Architecture Theory - Arakawa and Gins Architectural Body - Essay Example

Arakawa and Gins architectural body By: Professor: Class: University: City: State: Date of submission: Arakawa and Gins architectural body Introduction In the advent of sustainable development, architects are incorporating the concepts from various disciplines to improve the safety and health conditions of the people. Through their years of research, Arakawa and Gins managed to develop a new reality for designing construction projects referred to as Reversed Destiny. The latest architectural work associated with Reversible Destiny project is the theoretical work Architectural Body. Since 1963, the American Poet Madeline Gins and the Japanese Arakawa have been focusing on the phenomenological embodiment and associated bearings on epistemology and well as their Architectural Body. Through the years, the duo observed the manner in which the body moves through the surroundings and studied lengthily other ways to surround it, and having focused on the construction of few tactically posed surroundings it is now evident that people have been tracing the architectural body. The architectural body presented by the duo is considered a culmination of the metaphysical, epistemological, and aesthetic arguments that counter the known passive, a modal objectivist philosophy and replaces it with the enactive interpretive phenomenology in which the meaning normally depends on the bodily interaction with the environment (Cilento, 2010). The report will use the image on Architectural Site of Reversible Destiny Architectural Experiments after Auschwitza-Hiroshima. The image represents the structure of the building in which the Reversible Destiny was designed by Arakawa and Gin. Addition, the design of the building, is made in such a way that it appears intertwined. The intertwining walls tend to form maze like structures demonstrating the connection between the bodies and the surroundings. The concept of Reversible Destiny According to Arakawa and Gins, the exclamatory flagging up of the embodied experience tends to avert the assumptions of the objectivists which normally focus on the division between the rational, conceptual, theoretical, and rational on one sides while practical, perpetual, perceptual, imaginative, and physical on the others side. Nonetheless, the paper deviates from the ontological concept embodied within the subject considering that the underlying assumptions tend to comply with concepts presented with Arakawa and Gins: Architectural Body Hypothesis/Sited Awareness Hypothesis. From the concept presented by the duos, the concept emerges from the body through awareness with the site that architect deems to hold the project needs to be considered a contributing factor to the segment (Arakawa, Gins, and Lecercle, 2006). Gins and Arakawa explored the concept of space within the environment and showed that even though such tends to experience fundamentally escapes cognition and propositional attitudes, the concept require some conceptualization if there is to be understanding of the knowledge. Within the architectural body context, Gins and Arakawa employed the process involving mapping a metaphorical structure within the space with an aim of expounding the move from the concrete to the abstract. In addition, process involves seeing architecture, which is an organization of specialization as a mechanism of developing the concept from the non-conceptual, which is a spatial grounding. Any project that integrates the concept of Architectural Body, it needs to demonstrate the idea of mapping metaphorical structures within the space with an aim of explaining the move from the concrete to the abstract realities allowing people to see the architecture considered a conceptualization of specialization. With such integration, the used architectural designs demonstrate the method of developing the concept based on both the spatial and conceptual grounds (Kral and Lecercle, 2005). Additionally, the used metaphorical mapping within the Architectural Body tends to depict the state of the location, which to some extent allowed Arakawa and Gins to avoid some of the extreme idealism, and naïve realism, which allowed the duo to draw the meaning from the interactive combination of the experience and the object. As a result, the latter assisted through the theoretical influence from the analogy of the landing site in which the location of the swimming is within the imaging-landing site. Hence, it signifies that the need for the perceiver to be within a distinct position in the landing site such as the room, which allows the dimensionalizing of the landing, sites during the apportioning. Mapping the meaning in Architectural Body In their concept of architectural body, Gins and Arakawa through impose conceptual order within the non-conceptual chaos of the space. However, the concept of moving from the solid and experimental to embracing the conceptually abstract through facilitation of the metaphor allowing the subject to process various patterns gained from the experience. Any of the system that employs the metaphor does so considering that the mind uses the mapping of the mental spaces when organizing the meaning. Therefore, since the metaphorical mapping is considered an embodied “state of the location,” the concept enable Gins and Arakawa to avoid various challenges associated with extreme idealism as realization of the concept require experiential (Schonbek, 2016). Moreover, it allowed the duo to avoid challenged resulting from direct or naïve realism in which the subject tends to experience the features of the object in an unmediated manner. However, the experience involves the interactive integration of the two: chaired as pictured or held in place through the perpetual landing sites which is considered a direct perception with the help of imaging landing sites which is viewed as the indirect perception with the perceiver within a defined location with regards to everything within the room. Such works include dimensionalizing the landing sites, which involves partly direct and indirect perception. Whenever there is an encounter of an object, there is involvement of both indirect rationalization and direct sensory perception. Through interplay of the two, there is creation of the mapping meaning. Therefore, the metaphorical concept is viewed as a quantitative model considering that there is no direct accessibility to the object with sense data mediating between the two. Metaphorical mapping is vital to understanding and properly appraising the space. The architecture was constructed in a manner that it exists in the sense of what if presenting itself as an intentionally provisional. As a result, it replaces the definite form with the tentative one, which is the notion of the lasting structure with the adaptive. Besides, there is translation of the embodied space notion to the cognitive mode in which there is gauging of the function and the repercussions associated with repercussions (Uffelen, 2013). The manner in which people move and interact with various physical domains is considered structured through image schemata. The structures are projectable through the metaphors onto the domains of abstract. People tend to bring their body to the understanding of the concepts since the body tends to contain inherently the feel of existence through space and orientation. Normally, the placement of the body within the space often presents the sensory data, which is projected in turn as the body’s understanding of the concept. However, the cognition, on the other hand, is not disembodied process. According to Gins and Arakawa, people tend to field their surrounding in tactile, kinaesthetic, visual, and aural manner each at once with each of the modalities having direct or the perceptual component and the indirect. National Identity Presented in the Site of Reversal Destiny Several extensive theoretical writings tend to support the Site of Reversible Destiny and different architecturally scaled projects presented by Gins and Arakawa. As a result, writings tend to reflect the background of the duo: visual arts, poetry, and philosophy. Nonetheless, the major critique of the concept is that it does not destine and address the questions on national identity and the local cultural context. The Site of Reversible Destiny does not reproduce a specific garden like the Ubiquitous Site; consequently, the concept is considered more generalized reference to most countries whose constructions have been overlooked. Besides, the Site of Reversible Destiny is becoming vital for its more controversial attack on the finitude of the subject considered embodied. Most of the architectural designs using the concept are devoted to reversing the destiny, which people aim to realize. Reversing destiny means the ambition of creating various environmental mechanisms with an aim of achieving the desired immortality. The intentions of Gins and Arakawa was to disorient their audiences both physically and perpetually while believing that the such concept would lead to the vital changes within the mental habits such as the dying habits. There have been evaluation of such ambitions and arguments of the duo for initiating the bodily change through the environment (Hughes, 2013). The evaluation involved discourses and other themes associated with the contemporary art and philosophy. However, most of the commentators view the development of the architecturally scaled projects in terms of the earlier engagement of the artistes with the tenants of the Conceptual Art. Besides, the critics have been able to pint out the existing connection between the current preoccupation of Gins and Arakawa with the perception and bodily habits and the previous experiments with the conceptual conundrum and the physical disruption. In their earlier projects, Arakawa and Gins denied their professions but currently regard their profession as architects with their work continuing to acquire exposure within the gallery settings and the critical art discourse. The Site of Reversible Destiny has been a significant project for the artists and watershed within their careers. In addition, the concept has been able to contribute to the other architectural commissions and larger experiments on the scale cities and has acquired considerable architectural press. On the other hand, the concept has been feted within the architectural media for the provocative rhetoric that it presents and motivates the recent work of the artists but not for the formal contribution within the landscape and architecture. According to Gins and Arakawa, architecture is a medium but not the subject which that they are never interested in the architectural history and associated forms or language. Besides, the artists are neither interested principles that they perceive to govern different architectural concepts including stability, dwelling, and the aesthetic beauty. Various theoretical arguments developed within the philosophy have been able to contribute to consideration of architecture by the artistes as necessary and strategic vehicle that propels and carrying out their ambitions (Keller, 2003). The commentators have obliged through emphasizing the intentions that guide the work while regarding the formal product. Many philosophers have been able to engage with their ambitions, as others tend to situate them within the philosophical canon. Moreover, some of the researchers describe the work of Gins and Arakawa as a phenomenology of the perception that mediates other concepts. The coined concept of the reversible destiny project tends to illustrate the theories of Winnicott on the subject-object relation. Nonetheless, the major shortcomings in the theoretical statement of the artists and the realized work are the failure of achieving the immortality considering it has not been addressed. The concept also failed to address the ways in which work to exceed the stated intentions of the artists. Site Reversible Destiny is an area that has been approached largely; consequently, if the idea that the concept presents were circulating within the ostensibly autonomous sphere of the art and philosophy. Reversible Destiny: Designing for Immortality Reversible Destiny presents the first undying residence in the world or the first apartments designed and constructed with the immortality in the mind. Gins and Arakawa developed the concept and currently, some of the units use them for the rental housing while others are vital for various programmes including educational and cultural. Most people, while choosing their new homes, they tend to consider various factors including safety and comfort, which are defined by the serene atmosphere, logical layout, and smooth walls and floors. However, the case differs with the old who should not relax and sit back to assist them in declining. The old people need to be within the environments that they consider stimulating their senses while invigorating their lives. To ensure adequate provision of the background of the artists, Gins and Arakawa started the Architectural Body Research Foundation with the aim of ensuring active collaboration with the multidisciplinary teams of the practitioners undertaking their study on experimental biology, phenomenology, medicine, neuroscience, and quantum physics (Fox, 2014). One of the major questions posed with Reversible Destiny is whether the people seeking houses need to live within the apartments or houses that could assist them in determining the nature and the extent of the interaction between them and the universe. The concept involves establishing a foundation with an objective of extending the lifespan of the humans through various architectural designs. In most cases, the Reversible Destiny designs normally have spherical rooms, various candy coloured walls, and the undulating concrete floors, which are riddled with bumps. In addition, the rooms have the poles and ladders that are running from the floor to the ceiling within the unexpected places with the electrical outlets dangling from above. However, apartments tend to resemble the playground designs without any regard for the safety regulations for the playing children. The Reversible Destiny presents the first permanently and habitable works of the procedural architecture, the reinforced concrete, realized within the pre-cast concrete, and the steel frame construction. Normally, the diversified colour palette that woven throughout the structure has been able to inspire many philosophers to refer to such buildings as ultra-chromatic undying houses. Focusing on the Reversible Destiny, it is clear on how their residents, operative tendencies, and coordinating skills which are essential to and the determination of the human thoughts. Therefore, with such point, by the virtue in the manner in which these houses are constructed, they tend to manage and reveal to the residents both the ins and the outs which make people comfortable. By the virtue on how these houses are designed and constructed and through the manner in which various features and elements are juxtaposed, it is evident that Reversible Destiny tend to invite optimistic and constructive actions, which Gins and Arakawa considers as the living space in each of the prods and coaxes which the concept resides. These are the signals that reversible destiny presents loudly and clearly. Each of the reversible destiny house designs have been structured into better capacity, which assists the residents in living long and ample lives that they desire. Considering that there are few flat ground for the accommodation of the ordinary furniture and the stockwares, the new residents moving to houses with Gins and Arakawa design that have countless eyebolts on the ceilings. These features tend to encourage using the ceiling as the new ground of putting the items. Critiques of the Concept Although the concept presented by the work of Gins and Arakawa had not been designed specifically to address some of the architectural problems, the prescience of the artists is evident from the pre-emption of development within various disciplinary domains. This is due to that their concept tends to extend in offering the visionary insights into nature, potential solution, and various problems associated with entropy generation. Considering the architectural and heuristic procedures presented by the concept, there are innovative methods inviting the questions associated with the relationship of people themselves and relationship with the environment in a manner viewed as co-extensive and co-constructive regenerative. Contrary to the common practice associated with solving the concrete terms within the ontological, mystery of what the human species is Arakawa and Gins failed to seek the abstract scheme that knows the species of humans rather it is considered uncertain that concept embraces the human being as the definitive guiding principle. The architectural procedures presented by Arakawa and Gins predicated humans as puzzle creatures; however, such view tends to recast their vision for the species from such a contradictory platform of uncertainty while drawing the attention from malleable cognitive body nature. Even though Arakawa and Gins need enormous sums of money for spending on the construction of tactful building posing surrounding for the benefit of the body, the concept failed to account for the improbability considering the chronic rates of depletion of resources and ever increasing global warming limiting resources and time. Considering the urgency confronting the humans to make the transformative changes, it is vital to consider pop-up emergency, more accessible, and quick-fire architectural body, which are in a position of catalyzing various transformative potential, that Arakawa and Gins need without the construction of anything. In addition, it is important to note that the procedure required for understanding such a remarkable possibility is re-examination of the architectural body. Gins and Arakawa use landing sites for the description of the manner in which attention operates and simultaneously mapping such attention to know themselves while situating the body tentatively within the environment. However the production of the landing sites tend to enable the organism that person the capacity to be mindful of the disturbance of awareness with an aim of gaining the perspective on human functioning and separating various factors kinaesthetically, olfactory, gustatorily, tactilely, orally, and visually. The landing sites tend to operate within three scales, which in most cases are singular but overlap simultaneously: perceptual, imaging, and dimensonalizing landing sites. Gins and Arakawa utilize the landing site configuration as their basis for the construction of tactfully posed architectural surrounds. Besides, the landing sites operates within the independently of having to have the tailor made and tactically posed architectural surround to ensure that they bring them to being. Conclusion Sustainability plays an important role in ensuring the production of quality architectural designs. Arakawa and Gins have through the years focused on the development of new reality meant for designing various construction projects, which is known as Reversible Destiny. The two have as well been focusing on the phonological embodiment and associated bearings of epistemological embodiment and various bearings linked to the epistemology and the Architectural Body. The architectural body presented by the duo is considered a culmination of the metaphysical, epistemological, and aesthetic arguments that counter the known passive, a modal objectivist philosophy and replaces it with the enactive interpretive phenomenology in which the meaning normally depends on the bodily interaction with the environment. Gins and Arakawa explored the concept of space within the environment and showed that even though such tends to experience fundamentally escapes cognition and propositional attitudes, the concept require some conceptualization if there is to be understanding of the knowledge. Since the metaphorical mapping is considered an embodied “state of the location,” the concept enables Gins and Arakawa to avoid various challenges associated with extreme idealism as realization of the concept require experiential. The intentions of Gins and Arakawa was to disorient their audiences both physically and perpetually while believing that the such concept would lead to the vital changes within the mental habits such as the dying habits. There have been evaluation of such ambitions and arguments of the duo for initiating the bodily change through the environment. However, Arakawa and Gins failed to seek the abstract scheme that knows the species of humans rather it is considered uncertain that concept embraces the human being as the definitive guiding principle. Bibliography Arakawa, Shūsaku, Madeline Gins, and Jean-Jacques Lecercle. Making Dying Illegal: Architecture against Death : Original to the 21st Century. New York: Roof Books, 2006. Cilento, Karen. "Reversible Destiny / Shusaku Arakawa + Madeline Gins." ArchDaily. Last modified May 28, 2010. http://www.archdaily.com/62055/reversible-destiny-shusaku-arakawa-madeline-gins. Fox, Margalit. "Madeline Arakawa Gins, Visionary Architect, Is Dead at 72 - The New York Times." The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. Last modified January 12, 2014. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/13/arts/design/madeline-arakawa-gins-visionary-architect-dies-at-72.html. Hughes, Russell. "Inflexions." In The Reversible Eschatology of Arakawa and Gins, 80 - 102. Melbourne, Australia: RMIT University, 2013. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:372946/UQ372946_OA.pdf Keller, Helen. "The Poet As The World:The Multidimensional Poetics Of Arakawa And Madeline Gins." College Server Home | College of the Holy Cross. Last modified 2003. http://college.holycross.edu/interfaces/vol21-22_articles/poet_as_world.pdf. Kral, Françoise, and Jean-Jacques Lecercle. "“Arakawa and Gins: Architecture and Philosophy”." UFR LCE - Département D'études Anglophones - Université Paris Ouest Nanterre La Défense (Paris-X). Last modified October 1, 2005. https://anglais.u-paris10.fr/IMG/pdf/Abstracts_Arakawa_and_gins_Conference.pdf. Schonbek, Amelia. "The House Where You Live Forever: The reversible destiny of Madeline Gins." Longreads and The Awl. Last modified August 2016. https://blog.longreads.com/2016/08/16/the-house-where-you-live-forever/. Uffelen, Chris V. Residential Architecture for Senior Citizens. Berlin: Braun, 2012. Read More