Page 16 - JCAU-5-2

Journal of Chinese
Architecture and Urbanism Gestures for interdependence: Designing the unfelt

(performative scoring and exercises), we expanded our (a) Approach: surrender to different speeds
designer toolbox from modern efficiency-driven human- • You gather with the other group members.
centered methods aimed at the projection of ideas and the • Before you start moving to the site, recognize how
execution of these ideas, toward a performative here-and- you feel in relation to the score. If you feel resistance,
now approach to sensing site, place, and the coexistence of don’t fight it and allow it.
bodies, formerly known as resources. • You start moving, in silence.
• You are invited to be aware of what you feel, hear
We questioned the extractive forces in spatial design and see.
and tried to heighten our awareness of spaces built on the • Please try to be aware of the other group member’s
exploitation of unseen landscapes and unheard bodies. speed.
Through working within the field and methodology • Reflect on your sensations and thoughts at the
of spatial dramaturgy, we expanded our spatial design threshold of “entering the site” (in case this is
methods through a haptic and sensorial space-time physically possible).
conception. Through the fieldwork, we shared a series of
experimental exercises that focused on (i) collaborative (b) Arrive: Ask for permission
prototyping together with more-than-human bodies, • You are invited to either follow the next steps or
(ii) developing a heightened awareness of the spatial design your own exercise. If you are the one who
aesthetics of (unseen) sites/spaces, and (iii) contributing to invites everybody present, you can also read out
the conception and development of a regenerative spatial loud the following sentences:
esthesis in co-creation with (unheard) bodies/entities. • Close your eyes.
• Start breathing at a slow but comfortable speed.
The final part, “the score”, serves as a hands-on sharing • Find a rhythm that suits you for a couple of breaths,
of this article’s findings. You are invited to implement it in take a deep breath, and hold your breath for four
your spatial practice to shift perspectives to the site, space, seconds.
place, your own body as a designer, and other bodies that • Breath out and repeat several times.
(already) coexist with you. • Take a moment consciously ask for permission.
You can ask permission to the site as a whole or
4.1. The score different parts that constitute it (the weather, a
4.1.1. Pre-score flock of birds, a tree). The question can be voiced
• You gather a diverse group of people out loud or through a movement or a gesture. Or
• You plan a site visit through an alternative route and even in complete silence.
a low-tech means of transport (walk, canoe, bike, and • Take at least a minute so every group member can
perform their proper gesture.
crawl)
• You make time for it and communicate as such. • Go back to normal breathing.
• Reopen your eyes and acknowledge the presence of
4.1.2. Score the other group members.
The aim of this score is to de-center ourselves as designers (c) Taking-making: A temporary architecture
by displacing ourselves in other bodies, recognizing these • As a group, you choose a gathering place.
bodies, their speed, the sites they inhabit, and the present. • From here, you start exploring the site’s “other
We are exploring an embodied understanding of relating bodies”, formerly known as resources (meaning
systems of coexistence through the making of temporary plants, pebbles, flowers,…).
spatial constructions with gathered material on site. You • In that process of exploration, try to create an
are welcome to do the score(s) as separate exercises or as a awareness of how these bodies speak to you, and
longer workshop. Feel free to adapt to your specific needs • what they communicate.
When you feel ready to start collecting, ask yourself
or the needs of the group you work with.
the question: what is my affordance and purpose to
You might encounter resistance following the score (you take? What am I taking, and how much? Take the
can recognize a feeling of purposelessness or ridiculousness, time to do this with awareness.
or you might have difficulties seeing the relevance of this • You bring the material to the gathering place and
“ritual” for your day-to-day job as a designer). Try to be start exploring intuitive possibilities to assemble the
explorative and embrace the resistance. Be aware that these materials. You can make up your own rules on how
feelings might come from the oppression of play and open- to do this. Take about 10 min.
mindedness learned to us by modernity. • Take some distance from what you made.

Volume 5 Issue 2 (2023) 10 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.0358