Description and Creativity conferenceApproaches to collaboration and value from anthropology, art, science and technologyA conference at King's College, Cambridge3rd - 5th July 2005 |
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Panel 2: Codes and modes of description in architecture, choreography and softwareMonday July 4th, 2pm – 6pmConvenors: Bronac Ferran and Scott deLahunta The panel will consider how description of a process can be communicated to others for implementation and interpretation, and how it then can become subject to adaptation and change. For example what use is description, in the formulation of a code or programming language or a blueprint in architecture or notation in dance? What kinds of descriptive languages are used across these disciplines? What are the modes and codes of communication to enable further creative work? Where does description sit - at what end of the process? Is it both an enabler and a result? Scott deLahunta (2pm)Choreographic ExecutablesAbstract: Bio: Thomas Lehmen (2.30pm)Abstract: Of further interest will be the correlation of users like choreographers and dancers, author, environment, goal, creativity, conditions of production, effect, impact and feedback amongst these factors. Among the pieces: distanzlos; mono subjects; clever; Schreibstück; Stationen; Funktionen; Better to ...; Laughing – Crying; from 1999 until 2005 i will explain the development of my method to work between structure and artistic emergence. Cybernetics and Systemtheory as it is proposed by Niklas Luhmann will be thematised as systemtheory seems to be an interesting tool for me to observe and describe developments, and set conditions of constituting factors through the conscious use of communication. Bio: Pieces: 1995 "Brainsand" (Fabrik Potsdam) 1997 "EXTENDED VERSION" (Theater am Halleschen Ufer, Berlin) 1998 "friendly fire" (Theater am Halleschen Ufer, Berlin) 1999 "Baustelle, Einfahrt Freihalten" (comission of the Goethe
Institute, Tallinn) 2001 "mono subjects", Trio (TanzWerkstatt, Berlin) 2002 "Schreibstueck", score 2003 "Kaffee Kuchen Menschen Arbeit" (first working phase of
“STATIONEN³) (Berlin) 2004 “Ali³ (video lecture) (HAU, Berlin) 2005 "laughing - crying" (Laban London) Publications: 2002 Thomas Lehmen "Schreibstueck" (German/English), ISBN 3-00-009996-4. 2003 Thomas Lehmen “STATIONEN³, Magazine (German/English), ISSN 1612-7161. 2004 Thomas Lehmen "FUNKTIONEN tool box" (English), ISBN 3-00-014990-2. Jaromil (3pm)Extracts Semantics of code... Engages an exploration of the Semantics of Code and Creation, from Saussure to Knuth, considering linguistical, historical and social aspects, with a political consideration about the Rastafari notion of Creation as opposed to the Consumerist asset of capitalist society. Among the others are quoted Bruno Latour, Eben Moglen and Arthur Rimbaud. Digital Boheme...... Source codes, or rather algorithms and algebra, are the tools of the digital craftsman in the modern age with over a thousand years of mathematical theories behind them. Only for little more than a quarter of a century have they acted as software. Software is a means of creating art and communicating. It is a metaliterature which defines how meaning can be carried and (re)produced by multiplying the possibilities of communication. Just as software is a means of metacommunication, so it represents a "parole", deriving its execution from a "langue", i.e. the grammatical and linguistic universe of the code. This reference to the metaphysical is to the point here: although many see the source code as merely an obscure cryptogram, it has an indirect effect on the way we communicate and even more on the efficiency with which we do so. For full abstracts see http://lab.dyne.org/JaromilTalks Bio: All his creations are freely available online under the GNU General Public License (Free Software Foundation). He is a featured artist in CODeDOC II (Whitney Museum Artport), Read_Me 2.3 (runme.org software art), negotiations 2003 (Toronto CA), I LOVE YOU (MAK Frankfurt), Rhizome, P0es1s digitale poesie. Artworks include the software for Sophisticated Soiree (ZKM/intermedium02 award), the net-art piece FARAH, the performance TUBOCATODICO. Jaromil is a component of the theatre company Giardini Pensili since 1998, having partecipated to the realization of Animalie, Metamorfosi, Affreschi, Il Cartografo. Artist in residence: makrolab (Venice Biennale), medien.kunstlabor and Nederlands Instituut voor Mediakunst / Montevideo Time Based Arts. Wired to the matrix since 1991 (BBS point on CyberNet 65:1500/3.13), co-founded in 1994 the non-profit organization Metro Olografix for the diffusion of telematic cultures, in 2000 opened the software atelier dyne.org; he is member of the FreakNet, sub-root for autistici/inventati.org, active with italy indymedia, Radio Onda Rossa (Roma 87.9FM), Streamtime and ASCII. Collaborations include: Ars Electronica Center / Futurelab, PUBLIC VOICE Lab, digitalcraft.org, 01001.org, August Black, [epidemiC], Florian Cramer, 92v2.0, LOA hacklab, CandidaTV, the Mitocondri, the HackMeeting and TransHackmeeting communities. See http://rastasoft.org and http://dyne.org Tea/coffee break (3.30pm)Christopher Alexander (4pm)Human creation, creativity and collaborative creation of our home: the Earth’s surfaceI believe the most important thing about the world, in order for us to be well in it, is that it is should be made by us. By that I mean that it is made by us, slowly, in a personal way, from our instincts, our common sense, our visions, and our feelings, and from our moment to moment attention to the place where the creation is to happen. It is an ongoing creative task for individuals and communities, not a task of 'planning'. The world will not be alright for us to live in, unless it is, in this sense, a spontaneous creation of our collective and personal sense of life. A living world, can NOT be made for us as a product, by corporations or companies. Companies might, perhaps, maybe, be able to help, if they were to dedicate themselves entirely to helping us achieve a self-made world in harmony and delight, and were to remove the element of profit. Given this point of view – and I think this point of view is sane and unavoidable for the future, not a fantasy or a dream – we have only to ask one question: HOW? How shall it be done? How it is possible for this to be done, by six billion people, working for themselves, and working together. This paper raises some of the key topics in answering this question. I am very excited about the opportunity to communicate both with anthropologists and artists. The opportunity of this conference is tremendously appealing for me. I am intrigued especially by your question: Where does description sit – at what end of the creative and artistic process? I have been constructing descriptions of artistic production for a long time, in one particular context – that of buildings. As I think about the questions that frame the session in which I will participate, I realize that for me it is the process that generates creativity initially, not only the description. I walk a piece of land to begin to understand what should be built there. I talk with the people there to begin to understand their culture, needs, hopes and deep feelings about where they live and what would enhance their lives. For years I have believed that virtually all people in society can make and shape and design and plan their own buildings and communities – and must do so in a reasonable world. I have worked with this idea in many cultures, including Japan, India, Mexico, Peru, etc – and hopefully am about to start something in Soweto in the near future. It is the process of getting to know the people who will use what I build, the process of helping them express themselves, and above all the creative joy and expression and inventiveness, that ensures the end results that may contribute to their lives, and stand as an expression of life, all around them , every day. The descriptions that come out of these processes (in my experiments) take the form of pattern languages, rough sketches, and rough mockups, rather than blueprints. Moreover, these languages, and the process of using them, are fluid and can change and adapt as our understanding of what the land and people need develops, even while the last details of a building are completed. The descriptions capture decisions that are made as the processes proceed step by step, and my expectation (borne out by hundreds of examples) is that, at each step, adaptations will be necessary to make things right and harmonious, and they will grow out of the preceding steps (morphogenesis). I have discovered that the sequences of action which my colleagues and I have invented for this purpose are also immensely helpful for artists, architects, builders and others, provided they are prepared to go into an egoless state while doing it (a bit different from some current ethos on artistic creativity). Bio: Major Works include: Built works in four continents, including the 35 buildings of New Eishin College in Tokyo, the Linz Cafe, Linz, Austria, a village school in Gujarat, prototype low--cost housing in Mexicali, Mexico , Santa Rosa, Colombia, and Lima, Peru, Apartment buildings and public buildings in Japan and the United States, The Visitors Centre, West Dean, Sussex, Museum gallery for his early Anatolian carpets in the San Francisco Museum. Numerous private houses in California, Washington, Texas and Colorado. The Shelter for the Homeless in San Jose, California, was listed as one of the foremost American buildings of 1991. Under his direction The Center for Environmental Structure has undertaken some 200 projects, including town and community planning schemes, in many countries including Mexico, Japan, Austria, United Kingdom, Canada, Peru, Papua New Guinea, India, Colombia, Venezuela, Germany and the United States. Clients have included the United Nations, National governments (including Mexico, India and the UK), Cities (including Pasadena, California; Vancouver, British Columbia) and Industry (including Hoechst Pharmaceuticals and Sun Microsystems). Branch offices of CES have been maintained at different times in these different countries, and are currently active in the United States, Japan, and the UK. Publications: Sixteen books include Notes on the Synthesis of Form (1964), The Oregon Experiment 1975, A Pattern Language 1977, The Timeless Way of Building 1979, The Linz Cafe 1981, The Production of Houses 1984, A New Theory of Urban Design 1984, A Foreshadowing of 21st Century Art 1992; The Mary Rose Museum 1994; The Nature of Order (four volumes): The Phenomenon of Life 2002, The Process of Creating Life 2003, A Vision of a Living World 2005, The Luminous Ground, 2004; over 200 articles in technical journals. Commentary and discussion led by Caroline Humphrey (4.30pm)Bio: Chair: Bronac FerranBio: |
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