Competing Realities by Richard Rees

Part of the Living City - Body: Mind: Spirit: Bristol event organised by BDP's Bristol studio.

Transcript

1. Mi d B d S i it Mind – Body - Spirit Competing Realities Bristol - 26th June 2014 Bristol 26 June 2014 Richard T Rees, MA, Dip Arch, PSAI Masterplanner and Illustrator
2. ‘H ki d t b h lit ’ ‘Human kind cannot bear very much reality’ T S Elliot, Four Quartets – Burnt Norton 1936 Pt 1
3. Synopsis 1. The Life Pie – A Philosophy 2. Mind – the Individual 3. Body – the demands of Nature 4. Spirit – the Social Animal 5. Mind, Body, Spirit and Placemaking
4. The Individual, Nature and Society Mind Body Spirit Mind Body Spirit It is possible to develop a life philosophy based on the interaction of the Individual (MIND), Nature (BODY) and Society (SPIRIT)
5. The Individual, Nature and Society It is possible to develop a life philosophy based on the interaction of the Individual (MIND), Nature (BODY) and Society (SPIRIT)
6. Interaction of the 3 elements Placing the 3 elements of the together creates a complete world of interaction
7. Interaction of the 3 elements Mind Body Mind y Spirit Placing the 3 elements of the together creates a complete world of interaction
8. The Life Pie
9. The contemporary Life Pie
10. Emphasise the overlaps – Venn Diagram Anthropocentric Philosophy The Life Pie as a potential design tool rather than as an analysis diagram
11. Creating Environments – Virtual Reality Individual Nature The three components of the Virtual Reality Society The three components of the Virtual Reality Environment are: Content – Geometry – Dynamics Society
12. Creating Environments – Primary Reality Individual Nature Society Society
13. Mind - the Individual • The Individual is now exalted – Society is dead y • Commercialisation isolates the mind in order to conquer it q • Technology is making people rely on Virtual Reality – the idea of Technopoly y p y
14. Technopoly The fundamental metaphorical message of the computer, in short, is that we are machines – thinking p , , g machines, to be sure, but machines nonetheless. It is for this reason that the computer is the quintessential, i bl f t hi f T h l It incomparable, near-perfect machine for Technopoly. It subordinates the claims of our nature, our biology, our emotions our spirituality emotions, our spirituality. Neil Postman Neil Postman Technopoly (1993)
15. The commercialised individual All going in different directions
16. Body – the demands of Nature Body – the demands of Nature Biophilia literally means "love of life or living systems.“ Erich Fromm Erich Fromm
17. Senses Senses Vision Sound Touch Smell Taste Taste
18. A Hierarchy of sense impacts A Hierarchy of sense impacts
21. Comparative Sensory Impacts of p y p Good and Bad Places Clerkenwell Marseilles Clerkenwell Marseilles
22. Spirit – the Social Animal Spirit – the Social Animal Our place in Society defines our spirit • Our place in Society defines our spirit • We need social places to interact in Vi t l R lit d S d Li i th • Virtual Reality and Second Lives are usurping the role of real social situations • It now takes exceptional places to stimulate us • It now takes exceptional places to stimulate us
24. Murray Mount Social Elements • The flat parts of the terrace have tables and chairs for picnicking • The sloping grass areas are also suitable for picnicking but give a better view of the screen • Activities are relaxing, viewing tennis, eating and being part of a spectator atmosphere
26. Murray Mount Sense Elements Touch – stone, brick timber, landscape surfaces and water water Sight – views to the City of London and Canary Wharf, the screen and the tennis matches, layers of people in , y p p the buildings and on rooftops Sound – the wind in the trees, the water in the d i f t t ti t th t h cascade, noise of spectators reacting to the matches Smell – landscape and food smells – Taste the food from the takeaways strawberries Taste – the food from the takeaways - strawberries and cream and Pimms and picnics
28. Reforging Mind, Body and Spirit as one Mind Body Spirit To enrich the design of the environment we have to combat the insulations and work on the overlaps in the primary reality environment diagram
29. Defining Placemaking Defining Placemaking A great place is ‘Somewhere that creatively engages as many of the senses as possible and expresses human relationships senses as possible and expresses human relationships and the rhythms of life’
30. Sense and Sociability • Measure sensory impact and design it in • Be aware of the positive and negative impacts of sound, smell touch and taste smell, touch and taste • Measure social success and its relationship to place • Create socially inclusive places that encourage interaction Create socially inclusive places that encourage interaction and attract the individual • Learn from the structure of virtual places and societies
31. Mi d B d S i it Mind – Body - Spirit Competing Realities Bristol - 26th June 2014 Bristol 26 June 2014 Richard T Rees, MA, Dip Arch, PSAI Masterplanner and Illustrator