Some news!

Although Discursive Spaces was completed in 2011, the work goes on. Architecture Inside Out (AIO) - which shares many participants with the DS project is soon to publish a small e-book provisionally entitled  'Deconstructing spaces'. This is a series of pieces written by disabled artists about architecture, And Jos Boys is writing a book for Routledge, due out in the autumn of 2013 called Doing Disability Differently: An Alternative Manual for Architects.

Continuing connections

Architecture Inside Out (AIO) and So What is Normal (SWIN) are still in development.

In the meantime, visit Disability Arts Online for lots of disability-led information about artists and projects.

Maybe a book!

The next aim from the Discursive Spaces, Architecture Inside Out(AIO) and So What is Normal (SWIN) projects is to put together a book (or two!) which celebrate the values and creativity disabled artists can bring to the world of architecture; and to explore how we might work from disability to re-think architecture itself!

So, big aims -  our excuse for it taking so long! But we will keep you posted...or get in touch via this blog. 

Other projects which have grown out the of Discursive Spaces work include

Architecture Inside Out

So What is Normal?

You can also keep up with many of the artists involved at DADA-South. 

This project is now completed!

As of July 2008, this Arts Council SE funded Making Discursive Spaces project is finished and this blog no longer in use. Many thanks to all the participants. The full story of the project and its evaluation can be found on http://www.discursivespaces.co.uk.

Heel all,

Very quiet here on the blog pages where are you all when I need you? I met Martha Schwartz today and had some interesting discussions around how she and her company work on initiatives world wide-I was fascinated by the opportunities I feel we have as disabled artists to contribute another level to artists or urban designers such as Martha! I think we may have underestimated our skill and knowledge base. It would be good to hear more from the students about how we can translate our ideas more clearly!

If u check ebay out Johnny Cresendo is sellign his new album Rollover! His work is very interesting


http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250118833520&ssPageName=ADME:L:LCA:UK:11

Zoe

reflections on review day

A very busy and engaging day! It was Interesting to see how differently the studios worked, from the more conventional relationship with working up from plans etc. to the more conceptual considerations around light, sound, form, Interior/emotional spaces and abstraction. I was impressed by the amount of work and research undertaken by many students, demonstrating playful and original Interventions.

This was clear in the different uses and understanding of conventional drawings and plans etc. and the more expansive and experimental work sheets. Whilst important to remember that both are part of the same process of evaluating, exploring and "designing" space; at times the transition from this conceptual work to the plans often lost something of the original dynamic and opportunity suggested in the work sheets. Of course some students are more comfortable with one way of working over another but ultimately they are part of the same process and some students I feel could of made more of how one informs and defines the other.

As we have discussed before, at times, plans and designs often seemed to become too fixed, too early on and students seemed to forget at times, or allow for change as they explored and tested their concepts. For example some of the work around the Church site whilst exploring issues of height and light in their initial thoughts, seemed to scale down these ideas and reduce or abandon these three dimensional considerations when faced with producing a two dimensional drawing. It was also interesting to see how a lot of students were still not really considering the practical considerations around the use of space and particular to the work at the Brewery, allowing for how artists / users would actually use the space; the potential impact on the user or the wider narrative of how multiple users use space. Perhaps more extensive user/client research as well as conceptual?

One important insight I got from the day is what the designer could give to the client: An appreciation and often new way of looking at space, form and existing structure. I enjoyed the connection many students made with the surrounding community and environment as a whole, allowing for more mature design work around how an intervention effects an existing structure and the more sensorial considerations and opportunities of layering, texture and materials. As well as the client and potential users, many students seemed to address what the community as a whole might get from their intervention.

Of course responses to questions of access were mixed, I think the students we had worked with on the whole, had a sense of opportunity and saw the question as a new way to look more carefully at how they designed for multiple users (disabled being one of many) in a creative and functional way, whilst rather than just for themselves. It was Interesting, although not very surprising to see how one academic saw this as an imposition or hindrance to the design process. Ultimately it is a question of education for designer, architect and user, and I can only speak for myself, but the programme as a whole, has certainly been as useful for me as I think it has for the students . A dialogue with user and architect and designer can only be a good thing and the discursive process a question of translation and understanding. If I were allowed one recommendation it would be that considering the different approaches and bias within the studios that the students could benefit from a mixed review of work across studios. An enjoyable testing and informative experience, what did the students think?

Hi All,

It was a delight to read what Kerry had to say about her time with Rubbena and Noemi I hope that your assessments were not to daunting and you have all recovered and on to the next phase. The ideas I saw in our group were fabulous and it has inspired me to finish my Ma so thanks for sharing your thoughts with us all.

Can I just ask if Vasiliki found it useful working with Joolz? Did any other students benefit from Joolz being in your studios?

I hope to see you all on Friday Zoe

Kerry - accessible artists studios

My project is located on the ground floor of the Truman Brewery along the Hanbury Street elevation of the building. I am working on designing a studio for a fine artist, predominantly a painter.
The main issue I have encountered with the ground floor of the building is the small amount of natural light that gets into the floor; I have begun to think about making incisions in the building to allow more light into the area.
The main aspect of my design is looking at an interaction between the studios, artists and the public in the Brick lane area. The area around the brewery is buzzing with young culture and boasts three local markets that regularly have artworks for sale, artists in the area would find the brewery an inspiring and productive place to work. In my design for the studios I want to create an opportunity for the artists to display their work to the public in the surrounding area. My ideas so far have been looking at a threshold in the wall that could change in some way to exhibit work at particular times, for example on the market Sundays. I have been looking at multifunctional spaces that work with moving parts for example the Stephen Holl museum in New York.

The two workshop days have helped me improve my idea greatly. I have spoken to both Neomi and Rubbena and they both have given me so many things to think about I feel it has added richness to my project. After spending time with Neomi I have considered access into the space and as there is a change in heights between the outside and the interior. I have designed ramps to come directly into the studios. Thinking about access after the workshop days my ideas for the ramps came naturally and are now a feature in my design rather than being just ‘plonked’ in afterwards. I feel that as a designer talking to the artists in this stage of our project has been a real help, I have had more to think about when designing my studios but I think it has made my design more interesting and has not compromised any of my early design ideas.

refections on student workshop.

I really enjoyed my time with our one to one sessions and was impressed with the students creativity and quality of work.

Although some of the students felt it was a rather late intervention with their projects at this stage, it seemed an ideal opportunity to test the concept in an applied sense. How does the proposal address practical issues around multiple users? What is as Jos puts it, the narrative or predicted use of a space and how should this inform the design? As in all creative and time driven projects, the work can become too fixed at an early stage. What can we bring across from our initial concept and how difficult is it to let things go?

Some students seemed more comfortable with the conceptual side of the project, whilst others with the practical and structural considerations. It would make sense for these different students to peer assess or brainstorm across projects.

Perhaps any difficulties in presenting proposals verbally can often be an indication of problems with clarity and an opportunity to revisit what we as creatives, can sometimes take for granted.

The dialogue allowed me to consider my own practice as well engage with and challenge the students.

Students, get posting and check out the work and ideas on Inside Out!

REFLECTIONS ON BRICK LANE

Within the car park, I was struck by the existing accommodation of different uses of space. The use of extendable frames for the weekend market seemed a useful way of addressing different functions from a large open plan space for cars to more defined and intimate areas defined by the market stalls, whilst retaining the existing floor-plan. This seemed an interesting solution to containing and organizing more open plan environments, whilst allowing form to change depending upon use. As we discovered on the day, access is a real problem and I think this shows how the whole access is is still about "us" and "them", and the sheer openness of the space allows for a more integrated approach. I also liked the car-park attendant hut as a means to introduce manageable and practical modular environments, whilst retaining the open space feel.

The examples of visible utilities and existing technology including lifts, shutters, interconnecting forms and pulleys etc. suggested the use of simple solutions to practical problems and allowing for existing structures and the possibility of making utilitarian features visible as part of the overall design, which would again provide flexibility, cheaper costs and provide a link to the buildings history.

The Interior spaces allowed for existing ramps and again the ability to affix new utilities to the existing interior and wall space. I was struck by the rather daunting scale and how quickly the students talked of scaling down the space and how we naturally clustered together, raising all sorts of interesting questions around scale, comfort and the need to manage and control large spaces.

How not to do it: NOT using the disabled toilet at the Truman's Brewery.....

Second site visit

Students’ comments on 19th April discussions

Really enjoyed today, it helped me a lot with my project. Definitely prefer working one to one rather than in large group presentations.
Rebecca

Helped having an individual tutorial, got to discuss a lot about the project + also other issues about disabled access. Got some details resolved I think.
Charlotte

I also enjoyed having a on-to-one tutorial – Noemi spent a lot of time getting involved in my idea and I felt that I got a lot of positive feedback – she helped me feel more involved in my design.
Kerry

Today helped me really clarify my target audience and devise ways to formulate what have been until now rather abstract ideas. Today we’ve been discussing ways to promote and advertise the function of my space and how the events going on in my design and space would benefit all sorts of people – not just those interested in sound artists and the performances that I am proposing.
Ellie

1 on 1 tutorials were very helpful and enjoyable. They were more formal and productive than presentations which were more general comments. New ideas and ways of ‘seeing’ were presented which will aid this design and further work to come.
Alex

I found that being allocated to a specific tutor allowed me to further improve my design. Presentations by artists are thoroughly enjoyable and have inspired me greatly, particularly w ith my spatial awareness.
Dominie

It is really interesting to think about space from different perspectives. Designing with your senses and not just aesthetics…. I am worried that the focus is on issues of access and technical requirements (this is not particularly relevant to my concept as the studio space would be private and I don’t want to shoehorn these things in..)
Lettie

Really helped me a lot. I understood what I was doing and what I needed to do. I think it helps to have one to one tutorials rather than a group.
Rohini

It really helped me a lot to understand some things. We had good communication between us.
Vasaliki

Very interesting, helpful and fun. It has been exciting and haas helped me to define my concept.
Laia

Matt - graffiti studios

The main aspect of the Truman brewery site is its number of different programmes, which mirror the diversity of its context. Brick lane is a culturally socially and architecturally diverse area. My intention is to insert a new programme, which can operate alongside the existing. I am using the ground floor site which is a market and a car park at various times of the week. I am inserting large facades and suspended canvas- like panels which occupies the negative ceiling space and the negative space during the market and car park. These are intended for graffiti artists to commander and create and exhibit their work. The panels will expose the existing structure as not to lose the buildings essence. I’m inserting a storage/ staircase for the artists tools. My next challenge is incorporating a new access friendly method of use. Due to the nature of my art this new programme and design will mirror the guerrilla tactics adopted by graffiti artists.

Charlotte - artists' 'sheds'

I am designing artists studios for the people who don’t have the room at home, whether it be the garden shed or spare room to carry out their hobby (such as jewellery making, fixing broken radios or painting). They are designed to have plenty of storage to encourage hoarding and create the sense that the studios are growing independently and slowly taking over.
What I noticed on the first site visit was the poor light quality inside and plain facade of the building. Because of this I started looking a different materials and textures to create a feeling that the studios are glowing, like what is inside is bursting to get out. I also started looking at how to 'cut' into the Hanbury street elevation to provide a glimpse of what is going on inside and also allow more natural light into the building.

Pictures from Site Visit

Metamorphosis?

Is it possible for the Truman Site to Metamorphose into something else?
Should original features remain as a lasting token to the building's original essence and soul, or should the spirit of the Brewery be set free to embark on a new journey and identity? Is it necessary or relevant to consider the external community who breathe life into the narrow alley ways and streets that perimeter the site?
These are perhaps grand questions, but this is a monumental site of cathedral like proportions. A certain level of courage might be required to affect a new personality on such a site, but the design students have the chance to implement a metamorphosis, and it is an enviable opportunity to have. This is perhaps the moment to forget individual inhibitions and to allow the transformation to happen - to blast energy and personal identity into the Truman Site so that it breathes with passion and life again.

Rachel

Dominie - fashion studios

I am designing a set of fashion houses in the Truman brewery in brick lane. On exploring the site and its context I became aware of the textiles around the site. It is becoming a very fashion conscious place. These fashion houses will be rented plots. They are pre made ‘sets’ which are adaptable at each plot. The fashion houses work with an existing programme (fashion shows, which occur throughout the year) in my site. A catwalk will be a permanent installation, which will act as a catwalk and a walkway to the fashion houses when shows are not on, creating a circulation route. I want to create this street (catwalk) which you can venture on to visit the fashion houses and when there is a show the plots can be dismantled to be used as viewing stations for the fashion shows. My key intentions now are access and circulation and designing an entrance into the site. All this will be sympathetic to the building and appealing to the public.

Alex Paduano Proposal

My proposal is a set of multi-functional artist studios which aim to provide the core functions and requirements of artists. The site is used by a host of existing artists, predominantly fashion, photography and exhibitions. I feel that the site is already a large existing artists studio and thus propose smaller studios which allow the site to function separately and harness different disciplines. My design is a pod like structure which incorporates the immediate needs of an artist. My aim is to allow artists to eat,sleep,work ART. The structure provides a large desk area as the primary function area, from which secondary areas such as food, a bed, and storage can extrude. They can slide away discreetly when dormant and pull out to inhabit different areas of the site. Providing a briefcase like studio, allowing the artist to open up in to their own area, work and mess. I imagine the studios being rented out on short or long term periods, possibly in coordination with events within the site. The pods can open, close, and function in correlation with the inhabitation of the site. Just as Brick Lane and the surrounding area is constantly evolving, so to is the site, and thus the studios should be able to harness these changes and work with them.

Websites for reference from Caroline

Hi everyone. Here are links to some websites I mentioned last Friday.

ricability
- all sorts of reports on equipment and ways of making life easier for disabled people - browse their reports for practical solutions and recommended equipment, plus names of manufacturers

soundbeam - break the beam, make a sound - a site using this sound technology

Architectural Symbols and Signs
- braille signage from the company Architectural Symbols and Signs - the only UK manufacturer to currently use high quality metals (copper, stainless steel etc) for their signage - meaning they can be more aesthetically pleasing than plastic options

london print studio
- this print studio is designed to be accessible for disabled artists - well worth a visit if you want to check out some height adjustable tables. They are very friendly, if you call before visiting someone would be happy to show you round (do call first as they often run workshops so there are times a visit would not be convenient)

Disability on the web (a small selection, please note some are an aquired taste and not to be regarded as gospel or representative of the views of all disabled people). Some of these sites have messageboards - they're worth a look to get a feel of what some members of the online disabled community think about life in nitty gritty detail, the universe and everything!

Ragged Edge magazine

Disability Now magazine

BBC Ouch!

Disability Arts Online

Able Magazine

You're Able

Vasaliki - world mosiac studios and market

My inspiration about this project came out of Branly Museum in Paris especially from the different color coxed it has which each one has not only different color but also different culture and light.
When I then visited Brick Lane in London I automatically thought about Branly Museum since in my opinion the two sites have a link between them because at Brick Lane different cultures are gathered in addition to create the basic picture of a market and I compared that with how mosaics must gather together to create a picture.
I start doing a research about Brick Lane’s history and I discovered that different cultures lived there through ages.
Now Brick Lane occupies from young Londoners and Europeans which they have trendy shops and cafes and Indian-Bangladeshi which they have shops with frozen fish, leather bags, spices etc. these two cultures are separate because of their different culture, color and believing.
After seeing how people can separate because their believes I decided to create workshops and shop for mosaic. The whole project will be also suitable for disabled people, which that means each space will have a ramp for easier access and generally the whole setup will be appropriate. By doing the project, I want to give the opportunity to different kind of people to come and work together without any racism.

Feedback from day two

Listening to students present and artists comments I was struck by how many interesting questions there were about the weight of things, the vibrational effects on the body of the harshness or softness of surfaces, the impact of physical textures, and colour as information. Experiental and sensual (thinking about the pleasurable and the playful.)

Compared to many reviews I have attended, here the relationships between bodies and space seemed to come alive in the most immediate and intimate way which felt directly relevant to interior architecture. Maybe, when you are young/non-disabled you don't tend to notice your body much - you just get on with things living, as Walter Benjamin says, in a state of distraction. One of the things the deaf and disabled artists seem to be offering - perhaps because of their daily and endless experiences of the built world as a series of barriers and obstacles - is a much more aware, close and experiental relationship with material space, objects and the senses.

Ellie - sound artist studios

I saw a performance by Monolake at the Pompidou centre in Paris earlier this year and was fascinated by how a piece of audio art was translated into a visual artwork. The performance encouraged me to close my eyes and to imagine how the acoustics would look, but similarly to try and close my ears and to imagine how the visual piece would sound. My project is a research
into how people can experience a space without relying purely on their visual senses. I’ve been experimenting with mass of space together with materiality of space to work towards creating a sensory installation piece.

The function for my space is a studio space for artists to create libraries of sounds, which can be used to create audio artworks, hopefully to be experienced by the general public in a performance space within the interior of the old warehouse. I want to translate information from one sensory experience into another. I want to take the audio information I have collected from in and around the site and literally use this information to design the visual layout of my design. Currently with my conceptual models I’m trying to explore (in a visual way) the acoustic experience of passing through thresholds between large-expansive spaces through to small-enclosed spaces.

Some background to the artists studios project

The Artists Studios project started in January 2007. Students were asked to investigate the potential of a large two storey warehouse - part of the Trumans Brewery complex in Brick Lane, London - a centre for contemporary artistic activities. Artists studios could be defined widely; and had to be inserted into part of the building so as to overlap productively with existing (temporary) uses. Students had therefore to develop their own programme and to construct a convincing and creative narrative.

This project built on a first term focused on fabric, and on how textiles could themselves be transformed, and could transform space into a 'public' interior. This allowed investigations of the spaces in-between the most intimate layer of clothing through to the architectural level of the container; that is, the spaces where interior architecture happens.

Students now have a sketch scheme for their studios. The work from now on must concentrate on how each 'narrative of inhabitation' can be informed, enriched, communciated and taken into large scale material detail, through the knowledge and involvement of Inside Out artists.

An Initial Question

The Discursive Spaces intensive workshops run from Wednesday 11th April to Friday 27th April 2007. This blog is to capture work in progress, comments, feedback and issues.

We would like each participant to begin by saying what you would like to get out of the Discursive Spaces project...

Supported by the Arts Council