Them, And Us.

In contrast to Nature in Design [and digressing a little from architecture] I have been reading an article the National Geographic magazine (August 2011) entitled “Us. And them.”. It is about making robots more human. Personally I find the idea of Artificial Intelligence terrifying. We have already seen how humans alone affect the planet in a number of different ways so to add another race of superior intelligence into the mix could be disastrous. Perhaps it would work initially, but if these creatures are able to think and feel for themselves there could be great divides of opinion leading to an uproar of Global proportions. Not to forget this planet's resources are dwindling under the strain of 7 billion people [and counting], without the addition of other 'beings' needing power supplies. There has long been suggestions of domesticated robots who do human chores [think of The Jetsons - a popular cartoon series started in 1963. They had a house cleaning robot called Rosie, – there is a small clip of her here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLOBkkvwie8 and of course, Doctor Who – see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lH-kV5VTuZQ for a clip of Cybermen origins] however after giving robots AI, I can see how they would not stand to do our mundane everyday jobs – the little bits and pieces we hate doing! Civil rebellions of a space age kind... just a thought.

A link to the original National Geographic article: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/08/robots/carroll-text

It is certainly an eye opening article about something that is going on right now. People who are determined to push technological, philosophical  and ethical boundaries are studying HRI [Human Robot Interaction... yes, there is an acronym for it] i.e. our reactions towards robots and from this gleaning the information they need to make these robots more human.

"If you finally can't tell the difference, does it really matter if you're interacting with a human or machine?" - Hiroshi Ishiguro, ATR Intelligent Robotics and Communication Laboratories in Kyoto Japan.

It is a very valid question to which I think many people, at the moment, would answer that it is still something that has been made and given artificial intelligence over naturally evolved intelligence. However, if we were to live amongst these creatures, would we eventually get used to it and just accept them for another life form? 

A House is a Machine for Living In

Yesterday was the third DMP session where everyone fairly informally discussed their main concept or proposition to the class. Definitely an interesting and varied group of creative people we are!

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I did a simple slideshow which I believe purveyed my main thoughts on “A machine is a house for living in”. I went with this topic mainly because John advised us not to do anything [too] outrageous – to stick within the realms of what we know. There's also the fact that this particular proposition conjures up a really wide selection of still very socially relevant thoughts and avenues to explore so there is plenty of material there to be picked to pieces.

The sorts of thought trails I have been pondering include

Architecture vs. Nature

Man vs. Machine

Natural Perfection

The Golden Section

Fibonacci numbers

All of which play a part in my thinking about a machine being a house for living in. Warren [a fellow CDM MA student] suggested that I take look at a short television series called “The Code” which is about the perfect ratios that occur in nature which I find particularly fascinating. Completely natural happenings, unaffected by humans, in fact influencing us in the hunt for divine proportions within architecture. The contrast between what is seemingly left to chance and what is meticulously calculated is a dilemma I will be looking into, given that nature influences architecture in so many different ways. 

An example of Fibonacci numbers

in a common daisy

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A few years back I bought a wonderful book, Nature in Design, by Alan Powers who has written much about design, and architecture in particular. I rediscovered it today! Expect snippets, articles and imagery when I have re-read it. Already turning to the first couple of pages there are small articles on Le Corbusier and Man and Machines i.e. the Industrial Revolution. Also a fantastically exciting era in history in terms of the development of design and new discoveries and inventions – perhaps something else to delve into? Already so many sub-paths to explore...

IDEAS/dicussions/DEBATES/photos/posters/campaigns...

After a week of tentatively exploring ideas for my very first Digital Media Practice module I have finally got my blog up and running. Having never really ventured into the world of blogging I find myself already doing something very new before I have even started on a project! This is one reason for doing an MA course - pushing boundaries and challenging myself to get stuck into ideas and think differently.

Various thoughts erupted after the first DMP session two Fridays ago and I took some inspiration from recent National Geographic magazines which are responsible for so many fantastic visual stories and documentations. Although, initially, my thoughts were not so enthusiastic on these ideas, discussion with John [DMP Tutor and Acting Course Leader for Creative Digital Media] led to a realisation that all three ideas below have hugh potential for a highly topical and serious visual discussion. To think, a simple catch phrase could be all I am given to run with in industry... A potentially daunting task, but most certainly a challenge to be relished.

Here is a quick overview of my [best] ideas for the very first project:

Firstly, I found this poster:

This made me think about exploring the thought that fake fur is less environmental and therefore real fur is the way forward given current considerations for the environment which are being thrust upon us nearly every day. A very controversial topic [both fur and the environment] so there is an array of avenues to venture into with this, from animal cruelty to the production of synthetics and then trying to weigh up the best option to satisfy such an ethical debate, after all animals are still going to be killed for meat – why not minimize waste and utilise everything?

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A second thought comes from not having a direct Creative Digital Media background but one of Interior Architecture. In summary the latter is about working with existing buildings, adding new layers of history, applying for changes of use and endeavouring to create the best possible design solution for a very specific challenge. A theoretical knowledge of architecture has led me to consider it's great players, particularly Le Corbusier who was a pioneer for Modernism – still seen as a controversial movement. His notion,

“A house is a machine for living in”

conjures up images of industry and mass production, but what exactly did he mean by this? How can a house where humans are to dwell be compared to an inanimate object often designed to replace humans?

 The interior of Le Corbusier's Chapel at Ronchamp, France

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Finally: Graffiti. Is it art? Or vandalism? Exploring these ideas would certainly yield a great colourful response to an argument. There is much debate about the art/vandalism point. Banksy, possibly the world's most renowned artist still goes by a pseudonym – what does this say about our views on “art”? It provokes a reaction which is the definition of art, but many cannot see past the potentially destructive nature of unauthorised artwork around towns and cities. Should it be commissioned to liven places up or would this permission open up a can of anarchic, spraycan wielding worms?!

A photo by me.

Taken outside Room 13 in Worcester – a new venue for music,

street art, films etc.

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I have to choose which one I'm going to take further and present it to everyone on friday. All of these ideas are current with strong opinions held on both sides of the arguments. I'm looking forward to engaging in detail with one for the DMP module. I plan to work in a variety of media including photography, graphic design and some 3D model making to start, however I am excited about the potential to new routes of conveying a message after rigorous research.