THE HEAR & NOW
Collective Strategy
Studio Response |
Artefact 4.1 Left | Studio Manifesto word cloud
​
The collective response holds students accountable for their actions, focuses ambitions and encourages regular reflection on the appropriateness of their proposals.
Personal Aims within a Group Agenda |
Artefact 4.2 Below | Icons for Studio Manifesto points Ward wants to address in her thesis project
​
I made a commitment that my design proposal and methods will adhere to at least points - 1, 2, 7, 8 & 9.
Design Development Strategy |
Artefact 4.3 Below | Elements of PAR (McNiff, 2011) and Ward's accompanying implementation plan.
​
The studio's situationist model progressed the project during the Cairo trip. Identified scenarios, formed from a collection of moments with residents, were scaled up using Participation Action Research.
Constructed Situation
Constructed Situation Location |
Artefact 4.4 Left | Line map & Satellite image collage
​
To make my statement of intent I travelled 40 minutes by taxi to find a place of refuge.
'Constructed situations are a way of repeating, a doubling of the situations that the spectacle already constructs.'
(Plotegher, 2011)
Rames Wassef Arts Centre |
Artefact 4.5 Right | Rames Wassef urban oasis, images and soundscape
​
Founded in the 1950s as a weaving school. Rames Wassef has evolved to support workshops, a sculpture museum, houses and farm buildings, constructed entirely from mud brick.
Vaulted mud domes are 'quintessentially Egyptian forms' (Rames, 2016). Traditional technology was chosen to reflect the Rames's desire to transmit the values of handicraft to succeeding generations in a rapidly industrialising country.
​
The complex succeeds in protecting local cultural skills from being erased by the passing of time.
Statement of Intent |
Artefact 4.6 Below | Constructed situation drawing plotting sound levels as they changed in the space
​
The acoustic properties of a domed sculpture gallery were exploited to produce my constructed situation. I replayed sounds of Historic Cairo out of context in a controlled environment.
​
In light of the government strategy to silence the informal, my ambition is to help the characters and culture within to reclaim control of their representation and create an audible legacy. Culture stems from the everyday; it has the power to shape and support lives. If it is not protected the essence of Cairo will slowly diminish.
​
To prevent culture from being lost over time. I committed to celebrating self expression and what it means to be part of the informal.
A commitment to help informal Cairo be heard & remembered.
Small Scale Proposition
Enacting a Recursive Process |
Artefact 4.7 Left | PAR as viewed by McIntyre, (2014) and Ward's accompanying plan
Creating an Archive of Expression |
Artefact 4.8 Below | Collection of characters from the informal now permanently recorded in time
​
Recording candid acts and joy in the informal gives control back to the community - they can choose how they are remembered.
​
Documenting daily self expression seeks to escape the degradation time has on memory - a narrative achieved for handicrafts at the Rames Art Centre.
Garbage Collector |
22/11/22 - 12:04
Name | Kerim
Age | 30-35
Location | Garbage City
Form of Self Expression | Owner of racing pigeons trained through whistling.
School Kids |
24/11/22 - 16:27
Name | Aaki & Friends
Age | 10-15
Location | Ibn Tulun Mosque
Form of Self Expression | Playing clackers, a wooden instrument made of two balls.
Street Coffee Vendor |
25/11/22 - 13:07
​
Name | -
Age | 35-40
Location | Khan El Khalili
Form of Self Expression | Bell ringing and heckling to exclaim his presence and sell wares to locals.
Craftswoman |
26/11/22 - 11:55
Name | Suzanne
Age | 55-60
Location | Rames Wissa Art Centre
Form of Self Expression | Designing and manual weaving of great tapestries.
Carpenter |
24/11/22 - 13:19
​
Name | -
Age | 40-45
Location | Historic Cairo
Form of Self Expression | Woodworking with manual and electric tools.
Imam (Religious Leader) |
27/11/22 - 14:25
Name | Haamid
Age | 50-55
Location | Al-Rifa’i Mosque
Form of Self Expression | Daily recital of the Adhan - the Arabic call to prayer.
Critical Analysis of Sound Archives |
Artefact 4.9 Right | Study of British Library (2022) sound archive
​
Our senses have the powerful ability to trigger memory. Sound archives successfully record conversations, music and atmospheres for posterity. However, their digital nature limits their reach and ability to activate multiple senses.
Combining sound with context and visuals could produce a more immersive impression of an experience or object and stimulate moments of recollection.
SCALE
UP!
Making Sound Tangible |
Artefact 4.10 Left | Model of sliding acoustic panels
​
A test model uses sliding panels made from a range of materials with different acoustic reflectance levels to control and manipulate noise. Stimulating touch and sound creates an enriched experience.
The Peoples Pavilion |
Artefact 4.11 Below | Sketch pavilion where locals can record, recreate and control sounds in context.
​
Superimposing and scaling up the acoustic panels model creates a presence in context and gives the informal community power to control their environment.
​
The derive identified a lack of refuge. The pavilion challenges the informal vernacular, which infills any space available with housing. Taking a moment to reflect space is designated to the community. It could be used for relaxation or individual self expression - a place for locals to be heard amidst the chaotic soundtrack of Cairo.
Proposition Reflection |
Artefact 4.12 Right | Rough process mind map
​
The small scale proposition raised many questions.
+ Can you capture the essence of the informal?
​
+ How do you reproduce culture so it has legacy?
​
+ Is an Archive / Museum the answer?
Resisting the Silencer |
Artefact 4.13 Left | Collage - The government erasing the essence of the informal
​
Elevating the cultural presence of the informal city will make its eradication an even more unspeakable act.
The majority of Cairo's population are limited to a bottom-up approach. Unsupported by the government, investment in city wide infrastructure is not affordable or realistic .
​
Amplifying the informal's voice, theoretically and literally, could be an accessible strategy to establish a national and global awareness of the government threat to silence.