Yes, it could begin this way, right here, just like that, in a rather slow and ponderous way, in this neutral place that belongs to all and to none, where people pass by almost without seeing each other, where the life of the building regularly and distantly resounds… George Perec from Life, A User’s Manual.
Since as early as I can remember, I have enjoyed delving into a particular children’s book, entitled ‘House By Mouse’, by George Mendoza. The story presents a female architect mouse called Henrietta and takes us through various house designs for her many animal friends. And I am inclined to believe this book planted the architectural seed in me. I absolutely love this book… and so does my mum. I find domestic imaginations & the stories behind them absolutely fascinating and has led me to love any vignette that allows me to peer into domestic life and speculate the goings on of daily life. There is something about the imagined domestic scale that is much for fascinating to me compared to urban future cities. So here, I present to you a small list of imagined & illustrated dwellings with the hope that if you were to find anything along these lines, you would let me know… I hope to divert my previous thesis research direction towards the direction of experimental, illustrated & imagined homes, houses & dwellings… An actual research topic and statement is still on it’s way…
George Mendoza – House by Mouse_ My childhood architectural fantasies and imaginations were held within this book. Each animal had a different habitation suitable to their way of life. I used to imagine how I would move between spaces, how that cushion would feel, how I would enter, where would I eat, where were the doors? etc… In the end my favourite were Mouse’s & Fox’s home.
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Lebbeus Woods- Solo House_ Keywords: fugitive, nomad, recycled, undetermined, refuge, loiter
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Frederic Kiesler- Endless House_ (after reading essays) sublime, eternal, unearthly, other worldly, worldly
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Chris Ware’s Comics
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George Perec’s ‘Life A User’s Manual’ (the book I’m yet to read, but dying to do so)
“Yes, it could begin this way, right here, just like that, in a rather slow and ponderous way, in this neutral place that belongs to all and to none, where people pass by almost without seeing each other, where the life of the building regularly and distantly resounds. What happens behind the flats’ heavy doors can most often be perceived only through the fragmented echoes, those splinters, remnants, shadows, those first moves or incidents or accidents that happen in what are called the ‘common areas’, soft little sounds damped by the red woollen carpet, embryos of communal life which never go further than the landing. The inhabitants of the building live a few inches from each other, they are separated by a mere partition wall, they share the same spaces repeated along each corridor, they perform the same movement at the same times, turning a trap, flushing the water closet, switching a light, laying the table, a few dozen simultaneous existences repeated from storey to storey, from building to building, from street to street … Yes, it will begin here: between the third and fourth storey at 11 Rue Simon-Crubellier.”
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Charles Bertall (1845)- Coupe d’une maison parisienne
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Hayao Miyazaki – Howl’s Moving Castle (Film)_ I love this home. It walks, flies and takes the inhabitants to multiple worlds. While, at first glance it screams ‘monster!’, within the film it becomes a lovable wallflower… And it’s alive!
October 19, 2009 at 11:13
Howls moving Castle: makes me think of boxing day trips with all you guys to meroo!!
Sorry i have nothing to add to your post–
but i rather enjoyed looking at those pictures of various dwellings, i needed that break..ive been doing one/two way slabs & reading revelations all arvo. my brain is somewhat fried.
October 19, 2009 at 12:13
Ahh, boxing day car trips- smelly road side motels, fast food, cousin invasion, cricket radio, booking stuff-ups, motel TV… I remember watching that movie and falling asleep throughout it, although I was smitten by the house, I really didn’t dig the storyline. I’ll miss the road trip this year!! I’ll miss Merroo!!
Concrete slabs?
October 21, 2009 at 12:44
Oh My gosh! All those photos look cool – and hahah mouse in house was definitely my favourite architectural related/house book :D not that i’ve read many but yeah :P hehe sorry for having it so long. i wonder if they have any more books like that?… hmm
But yes when i saw howl’s in moving castle picture i was like whaa? rina liked it?! :O hahah but then oh no its just the moving house :P but yeah did you right all those comments in grey beside your pics? or are those quotes? :D
Also HOW YA DOINg!:D sorry haven’t been on this blog for SOooooooooooo long.
Been caught up with stuff.. But yes just for a quick update on myself.. did i fail to mention that I HAVE A JOB!!! :D heheheh :D :D aren’t i growing up :P hahah
but yes it’s dental assisting at nundah which takes me 1. 5 hours by public transport and half an hour if i drive.. wow didn’t realise it makes such a big difference :P but yeah haven’t driven there yet cause i quite like taking public transport – despite the hours, gives me time to think and recollect my thoughts ;) hahah no but also gives me time to study on the train.
But yes soo Nyway can’t wait for you to get back so i can take you and all the cousins out somewhere :D though i don’t exactly know how to access my money as yet but apparently my keycard is on it’s way :P so :D yaya
Umm what else.. oh yeah and time is totally worth it – cause i’m so lucky to be doing something related to my career which is good and so far i’m really enjoying it :D. and also if you think being a dental assistant is an easy matter – it’s quite the opposite, well at least the beginning. Man talk about initiation! having a job like this makes you have to be so intuitive to every procedure that happens and even just listening to the dentist talking to the patient, cause you never know when he might just want to do an extraction or root canal instead of the pre planned small clean instead. So then you have to whip out all the equipment for that, and trust me there’s a lot! :)
But yeah OH my gosh! Today had the most awesome/freaky lecture – it was definitely the highlight of my uni year this semester :D don’t know if that’s a good thing :P but yeah.
Dr Camile Farah – if you’re in the dent/oral health course, you WILL remember this name! :)
But yes oh my gosh he reminded me soo much of Ricky from merroo and he’s spanish too i think- maybe that’s why he reminded me so much of him, but yeah nyway.
Today was the first time he had ever taken our course and it was like a wake up call for all us students haha which was good considering it’s the end of year and motivation has gone down completely to the negative :P But yeah so i came in the room 5 minutes late which is bad i know but generally most lecturers dont’ care right but oh my gosh this lecturer, okay for me he let it pass cause i was three other ppl too and i think 5 minutes was his limit, but yeah after that when ppl came into the room (15-20 past) he started coughing and staring at his watch and giving you the evil glare – and you have to say sorry!. But oh my gosh then there was this one guy who came in 30 minutes late with a cup of coffee and i think that was his limit – though with this guy i think he doesn’t have much of a limit- but yeah so he went off at this guy with his coffee and was like
Dr: ‘do you like coffee?”
Student: ‘not particularly’
Dr: ’cause i like my coffee but i decided to come on time today’
Student: umm
Dr: ‘was that why you were late? cause you were getting your coffee?’
Student:’ i overslept..’
Dr : … (facial expression priceless – room COMPLETELY silent)
And then Dr farah goes on about how he overslept and still went to get a coffee which would have taken what ten minutes and then he would have still be late by 20 minutes and yada yada yada.
Then he ends off with ‘Don’t be late again! unless you want to see me in my office , cause you will see me in my office eventually… ‘etc. But yeah and then you would have thought it would have ended there but throughout the whole lecture he kept making references to the coffee and the guy and you were just like oh man :S :P
but yeah i guess it’s understandable cause this man is like one of those – don’t take any bull kinda guys. And he’s really knowledgeable and smart – so many degrees was like :S but yeah BDsc and Mdsc and on top of that a whole bunch of other degrees.
but yeah i don’t know was just thinking wow imagine if he got stripped of all this what would he have to live for. cause he seems like one of those kinda guys that are just so devoted to his career. but yeah and hahah i just had a thought of giving him the mystery of human life track – but then yeah was just a thought – would have been way too timid. :P would have been brow beated to death :P nah
But anyway he was really stimulating and i can’t help respecting him, even though he was really harsh throughout the whole lecture but with a guy like that you just have to learn to not take it personal. But yeah his way of teaching was also like Ricky where he picks on u but MORE extreme but yeah hahah it was funny cause he expects you to put your hand up and contribute and he walks around the class looking for a victim but when he does everyone’s head goes to their paper and pretends to write – hoping that they won’t get picked! :)
Yeah i was one of them – but that was cause i really did not know my stuff and if you gave an answer that was wrong or stupid… he would say it! literally! like oh my gosh. but yeah anyway – one lecturer to look out for in my future years. But yeah overall he was really good. like i needed it i think :P
Anyway sorry for my ramble – it’s to make up for how stagnated on this blog i have become :S but yes
shall try contribute and update more once exams are done :) oh my hols are creeping up fast! Yay can’t wait! :D
October 21, 2009 at 15:32
Hello cous, thanks for finally popping by!;) Sorry, I won’t be able to give an indepth relpy npw– I’m on a public computer.
Yeah, the grey writing is mine, except for that in “” -qoutation marks.
Congrats on the job! Can’t wait to get my teeth checked out by you! So how many hours are you working?
And that lecturer seems like the type of person people either love or hate, but either way, completely respect.
October 30, 2009 at 05:34
wow sam- and yes i must this last 2 weeks has been hectic- i even hav not been on fb. sad really. haha
yeah ri missin it :(
thinking of sending the rents by plane and roadtripin with the rest of the cousins :) think i shall serve, tho not sure yet :s
yep it was reinforced concrete slabs, and its not so easy to do, it was doing my head i stil dont get it, but study study, im doing reinforced columns & stuff now tho, somewhat better but still very timeconsuming. this design stuff is intense.
anywayy–il check this in another months time-after exams :)
November 7, 2009 at 23:09
Yeah, it’s super hectic here too. The work is starting to pile up more and more…
I think if you serve, then like last year, Ricky will rotate the SO so that they get to go to big meeting too?
Are you finished exams yet? Celebrating yet?
October 30, 2009 at 13:27
OH My P what were you doing at 5am in the morning?! :D
Oh and hahah yeah ri – no i don’t think you’ll want to get your teeth checked out by me just yet :P
I feel like i forget everything i learn – which is true. but oh my i think i’m gonna need to do summer holiday revision. yes that is my goal, note to self.
Just working saturdays regularly varies from 3 – 4times per month. so it’s like 100 bucks per week :P but yeah still cool :) learning much and enjoying it heaps so far.. :)
And P! that is good you have not been on facebook :) i’m starting to loathe it for many reasons but i can’t help go on it… gaah stupid technology. :P sometimes i think it would be better to live in rural areas where you have better things to do then go online – but no its just cause im lazy sigh.. But yeah oo have you watched the proposal? It’s an average movie but i like the main actors but yeah the settings so pretty.. :D just made me think how cool it would be to live there :) tehe.. but yeah nyway
okay shall see you in another few weeks :)
how’s the 30 000 word essy going?
Oh my gosh i still can’t believe you ahve to write that much>! i would kill myself i think – well not literally but i would be seriously depressed if i had to :S
Sorry im totally put off any form of writing since public health! Stupid subject ever! but yay for finishing it for the year.. now preparing for it next year on a subject that is totally irrelevant to oral health but yeah nyway
Sorryi’m putting all my angst out on your blog – you may edit it if you wish :D
Also did you know apparently wordpress talks to you?!
Except ive never had it talk to me but my friends have a blog like this too and it talks!
They say it says things like ” you’re typing comments too fast. or you have already posted this comment! ” like wow.. :D
But yeah nyway
Hope alls well. :)
Hope you’re still enjoying. Ive been really dry and i feel like a hypocrite for saying that but
nyway Lord keep us!
Take Care Cous.
Missing you in Australia.
:)
November 7, 2009 at 23:18
FB? What’s FB?.. ;)
Wow, 100 bucks a week. That’s still pretty good for a first job! I remember getting that per month!
The 30,000 essay actually is only 15 pages minimum (one page = 600 words) which equals minimum 9000. It’s not that long, I mean, it is, but not 30,000! I think its expected you have 15,000.
I met my professor/ adviser the other day and it was a very strange meeting. It was very cliche- old man; white hair, beard, glasses. Haha. And very intelligent. Every single sentence you write is scrutinized and every word you use has to be just right. It’s strange to have a person so knowledgeable on your topic- it means you have to be so sure about everything you say. You can’t be glib. You can’t say anything superfluous…And he will ACTUALLY read it, (unlike other academics who read intro and conclusion.
How does wordpress talk to you? Talks? How? Tell?
The YP meetings here are pretty slamming! I feel refreshed every time I go. It’s just a big breath of fresh air.
How are things holding up over there?
November 9, 2009 at 03:50
hey Riiiii!!
haha personally i like the monster house thing that moves and everything haha yay!
These all look so interesting! currently im sitting next to prisca and proclaiming how great a writer you are hahah. We’re at uni procrastinating from being stressed out and studying. 2 down 2 to go!
Im so glad your enjoying the yp meetings (from stalking your above comment) haha slamming ae? Definitely sounds vibrant and refreshing!
Your life in the netherlands sounds like a bit of a movie! hahah, exciting. HOw quickly has this year gone…it seems like just the other day you were stressing because you hadn’t bought your tickets and you were leaving like the next day. Haha ok not that extreme.
Is there any yp camps or anything at the end of the year? Or have you done any blending with the european saints? are they mainly all natives?
Anywaayy haha procrastination as they so rightly say is the thief of time and its pretty much just stolen an hour haha.
Hope alls well =)
November 9, 2009 at 15:47
Hey Anonymuss, glad you liked the monster house. If you liked that, you’ll like http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2KkGFuRLew&feature=PlayList&p=199650F0D691ACD6&index=0 from Theo Yansen. He creates the sickest monsters!
Yeah, YP meetings here are very enjoyable.
Yes, my time is running out here! And yet, I’ve still got so much to do!
There are a large proportion of local saints here. More Dutch then Asian- shock horror!- which is good. There is a conference this weekend in Brussels, but I won’t go to it- I have too much to do!
When are you finished your exams? How’s the job going?
March 18, 2010 at 01:48
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