synopsis: matter matters

Title Page

Index

Definition

Area of Study

Rationale

Research Question

Research Focus

Methodology

Research Methods

Chapters

Annotated Bibliography and References to date

Figures

Link with DS9

Plan of Work

01

03

05

07

10

12

12

13

14

16

18

25

26

26

[-3-]

Pronunciation: /'mat /ə

Noun1

[mass noun] physical substance in general, as distinct from mind and spirit ; (in physics) that which occupies space and possesses rest mass, especially as distinct from energy: the structure and properties of matter

[usually with adjective] a particular substance: organic matter, faecal matter

written or printed material: reading matter

Printingthe body of a printed work , as distinct from titles, headings, etc..2

a subject or situation under consideration: a great deal of work was done on this matter, financial matters

Lawsomething which is to be tried or proved in court; a case.

(matters) the present state of affairs: we can do nothing to change matters

the substance or content of a text as distinct from its style or form.

Logic, the particular content of a proposition, as distinct from its form. 3

[with negative or in questions] (the matter) the reason for distress or a problem: what's the matter?

Verb [no object]

[usually with negative or in questions] be important or significant: it doesn't matter what the guests wear, what did it matter to them?

(of a person) be important or influential: she was trying to get known by the people who matter

(Definition of the word matter from Oxford Dictionaries Online)

[-5-]

Area of Study

The notice that Google had made available to download over three million books (Hannaford, 2010) has caused the interest of people around the globe. One can now access and retrieve book titles spanning over all disciplines through their electronic devices - stationery, or portable. It was no surprise that the specific incorporation came forward to this move. Other companies had proceeded to related actions before that. From its vast collection, Amazon sells electronic books that can be read on its own device - the Kindle - or on digital applications on the devices of other manufacturers. Apple had previously launched the iBooks application to facilitate the purchase and reading of numerous titles on its iPhone and iPad. The latter devices can take onboard a number of electronic applications that have the same function. The list of devices with the potential to display text that one can read comfortably for their own interest is long, and it will become longer as the demand for this kind of facility rises. Books are not the only form of text that can be digitally distributed. Electronic libraries and databases, both academic and commercial, make their content available to an ecology of users eager to lay eyes on the invaluable material.

The potentials of electronic devices to acquire, display, and support text, as well as “the wholesale transfer of functionality and attention to screen space” (Mitchell, 2005, p.185) are part of society's inheritance from the digital revolution. On the other end, information as such had existed in nature well before the latest technological advances; so did communication. Among humans, in particular, it has manifested in a variety of manners since the beginning of life. Gestural, vocal, pictorial, or textual, the human communication of information existed and evolved together with the species, sometimes characterising a whole era. In addition, text has followed a historic trajectory from rarity to abundance, following the route

[-7-]

of technology. Printing liberated not only the location but also the purpose of text (McCullough, 2008, p.66). Later advances, primarily the micro-film and more recently the computer, enabled the use of hyper-text. The latter came to fulfil the need for interconnection between textual references, and therefore to facilitate linking between pieces of writing. The importance of this attribute, as well as its significance for the contemporary individual, is illustrated by William Mitchell in ME++ (2003, p.62) with a short, yet colourful phrase: “I link, therefore I am.”

In various ways, through the use of many devices, and with the aid of digital technology, information in the form of text is no longer scarce. “To some critics,” according to Malcolm McCullough (2008, p.66), “the age of Google dooms libraries to immediate obsolescence.” Indeed, there is the well-grounded conviction that as soon as all written work has been scanned, as soon as the most advanced information technology is there to support its access, and when all the work produced will be directly allocated to servers that are interrelated, thus can be crawled in total by the same search engine, there will not be a necessity for the existence of libraries any more. “To others, the lack of stability, credibility, or guidance in that flood of data makes libraries more important than ever, no longer just for searching and retrieving information, but instead for making sense of it,” (McCullough, 2008, p.66).

Although the society lives in an information market, which, according to John Thackara (2006, p.124), is a far cry from the information society that is popularly prescribed, it is nowhere near to make sensible the vast amount of information it receives. In a hypothesis, information is the aggregate of facts, data and context. Along with tacit knowledge – practising something, therefore knowing about it –, and explicit knowledge – possess the knowledge of the theory of something –, information contributes to knowledge. The

[-8-]

latter united with internalisation, externalisation, socialisation, and the ability to combine these together, given that the mental mechanism is available, leads to wisdom (Wurman, 2000). In the cases that it is accessed via digital devices, enabled by hyper-links, and located by the use of electronic search engines, information is retrieved in its purest form, exempted from its context, and disassociated with the facts, and data that constitute it. Thus, it is likely not to fulfil its part in the trajectory specified by Richard Wurman in Information Anxiety 2 (#4). In addition, the numerous packages of information that arrive disorderly, and unsorted, demand for amounts of attention, much greater than the human conscious bandwidth can resolve (Norretranders, 1998). Quoting Mitchell (2003, p.73), “[A]s broadband wireless connections deliver faster streams of bits to the mobile body, attention management will become an increasingly crucial design issue.”

Consequently, the existence of libraries as physical institutions is of great importance. Paramount to their existence is their consistency with the digital technology context they are placed. Otherwise the building itself, its functions, and the people inside will become irrelevant with the current era. The effort to reinstate the library as the fundamental centre for literacy might prove intense, yet the incentive behind such an endeavour is critical for the society of our era, and those that will follow.

Rationale

To be able to reflect on a situation, and provide with interventions that will benefit the contemporary society and provide a legacy for future generations is perhaps the most important role of design disciplines of all magnitudes. In 1954, during a lecture entitled “What is a Designer?”, Alvin Lustig (Heller & Lustig-Cohen, 2010) clarified the responsibility of designers and the purpose of design: “design is related in some way to the

[-10-]

world, the society that creates it. Whether you’re talking about architecture, furniture, clothing, homes, public buildings, utensils, equipment, each period of design is an expression of society, people will respond most warmly and directly to those designs which express their feelings and their tastes.” In a time when physical entities are competing with their virtual equivalents, one cannot disregard the importance of mutual co-existence. Regarding the design of spaces, Mitchell (2005, p.19) makes clear that, “The social and cultural functions of built spaces have become inseparable from the simultaneous operation of multiple communication systems within and among them. Architecture no longer can (if it ever could) be understood as an autonomous medium of mass, space, and light, but now serves as the constructed ground for encountering and extracting meaning from cross-connected flows of aural, textual, and graphic, and digital information through global networks.”

But what will be on stake, in the case architecture fails to fulfil the role that is illustrated by its own ambassadors? The experience of formerly physical networks via their virtual interface inescapably alters the intensity of the interactions between the members of society. It might be that some sort of synchronous spatio-temporal interaction is irreplaceable, yet another might not be. Hubert L. Dreyfus' (Goldberg, 2000, pp.48-63) comment on tele-presence, regarding the failure of tele-hugs to sufficiently deliver any message, is only marginal to the expeditious digitisation of other parts of life. According to Mitchell (2000, p.120), “indirect, anonymous, electronically enabled relationships are proliferating in our daily lives, while certain kinds of face-to-face transactions (and the secondary social relationships with familiar intermediaries that these have fostered) are correspondingly being reduced.” On one side of it there are the reductions in cost, and the achievement of efficiency, which Bill Gates (1995, pp.157-183) describes as “friction-free capitalism”. The other side, is the

[-11-]

gradual downbeat of interaction, and the replacement of humans by digital systems. Bank tellers, retail clerks, and the like watch their positions being compromised by the existence of virtual shops. Places in which buyer and seller meet in the presence of goods are currently being reduced, and acquiring several commodities becomes a placeless activity (Mitchell, 2005, p.80).

The availability of hyper-local and hyper-visual information allows for the gradual abolishment of certain types of relationships, and of products, as well as the spaces they formerly occupied. The theme of library economy casts useful shadows for the design of physical spaces, in a time when their virtual equivalents appear to thrive.

Research Question

What should architecture design into libraries in order to protect their substantial contribution to the challenging reality of today, and what are the implications that derive from that for the design of physical spaces?

Research Focus

If architects are about to analyse, and practice architecture into a context increasingly affected from information, there is clear incentive that they should consider the designed physical spaces that have been the containers of information for centuries as a paradigm. Malcolm McCullough (Aurigi & De Cindio, 2008, p.65) noted that, “Meanwhile, if there is any place that you can tell the difference between floods of raw information and the architecture of selected information, it is the library.” At the other end, the more elements formerly occupying space in libraries become virtual, and therefore significantly smaller in physical dimensions, the more

[-12-]

architecture needs to consider the allocation of space within those entities. Functions that act as a fulfilment to the trajectory of knowledge should be injected into the institution of the library, in order to enhance the essence of knowledge. Confusion and ambiguity should be designed out, and issues of precision and filtering, with subsequent collaboration between the members should be accommodated. The bipartite relationship between the institution of the library and the discipline of architecture, from both points of view, will be the focus of the Major Study.

The title of an article in the online Library Journal signifies a path that could be followed (Albanese, 2006) - “Google is Not the Net: Social networks are surging and present the real service challenge – and opportunity – for libraries.” In addition, John Thackara (2006, p.124) comments that, “Human systems need inputs of human energy to do well. Everything else – the Internet, the agents, wireless, gadgets – is contingent.” On top of that, Esther Dyson (1997) refers to scarce, personal, customised, tangible, and non-reproducible information, found only in the presence of human interaction, as the most prominent criterion of the success of communities; virtual, or otherwise. It all comes to settle to the catalytic contribution of people, regardless of the implications of technology that may have been included. Human presence, attracted by spatial events characterised by their duration, intensity, volatility, and location is for Michael Batty (2002, pp.1-2) a step toward the architecture of the twentieth-first century. Thus, the frame of this study will be the design of people into physical spaces, be that libraries, or others.

Methodology

In the context of the library the study will build an understanding on a series of related and affiliated domains. The theme of information, the

[-13-]

communication of it, as well as the historic trajectory of both, alongside with the development of text is of critical importance. Equally relevant is the digital technology (as the platform of textual applications), the Internet (as infrastructure), and the rising economy of service within physical, and virtual spaces, where transactions, and exchanges occur. The spatial qualities of libraries (materiality, atmosphere) will become part of an attempt to record the habits, aspirations, and expectations, of their members, and users.

The aim of the approach is to draw trajectories from a selection of fields and combine them in traditional, as well as unusual ways to provide material for discussion, and, possibly, a ground onto which the making of spaces can be theorised.

Research Methods

The main body of the study will consist of reviews of texts that contribute to the understanding of the domains related to the research. Books that are considered classic in their subject will be explored (On the Internet by Hubert Dreyfus on the philosophy of virtual space, The Internet Galaxy by Manuel Castells, on the theory underlying the Internet, Globalisation and its Discontents by Joseph Stiglitz, on the economy of a changing world, Thinking Architecture by Peter Zumthor, who champions the materiality of space with sensitivity and respect). Books that either introduced combinations, or suggested the investigation of the unlikely, namely Janine Benyus' Biomimicry, or Alex Wright's Glut will provide useful insights on previously virgin territories of thought. There are bibliographic, or journal references which, for various reasons, embody a unilateral agenda of their own, yet one cannot disregard their unique contribution to the field they serve. Titles include The Eyes of the Skin by Juhani Pallasmaa, The Architecture of

[-14-]

Emergence by Michael Weinstock, and Architectural Design: Digital Cities, edited by Neil Leach. No remarks can be made on the areas involved with the theme without referencing online articles, included in Internet sites, such as Gizmodo, Design Observer, or the Library Journal. These virtual places constitute a commendable bay of research inception, are aligned with the contemporary gear, and are connected with databases that provide facts and figures for the industries they cover. The same sites, and numerous more, namely Engadget, contain examples of attempts and applications which illustrate the work that is undertaken in fields related with urban living. The imagination of fiction authors will also be consulted, and stories like Funes the Memorious by Jorge Luis Borges, and If on a Winter's Night a Traveller by Italo Calvino, will play a significant role.

To experience and record the spatial qualities, and functions of already existing libraries, a series of surveys will take place. Institutions like the Bodleian Library in Oxford, the Cambridge University Library, the recently built Fitzwilliam College Library in Cambridge, or the British Library at St Pancras, London will be recorded both in photographs, and in figures. The intention is not to exhaust the available information on the libraries, but, rather, to identify the factors that make them special between others.

To trace, identify, quantify, and get a sense of the users associations and expectations from a library, a questionnaire will be compiled and distributed to students from Oxford Brookes University. In total I will distribute 50 anonymous questionnaires to an opportunistic sample of students, who study for a Bachelor degree in Oxford Brookes and their age will range between 18 and 22 years old. The participants will be asked to sign a consent form in order to take part in the study after they have read an information sheet, which will explain the research. The questionnaire will include questions like “How often do you visit the library in your

[-15-]

University?”, “How often do you use the library as a place to study?”, “What do you think is missing from the library at Oxford Brookes?”. Possible answers will be provided to the students to choose from, and an option to write down any other answer that is not given, will be provided as a choice. The data collected from the students will be statistically analysed in spreadsheet and graph software, in order to provide a more tangible view on students’ current use and their future expectations of the library in their University.

Chapters

The very structure of the Major Study underscores the theoretical frame (#1) it is built on, since the constitutional elements of the theory lie at the beginning, knowledge is gradually informed by the entities stated, whereas the conclusion aims toward a constructed approach to a specific field.

Title Page

Contents

Acknowledgements

Introduction

A brief acquaintance with the content, this section aims to inform the reader

about what there is inside the volume to read, as well as information to navigate

through it.

Prologue

The narrative of an event, inspired from the stories floating around the topic will

lay the scene for what is about to follow.

[-16-]

#

Photographic reference to the event narrated previously.

Chapter ONE: Matter of Fact~2500 words

The first chapter will refer to information, communication and text, in terms of

facts, and data. Historic milestones from the beginning till today, as well as the

indication of the space under research will be included.

*

Photographic retrospective of the manifestations of prevailing themes through

time will be the topic of this section.

Chapter TWO: What's the Matter?~3000 words

The title of the chapter is self-explanatory. The issues that occur regarding the

change of the form of information, and the consequences on libraries will be

included. An introduction on where architecture stands, and a link with the next

chapter will be provided.

+

Images and diagrams referring to the aforementioned will be included in this

section.

Chapter THREE: Reading Matter~4000 words

This chapter is dedicated to the findings of the surveys and questionnaire

conducted. Reports on the aims of both kinds of research, as well as detailed

review of the information that came to light will be given. Theoretically the

chapter should be divided into two distinct sections, but in essence, the aim is

for the findings of both research methods to be presented as a united body of

knowledge. Graphs, photographs, and descriptions will succeed one another.

[-17-]

&

Additional photographic material illustrating research moments will be

portrayed in this section.

Chapter FOUR: Matter of Interpretation~4000 words

This is the part where the extracts from research will be combined with

theoretical and paradigmatic suggestions, in orthodox and unorthodox ways. The

aim is for discussion regarding not only the library per se, but also the

implications that the research conducted might have on other physical spaces.

¤

Examples of the architecture suggested previously is already part of the lives of

some people, or organisms – the point is to explore their application, or

adaptation on larger scales, and perhaps to theorise them at the scale of the

city.

Chapter FIVE: Matter Matters~1500 words

Conclusions and the aspirations of where the matter of matter would lead in

terms of research, or application, is the content of the final chapter.

Annotated Bibliography & References List

Appendices

Questionnaire, Ethics Form, and other relevant information.

Annotated Bibliography and References to date

Albanese, A., 2006. Google is Not the Net. Library Journal. [Online] Available at: http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6370224.html [Accessed December 5, 2010].

[-18-]

Written by the editor of Academic Newswire of LJ, this is a polemic against the

practices of Google in relation to books, and commend on the importance of

social networks for the libraries.

Aurigi, A. & De Cindio, F., 2008. Augmented Urban Spaces: Articulating the Physical and Electronic City, Ashgate.

Not only the essay “Epigraphy and the Public Library” by Malcolm McCullough, but

also the general theme of the book, especially in the first two parts - Augmented

Spaces, Augmenting Communities -is of great usefulness for the demands of the

subjects involved with the Major Study.

Baker, N., 2002. Double Fold: Libraries and the Assault on Paper, Vintage.

On the replacement of ink-and-paper sources by micro-film in libraries, this

passionate prose provides invaluable insides into the politics behind the

abandonment of paper as the material for news information.

Ball, P., 2005. Critical Mass: How One Thing Leads to Another, Arrow.

Imaginary connections crossing the domains of science, psychology, economy,

and society, succeed carefully selected facts in a book which at first side

appears irrelevant with some topics, but on a second thought applies to far too

many. Chapters on the Internet (The Shape of Cyberspace), and on counter-

factual historiography (Alliances in Business and Politics) share thoughts on the

forces that shape the urban lifestyle.

Baudelaire, C., 2008. The Flowers of Evil, Oxford Paperbacks.

Poetry of the flâneur for the curiosities that create sensations, and of an era

that resembles the current one remarkably, pieces of the book act as an

inspiration to the matter of research.

Baudrillard, J., 1994. Simulacra and Simulation, The University of Michigan Press.

Penetrating textual illustrations and polemics on market, and media, under the

[-19-]

authority of Jean Baudrillard, are the altera pars against the often unilateral

approaches of the masterminds behind them.

Benjamin, W., 2002. Illuminations, Random House Inc.

The chapter “On some motifs on Baudelaire” is alone an essay into the reality of

the era that characterised the poems in “The flowers of evil”. It is, therefore, an

essential companion in the attempt of drawing parallels between that era, and

the contemporary.

Benyus, J.M., 1997. Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature, William Morrow.

“How will we store what we learn?” is the question underlying chapter 6, and the

answer is a daring proposal involving molecules and cells. It is essential for the

Major Study, since it is thought provoking in areas of information.

Bloch, R. & Hesse, C., 1995. Future Libraries, University of California Press.

On topics like the dissemination of knowledge, and the world of libraries, the book

includes essays by a series of professionals including architects like Anthony

Vidler.

Borges, J.L., 2000. Labyrinths: Selected Stories and Other Writings, Penguin Classics.

The library of Babel. Funes the Memorious. Parables, enigmas, seduction, the

realistic of the unreal: A small portion of the themes that a blind towards the end

of his age librarian unleashes with his imagination.

Borgman, C.L., 2003. From Gutenberg to the Global Information Infrastructure: Access to Information in the Networked World (Digital Libraries & Electronic Publishing), MIT Press.

A book on the premises and promises of the informational infrastructure of the

Internet, with references from the time stated in its title onwards, is of critical

importance for the needs of the Major Study.

[-20-]

Calvino, I., 2007. If On A Winter's Night A Traveller, Vintage Classics.

Self-reference and continuous inception in books. Only the self is not once the

same with the previous, the inception has a profound continuity, and the books

may as well be oneself. Calvino's way, this is a brilliant novel to start considering

about the relationship between author, reader, editor, and, of course, fiction.

Castells, M., 2002. The Internet Galaxy: Reflections on the Internet, Business, and Society, OUP Oxford.

This title deals with the history and theory behind the Internet, and explores the

magnitudes of its reach. The extensions include economy, society,

communication, and text, among others.

Corbin, A., 1995. Time, Desire and Horror: Towards a History of the Senses, Polity Press.

The author succeeds what is described in the title throughout the book and

concludes it in the last chapter, but in the time, he provides the reader with a

remarkable series of facts and data about Paris in the nineteenth century, which

cannot but be paralleled with today's parameters of urban lifestyle.

Dreyfus, H.L., 2008. On the Internet 2nd ed., Routledge.

Hyper-links, knowledge, and the like under a philosophical lens describe the

impact of the Internet and the dangers that may exist after a click, or two.

Dyson, E., 1997. Release 2.0, Viking.

Although it is already counting fourteen years since its first edition, this title

includes extremely fresh ideas on the idea of virtual urban entities, design, and

markets.

Gates, B. & etc, 1995. The Road Ahead, Viking.

The chapter on friction-free capitalism foresees the situation the society goes

toward today, but apparently never arrives.

[-21-]

Goldberg, G., 2001. The Robot in the Garden: Telerobotics and Telepistemology in the Age of the Internet, MIT Press.

An enquiry into the field of epistemology, the study of knowledge acquired from a

distance, this title is fundamental for the theoretical ground the Major Study will

lean.

Hannaford, K., 2010. Google eBooks Available Now in US With Over 3 Million Titles to Download. Gizmodo. [Online] Available at: http://gizmodo.com/5707148/google-ebooks-available-now-in-us-with-over-3-million-titles-to-download [Accessed December 9, 2010].

Title of the article is self-explanatory; the consequences are part of this study.

Heller, S. & Lustig-Cohen, E., 2010. Alvin Lustig: What it Means for the Designer to Write: Observatory: Design Observer. Design Observer. [Online] Available at: http://observatory.designobserver.com/entry.html?entry=22568 [Accessed December 10, 2010].

The definition of design and the responsibility of the designer lie in a phrase by

Lustig, portrayed in this article.

Kellerman, A., 2006. Personal Mobilities, Routledge.

Packed with facts, and data, this book effectively displays issues of mobility,

technology, transportation, and urban forces. The chapters on nations, and

society, are of great significance for this study, as they illustrate the importance

of personal movement within the city with extensive reference in figures.

Leach, P.N., 2009. Digital Cities AD: Architectural Design, John Wiley & Sons.

Neil Leach's editorial, and other articles, and Benjamin Bratton's iPhone City will

be used for examples of theory and practice, with which the design of physical

spaces might benefit.

Lerner, F., 2010. Story of Libraries: From the Invention of Writing to the Computer Age 2nd ed., Continuum International Publishing Group Ltd.

[-22-]

Yet another book on relevant topic, this one uses historic references that are

proven important when it comes to investigate an area like libraries.

Lowe, D., 1983. History of Bourgeois Perception, Univ of Chicago Pr (Tx).

On the same mentality as the aforementioned books used to cast shadows on the

era of the bourgeois mentality, this is a classic title to study that period.

Manguel, A., 2009. The Library at Night, Yale University Press.

The library as a Myth. The library as Order. The library as Space; Power; Shadow;

Home; more. A meditation on libraries.

McCullough, M., 2005. Digital Ground: Architecture, Pervasive Computing and Environmental Knowing, MIT Press.

Although a great part of the book is dedicated on pervasive computing, this is

one of the few titles that involve architecture, and information technology, and is

written by an architect.

Mitchell, W.J., 2005. Placing Words: Symbols, Space, and the City, MIT Press.

Even in the form of a relaxed discussion, Mitchell's opinion on matters of

architecture, emerging technology, and the social is valid and appreciated.

Mitchell, W.J., 2004. ME++: The Cyborg Self and the Networked City, MIT Press.

How will humans change due to digital revolution? What are the issues for the

society and architecture? Well-informed and colourfully presented speculations.

Mitchell, W.J., 2000. E-topia: Urban Life, Jim - But Not as We Know it, MIT Press.

On the basis of the changing – due to technology – lifestyle, a speculation on

where this will take urban living.

Norretranders, T., 1999. The User Illusion: Cutting Consciousness Down to Size, Penguin Books Ltd.

Information that worths knowing, ideas that worth spreading, and a fresh

[-23-]

approach on the subject of consciousness make Norretranders' book easy to

follow, and hard to disregard.

Oxford Dictionaries Online, Definition of Matter from Oxford Dictionaries Online. [Online] Available at: http://oxforddictionaries.com/view/entry/m_en_gb0505270#m_en_gb0505270 [Accessed December 9, 2010].

Definition of the word constituting the title of the Major Study.

Pallasmaa, J., 2005. The Eyes of the Skin: Architecture and the Senses 2nd ed., John Wiley & Sons.

An endeavour to frame architecture into all the available senses – and not only

vision – this book will provide the Major Study with the credentials to trace upon

the spatial qualities of the spaces under survey.

Stiglitz, J., 2003. Globalization and Its Discontents, Penguin.

Published during the events of digital revolution, this title puts globalisation in

the epicentre and argues that it can, still, be the aid to those who hurt. Stiglitz

won the Nobel Prize for Economic in 2001.

Thackara, J., 2006. In the Bubble: Designing in a Complex World, MIT Press.

A study on the added value of technology and its devices on the life of the

contemporary individual, this book balances on the threshold between design and

marketing, but it also reveals the junctions between the two. The ideas presented

and the examples that illustrate them feel equally fresh as the time of first

publication.

Weinstock, M., 2010. The Architecture of Emergence: The Evolution of Form in Nature and Civilisation, John Wiley & Sons.

The subtitle refers to evolution in nature and civilisation, and information is also

part of this evolution. Norms are challenged through the claims of this book,

which keeps equal distance from areas such as architecture, biology,

[-24-]

anthropology, nature.

Wright, A., 2008. Glut: Mastering Information Through the Ages, Cornell University Press.

On the emergence of information systems, and the reasoning behind their

organisational nature, this book goes a step further to suggest ways with which

people can handle the vast amount of information that is emitted toward them.

Wurman, R.S., 2000. Information Anxiety 2, QUE.

A title for those who handle information, Wurman's sequel attempts a

classification of the methods that information can be manipulated, in order to

become useful, and beneficial for conducting relationships in economy, and

elsewhere.

Zumthor, P., 2006. Atmospheres: Architectural Environments - Surrounding Objects, Birkhauser Verlag AG.

Part of the beauty of a library is the atmosphere that exists inside, thus, the

choice for this book: to introduce the qualities of atmospheric architectures.

Zumthor, P., 2010. Thinking Architecture 3rd ed., Birkhauser Verlag AG.

More on materials, less on atmosphere, but the incentive remains the same: to

be taught from those who are able to do it.

Figures#1.EdgedIn. 2010. [Online] Available at: http://blog.edgedin.com/ [Accessed: 11 December 2010]

#2. Wikimedia Commons. 2005. [Online] Available at: http://commons.wikimedia.org/ [Accessed: 11 December 2010]

#3. Year of the Bookwormz. 2010. [Online] Available at: http://bookwormz2010.wordpress.net/ [Accessed: 11 December 2010]

[-25-]

#5. Flickr. N.D. [Online] Available at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nitens/ [Accessed: 11 December 2010]

Link with DS9

Library of Babel v.2.0 (finite)Although the project will be a library framed by scattered words from original story by Borges, it will have significant differences to the spatial entity implied in the book. In the second version, the system does not dictate the morph of the library, neither suggests that it might be infinite. The system governs its use though, and similarly to its authentic antecedent, the format of the books that go on its shelves. There is a twisted actuality on display. As soon as a book is included in the collection, which is nor infinite, neither unique, its transformation begins. An this might indeed be unique, and eternal.

Plan of Work

Date Event Location Time

2010 December 13 Submission of Synopsis Department Office 11+59am

2010 December 14 Research on chapters 1 & 2 Oxford

2010 December 15 Research on chapters 1 & 2 London



2010 December 18 Miscellaneous on chapters 1 & 2 London

2010 December 19 Miscellaneous on chapters 1 & 2 Oxford

2010 December 20 Collection of Synopsis/ marks Department Office 2+01pm

2010 December 21 Research on chapters 1 & 2 Oxford

2010 December 22 Flight to Athens, Greece

[-26-]

2010 December 23 Vacations Athens, Greece





2010 December 28 Flight to Cyprus

2010 December 29 MPL coursework Cyprus

2010 December 30 MPL coursework Cyprus

2010 December 31 Vacations Cyprus

2011 January 01 Vacations Cyprus

2011 January 02 Vacations Cyprus

2011 January 03 Research on chapters 1 & 2 Cyprus





2011 January 08 Miscellaneous on chapters 1 & 2 Cyprus

2011 January 09 Miscellaneous on chapters 1 & 2 Cyprus


2011 January 11 Writing of chapters 1 & 2 Cyprus




2011 January 15 Email chapters 1 & 2 to William Cyprus

2011 January 16 DS9 Research Cyprus




2011 January 20 Flight to England

2011 January 21 Trip to Cambridge

[-27-]

2011 January 22 Survey Cambridge

2011 January 23 Survey Cambridge

2011 January 24 Trip to London

2011 January 25 Survey London

2011 January 26 Trip to Oxford

2011 January 27 DS9 presentation preparation Oxford




2011 January 31 DS9 crit tbc 2pm

2011 February 01 Research on chapter 3 Oxford



2011 February 04 MPL lecture G116 1pm



2011 February 07 Tutorial with William tbc 2pm+

2011 February 08 Questionnaire in Oxford Brookes Library Oxford




2011 February 12 Results of questionnaire Oxford

2011 February 13 Results of questionnaire Oxford


2011 February 15 Writing of chapter 3 Oxford



2011 February 18 MPL workshop tbc 1pm



[-28-]


2011 February 22 Work on DS9 project Oxford





2011 February 27 DS9 presentation preparation Oxford

2011 February 28 DS9 crit tbc 2pm

2011 March 01 Research on Chapters 4 & 5 Oxford



2011 March 04 MPL lecture G116 1pm

2011 March 05 Miscellaneous on Chapters 4 & 5 Oxford


2011 March 07 Tutorial with William tbc 2pm+








2011 March 15 Final writing up Oxford



2011 March 18 MPL workshop tbc 1pm





[-29-]




2011 March 26 Major Study Presentation Preparation Oxford

2011 March 27 Major Study Presentation Preparation Oxford

2011 March 28 Major Study Presentation/ Review tbc 2pm

2011 March 29 MPL coursework Oxford



2011 April 01 MPL coursework submission Department Office 2+59pm

2011 April 02 Final writing up Oxford

2011 April 03 Final writing up Oxford

2011 April 04 Tutorial with William tbc 2pm+

2011 April 05 Re-writes, illustrations & editing Oxford










2011 April 15 Proof reading Oxford



2011 April 18 Flight to Cyprus

2011 April 19 Final production & binding Cyprus



[-30-]


2011 April 23 Vacation Cyprus

2011 April 24 Vacation Cyprus

2011 April 25 Flight to England

2011 April 26 Major Study Submission Department Office 3+59pm

[-31-]

synopsis: matter matters

Documents