall so that they can be moved when necessary? These are all questions that will be resolved as the technique is utilized as a method of research throughout the thesis.

DESIGN MODELS

The thesis will analyze the significance of making space in the development of a person’s sense of self. Furthermore, the study will take place within the larger context of the reciprocal relationship between an individual’s consciousness and their external environment.

Design models are two architectural investigations that seek to further explore two common themes that have arisen throughout my very preliminary research that has encompassed my first term in the program. They are as follows:

1) That a person's sense of self is not a singular enitity as many people perceive but a unique combination of experiences that are bound together through a process of valuing and appraisal that occurs whenever we experience out external environment. This idea is maybe best visualized through the analogy of the cells that come together to form organs, and then the organs that come together to form the body. This resulting network of experiences is anchored to a common reality through its comparison relative to other people's inner maps (or bodies) as well as other characteristics and objects found within our external environment.

2) The other theme is prevalent in places of worship and deals more an individual's relationship to the infinite. Among the many architectural devices that are utilized to express this relationship, the most common is the framing of light. The way light sometimes pours into a building through framed openings in many ways is analagous to our perception of the external world through our eyes, which themselves can be seen as framed openings. I perceive these sorts of architectural experiences as amplified conscious experiences. Consciousness can be viewed as the contextualization of one self within a particular environment. Places of worship can be seen as houses for amplified conscious experiences because they serve to illustrate an individual's relationship to the infinite, which in my view is the ultimate context.

The Design models will essentially be architectural propositions that will address these two themes by making spaces that will serve as apparatuses for amplified conscious experiences.

Below is the first draft of my thesis statement, this is obviously a work in progess and will be reviewed and updated as necessary.

BECOMING CONSCIOUS OF CONSCIOUSNESS WITHIN THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT

One of the major motivational forces behind any act of design within the built environment is to elicit a certain type of experience within the occupier of that space. It seems logical that part of designing environments with fulfilling inner experiences would also include understanding how experiences travel through an individual’s emotional, psychological, and spiritual labyrinth. Following this line of thinking the study of human consciousness becomes crucial in the design and assessment of various built environments. Human consciousness is the most important mental faculty within a person. It is the conductor of our symphony of higher cognitive functions including the identification and development of the sense of self within an individual. Life for a person would be impossible without consciousness and its inherent sense of self, and can be severely affected when either is damaged. In addition, the interaction between an individual’s consciousness and the external environment often has profound effects on the development of a sense of self.

This thesis will analyze the acts of dividing and articulating space in the development of a person’s sense of self within the context of the reciprocal relationship between an individual’s consciousness and their external environment.

In order to investigate this rich and intertwined relationship the following methodology will be utilized:

1) Various examples of poetry, art, and film, as well as phenomenological, scientific, and religious texts will be reviewed in order to achieve a more detailed understanding of the development of a sense of self through conscious experience. Furthermore in order to study the development of the sense of self special attention will be attributed to emotional consciousness and appraisal.

2) This information will then be applied in specific case studies that will analyze built environments of various scales, functions and complexity.

3) The thesis will be further explored in more intimate detail through various creative acts including at least one short story and one design project.

4) The above research, case studies, and creative projects will be compiled and analyzed in order to determine the value of the information in relation to designing the built environment.

Please find below the beginnings of a reading list, this list will be become a permanent feature within the blog and will help to define the boundaries of the investigation at any given point in time. Some of these books I have read and some I am planning to read:

Introduction to Consciousness – Arne Dietrich

Conversations on Consciousness – Susan Blackmore

The Blackwell Companion to Consciousness – Edited by M. Velmans and S. Schneider

Discourse on Method and The Meditations – Rene Descartes

Ethics – Benedict de Spinoza

Your Brain is (Almost) Perfect – Read Montague

The Feeling of What Happens – Antonio Damasio

Descartes’ Error – Antonio Damasio

Consciousness Explained – Daniel Dennett 

(The above books are are related to Consciousness, as mentioned in my opening statement, studying consciousness will be a key aspect to my research. The first four books on the list provide a general introduction and overview on the subject. The next two philosophical texts are some of the earliest writings on the subject and provide a different sort of introduction on the subject and when compared with the first four books one can see how the dialogue on the subject has developed. The other texts explain theories referred to in the first text in more detail. This part of the "Consciousness" reading list will most definitely expand as time goes on.)

Critique of Judgement – Immanuel Kant

Aesthetic judgement can play a key role in how we experience the outside world. Immanuel Kant’s “Critique of Judgement” provides useful insight into the subject.

The Social Logic of Space – Hillier and Hanson

The Production of Space – Henri Lefebvre

The Poetics of Space – Gaston Bachelard

While the texts on consciousness place an emphasis on the biological and mental processes of the person, these books spend more time considering how form and space can influence how experience our environment life as well as how these elements become manifestations of our "inner" lives.

Memento (film)

Waking Life (film)

Memento examines how our subjective internal narratives vary extensively compared to reality. It also reveals the crucial role memory plays in the development of consciousness. Waking Life also examines the validity of our subjective, “waking” realities by integrating the ideas of various philosophers.