A Crisis of Faith

Perhaps not as melodramatic as it sounds, but my work is aggressively asserting itself as something I did not envisage when I began the Masters.

Let me explain, when I last updated my train of thought was coherently converging on ideas of the Modern Object as Monument - without purpose, an icon, a contradiction. These ideas manifested themselves in a "pavilion" like overhang, which free floats in space. The design was extracted from the altar overhang in St. Bride's, and the intention was/ perhaps still is to projection map the 3D model on to the physical model - using, for example, simulated light via the projection in an attempt to "make good" the poor quality of light in the real church.

So, I dutifully began discussing and measuring possible spaces, along with building a physical model to test out projection mapping. One of the possible spaces is shown below, called the IED Crit Space, it's a self contained room which would allow me to create the atmosphere, and ambience of St. Bride's, drawing all attention to my centrepiece altar/ pavilion overhang.

I've been drawn to this overhang form since I first visited the building back in October last year. It commands a presence over the space, and, without all the opulence and grandeur of a typical Catholic Church, defines itself as a new form of ornament. These details, are in my opinion, Gillespie, Kidd & Coia's real triumph. Of course there is the bombast of the overall structure, but the sculptural use of brick and concrete quite literally redefines the dialogues and narratives which normally take place in a church.

Alas, I'm having a crisis of faith, not in my resolve, but in the final form of what I've come to refer to as my pavilion. I made a cardboard model, less than one third the size of the planned final pavillion and it there's something dissatisfying about the form. I feel like there's "too much" mass/ form/ weight. Whilst I was building the model, I enjoyed the way the curves of the arches worked out with the main mass (see here). So this sent me on a slippery slope which has led to this crisis of faith, which does feel right, but would result in me having to let go of all, if not most of what I've done before, including using the 3D model of St. Bride's.

So from making the model, to summarise, here are some of the conclusions I've come to:

• I need height.
• I need light, be it projected or day light.

This post is a little all over the place, as I'm in the process of drafting a pro-forma for the Masters Show, and have to give an indication of what space I need. At first I needed an isolated room which would allow me to hang a heavy object from the ceiling; and was dark-ish. With thw prospect of extruding simply the curves from my overhang and hanging them, weight is reduced, and this opens the possibilities of spaces with much higher ceilings up. However these spaces carry the disadvantage of being share with the Master Show, and will most likely be day lit, so projecting may be out of the question.

The work is developing rapidly, and I intend to reign my thoughts in more frequently with a blog post.

Clarity of Thought

I always find it difficult when writing an academic piece to focus my thought, and my "mini-dissertation" (as I like to call it), is no different. At 4500 words, the word count is not (at this point), of major concern. The difficulty I have, is being concise, and linear. I have a tendency to "jump" around, and as such, some of the writing is reading convoluted. This blog post will, hopefully, clear my thought, as I tend to blog "key" pieces of information.

Gillespie, Kidd & Coia

The research is extensive, but the writing is proving difficult. I had an excellent meeting with a member of staff from RCAHMS who provided invaluable insight in to a lot of the background politics of the firm. Understanding the internal dynamics of Gillespie, Kidd & Coia gives understanding to their lasting legacy as such a predominant Modernist architecture firm with a relatively small portfolio of work.

One aspect of this legacy I had not previously considered was the firms very close ties with the Mackintosh School of Architecture (or 'the Mac'), through Jack Coia, Izi Metzstein and Andy MacMillan all (at one point of another) being former alumni and staff. Watters (1997) succinctly explains the relationship in the RCAHMS publication Cardross Seminary - Gillespie, Kidd & Coia and the Architecture of Postwar Catholicism:

"Academic interest in the work of the practice developed further in the early 1990s - a trend which Metzstein and MacMillan, both by then based at the Mackintish School, were well placed to nurture. Here the previous decade's transformation of Gillespie, Kidd & Coia and its key personnel from an active practice into university-basded academic dynasty began to encourage cross-fertilisation between the teaching of present-day architecture and the pursuit of heritage."

This in part almost creates the Myth that is Gillespie, Kidd & Coia, as I've previously stated, one touted by the Mackintosh School of Architecture. I am in no way suggesting the work of GK&C is actually less significant to the dialogue of postwar ecclesiastical architecture in Scotland, however I do feel their work deserves more scrutiny beyond the aforementioned rhetoric and triumphalism. Striking the balance, as an artist, is what I intend to do, and although something I would not normally do within such a short space of words, I want to quote the above RCAHMS publication, as it's refreshing honest account of GK&C work gives weight to my idea of "scrutiny":

Father Foley recalled one occasion in the early 1970s when Jack Coia showed a group of 'wide-eyed architectural students around the building while we mopped up the rain water from the floor'. (Watters, 1997)

This perfectly illustrates the dichotomy of the Modernist Catholic Church (and to a wider extent Modernism in general). A movement which trumpeted functionalism as one of its key aspirations, falling short on this goal. To be fair to GK&C their work is often regarded as a more individualistic (Rodger, 2007) strand of Modernism, and arguably form played as crucial a role in their work as function.

The Concept of Modern Heritage

Again, another area which I've decided to examine more closely, is the idea of Modernism as heritage. I like to band this word around a lot in reference to my own work, but I have not really stopped to consider what it actually means within the context of the Modern Movement. Although my time is limited, I intended to expand on the notion of heritage and my contribution to this as an artist.

I'm going to stop now, as this has helped, but I feel I need to start reading again.

I have neglected the blog of late, but over Easter I hope to do some consolidation posts cover off the key events in March.

St. Bride's SketchUp

Just a quick update with progress on my modelling of St. Bride's in 3D. It's going well, I've started to pull out some more of the sculptural elements of the brickwork. When you strip away the textures of the brick, emerges is a complex set of shapes and line. There's a indulgent austerity about the building. Gillespie, Kidd & Coia were certainly creating a new language for the church.

Once the model is complete the plan is to light it in Maya. From there I would like to video-map the lit church onto an object of similar dimensions (i.e. a box) and experiment with changing light on the 3D surface. The quality of light, as I've said previously, was a very important building concern for modernist architects - more so on the interior. Eventually, with the interior of the church constructed in 3D I can begin to explore notions of quality of light within the space, and how successful or unsuccessful Gillespie, Kidd & Coia were in accomplishing this.

I've been tied up most of the past week with my a research presentation for one of my Masters modules. I will update as soon as I figure out how to get the presentation from Keynote online.

Update: Below is a link to the presentation on iWork.com, which allows it to be viewed with the need for Keynote.

http://public.iwork.com/document/?a=p130467451&d=James_Bell_-_MSc_Media_Art_-_Reasearch_Presentation_FINAL.key

The New Catholic Church

I'm making way with my Google SketchUp model of St Brides, East Kilbride. Right now I'm still on the simple stuff - tracing around the plans of the model and matching them to the floor plan (my main point of reference).

When I start modelling like this, it reminds me of why I enjoyed my work last year so much. You get to know a building intimately when working from plan, and constructing it into a 3D model. My toolkit (SketchUp) and process may be rudimentary but it accomplishes everything I want - a basic exploration of form. There's something almost sculptural about modelling in 3D, as one requires a little artistic licence in translating form.

I'm still at the early stages of the model, but hope to have the exterior completed by the end of this week. The interior is going to be more challenging, as the detailing is what gives St Bride's it's sculptural narrative. There's an ironic indulgence in the use of brick to create such opulent form.

I owe Gillespie Kidd & Coia and St Bride's a (partial) apology. As I previously indicated I found it difficult to swallow the concept of modernism applied with such a lack of socialist vision. However when we put St Bride's in the context of its period and location, I begin to understand GK&C's rationale in creating such a brute. First off, St Bride's was in East Kilbride, Scotland's first new town which was in many respects the archetype of new town planning in Scotland. Enter modernism. With a focus on community, open space, the separation of man from machine (the car), modern affordable (especially important to a local authority) building techniques made modernism fit well with the model of the new town. A new church for a new town therefore had to integrate well with what I would describe as The Modernist Vision (generalised, I would describe this as a view to a more socialist future). GK&C were following the lead of their contemporaries by not following the status quo in church design. Modernism did not do nostalgia, and therefore St Bride's had to be of its time.

The non-descript form, simply asserts, like many modernist buildings, "I am man made". St Bride's catered for the Catholic community, rather than the state, and as such, it transposes some concepts applied in modernist architecture (such as quality of light) to this client. At the same time, St Bride's pre-empted The Vatican II which saw mass become a much more inclusive affair, and as such the sense of community in the church was never greater. In a similar fashion in which the application of modernist architecture by the state improved peoples way of living, the application of modernist architecture, improved peoples way of worship. Exploring this notion, particularly exploiting the importance quality of light (or lack there of), allows a narrative to developed from even the buildings on the periphery of The Modernist Vision (as religion is generally a redundant concept in the socialist state).

MAPMAPMAP

As promised, an update into my adventures in video mapping with Jaygo Bloom at the VRC. The two day workshop saw the small group of us (three in total) video map onto cardboard boxes in the Centerspace. Thoroughly enjoyable and a chance to get a hands on experience with some of the technology which makes these visual spectacles possible. There's a lot of "visual indulgence" in video mapping, as it's often employed by VJ's but when applied in an installation based environment it can heighten the visual language of the piece being shown.

First off, apologies for the poor quality video and image, I was a little ill-prepared and only captured images using my iPhone. However a fellow video mapper at the workshop brought a SLR, so I will update with links when he puts up the images. Quality of image aside, the above video demonstrates the high level of interaction between the physical space and projected environment. At this juncture in my Masters I see this as a method of contextualising modernism within the present and giving it relevance using the technologies of the "future".

My first semester has been dominated by an ever broadening attempt to "understand" modernism, but one must draw a line between looking at the Smithsons and dissecting The Communist Manifesto. Modernism commands contextualisation within socioeconomic history but yet when you look at many of Gillespie Kidd & Coia's buildings the movement is applied as a style. It seems as the movement is diluted down from Mies van der Rohe and Le Corbusier the utopian agenda is adapted and altered, which is why I refer to it as a "style" rather than a movement. We did have our moments of glory with developments such as Robin Hood Gardens but I feel we often misappropriate the values of modernism to a building which carries the distinct style. This is very much a thought-process in motion, and perhaps when I wake-up tomorrow and gaze upon my pictures of St Bride's I will lament on this notion.

I have digressed slightly, but my post still relates to the application of video mapping in my practice. If anything it can be used to highlight the irony and contradictions within the modernist movement, specifically Scotland's attempts triumphed by Gillespie, Kidd & Coia.

For my contribution to the video mapping I created a 3D object which was lit in Maya. When mapped on to a white plinth it was gradually illuminated with a light that does not exist. The creation of a fiction within a virtual environment can serve two purposes in my work: juxtaposing reality against the forgotten fictions of modernism and the creation of a narrative which only exists within the viewer's pre-conceived notions of the history of modernism.

I'm on to something, I just don't yet know exactly what it is.

Links, links, links:-

http://www.antivj.com/ (video mapping artists extraordinaire)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamvlog/sets/72157625462044176/ (my Flickr set of the video mapping workshop)

Virtual Modernism

Perhaps modernism was never supposed to move beyond the utopia of Constant's New Babylon or even Le Corbusier's Plan Voisin. Perhaps modernism should be confined to the imagination where it cannot decay and erode over time.

It struck me when in discussion with two members of staff from the School of Architecture the great discourse between the often over-hyped ideologies of modernism and the application of these ideologies in reality. I'm currently shuffling my way through Gillespie, Kidd & Coia: Architecture 1956 - 1987 and I've got an ever increasing sinking feeling as I read on. The book opens with Nick Barley (2007), Director of The Lighthouse in Glasgow, proudly proclaiming: "This book offers a careful explanation of why MacMillan and Metzstein's - already well-loved by users and occupants - deserve much wider acclaim now."

Hmmm. Now granted, I've not visited all of GK&C's buildings and asked users and occupants: "Do you love this building?", but I have touched base with a parishioner at St Brides, East Kilbride and Everything's not Coming up Roses. As I've previously mentioned, it appears to be a common theme within modernism that things go wrong. For example, take Le Corbusier's Villa Savoye, in which the the tenant, Mme Savoye had a written exchange with Le Corbusier about issues of a leaking roof (article link). Buildings have problems, and I'm not suggesting for one moment GK&C's buildings were of a poorer build quality than the status quo but they did have the weight of their modernist ideologies to carry.

When I use the terms "modernism" and "ideologies" in the context of this discussion, I do mean it in the broadest sense possible. The modernist ideologies I refer to are the socialist utopias in which “A house is a machine to live in.” (Le Corbusier, 1923).

Going forward I want to explore the notion of confining the remnants of modernism to the confines of a virtual state. Similar to my work last year working in a fictitious state can preserve those ideologies which are challenged within the context of the real world.

St Brides, Flickr and Blogger

St Brides - interior, originally uploaded by jamvlog.

So I've worked my way through a few of the key shots of St Brides, cleaned them up, and got them looking fairly presentable.

One thing that strikes me about St Brides is the stark contrast between The Vision and reality. It's a common theme in modernist buildings, that, although built for function, they often failed in their main purpose. I met a parishioner who had no end of stories to tell about the "failings" of the building. For example, apparently the sewage system is so poorly designed that it backs-up after heavy rain.

So this leave me in a quandary, I have to confront these issues in a manner which is still sympathetic to the ideologies of modernism. The use of 3D may provide an interesting solution. If I encapsulate St Brides in the virtual, then it becomes like a fiction, one where I can re-direct the narrative. I can use this the fiction to confront modernism with its harshest reality, that, buildings aside, its ideologies never came to fruition.

I will update as my thought process flows.

On a side note, I think I'm going to have to do something fairly drastic with my Blog. I'm caught in a never ending battle in my attempts to imbed linked images from Flickr into my posts. Also the complete lack of flexibility in altering layouts (this post has been achieved by using Flickr instead of Blogger to update) is driving me to despair. Hence "Flickr" and "Blogger" in the title.

Quality of Light II

As mentioned in my previous post, I planned a visit to the modernist marvel that is St Brides in East Kilbride. First off, and slightly off topic, this was my first experience of a New Town. East Kilbride was Scotland's first post-war New Town which adopted a very modernist approach to town planning. I came in direct conflict with this planning when trying to navigate my way to St Brides. The New Town layout (which can be seen in more extreme examples like Cumbernauld) separates (to a degree) the car from the pedestrian. A lovely idea, except when you're trying to get anywhere. The endless roundabouts circle what I can best describe as "islands" of inhabitation. Trying to infiltrate these Islands of Man can be a difficult task when using an alien mechanical moving device (i.e. my Fiat Punto). In St Brides case, I could see it for quite some time, but had trouble locating what appeared to be one access point. It's also difficult to stop, and re-evaluate your strategy when trapped between roundabouts on the dual-carriageways. An efficient endless flow of traffic which becomes difficult to navigate when you're lost. Eventually, however, I found St Brides and took sanctuary for the best part of the day before tackling EK's road labyrinth to get home.

I digress, so on to the main event, St Brides, East Kilbride. As the title suggests, my visit was to bathe in the glory of Gillespie Kidd & Coia's architectural genius in their manipulation of the structure to produce a high quality of light. My modernist ideologies were shattered when I found such a dark expansive space (even with artificial light). The windowless indented brickwork (shown right) barely captured enough light to emit even a glow. Now to be fair to GK&C it was a very overcast day, so the exterior lighting was not ideal, but it still struck me how dim the space was (a fact, regardless of weather conditions confirmed by one parishioner).

Now my opinion of St Brides may seem of doom and gloom (no pun intended), but in actual fact I took a lot of positives from experiencing the space. For one, the poor quality of light resulted in a very sobering experience. I was left to my own devices for well over an hour, and the main hall, with it's dim artificial lighting was extremely calming (although at one point I thought I saw a ghost). The the soft warm tones of the brickwork also added to this mantra.

Perhaps my perceptions are slightly bias due to being brought up a Catholic (not currently practicing) and familiarity of churches - until my early teens attending weekly. I therefore associate a church as a place of quiet and sombre reflection - the closest comparison I can make of this feeling is being in a library. This paragraph may seem a little off topic, but ultimately feeds in to my choice of subject matter. Whether I like it or not, something in my subconscious is drawn to the church through years of conditioned worship - old habits die hard. I'm not sure to be honest, but I do know for me that churches + modernism = interesting subject matter.

I'm currently in the process of Photoshoping my way through the 160 plus images taken on my visit to St Brides. I plan on uploading the worthy to Flickr (link below), with some already up at the time of this post. More to come as I explore and develop ideas in relation to St Brides, modernism, the church, et al.

Links:-

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamvlog/sets/72157625224573437/ (St Brides set on my Flickr)