TRANSLATION

What can make people understand each other? What can be used for communication to understand other’s thinking? Language is the important tool for communication even it is body language, spoken language, written language, pictorial language or etc. I just wonder is there any real universal language that everyone can understand. Even the international language like English, the language that is set to be business international language that used worldwide, can’t effectively use to communicate with people who can’t speak English. Arabic language, the language of Qur’an, is the universal language for every Muslims, but not for everyone. The point that I want to tell you is the translation. We live in the translated world, we can’t live without the translation. To understand other people , we have to translate because we have the boundary of self-identity , age , gender , nationality , education , religion and other factors. These factors create the frame of our communication and perception.

The inspiration of this topic comes from praying Buddhist monk. They pray in Pali and Sanskrit language. I totally not understand , but I know it has some good meanings and good purpose. From this point I found that translation is necessary if I want to understand others. I didn’t mean the translation between languages only, I meant translation between A and B in every ways. Although we speak the same language, it doesn’t mean that I can understand what you are saying. What you understand is not equal to what I say, it’s from the lecture about the trace, how you understand is not the same as what I understand ,trace can be changed due to person who make it. It’s like layer of tracing paper that you put on and trace only the information that you get or understand. The information on that tracing paper will not be the same as original.

Be closer to our profession. As we are designer, design concept is the important thing in the design project. It can make the project more valuable, but everyone know that it is fiction. However we try to put this concept into space to make the space more valuable , remarkable or notable. The key thing is the user, do they ever perceive what we sent? Do they understand the concept we put in? If the answer is yes, the designer hit the goal , can make the user realize the concept even it is the fiction. How about if the answer is no, It means that your design language is not translated to be understand. To be successful designer is all about translation.

About this building, VPRO building by MVRDV , It is the office building for public broadcasting corporation. There are lots of strategies behind design process like continuation of landscape, contact with outdoor , compact space ,and etc. I don’t know that the users realize these spatial qualities or not. However, users have their own perception of this place. The concept may not be perceived as it is designed for, it can be changed by the person who perceive it.

Translation is also related to simulation. Simulation leads our perception to translate something to be as real as possible like model both 3d and physical one. Model is used for simulating what is it going to be , but it doesn’t mean that others will translate it as designer did. For example , Nelson Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas city , USA by Steven Holl Architects, the model is not like the real building in term of the pattern of material. It can cause the problem because translation of what they saw, designer and users, is not the same.

From what I have mentioned , meaning is various by the translator , media ,and other factors. Like the word ‘pharmakon’ , it have two meanings , medicine and poison. It is ambivalent. Translation is the process between these two or more than two choices of meaning. In term of perception, translation is happened to shape each person’s perception.

For all who love watching foreign movie, sometimes movie subtitle is more important than the movie itself in both conscious and unconscious way. You may pay attention to the subtitle instead of what is shown on the screen. Why?? Because it is the translation, the key thing to make you understand the movie. It is the power of translation, to make you understand something more , and sometimes important than the original information itself.

Translation is not A or B or anything but the process between. It is vary by each person , It can change from A to B or to anything but not one of them. The value of the result of translation is also vary up to the original source and receiver. The result can be invaluable or just another fiction. It can make the secret the same way as revealing. It can shape one’s perception because everything needs translation to define itself in our mind even it is translated to be the same as original or not. All of what we perceived is passed through the translation, so do not ignore the power of translation. Keep translating, we are in the age of information.

T R A C E

From last week lecture , it's about using technology in creating architectural form , the animation is the new tool in designing. The principle of animation is the trace , the changing due to time. The form that create from animation software is the trace of transforming between two shapes, A and B , can't exactly said to be A or B , but in between. What we can perceive between A and B is defined by what is not. " Trace is not a presence but is rather the simulacrum of a presence that dislocates." It's dialectic relationship to form what we perceive , but what we perceive in this term is not the same for each person also. " Trace can be changed due to person who make it , you and me , we perceive different trace." I think it's up to each person's background and memory. Although we pass through the situation together , it's not necessary that we will remember the same thing. Another thought of trace is for me , present is the trace between past and future. What we are doing or thinking is not completely perceive , but it can define by what it is ,what is not at that time. However when we pass through it, we can see what has been done.

the power of line

From the article, I realize the power of the line. It links to the psychogeographical map that every lines that I use have the power , they represent something. It's not just the line for showing boundary , form or direction in normal way because it capture what I perceive , subjectively. I found one line , in term of representation , in the article that is so powerful , Berlin wall.

" The radical change to the political map is characterized by architectural stability. The physical structure to which architects and citizens alike have given such enormous symbolic weight remains unchanged." This sentence show that the Berlin wall is not just the wall, it represent the political power. In the same way as mapping , line is not just a line , it have it own power and meaning.

Liberskind's Jewish museum also use the power of line , axis , by mapping the significant location in his process of designing for representing the sense of physical and moral chaos that marks this territory.

my psychogeographical map

About this mapping :

Firstly I want to tell that my home is not in Bangkok , the city. I lives in outskirt of it , so I don't know well about the direction or street in bangkok. The way to approach the city , for me , is by BTS. This map show the way I travel from On nut BTS station to TCDC at The Emporium (Phrom Phong station). The Perception of the city is like the island , What is in between the station is less perceived for me although I look at it , but it seems like most of my attention is inside the box , train bogey. My personal space in the bogey has changes along the way. The way I perceived the surrounding architecture is like the meaningless view , except the big destination island. I use the vivid colour for representing the complexity that happened on each island , in the opposite I use B&W colour for scoped city along the BTS way. The opacity of this context is changed due to the speed of train , I can perceive more in slow speed near the station. Only one moment that I really pay attention to outside is at the station.

Sacred & Profane

I think this week lecture makes me confuse, I don't know what I understand is what Aj. want us to understand or not because what I hear is not equal what Aj. say. Nonetheless I have to write something that would make me or even you confuse. I just want to write what's pop up in my head along this lecture.

Sacred and profane , can it be the same thing if god = human ? , so it doesn't matter what is for god and what is for human. I thought about the classical period that they built the temple as the bigger and better house for god , they believe that god is the perfect human. Then this idea is developed through time , until it's hard to find the connection between human and god. As this point ,if the original idea is the same (human) , would it still separate between sacred and profane?

Another idea that get into my mind is that all of what we do for god is called sacred but all what we take from god is called profane , isn't it the same? May be we took what we have given to god and call it different word. I think the idea of god is from human belief , so it's from human (or not??). For example , Buddha image is what human make for sacred Buddha , but when we use it with different purpose , it become profane , even it is taken from what human do.

I have think about what other things that have the idea of profane , but still haven't found one. May be it's all around me , but I never know because I never aware of what is profane.

From the lecture , profaning is not only in the negative way , this idea can be used for creating new things by questioning. Question sometimes leads us to the solution , I used the word "sometimes" because there are lots of questions that have never been answered. Everything has two side , like some word that has two different meaning ,it's up to you which side you set your point of view at.

Empty Form

Empty form make me thinking of the book Harry Potter. There is a room that we'll found when we really need it , and it could be any type that we want. In my opinion , empty form have that quality , the program or function can be change due to the user need. 'Empty form is not a useless form. Instead , translated into the terms of an earlier discourse , utility has become a floating signifier.' , this quote is from Empty Forms by Reinhold Martin. It makes me realize that the space has the meaning and this meaning always refer to its utility. When utility become floating signifier , the meaning changed. The utility is changed from the user need , everything is changed from human need both utility and meaning. I think because nowadays everything seem to be convergence , fitting many function in the place seem to be good idea for bringing out the best profit from the space. In term of empty form , it can be the ideal space that can serve all we need. On the other hand , it is the kind of space that wipe out the history , like we are trying to erase the past , and beat the time factor of architecture. What it used to be in empty form is not matter as long as it can be what it is in the present.

From the quote " I am not , I am = not" , Empty form is empty , so it's not full , it can be filled with anything or any function. As the interior architecture student , designing empty form , in my opinion , is difficult. We have to design the space that shouldn't be that space , the program that shouldn't be that program , And where is the meeting point that can reach all goals but still utilize.

MANIFESTO

'Everyone needs reason'

Reason seems to be important thing in our life. People try to find reason for everything by using science , psychology or any theory that can explain why things happened. It becomes the lesson for us to study and understand such as biology, physics , history , mathematics , psychology and etc. I think the reason why people try to understand everything because they try to be different from animals or any creature on this planet. Human thinks they are special , differ from others , smarter , think rationally and have problem solving skill. If you notice I use the words 'reason' , 'why' , and 'because'. I think this is one effect from educating kids to think rationally. I have been taught to think that doing something with no reason mak it meaningless. I didn't say that it's not good or not right but I wonder why couldn't we appreciate things without judging by rational thinking.

In term of design , the architecture also has the rational process behind it even it looks very good , non-sense ,or so commercial. People even find the reason for beauty such as golden ratio , the most beautiful proportion. People try to give reason to abstract word like 'beauty' by mathematics , the very logical way of thinking. The architect also use this technique in designing. This golden ratio appeared since the classical period. For example , Parthenon also has golden proportion and people say it is beautiful.

In different period , people use different reason in designing. In modernism , designing is base on the geometric shape and symmetry because they try to simplify and clarify the structure from the idea of transparency. After that , in post modernism , the idea has changed. Architects and designers forced their designs in different ways. They do not separate people into unit as modernism did , everything is connected , related to each other. They concerned about the importance of surrounding and context. Moreover , form is not the representation of structure or any function. These are the reason behind this period work. As you can see that reason is all around us and also inside us. There are reasons behind every product you use , every place you walk in , everything you eat or every situation you face.

Most people always question what they do not know or even what they have known to understand more and more. Although there are millions of reasons in our life , but it's still not enough , people need more. They need to understand , even it's useful or not. Some do nothing , some use it for developing. People think that the value of something is up to the rational behind it , I do not totally agree because I can realize the aesthetic of those things without rational ideas behind it. For example , a flower , it is beautiful , high aesthetic sense. You can appreciate it without knowing where it is from , what type it is , why it looks like this , what it is for or how it is growth. In the same way of architecture , just appreciate the space , the form , and atmosphere can be enough to perceive the aesthetic of architecture and know the value of it.

For all of my presentation , I do not mean that finding reason is not good , I just want you to try perceiving things without reason or any logic in your head , to absorb and appreciate the real value of the things around you. The value that didn't create by human. In designing , sometimes I don't want to be framed by being reasonable , that everyone said that can increase the value of design. I just want to do what I want to but we are still in the rational world.