| Research: Plastic Nation Rethinking the Post-Consumer Unit Syracuse University, Architecture Studio, ARC 408/609, SPRING 2010 Principal Investigator: Terreform ONE, Mitchell Joachim, Ph.D. |
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| Transdisciplinary Media Studio (TdMS)
: Mitchell Joachim, Visiting Critic, NYC Co-founder, Terreform ONE In our carborexic urban future, society has re-imagined the use of post-consumer plastic. This design studio will provoke the architectural potentials of this imagination. Gregg Lambert, Dean’s Professor of Humanities Director, SU Humanities Center A “concept-studio” with the goal of constructing an adequate concept of plastics and plasticity for use in the analysis of different cultural media and social assemblages found in our immediate environment. Materials and readings will be drawn from aesthetics and media theory, contemporary philosophy, cultural studies, and architecture and design. Keith Edmier, Visiting Artist, NYC An introduction to the use of plastics as a medium for making art. This is an extensive hands-on exploration of technical and theoretical issues, resulting in applications, production, and execution of plastics use. We will cover the history of plastics in art to better your understanding of the materials, thus expanding your art making skills. The course will cover mold making, casting, vacuum forming, sheet goods, assemblage, plastics lamination, prosthetic make-up, lighting and exhibiting your work. Design Studies/Projects: Brill, Katie www.kbrilldesign.com Buttz, Dori www.dorothyannbuttz.com Cross, Chad www.chcdesign.net Henrie, Amanda www.amandamhenriedesigns.org King, Alex www.midnightsundesign.org Klimek, Stephen www.designingactivism.com Lakoba, Vasiliy www.vastarlak.com Martini, Tony www.fearless2change.com Masciocchi, Kate www.kmasciocchi.com Newcomb, Liz www.emnewcomb.com Pieterson, Vijaya www.vi-arch.com Stevens, Brandon www.stevenbrando.org Tavaras, Simon www.stjdesign.org Webb, Cristina www.cristinawebb.com Ziemer, Derek www.derekziemer.com Studio Description: "The flourishing of human and non-human life on Earth has intrinsic value. The value of non-human life forms is independent of the usefulness these may have for narrow human purposes". – UN Agenda 21 We will re-think the plastic at the scope of a post-consumer manufactured article. By modifying off-the-shelf machines that secure plastic waste, new design methods for synthetic materials can be illuminated. These readily available machines, sort, crush, weld, print, and mold plastics into manageable end use resources. Our investigation will concentrate on the alteration of this current system into tailored architectural instruments. By utilizing slightly altered machines, the designer can re-purpose post consumer plastic for ingenious functions. The limit of these functions extends to the limit of the individual designers imagination. As a society our economic ideals are considerably problematic. It seems value has devolved into feats of rampant affluenza and plasticity; express products, massive scales, unending malls, extra-large itemization, etc. Encapsulating a joint race for ubiquity and instantaneity in the American household, our culture endures over-consumption. Plastics make much of this possible. Plastics are an immense and ubiquitous phenomenon of contemporary hi-tech invention. Technological thinking developed a greater sensitivity to ecological issues in the late twentieth century but an ability to deal with these topics remains rudimentary. Many interventions recognize concerns for ecological technologies but remain underwhelming in their application; UN Agenda 21 on Environment and Development, Kyoto Protocols, and Copenhagen Climate Change Conference. These broad stroke models offered an outline for design thinking, but not a decisive and provocative direction. It is the task of the designer to proffer focused green solutions and make them visible within the context of global society. Our investigation for this studio will offer specific typological and technical solutions on one such large scale ecological crisis; plastic. The industrial ecology of plastics extends beyond simple product aspirations. We will negotiate many design decisions and work to solve big picture issues. Our initial explorations on plastics will address multiple areas at various scales that need urgent ecological attention. These include the possibility of eradicating poverty; changing patterns of consumption and production, especially in transportation and energy use; environment and sustainable development mutually supportive; and encouraging sustainable agricultural practices. However, because of time constraints on the studio, students will be expected to imagine intrinsically buildable concepts. Eventually the studio will concentrate on plastic as a post consumer artifact and architectonically manipulate the various types. TdMS Directors Gregg Lambert Dean's Professor of the Humanities Founding Director of the Humanities Center Mark Linder Associate Professor of Architecture and Chair of Graduate Programs Brian Lonsway Associate Professor of Architecture Jonathan Massey Associate Professor of Architecture and Undergraduate Chair |