UNIT 1: METHODS OF INVESTIGATING
The site I have chosen is the Kitchen at my rental apartment and my selected method of investigation is photo collages and illustrations.
Upon reading through the references, I found that Perec’s book (1974, pp .46-56) is quite similar to my investigation in terms of “Form”. From the way I interpreted the reading, I found that the type of narration/voice Perec has used in his writing, draws a close parallel to the sensitivity with which I have photographed my site, For instance, in his first para, “The buildings stand one beside the other. They form a straight line. They are expected to form a line, and it’s a serious defect in them when they don’t do so. They are then said to be ‘subject to alignment’, meaning that they can by rights be demolished, so as to be rebuilt in a straight line with the others”. Perec, G(1974, p .46) he has used a very literal and obvious way of describing the street, likewise, in my photography, I have used very zoomed in frames, and linear perspective angles wherein any thing slant or out of place is very conspicuous to the viewer. Thus I translated his ‘voice’ into my work through the type of photography used.
Furthermore, another parallel that can be drawn from Perec’s book and my work is the “Theme” , to elucidate, the subject of both, his book and my work falls under “everyday spaces that we live in”, mine being the kitchen while Perec’s was “The Street”.
Another reading that relates to my investigation is Venturi et al. (1972, pp 3-19). In this book, the methods of investigations they have used, directly relates to that of mine, which are photography and architectural drawings.
In their book Venturi et al. (1972, pp. 4-5) you can see similarities between my photography (which also used straight/liner frames and wide angle perspective shots) and the photos in the book. In addition to the photography, I have also drawn a layout plan of my site much like image 2. Map of Las Vegas Strip Venturi et al. (1972, p. 5) which was an apt method of investigating for my site.
In addition to these, other investigative methods the authors have used include zoomed in shots of individual architectural elements as well as few illustrations of particular elements (image 16. A comparative analysis of “Billboards”in space) Venturi et al. (1972, p. 17).
Likewise, I have also captured zoomed in shots of particular architectural elements and made illustrations of certain elements like the washing machine, sink and the refrigerator. These methods enabled me to analyze the space to a much deeper extent.
Reference list
- Perec, G. (1974) Species of spaces and other pieces. Edition. London: Penguin books LTD.
- Venturi, R., Brown, D. and Izanour, S. (1972) Learning from Las Vegas. England: Routledge.