Ideas

I decided to post some ideas I have on potential program. I thought it would help to put it out there and get some feedback, and also, to write in this informal bloggy way.

What Seth said of my potential program was helpful. It is true I am going for some kind of awakening - a bringing forth of consciousness. I am going to do this through movement / action / kinetics. Naturally, he recommended that I consider something perhaps spiritually based. I decided I want to do the opposite. To do something 'nonspiritually' based. I want to do this so the awakening through motion is not confused with some sort of spiritual emotion or feeling. Perhaps the feeling of being awakened will be rife with some similar emotions, and in a way, be spiritual. (i think this is what Seth meant anyway.) However, I don't want it to be SPIRITUAL (meaning... Episcopalian, Catholic, Jewish, Hindu, Muslim etc. No religion. A non-religious project.)

To be more specific, I'm looking for a program that cannot be everyday and mundane - because then the building will lose that initial sake of awakening simply because one has exposure to it daily. One can't expect some one's apartment to wow them daily with a barage of things to make them awake and conscious. People would go crazy. So while not mundane, I don't want something so extra special. I do not want some bizarre hybrid architecture with two weird programs smashed together for the sake of it being interesting. Like a zoo in a grocery or something. (Of course, i am interested in this to a point. If it is for a purpose in relating to my thesis.)

So with all this in mind, I have a few considerations (in no order):
1. A Chocolate Factory
I like this because one story, like in the movie, takes place in one place, and movement is crucial to the understanding of this narrative. the people are changed by their movements and the movements of other things. I don't think it's too feasible or fitting for my project, however. I thought of it over the summer.
2. A large City Convenience thingy.
This would have a butcher, florist, laundromat, fishmonger, bakery, hardware store, cafe, bookshop in one entity. I like this because, while everyday places for everyday tasks, if combined, and Incorporated with this movement business, they might provide something new. I think of the North End in Boston, where people actually still use butchers and bakeries etc., not grocery stores, and are so much better for it. They know their neighborhood. Yet, these places are not everyday, nor are they extra unique. They are needed.
3. A Place for Atheism
This is decidedly nonspiritual and that's why I like it. Having a real focus on the present, the real, the now. Being conscious of how you are living your life now.
4. Library / Bathhouse.
I ripped this from Luis today. But I swear, I was already thinking about a library. It sounds mundane, but I like it. I made a list of 'still' and 'busy' activities. Reading and washing can be counted as both, depending on how you go about it. (still can mean conscious, and busy can mean unconscious.) I really like the duality they have. I also like the idea of the bathhouse - a very old program that doesn't exist. I think of Boston, just because I am familiar with it, and see there is nothing like it. A public pool, which is sparse, cannot compare. It has a strong community component. Washing / swimming can turn conscious again. Imagine business people, on their lunch break, going to the public bath for a little mini-rest in the middle of the day. I like the library component because it is modern (less social, but just as communal) kind of bathhouse. People gather in this public place for a specific purpose. They can see and meet and learn. Perhaps this library is more interactive and less solitary. I just like it.

I had this other list, but they are getting old:
4. Arboretum
5. Seed Bank

Ok, I wrote it down, or typed it up, rather, and I'm going to let it sit for a bit. If you read this, let me know what you think.