Tuesday, 13 November 2012
Wednesday, 7 November 2012
TROIKA
‘Arcades’ is a sight specific installation that inscribes
one architectural space within another; an arcade made of the light is
implanted into a space defined by strong brick walls, a pitched roof and exposed wooden beams, that of a former stable. The arcade is given shape by a series of 14 pillars of light that are met by fresnel lenses refracting the rays that travel through their focal points. When travelling through the lenses, the light beams do not simply change direction but bend hyperbolically to form the arches of gothic architecture.
'Arcades' creates a spatial suspension of disbelief which questions our relationship with the metaphysical in a world increasingly governed by practical, rational and scientific principles. By confronting the viewer with seemingly impossible phenomenon of bending light it creates a space for contemplation and introspection, suggesting a synthesis between agnostic reason and intuitive belief.
The arcade of light lies between the intangible and physical, the visible and the seemingly impossible. it asks the viewer to pause and contemplate the surrounding space whilst promoting openness rather than closure. The illusion doesn't usurp but rather re-enforces the experience of a space. Here, in the spirit of satin glass, of 'Lux Nova', in which spirituality is invoked through light, science invokes the sublime.
REF: http://troika.uk.com/arcades?image=2
'Arcades' creates a spatial suspension of disbelief which questions our relationship with the metaphysical in a world increasingly governed by practical, rational and scientific principles. By confronting the viewer with seemingly impossible phenomenon of bending light it creates a space for contemplation and introspection, suggesting a synthesis between agnostic reason and intuitive belief.
The arcade of light lies between the intangible and physical, the visible and the seemingly impossible. it asks the viewer to pause and contemplate the surrounding space whilst promoting openness rather than closure. The illusion doesn't usurp but rather re-enforces the experience of a space. Here, in the spirit of satin glass, of 'Lux Nova', in which spirituality is invoked through light, science invokes the sublime.
REF: http://troika.uk.com/arcades?image=2
Tuesday, 30 October 2012
time to take a breather from darkness
In the vast subject of fear, there is an area where its not a fear that you have but one that's been devised for you. In this case it is my parents who fear that flowing water is dangerous for me, to the extent that they fear for my life. Being a person who's surrounded by his own anxieties this seems to me as an unimportant matter. However, with the long story behind this case I am interested in analysing a particular site in mind.
Greenwich Foot Tunnel:
The tunnel has been in the news for while regarding "where the taxpayers money is being spent", "why has it been shut for so long" etc. but what I'm most interested in is this spooky article on the net i found.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/londons-greenwich-foot-tunnel-closed-after-reports-of-unusual-smell-8080979.html
Greenwich Foot Tunnel:
The tunnel has been in the news for while regarding "where the taxpayers money is being spent", "why has it been shut for so long" etc. but what I'm most interested in is this spooky article on the net i found.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/londons-greenwich-foot-tunnel-closed-after-reports-of-unusual-smell-8080979.html
The Greenwhich foot tunnel is a pedestrian tunnel crossing beneath the River Thames in East London, linking Greenwich in the south with the Isle of Dogs to the north. The tunnel is currently open while refurbishment works contimue on the entrance shafts and domes. The works were due to be completed by june 2011, but delays mean that they are now scheduled to be complete sometime in 2012.
Ref: Wikipedia
Happy Halloween
So it Halloween time and here I am confronting my fear of darkness. After reading up a few articles on how to confront your fears I decided to be super bold. Since this is a spatial design course my interest is not only analysing my fears but understanding it in a spatial context i.e how a space can affect a persons mind to bring out his/her inner most fears. To start of, in my case I decided to go face to face after reading about the flooding technique. Not a good plan..i'm still freaked out!
What I decided to do was put myself in the worst case scenario and film it. I tried to record and portray the tricks my mind plays on me when i'm in a dark space. Below is the result :
What I decided to do was put myself in the worst case scenario and film it. I tried to record and portray the tricks my mind plays on me when i'm in a dark space. Below is the result :
Personal Fears/Phobias
The above piece was a quick experiment I conducted after reading through different cures for my personal fear i.e. fear of darkness. I'm the sort of person who sleeps with a night lamp and turns the light on before entering a room. My inherent fear of darkness has messed a lot with my mind since childhood and I feel it is time I understand and work with it. In the above test, I locked myself outside in the middle of the night with a mere two candles and decided to see how long I could survive in the space without freaking out. Although I was very familiar with the space as it's the garden attached to my flat I couldn't survive there for more than 5 mins. and it wasn't the cold weather to blame for it!
A breif intorduction to my Fear:
Nyctophobia, or fear of the dark, is one of the most common phobias in children. In many cases, childhood nyctophobia passes as the child matures. In older children and adults, however, nyctophobia can be crippling.
Nonetheless, most people retain a bit of fear of the dark throughout life. This fear may be evolutionary in nature, as many predators hunt at night. Consequently, darkness is a frequently used element in horror movies and halloween events.
For example, at Universal Orlando's Halloween Horror nights 2008, Nyctophobia is presented in a unique way.The event'd theme is phobias and in the presented scenario, a photographer fears not only the dark but the images that are captured in his camera flash. He is forced to confront the images he sees in a technique called " Total Immersive Phobia Exposure Therapy"
Symptoms:
If you have a phobia of the dark, you are likely to become nervous in any darkened environment You may sleep with a nightlight. You might be reluctant to go out at night. You will experience an increased heart rate, sweat, shake and even feel ill when forced to spend time in the dark.
If your nyctophobia is severe, you may attempt to run away form dark rooms and avoid being outside at night. You might become angry or defensive if anyone tries to encourage you to spend time in the dark.
Treatments:
In the Halloween Horror Nights scenario mentioned above, the photographer is physically restrained and forced to confront the images in his camera's flash. This is an extreme interpretation of an actual phobia technique also known as flooding. However, a mental health professional would never restrain the client and force him or her to participate. The client remains in control during real life flooding sessions.
Treatment for nyctophobia is often drawn fro the cognitive-behavioural school of therapy. Anti-anxiety medications may also be prescribed. The goal of therapy is to challenge your fearful beliefs about the dark and help you replace negative self-talk with more positive messages.
ref:http://phobias.about.com/od/phobiaslist/a/nyctophobia.htm
A Philosophy of Fear
A Philosophy of Fear
by Lars Fr. H. Svendsen
Surveillance cameras. Airport security lines. Narred store windows. We see manifestations of societal fears everyday, and daily news reports on the lastest household danger or raised terror threat level continually stoke our sense of impending doom. In A Philosophy of Fear, Lars Svendsen now explores the underlying ideas and issues behind this powerful emotion, as he investigates how and why fear has insinuated itself into every aspect of modern life.
Svendsen delves into science, politics, sociology, and literature to explore the nature of fear. He examines the biology behind the emotion, from the neuroscience underlying our "fight or flight" instinct to how fear induces us to take irrational actions in our attempts to minimize risk. The book then turns to the political and social realms, investigating the role of fear in the philosophies of Machiavelli and Hobbes, the rise of the modern "risk society," and how fear has eroded social trust. Entertainment such as the television show "Fear Factor," competition in extreme sports, and the political use of fear in the ongoing "War on Terror" all come under Svendsen's probing gaze, as he investigates whether we can ever disentangle ourselves from the continual state of alarm that defines our age.
Svendsen ultimately argues for the possibility of a brighter, less fearful future that is marked by a triumph of humanist optimism. An incisive and thought provoking meditation,A Philosophy of Fear pulls back the curtain that shrouds dangers imagined and real, forcing us to confront our fears and why we hold to them.
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