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pneumatology [2008-02-20 15:55] – 62.166.51.71pneumatology [2008-02-21 11:49] – 62.166.51.71
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 ====Context==== ====Context====
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-//Pneumatology// consists of  
-  * a visual survey of -alive inflatables- ,\\ 
-  * writings trying to distincts what makes an inflatable -alive- 
-  * a collection of physical materials suited for inflatables for foam's public library\\ 
-  * a collection of innovative inflatable experts, labs etc.\\  
- 
  
 <sub>This research is written in the context of [[foam]]'s multireal and real worlds:\\ <sub>This research is written in the context of [[foam]]'s multireal and real worlds:\\
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-====Lightness as a state of being====+ 
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 +===== Lightness as a state of being =====
  
 Around our contemporary environmental questions at least one thing became clear to me and that’s that out of fear, or to build on top of our guilt, we can’t create anything. So instead I rather like to slide the heavy burden of my shoulders and  choose the quality of lightness. Around our contemporary environmental questions at least one thing became clear to me and that’s that out of fear, or to build on top of our guilt, we can’t create anything. So instead I rather like to slide the heavy burden of my shoulders and  choose the quality of lightness.
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 And in wondering if we can construct our worlds from the lightest quality surrounding us everywhere: –air- inflatable architecture comes the closests. Its thin flexible membrane, acts as a space-defining skin is able to give shape of –air- itself allowing it to be a breathing unity with its own integrity. Its close related to its surrounding its specifically bodily and tactile by nature and its portable, mobile, and playful.   And in wondering if we can construct our worlds from the lightest quality surrounding us everywhere: –air- inflatable architecture comes the closests. Its thin flexible membrane, acts as a space-defining skin is able to give shape of –air- itself allowing it to be a breathing unity with its own integrity. Its close related to its surrounding its specifically bodily and tactile by nature and its portable, mobile, and playful.  
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 [reference to :There is a Timeless Way of Building- patterns of events]\\ [reference to :There is a Timeless Way of Building- patterns of events]\\
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-=====Research topics===== 
-   ***A Visual Collection of -Alive Inflatables-** 
-In looking for structures for inflatables as a visual survey; I became very tired quickly. 
-Maybe because I came across a lot of dead stuff. So I decided to intuitively look for inflatables I just liked. And then after looking at them I found out what the quality of these inflatables was and that was that they were alive. In such a way that it are inflatable spaces you want to be emerged with, play with, be involved with  
-And some of these inflatables are to simple to be true, but have an amazing opening effect on people. 
-So I look for inflatable architectural structures which are alive in one way or another, where something is happening. 
-the collection of Living Inflatables one can see at: ……. 
  
-  ***A pattern language for -living inflatables** 
-Chistopher Alexander has unraveled in 1977a pattern language to create 'living architecture’. Its a tool for anyone willing to surpass the general problem domains in our contemporary architecture as stated above, which often leaves us with a feeling of being alienated and detachment. This pattern language is based on the actions which takes place in space and time which makes one feel “alive”. I have summarized his patterns which can be used by anyone interested in building stuff. 
-And I have made a specific pattern language for -inflatable architectural structures-, based on Architects of Air’s inflatable -Luminarium-. Everybody can use these patterns as a guideline to create one’s own ‘living inflatables’  
  
-   ***Design considerations for inflatable structures** + 
-After Coming across some problematic patterns in creating inflatables myself, and the inflatable structures of the architects of Airs’s Luminarium and some more colleagues,  I thought its worthwhile to acknowledge the most common obstacles one comes across in inflatable structures anyhow. When we are able to surpass these obstacles, these structures will be more stable and alive. It considers issues like; dominant odors, choosing the right materials, energy sources, climate control etc. In this part no solutions will be given to any design problem, but some suggestions will be given so now and then…\\+   ***A Visual Collection of -Inflatble Structures-**  There a some books which give an overview off all kinds of inflatables, but there isn,t an overview of all kinds of different techniques or structures for inflation are used. 
 + 
 +  ***Christopher Alexander's pattern language**  Chistopher Alexander has unraveled in 1977 a pattern language to create 'living architecture’. Its a tool for anyone willing to surpass the general problem domains in our contemporary architecture as stated above, which often leaves us with a feeling of being alienated and detachment. This pattern language is based on the actions which takes place in space and time which makes one feel “alive”. I like to  summarize his patterns which can be used by anyone interested in building stuff. 
 + 
 +  *** A pattern language for -living inflatables**  After studying Alexanders work I like to make a specific pattern language for -inflatable architectural structures- in such a way that everybody can use these patterns as a guideline to create one’s own ‘living inflatables’     
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 +====Results==== 
 + 
 +  * visual survey of -Inflatable Inspirations- ,  I came to a collection of 15 sections with interesting qualities. Each section by far don't give a complete overview in its field. But the main criteria for selecting the works is that they are in one way or another inspiring and that they all can lead to new vibrations… Images of Inflatable Inspirations:[[Experience Inflatables]] - [[Powered By Wind]] - [[Parasite Inflatables]] - [[Soap Experiences]] - [[When Nature Inflates]] - [[Environmental Blendings]] - [[Hardened Bubbles]] - [[Inflatable Spaces]] - [[Inflatable Sound]] - [[Interactive Inflatables]] - [[Inflatable Wearables]] - [[The Non Categorized Inflatables]] - [[Lighter Than Air]] - [[Nasa Inflatables]]  
 + 
 +  * summary Christopher Alexanders timeless way of building found underneth with the title "There is a timeless way of building" 
 + 
 +  * a pattern language for inflatable architectural structures 
 + 
 +  * design considerations for inflatable structures 
 + 
 +  * a collection of physical materials suited for inflatables for foam's public library 
 + 
 +  * an inventory of innovative inflatable- manufacturers, research labs, producers and other people working with inflatables both from the    artistic and in the technological field can be found at : [[Inflatable Structures]] still under construction...\\ 
 +\\ 
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-==== results ==== 
-As I've  mentioned in the context I have scanned via the inflatables three design principles;  
-  * //sustainability// I wonder if sustainability is an empowering word itself; 
-The first thing it does is putting a heavy load on us as conventionaly it focusses on what not to do. It rather paralyzes us, or pushes our guild buttons; we must shrink our presence, our systems, our activities, and even our population. But we are part of nature to! Alexanders  
-descripbes that someting sustains itself, when its made with real care. 
  
  
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-A good inflatable design can be so congruent with peoples feelings that it sustains itself- when it gets dirty or worn people take care of it themselves, because the pattern is deeply connected to their own experience. From outside, it seems as though the inflatable maintains itself almost as if by magic. 
-It is the self-sustaining character the living inflatable has, which is the result of making something with real care. 
-Because people enjoy being there, they look after it and even when no one else is there, you can “feel” the presence of life there, because you can sense that people are taking care of it.\\ 
-\\      
  
  
  
-===Getting old nicely=== 
-{{getting_old_nicely.jpg|}}\\ 
-The character of nature can’t arise without the presence and the consiousness of death. 
-But before they die, make sure you choose materials which decay nicely. Modern modern sculptures or architects often choose material which decay awfull.  
  
  
  
-===Build to die=== 
-The character of nature is fluid, rough, irregular, but it will not be true, unless it is made in the knowledge that it is going to die. 
-No matter how much the person who makes a building is able to understand the rhythm of regularity, it will mean noting so long as he creates it with the idea that it must be preserved because it is so precious. If you want to preserve a building, you will try to make it in materials which last forever.  You will try to make sure that this creation can be preserved intact, in just its present state, forever. Canvas must be ruled out because it has to be replaced; tiles must be so hard that they will not crack, and set in concrete, so that they cannot move, and so the weed will not grow up to split the paving; 
-But to reach the  quality without a name, a building must be made, at least in part, of those materials which age and crumble. Soft tile and brick, soft plaster, fading caots of paint, canvas which has been bleached a little and torn by wind. 
  
-===Cradle to Cradle=== 
-Conventional environmentalists focus on what not to do, here it can use aswell some transformation: instead of    
-presention an inspiring and exiciting vision of change. 
-Environmental destruction is a complex system in its own right – widespread , with deeper causes that are  difficultt to see  and understand. Like our ansestor, we may react automatically with terror and guilt and we may look for ways to purge ourselves ( get rid of the unwanted feeling) which the eco-efficient movement provides in abundance, to focus on what not to do by minimizing, avoiding, reducing, and sacrificing. Humans are condemmed as the one species on the planet guilty of burdening it beyond what it can withstand; as such, we must shrink our presence, our systems, our activities, and even our population so as to become almost invisible. 
-But what about ourselves, we are part of human nature to and if we don’t usse our creativity we’ll die. 
-To be less bad is to accept things as they are, to believe that poorly designed, dishonorable, destructive systems are the best humans can do. From our perspective, this is a depressing vision of our species role in the world. 
-These kind of guild we are carrying on our shoulders and especially the fear it brings with it are destroying your creativity, and it is especially this creativity you need to come up with intelligent solutions. 
-So what about an entirely different model 
  
-Preferably is to work with biodegradable materials so after use one can feed  
-it in the form of nutrients to the ground or to use materials which can be upcycled in a techinal cycle the [[cradle_to_cradle]] concept. 
-One can use materials which after use can break it down in the bio cycles (like plastics made from mais), or upcycle it   in a technical cycle. 
  
-But it isn't always that simple; for instance one wants to use [[bioplastic]], and the bioplastic as it is biodegradable, but when you look further and you find out that it is grown as a monoculture and erosing the grounds and pollutes the air massively by its production and which has to travel from far, then one can wonder if this is that beautiful ‘bio-degradable’ material we want. +==== Discussion==== 
-But you don’t have to be perfect right now as long there is a direction and all these materials are not all available now, +- As I've  mentioned in the context I have scanned via the inflatables three design principles and I like to come back to them a bit 
-but you can set your goal for 20 years, just define where you wanna go.\\ + 
-\\ +  * //sustainability//   We all now that this is quite complex matter and I wonder if sustainability is really a word that can empower us... The word itself is putting a heavy load on our shoulders. It can paralyze us, or pushes our guild buttons; we must shrink our presence, our systems, our activities ans so on. So it blocks our creativity. But we are part of nature to!  So maybe what empowers us more is for instance to think in bio-life-cycles. And we don’t have to be perfect right now, for instance the biodegradable materials we want are not all available now, but we can set our goals for 20 years from now in which we define where we wanna go. Another thing I like to mention is that something sustains itself, when its made with real care and when its patterns are deeply connected to our own experiences, then we automatically like to look after it. 
-  * The second design principle //playfullness//, which reminds me most of a documentary  I've seen about otters; in one scene; an otter is swimming in a river, and that day a thick layer of snow was fallen. One moment the otter is passing a hilly bank covered with snow. he goes out of the water and ran up the hill, and slides down into the water, he repeates it 5 more times and then continues swimming in the river. There was no purpose for the otter for gliding down this hill, no other then that he enjoyed doing do. Maybe I selected the pictures for the Inflatable Inspirations with this quality of playfullness in the back of my mind. Its there where rigidity stops and "flow" accurs.\\+ 
 +    * The second design principle playfullness, reminds me most of a documentary I've seen about otters; in one scene; an otter is swimming in a river, and that day a thick layer of snow was fallen. One moment the otter is passing a hilly bank covered with snow. he goes out of the water and ran up the hill, and slides down into the water, he repeats it about 5 more times and then continues swimming in the river. There was no purpose for the otter for gliding down this hill, no other then that he enjoyed doing do. Maybe I selected the pictures for the Inflatable Inspirations with this quality of playfullness in the back of my mind. Its there where rigidity stops and “flow” occurs. 
 + 
 +    * The thirth principle was modularity. One can always ask yourself how does it feel, to have a modular surrounding. Nature is never modular. Nature is full of almost similar units (waves, raindrops, blades of grass-) but though the units of one kind are all alike in their broad structure, no two are ever alike in detail. - the same broad features keep recurring over and over again. - in their detail appearance these broad features are never twice the same. - The quality of places is never twice the same, because it always takes its shape from the particular place in which it occurs. Each part is slightly different, according to its position in the whole. Each branch of a tree has a slightly different shape, according to its position in the tree. Each leaf on the branch is given its detailed form by its position on the branch. So an alternative is to think of differentiating spaces: It is not a process of addition, in which pre-formed parts are combined to create a whole: but a process of unfolding, like the evolution of an embryo, in which the whole precedes in parts, and actually gives birth to them, by splitting (so becoming different in the process of growth or development). Only a process of differentiation, can generate a natural thing; because this kind of process can shape parts individually, according to their position in the whole. 
 + 
 +- Up to now I noticed people (no matter what their background is) react very strongly on the visual collection of the research, and yes it was  the part I enjoyed doing the most. 
 + 
 +- As a follow up from this research I have like do realize two events where I will develop inflatable spaces solely inflated by wind. 
 + 
 +- I l like to continue on three parts of the research; the collections of the visual survey, the collection of inflatable materials for the library and the list of interesting inflatable producers, labs, experts etc. 
 + 
 + 
  
-  * The thirt principle was //modularity// 
  
  
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   * Nature Culture Fusion-Louis, G. Le Roy, 2002 ISBN 90-5662-278-1.   * Nature Culture Fusion-Louis, G. Le Roy, 2002 ISBN 90-5662-278-1.
   * Leven op ’t hof, Gerard smallegange, ISBN 90-72138-00-7   * Leven op ’t hof, Gerard smallegange, ISBN 90-72138-00-7
-  * Form Defining Strategies, Markus Hudert+
  
  
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