Record, Represent, Reconstruct

A PhD in the field of Architecture exploring the aesthetic experience of ruins 

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Reconstructing Spatial Narratives 03

Animated photography of 1:20 Diorama, representing the building’s journey to ruination and the multiple spatial narratives along the way. 

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Reconstructing Spatial Narratives 02

As a physical object, the diorama can be manipulated in the same way a real space can, miniature furniture can be assembled, arranged, re-arranged, removed, destroyed, structure can be constructed, pulled apart, peeled back, the model allows the builder to create ‘scenes’ in a similar way to that of a theatre set. Historical events can be staged, played back, interrogating the chronology of the space and the resulting ruin of the present.

With the use of 3d scan data this method of representation and reconstruction has an increased sense of historical accuracy, each surface can be portrayed with a sense of history as detail is maintained where previously it would have been impossible to reproduce. The resultant images (Figs 5,6,7,) are archaeological in nature, they “synthesize (reconstruct, represent and simulate) the past.” (Pearson and Thomas, 1995).

In this example, 3d laser scanning of heritage architecture and ruins offers a unique opportunity to represent and reconstruct historic conditions of a place through scaled dioramas. Using point cloud data to produce full colour scaled elevations of the existing ‘ruin’ allows a scaled, physical representation of a place to be built and used to reconstruct past events or ‘memories’. The models or ‘dioramas’ offer a more ‘holistic’ method of representation, one which includes the multi-sensory and subjective nature of experience. Something exists in the ‘diorama’ that is inherent in the building but which is usually hidden. The historic narrative of the building can be revealed, these low tech constructions embody Dagerre’s concept of ‘a tool through which to see’. Ultimately this method of representation is intended to allow architects, designers and historians to develop a greater understanding of a place’s historic spatial narrative and evidence of past events to produce architecture which is contextual, design which is a response to, and a description of, the specific physical qualities, and historic narratives of the site.

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Historic Image Comparison...

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Reconstructing Spatial Narratives 01

With reference to the practice of theatre/archaeology as a deep map, based on the concept that archaeology is “not just excavation (analysis). It must, in some way, synthesize (reconstruct, represent and simulate) the past.” (Pearson and Shanks, 1994. p.134). In an attempt to explore the Historic appearance of the ABH spatially and 'reconstruct' represent an simulate the past as proposed by Pearson and Shanks (1994) a 1:20 diorama of this space is produced, this diorama provides a scaled representation of the place, the critical dimension of which are based on terrestrial laser scan data captured at the site in Jan 2015.

Diorama Research and Archaeology  

The act of producing an accurate scaled representation of the ABH requires a level of in-depth research on the objects occupying the space In the above photograph, particularly, I refer to  3 marble figures adorning brick alcoves (on the right of the image) and two male, marble figures mounted on plinths at the far end of the Hall as indicated in the above photograph. To reproduce scaled versions of these sculptures first requires identification, allowing further study of their form and scale.  

Marble Sculptures;

According to Newcastle City Council's 'Conservation  Statement' for the ABH, the marbles once situated in the Hall, depicted in the above photograph, are the work of sculpture John Graham Lough; (Short backround). The sculptures no longer reside in the ABH and there are reports that they were auctioned by local auctioneers, Anderson and Garland in 1972 along with the remaining banqueting tables. In order to successfully reconstruct the volume in diorama form, the identity of the depicted sculptures had to be discovered. It is suggested that the figures are copies of the Elgin Marbles Frieze, removed from the Greek Parthenon at the Acropolis and currently residing at the British Museum in London (Newcastle City Council 2012) *footnote about the parthenon and elgin marbles. This provided a starting point for the identification process; understanding that the figures are likely copies of ancient greek sculptures a general internet search was carried out, using the physical characteristics of the sculptures as initial search terms.

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Armstrong’s Banquetting Hall (c.1950) 

Image: Tyne and Weat Building Preservation Trust

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Representing the experiential qualities of heritage architecture and ruins through Diorama.  

Rasmussen's “Experiencing Architecture” (1964) explains that understanding architecture is not just being able to identify and describe one type of building and its architectural style from another, this is just a surveying of it's external features. Seeing architecture does not create understanding, architecture must be experienced.  The question is; Other than through direct experience, how can architects, designers and architectural historians present the experiential qualities of architecture to others? Conventional architectural representations, such as sections, elevations and plans, are a successful method of communicating a building's physical characteristics. But if we are to assume that  experience promotes understanding (Rasmussen, 1964; Norberg-Schulz, 1968; Dewey, 2005), then it may be that a method of representation could be employed which involves more of the properties of actual experience.

A Multi-Sensory Approach

Conventional architectural representation view place reduced to it's component parts, as a collection of physical constraints. These methods do not consider physical objects as complexes of sensations (Gasset, 1975). Although environment and experiences are often dissected into various components in order to be studied in detail, some environmental psychologists believe that the interaction between experience and place cannot be examined as anything other than a whole (Ittelson, 1978). Knowledge is gained through study of 'intact' experiences (Bell et al., 1978). Places and the experience of place may be defined as a collection of features, no feature in isolation is enough to define it (Russell and Ward, 1982). If this is true then a holistic approach to architectural representation, one which presents place as a whole, is necessary in order to communicate the experiential and subjective nature of heritage architecture and ruination most effectively.

Physical models as a method of communicating and representing ruins is a specifically non-verbal discourse, a scale model of a ruin can have the characteristic of being able to distil events and experiences through their representations of large scale destruction and decay. Puff ( 2010) argues that models of ruins in particular have the ability to stimulate memories of a lost past and through the associated emotions. Considered in this way, scaled representations of ruins may trigger the same psychological associations as actual ruined architecture. In this way the scaled modelling of ruined spaces could be considered as “complex simulations of an abstract, multiperspectival reality”. In particular, dioramas which are rendered in a realistic way, representing the characteristics of materials and decay of a particular moment in time, have the ability to communicate emotional associations through the object's aesthetic qualities. John Monk (___) states that a model is a thing which “stimulated people to give accounts that could also be triggered by the object being modelled' .

Bibliography

Deyo, L. B. and Leibowitz, D. (2003) Invisible frontier: exploring the tunnels, ruins, and rooftops of hidden New York. New York: Three Rivers Press.

Chapman, J. (2005) Access all areas: a user’s guide to the art of urban exploration. Toronto: Infilpress.

Garrett, B. (2013) Explore Everything: Place-Hacking the City. Verso.

DeSilvey, C. and Edensor, T. (2012) ‘Reckoning with ruins’, Progress in Human Geography, p.

Pinder, D. (2005) ‘Arts of urban exploration’, Cultural Geographies, 12(4), pp. 383–411

Bennett, L. (2011) ‘Bunkerology—a case study in the theory and practice of urban exploration’, Environment and Planning D: Society and Space, 29(3), pp. 421 – 434.

Ring, P. (2008) ‘Re use: archaeology and storytelling’, Northumbria Working Paper Series: Interdisciplinary Studies in the Built and Virtual Environment, 1(2), pp. 93–101.

Littlefield, D. and Lewis, S. (2007) Architectural voices: listening to old buildings. Chichester: Wiley-Academy.

Pearson, M. and Thomas, J. (1994) ‘Theatre/Archaeology’, TDR, 38(4), pp. 133–161

Mansfield, J. (2012) ‘Re-imagining existing architecture’, Structural Survey, 30(4), pp. 344–356.

Norberg-Schulz, C. (1980) Genius loci: towards a phenomenology of architecture. New York: Rizzoli.

Rasmussen, S. E. (1964) Experiencing Architecture. Cambridge, Mass: M.I.T. Press.

Dewey, J. (1958) Art as experience. New York: Capricorn Books.

Gasset, J. O. Y. (1975) Phenomenology and Art. W. W. Norton.

Ittelson, W. H. (1978) ‘Environmental Perception and Urban Experience’, Environment and Behavior, 10(2), pp. 193–213.

Bell, P. A., Green, T. Fisher, J. D. and Baum, A. (1978) ‘Environmental Psychology’, Fort Worth, Psychology Press.

Russell, J. A. and Ward, L. M. (1982) ‘Environmental Psychology’, Annual Review of Psychology, 33(1), p. 651.

Puff, H. (2014) “Miniature Monuments: Modeling German History. Berlin” in Hell, J. and Schönle, A. (2010) Ruins of Modernity. Duke University Press.

Monk, John (2003). Ceremonies and Models. In: Gullstrom-Hughes, Rolf and Monk, John eds. The Book of models: ceremonies, metaphor, performance. Milton Keynes, UK p.40

Rugoff, R. and Kamps, T. (2000) Small World: Dioramas in Contemporary Art. La Jolla, Calif: Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego,U.S.

Gernsheim, H. and Gernsheim, A. (1969) L. J. M. Daguerre: The History of the Diorama and the Daguerreotype. New York: Dover Publications Inc

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Ruins and Physical Evidence

Physical evidence can be described as any physical object which is linked to an event in question. Virtually any object can be classed as evidence however the significance of the object only when it is recognised as physical evidence, objects found in the ruin of Lord Armstrong’s Banqueting Hall which perhaps reveal something about the place in which they reside, their photograph has been taken and a brief objective description of the objects accompany the images. Through association, these objects when considered individually and as a collection may provide a representation of the way the place is, and has been, used;

A white crate. The plastic box has ‘oval’ shaped openings in the sides and base. Two handles are positioned in the short edges of the crate used for moving and carrying.

The red text on the side reveals that this once belonged to “RIVERSIDE BAKERY 01642 247181” a cursory internet search reveals Riverside Baker was based in Middlesbrough and ceased trading in 2010 when the limited company when into administration before it’s assets were auctioned and purchased by local businessman Anthony Duffy. The bakery had already recovered from controversy in 2005, when inspectors reported “appalling and highly unsatisfactory” conditions at the factory.

A simple vehicle for carrying small loads, typically being an open container supported by a wheel at the front and two legs and two handles behind

A wheelbarrow rested up against a stack to shipping pallets which have been covered with a vinyl tarpaulin. The whole object is covered with a dew-like moisture. The weight of the barrow is supported by its metal stand/frame and the lip of the barrow itself. Two handles of the wheelbarrow point to the sky. It appears the body of the object was once painted black, the majority of this finish has degraded, approximately 60% of the surface is covered with a light rusting of a dull brown colour. Metal angles attach the barrows handle to the ‘box’ fixed by four stainless steel bolts, their appearance is brighter than that of the rest of the metalwork. The wheel is a ‘donut’ shape, consisting of a black rubber tyre articulated by a series of grooves running the circumference. The surface of the tyre is covered in a green ‘moss-like’ substance. The wheel has a solid centre painted a deep red colour with a small axle joining it to the frame of the barrow.

stone - Hard solid non-metallic mineral matter of which rock is made, especially as a building material

carving -. An object or design carved from a hard material as an artistic work

A stone carving. The object is a rough disc shape with a second circular depression in the centre. This central depression is full with rain water. The water appears darkened, on closer inspection this seems to be caused by a build up of dark green vegetation on the inside of the circular depression. It is constructed from a single piece of light coloured stone. A ‘flattened arrowhead’ shape has been carved into one side of the disk. The stonework has a ‘mottled’ patina of green and dull brown. The surface of the object has a number of brown leaves resting upon it.

post - the official service or system that delivers letters and parcels.

bag - A container of flexible material, such as paper, plastic, or leather, that is used for carrying or storing items.

A grey post bag, text stamped onto the surface reads “MB8X - 1991 - POST OFFICE”. The text appears faded. The bag is constructed from a waterproof synthetic material stitched along three sides. The top of the bag is open. A buckle is stitched to the top of the bag. The bag appears to be loaded with some weight, on further investigation it is discovered that it is filled to approximately half capacity with timber off-cuts of various shapes and sizes.

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Digital Preservation of Material Evidence

Buildings and places as ‘material evidence’ which through the forensic process become a ‘material witness’ of past events. Places become physical evidence of past events (Weizman et al, 2014). Above is an initial exploration of methods capable of using point cloud data from 3d laser scanning to create a physical record of a temporary condition;

“Using technology to capture a fugitive moment of lived time, and use this shadow, this dark space, this in away very impermanent thing to create something which is adamantine, permanent and resists presence” (Gormley, 2014). Objects are preserved in a digital format with the architectural shapes retrieved more accurate than traditional manual measurements, in addition 3d scanning records the position, condition and spatial relationship of objects within a space, all of which may e considered evidence (or traces) of human occupation and past events.

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Cataloguing Place...

It may be possible to interpret information and narratives about a place through the position of objects and their spatial relationship to each other, through capturing 3D point cloud data using terrestrial laser scanning equipment these narratives can be captured and archived for further analysis, for example; in the case of Lord Armstrong’s Banqueting Hall, an orange hosepipe had been recently used, it lay deposited upon the concrete floor, the pipe wound itself between dustbins stretching out into the centre of the space then looping back, coiling and twisting on the ground, then returning, leaving the nozzle close the entrance to the Hall. Although perhaps insignificant, this positioning of the hosepipe effectively acts as an exercise in mapping, it locates the movement of the user tracking roughly from pot-plant to pot-plant on what is likely a daily routine of garden maintenance

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Forensic Recording Techniques - Experiment 01

Forensic investigations approach what are essentially everyday objects, physical marks, wear and tear, with a level of care and protection otherwise reserved for objects of huge cultural significance, items are photographed, catalogued, protected and preserved much like the artefacts of the worlds museums. Of course these physical objects are no longer 'everyday' when they are classified as evidence, they are charged with a certain level of significance, they hold testimony to the events that formed, positioned and shaped them. By employing the systematic recording techniques used by forensic investigators, designers may have access to an objective and multi-dimentional representation of a place including a catalogue of significant 'evidence', from which to form an understanding of a place's memory and story.

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CSI for Designers?

Edmond Locard's (1877-1966)  'Exchange Principle'13 states that every contact leaves a trace, a principle which forms the foundation of all crime scene anlaysis14. The traces that Locard is referring to are fundamentally the same as the 'marks' and 'traces' discussed by Di Carlo5, Edensor4 and the 'artefacts' encountered by the ruin explorers6. In all cases these traces, marks and artefacts are the evidence of an event or events causing a physical change to the materials of a place. This commonality suggests that methods, techniques and processes designed for forensic recording record a place could feasibly be utilised by designers when translating the aesthetic information of a place to reconstruct it's story or 'memory'.

Parallels within the fields of architecture and forensics have been drawn before; Eyal Weizman's research project 'Forensic Architecture' explores architecture as a target of political violence and the consequent interpretation(s) of architectural destruction in international law. Weizman states; “we have coined the term “forensic architecture” to reflect upon the way in which architecture functions as evidence of violations in international humanitarian law but also in other political and media forums.”14 In essence their work is derived from the discipline of building surveying and pathology, a practice which aims to determine the cause of building defects in order to support legal claims and structural repairs. Weizman et al. conceptualises buildings and places as 'material evidence' which through the forensic process become a 'material witness' of past events. Places become physical evidence of past events.

Bibliography

1. Ring, P. (2008) ‘Re use: archaeology and storytelling’, Northumbria Working Paper Series: Interdisciplinary Studies in the Built and Virtual Environment, 1(2), pp. 93–101.

2. Littlefield, D. and Lewis, S. (2007) Architectural voices: listening to old buildings. Chichester: Wiley-Academy.

3. Mansfield, J. (2012) ‘Re-imagining existing architecture’, Structural Survey, 30(4), pp. 344–356.

4. Edensor, T. (2005) Industrial Ruins: Space, Aesthetics and Materiality. Berg Publishers.

5. De Carlo, G. (1999) ‘Reading and tentative design’, Places: Forum of Design for the Public Realm, 12(3), pp. 51–51.

6. Garrett, B. (2013) Explore Everything: Place-Hacking the City. Verso.

7. Chapman, J. (2005) Access all areas: a user’s guide to the art of urban exploration. Toronto: Infilpress.

8. Deyo, L. B. and Leibowitz, D. (2003) Invisible frontier: exploring the tunnels, ruins, and rooftops of hidden New York. New York: Three Rivers Press.

9. Garrett, B. L. (2011) ‘Assaying history: creating temporal junctions through urban exploration’, Environment and Planning-Part D, 29(6), p. 1048.

10. Trigg, D. (2006) The aesthetics of decay: nothingness, nostalgia, and the absence of reason. New York: Peter Lang.

11. Bennett, L. (2011) ‘Bunkerology—a case study in the theory and practice of urban exploration’, Environment and Planning D: Society and Space, 29(3), pp. 421 – 434.

12. Kansteiner, W. (2002) ‘Finding Meaning in Memory: A Methodological Critique of Collective Memory Studies’, History and Theory, 41(2), pp. 179–197.

13. In forensic science, Locard’s exchange principle (sometimes simply Locard’s principle) holds that the perpetrator of a crime will bring something into the crime scene and leave with something from it, and that both can be used as forensic evidence. Dr. Edmond Locard (13 December 1877 – 4 May 1966)

14. Forensic Architecture (2014) Forensis: The Architecture of Public Truth. Berlin: Sternberg Press.

15. Ogle, R (2011) Crime Scene Investigation and Reconstruction. 3 edition. Upper Saddle River, N.J: Prentice Hall.

16. Lee, H. C., Palmbach, T. and Miller, M. T. (2001) Henry Lee’s Crime Scene Handbook. San Diego, Calif. : London: Academic Press.

17. Gardner, R. M. and Bevel, T. (2009) Practical Crime Scene Analysis and Reconstruction. Boca Raton: CRC Press.

18. Mufit Ferman, A. and Tekalp, A. M. (1999) ‘Probabilistic analysis and extraction of video content’, in 1999 International Conference on Image Processing, 1999. ICIP 99. Proceedings. pp. 91–95 vol.2.

19. Jarvie, I. C. (1987) Philosophy of the film. Routledge & Kegan Paul.

20. Pink, S. (2007) Doing Visual Ethnography. London; SAGE.

21. Heft, H. (2003) “Affordances, Dynamic Experience,

and the Challenge of Reification”. Ecological Psychology, 15(2), pp.149–180

22. Gasset, J. O. Y. (1975) Phenomenology and Art. W. W. Norton.

23. Seamon, D. (2015) A Geography of the Lifeworld (Routledge Revivals): Movement, Rest and Encounter. Routledge.

24. Ittelson, W. H. (1978) ‘Environmental Perception and Urban Experience’, Environment and Behavior, 10(2), pp. 193–213.

25. Bell, P. A., Green, T. Fisher, J. D. and Baum, A. (1978) ‘Environmental Psychology’, Fort Worth, Psychology Press;

26. Russell, J. A. and Ward, L. M. (1982) ‘Environmental Psychology’, Annual Review of Psychology, 33(1), p. 651.

27. Dewey, J. (1958) Art as experience. New York: Capricorn Books.

28. Mostafavi, M. and Leatherbarrow, D. (1993) On weathering: the life of buildings in time. Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press.

29. Rasmussen, S. E. (1964) Experiencing Architecture. Cambridge, Mass: M.I.T. Press.

30. Nimkulrat, N. (2007) ‘The Role of Documentation in Practice-Led Research’, Journal of Research Practice, 3(1), p. Article M6

31. Harrison, A. (2002) ‘Shared judgements: Thinking for yourself, thinking from the standpoint of everyone else, and being consistent’.

32. Rynearson, Joseph M. 6th ed. Evidence and Crime Scene Reconstruction. Redding, CA: National Crime Investigations and Training, 2002.

33. Bevel, Tom. “Applying the Scientific Method to Crime Scene Reconstruction.” Journal of Forensic Identification. Vol.51, No. 2 (March/April 2001): 150-162.

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ABH-3D Point Cloud Elevations

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3D Scanning the Banquetting Hall 

Using a terrestrial laser scanner, Myself an Leon (Technician) conducted a full scan of the internals of the banqueting hall in it’s present condition. The intention is to produce accurate and ‘holistic’ information about the place in it’s current condition, including detail of decay, vegetation, and objects within the space. 

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ARMSTRONG'S BANQUETING HALL - ANIMATED GO PRO FOOTAGE 01

Case Study Site 01 - Head-cam Footage Animated head cam footage, initial experiment with mapping visual responses to place onto head-cam video footage

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Case Study Site 01 - Head-cam Footage 

Animated head cam footage, initial experiment with mapping visual responses to place onto head-cam video footage