User:Lor.ensō/projectproposal

What do you want to make?

My project [working title: Contextures] will address multiple forms of accessibility in Rotterdam. The outcomes will include a thesis, which is made of annotations of drawings. Divided in six elements: Socially, Accessibly, Bureaucratically, Architecturally, Virtually and Culturally. These element I will also incorporate in a game format. In both aspects of the project I will address how obstacles are encountered, based on the six elements. In the thesis I will reflect on the obstacles I encounter and during the development of the game, I will gather experiences. [working title: Contextures] is made out of frustrations towards the hollow renders and representation Rotterdam is presented as. As I am born in a city and am familiar with multiple layers of the city. The project will be developed through a series of workshops and public moments, in which I will experiment and explore various ways of developing a method; to make an infrastructure for countermapping and anti-campaigning.

TL;DR - I am

- collecting contexts through the first follow-up sessions.

- developing character sets.

- dividing the six elements Socially, Accessibly, Bureaucratically, Architecturally and Culturally into six decks of context cards.

- developing a Game Guide, that gives context and requires a collective focus.

- designing a dice with the 6 faces / tiles of context.

- customizing Rotterdam map as playing field.

To show (human) complications, tensions and miscalculations as a reaction towards the renders, city marketing and planning (as I describe). Through collecting stories and anecdotes, I will search for ways of developing a platform for constructive reflection.

Ideally, I would like to depart from the virtual representation and develop a platform based on the many hindrances that can be brought into conversations.

In this process I want to (re)search for ways to visualize the tension. I.e. using drawing as an alternative to the hollow representation that 'shape'

Rotterdam. The human touch as reminder of the (in)humane complications to discuss perspectives and to create a catalog of findings, perspectives.

I would like to experiment with both face to face sessions with friends, family, but also with people online and offline.

Not only questions but also playing with 'anecdotal annotation'. I will continue developing my catalog

A way / method, to showcase virtual/physical clashes with contexts and representations. Possibility is, a visual essay based on an inner/outer mono or dialogue I'm currently having considering the rendered imagery of Rotterdam used in both (simulator) games and future architectural concepts of Rotterdam. But also going out of my bubble and reflect on multiple views rather than only my personal render.

How do you plan to make it?

Through organizing a set of sessions that could be comparable to the colloquium. but then inside of Rotterdam or at least with people that moved as well.

"Search for examples of city planning / marketing / maintenance of the city/village/township where you are from*" 
collect img / promises / memories 					                     
then....... 
ask yourself / eachother "how does -location- relate to you as the inhabitant*?"
aaand thennn  
ask yourself / eachother "how do you relate to -location-?"

I see that there would be a second colloquium coming up for the sake of concept development.

I want to explore various ways of collecting information, context and also ways to make things tangible.

[Collective Location Relation Annotation Session]

A continued version of before-mentioned collection and reflection. But then adding own element of the XYZ+T?

gather context and get either frustrated or inspired or in the best scenario both,
print out the imagery or text and annotate how this doesn't apply to the person getting into it.
develop this into a pamphlet / poster
share the stories behind the output

[reflective documentation, point out the bugs] I have a couple of things I want to test. To make the 'methodology development' more tangible I will approach it as if were some sort of software or game with version control and debugging for the next session. (i.e. V.0.0.1 - User:Lor.ensō#/XPUB2/PROTOTYPING/COLLOQUIUM/)

[drawing, editing, annotations, public]

Using drawings and annotations as vessels for human touch to add incalculated dimensions and to develop a series of critical pamphlets as a visual essay per person.

[catalog]

All the stories, images, analysis will be stored in an archive with multiple spaces. Etherpad seems to work fine as input sheets.

Imagery

[game]

Using the stories of people and they situations and creating character sets of it with human metadata.

[thesis]

In my thesis proposal I play with the 6 sides of the cube

Socially - Personal, Affordable, Family, Housing

Accessibly - Disability, Information provision, infrastructures

Bureaucratically - Protocols of local municipal / governments

Architecturally - Buildings, ways, pavements, roads, streets

Virtually - Imagery, impression, media, softwares, simulation, games

Culturally - budgetcuts, false iconism, counterculture, grassroots, community, festivals/gigs/events

This cube will then transform into a dice and the contexts, problems, barriers will then turn into decks of cards.It will all revolve around Rotterdam, example of output would be map tiles as playing field

What is your timetable?

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\PHASE ONE //

September / October

Read up on previously saved sources. Start sketching and writing thoughts down, collecting both sides.
Research, attend lectures, visit exhibitions
Try to zoom out a bit and make a colloquium based on 'location satisfactory' surveys municipalities often give
Have a lot of discussions to get things clear and also give yourself time to digest.
Colloquium: start developing a method for an infrastructure for countermapping / anti-campaigning.
Start making a visual catalog

November:

Public moment do a walk-in type deal and develop some sort of way to ask for contributions.
Reflect on the colloquium & public moment, gather first ideas and ways to develop a method.
23 november: deliver project proposal ~ digest, organise, prepare presentation
27 november: pre-assessment
Continue the catalog

December

1-7 December: Attend the Worksession: a Cane, Sticky notes, Another body, look for connections, insights, network
13 December Deadline First Chapter Thesis
17 December: Assessment
Note crucial feedback -> Develop a new version for collective annotation
Gather interests multiple groups and organize meetups
Continue the catalog

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\PHASE TWO//

January

[ possibly change / restate things if assessments go other ways ]

Start meetups - at least one with peers and one with outsiders
Experiment with different sessions, gather contexts through new colloquiums
Notes and developments

February / March

Continue meetups: prototype the format -> dice + context decks + map
Brainstorm / feedback with people
Think about the outcomes: Tabletop Simulator / Physical Game
Start sketching the potential outcomes: Dice, Cards, Map?: designs of thesis and outcome must align
Notes and developments
14 March Deadline Second Draft thesis (texts to 2nd readers)
8 March Deadlines Second readers' comments

April

Continue meetups: test design
Finetune
Notes and development
18 April DEADLINE THESIS (0:00 hrs)

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\PHASE THREE//

May

Finalize the dice, cards and map.
Final test

June

Final feedback and finetuning and deliver
documentation
Assessment
Graduate

July

Build up and present

Why do you want to make it?

I am having mixed feelings about Rotterdam, the city I was born and raised in. A city that has been suffering the second city syndrome for a while.

Being on the list of poorest, least healthy. Having some sort of bad reputation based on multiple elements. Then resulting into trying to develop a better city, getting on the list of cool cities. Developing gentrification and seeming to be more (inter)nationally appealing cities. This project is my experiment to develop an infrastructure based on constructive city criticism but also reflection. I am searching for a right way to visualize the tensions. The human touch as reminder of the (in)humane complications. I'm in confusion by the idea of vision / images of the city through virtual representation. Mostly, because I feel that is an image that lacks multiple layers of complex contexts.

Who can help you and how?

XPUB tutors/peers/alumni

.ZIP

Friends and Family

Open Call: anyone interested in / the people that want to participate.

The people in Gent during the worksession

People outside the bubble

Relation to previous practice

Bachelor works:

3D / Worldbuilding - The Monster of Albert Heijn / Happytalism / Concrete Desert

Video - How to enter the art academy with a Wheelchair

Design thinking: GENERATION Y?

XPUB

SI23

SI24

Relation to a larger context

Recurring topics that are linked to my thesis will be divided through multiple chapters and key issues, but will all be connected through contexts and how these elements have thresholds and tension drawing between them and eachother.

Virtually ~ Architecturally / Innovation and Virtual Tools as development or demolition of reality

~ Imagery, impression, media, softwares, simulation, games, buildings, ways, pavements, roads, streets ~

Bureaucratically ~ Culturally / zoning: friction between counter culture and bureaucracy, false iconism vs community

~ Protocols of local municipal / governments / Budge cuts, false iconism, counterculture, grassroots, community, festivals/gigs/events~

Socially ~ Accessibly / (un)Familiar barriers, social thresholds and unmeant ignorance

~ Personal, Affordable, Family, Housing, Disability, Information provision, infrastructures~

References

Constant workshops in Gent Constant -. https://constantvzw.org/site/Open-call-Worksession-a-Cane-Sticky-notes-Another-body.html.

Rotterdam, Is it happening?. https://www.rotterdamisithappening.nl/. Possible Bodies(Rocha, J., Snelting, F.) (2022) Volumetric Regimes: Material cultures of quantified presence, Signs of Clandestine Disorder: The continuous aftermath of 3D-computationalism. The Industrial Continuum of 3D https://volumetricregimes.xyz/index.php?title=The_Industrial_Continuum_of_3D

Griffin, M. and Kittler, F.A. (1996) 'The City is a Medium,' New Literary History, 27(4), pp. 717–729. https://doi.org/10.1353/nlh.1996.0051.

Mattern, S. (2017) 'A city is not a computer,' Places [Preprint], (2017). https://doi.org/10.22269/170207.

Boer, R. (2023) Smooth city: Against Urban Perfection, Towards Collective Alternatives.

Van Den Bosch Christensen, L. (2015) I, (for one), welcome our new (Google) overlords. https://research.hva.nl/en/publications/i-for-one-welcome-our-new-google-overlords.

Wan, C. (2024) - Into The Digital Void https://canvaswan.com/into-the-digital-void

Wan, C. (2024) - Into the Digital Cartographic Void https://canvaswan.com/into-the-digital-cartographic-void.

Siegel, J. (2024) Default Alpha: Mapping the Emergence of Synthetic Culture in New Towns

Overdijke, M. (2024) The City as Anthology: Movements at the Margins of Public Space

Steyerl. H (2013) How Not To Be Seen: A Fucking Didactic Educational .MOV File https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LE3RlrVEyuo.

Hito Gibbons, A. (2022) Salvaging situationism: Race and space - salvage. https://salvage.zone/salvaging-situationism-race-and-space/.

Vers Beton (2024) Home - Vers beton. https://www.versbeton.nl/.

Recht op de stad - Recht op de stad (2024). http://www.rechtopdestad.nl/.

Kooyman. M (2024) Rotterdam niet langer armste stad, maar nog steeds leven duizenden inwoners in armoede. Algemeen Dagblad, October 17, 2024https://www.ad.nl/rotterdam/rotterdam-niet-langer-armste-stad-maar-nog-steeds-leven-duizenden-inwoners-in-armoede~a7f79119/

Liukku. A, (2024) 'Waarom Rotterdam opnieuw onderaan staat in lijst met gezonde steden: aantal punten valt op.' Algemeen Dagblad, November 11, 2024, https://www.ad.nl/rotterdam/waarom-rotterdam-opnieuw-onderaan-staat-in-lijst-met-gezonde-steden-aantal-punten-valt-op~adec7bd9/

Unitary urbanism at the end of the 1950s (Issue three of the journal of the Situationist International) December 1959 https://libcom.org/article/unitary-urbanism-end-1950s.

Mass Moving (2007) [documentary]. Directed by Françoise Levie. Belgium. Vlaams Audiovisueel Fonds