Soft Architecture HS2024

Lecturers: Roman Kirschner and Anthea Oestreicher

Guest: Martina Huber, curator "Experimental Ecology"

Contents and Objectives

The seminar is an introduction into designing (with) spaces. „Soft Architecture“ differs from the classical idea of architecture in that it does not aim to build permanently habitable spaces. It rather encourages students to experiment with existing spaces, to ask what they offer and how they can be adapted to communicate and afford specific atmospheres, narratives, rules, actions and interactions.

Experimenting with spaces comprises experimentation with structures and materials that give these spaces character. Through trial and error, bodily experiences and discussions, students develop their sensitivity and intuition as designers.

This year we will approach this experimentation with an ecological twist. Since spaces are neither abstract nor clinically pure, we also always have to take microbiological lifeforms and entropy into account. In this year’s issue will deal with microscopic/planktonic life forms, growth processes, environmental conditions, microcosms, and technically mediated connections between micro ecologies in playful settings.

Schedule

Course: 16.09. – 10.10.2024, Monday – Thursday: 9-17

Week 1
(Introduction, Excursions, Ideation and Team Building)

Week 2
(Concept development (Topic/Goal/Spatiality), Prototyping, Game Development (Rules/Realisation))

Week 3
(Final Project Development + Exhibition Preparation)

Week 4

Locations

Indoor:

16.09. – 03.10.: Room: Projektraum 4.K22-1 + Werkstatt
other rooms for occasional presentations (see schedule above)
7.10. - 10.10. Kunstraum ZT 5.K12

Outdoor:

Limmat and Zurich Lake.

Exhibition Vernissage

9.10., 15:00, Kunstraum ZT 5.K12

Things to bring for field days or working on site

Tools for documentation, water equipment that might be needed (swim suit, rubber boots), 
basic construction material by preference (tapes, cable ties, strings, small tools, saw (?), knife (?), textiles (?)), 

Mentoring

We will prepare doodles for mentoring with time slots of different lengths depending on the progress of the overall project. Reserve your slot, be prepared and be on time. Questions can be asked anytime – also via email.

Mentoring on 25/26: 

25.09
11:00 Arya, Lea, Iris
11:30 Elena, Meagan, Nadja
1:00 Anna, Pablo, Lorena

26.09
10:00 Lola, Tommaso, Jonny
10:30 Noel, Nico, Joel
11:15  Leroy, Thinle, Kiara

Design Task

Develop a project that connects the local river/lake ecologies with model ecologies (both investigated in the beginning of the course) in the spatial settings and ecological environment of our art school building. Use a low tech approach and work mostly with found or simple materials, or scientific tools (microscope, thermometer, heater (these things you can find inside of the big aquarium that is now in the atelier) repurposed/used in creative ways to create a situation for interaction that transmits "in action" the connectedness of our everyday behavior with our local environment. 

Focus on the parameters that influence space and sustain life. Think about the shifts in these parameters and how to create interactions that foster or mirror natural rhythms (e.g., circadian cycles). Be aware of the balance of exchanges and transactions and experiment with disbalances. Change perspectives and play with the expectations of participants. (Can participants interact with these systems to create (or destroy) symbiotic relationships?) Consider how these systems represent natural and human-made environments and how they can be visualized, measured, and experienced through art and design.

Deliverable for 25/26.09 session:

Prepare 2-3 ideas that you like (or one incredibly good one that you are totally convinced of) for a physical, interactive installation that connects at least two types of ecosystems (e.g., jar-aquarium-outdoor). You can think big, but we appreciate even more if you find those low-tech, minimal interventions that can create meaningful ecological interactions.

Deliverables and Documentation

• Text file including the project title, names of students and mentors, a short description (250 - 400 characters ), and a long description (>1000 characters ), in a file to be labelled “Texts”

• At least 10 representative images of the project (to be stored in a file labelled “Images”)

• One longer video (< 5 minutes) of the project (to be stored in a file labelled “Video”). Mp4 full HD, see wiki for more details on format.

• One to two short social media teaser videos (20-30 seconds) in portrait format.

• A PDF documentation (to be stored in a file labelled “Documentation”)

• Additional raw data, e.g., presentation, prototypes, or codes (to be stored in the respective file).

• Upload your documentation files to: smb://fileredu.ad.zhdk.ch/DDE/BDE_VIAD/01_ABGABEN/24_HS/Sem3_Soft_Architecture/Group

• Upload your scans to: smb://fileredu.ad.zhdk.ch/DDE/BDE_VIAD/01_ABGABEN/24_HS/Sem3_Soft_Architecture/Individual

Inputs:

Video about Scales:  https://youtu.be/0fKBhvDjuy0

"Mother of the Aquarium": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5l9ed6r1hRA

Diel Vertical Migration: https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/145941/satellite-observes-massive-ocean-migration , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJ1gRfXTIIg, https://knowablemagazine.org/content/article/living-world/2021/up-downs-great-vertical-migration

The start of bringing plankton towards art/design: https://planktonchronicles.org/en/ (you can lend the book from Anthea)