1

BECKETT IN SPACE

THE SYNTHETIC THEATRE

Does Architecture need to WAIT in DIALOGUE?

Tutor: Shaun Murray

Student: Kalpak Bhandari

2

Acknowledgements

Dad

Mom

Pooja

Aadi

Shaun

Andrew

and

Friends from the Bartlett

Project Report – Kalpak Bhandari

18th

June 2010

The Bartlett school of Architecture

University College London

Masters in Architectural Design: AVATAR

Year: 2009 – 2010

Tutor: Shaun Murray

electronic mail: kalpakb@hotmail.com

blog: www.kalpakbhandari.blogspot.com

3

INDEX

01.00 Introduction

02.00 ‘Waiting for Godot’ by Samuel Beckett as a metaphor for the project.

02.10 Interpretation of the story

02.20 Setting for „Waiting for Godot‟

02.30 My understanding of the story

03.00 Understanding the Basics

03.10 Etymology of „Wait‟

03.20 Etymology of „Dialogue‟

04.00 Understanding ‘Waiting’

04.10 Investigations regarding „Waiting spaces‟

04.20 Waiting space and the experience of waiting

04.30 Things people do

04.40 Dialogue

05.00 Initial enquiry

06.00 Production Methodology

06.10 Static Snapshots and preliminary analysis of waiting spaces

06.20 Inferences

06.30 Generation of two dimensional abstract profiles

06.40 Posture analysis

06.50 Spatio-Temporal analysis

06.60 Generation of 3 dimensional models based on 2 dimensional abstracted profiles

06.70 Intent

07.00 The Site- The Cut, Southwark, London

08.00 Conclusion

Bibliography

4

BECKETT IN SPACE

01.00 Introduction

‘All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exists

and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.’

William Shakespeare

The project „Beckett in Space – a Synthetic Theatre‟ is based on the notion of „waiting‟ and

refers to the story „Waiting for Godot‟ by Samuel Beckett as a metaphor.

Waiting has become an in-separable part of our daily lives. We are always waiting for something,

whether it be waiting to cross the road, waiting for the bus, waiting for the train to come, waiting

for the train to go, waiting for the plane to fly, waiting for an email to come, waiting for the phone

to ring, waiting for the sun to show, waiting for the rain to go, waiting for another chance, waiting

for the big break, waiting for the right companion, waiting for success, waiting for prosperity,

waiting for fame…...……………….the wait goes on.

Does one think about this wait at all? Is it thought of as a hindrance in the daily flow of life? Does

one enjoy the wait, endure it or hate it as it seems to slow one down?

The project is about understanding and designing a different dialogue with waiting spaces. The

aim of this project is to emphasize the importance, complexity, richness and diversity of the

environments we encounter in our everyday lives. It also aims at speculating, re-articulating and

exploring a design methodology for a better understanding of the spatial implications associated

with the notions of „waiting‟ through „dialogue‟ with the surrounding environment.

The project „Beckett in Space- A Synthetic Theatre‟ sees the whole investigation like a stage set

depicting: A delicate, time based ecology of bodies in space which composes a scene,

binding the memories of the past, invokes response in the present and emphasizes the need

to progress.

5

02.00 'Waiting for Godot' - Samuel Beckett, as a metaphor for this project.

‘Nothing happens, nobody comes, nobody goes, it’s awful.’ This line from the play was adopted

by Jean Anouilh to characterize the first production of the play at the Theatre De Babylone on 5th

January 1953. The story is considered as one of the prominent works of the „Theatre of the

Absurd‟.

02.10 Interpretation:

„Broadly speaking the play takes the form of man‟s reaction to a world apparently without

meaning or man as a puppet controlled or menaced by an invisible outside force.‟

Available at - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theatre_of_the_Absurd

Beckett once said that the story was all about „symbiosis‟ and a game of survival.

Available at - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waiting_for_Godot

02.20 Setting of ‘Waiting for Godot’:

„The two characters in the play are waiting on a country road with tree in the vicinity and a stone

on which one of the characters is sitting. The setting is like a location in the middle of nowhere

and is not particularized.‟

Available at - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waiting_for_Godot

Beckett mentioned the painting below as the source of inspiration for the play.

Man and Woman Contemplating the Moon, ca.1824

Caspar David Friedrich (German, 1774–1840)

Oil on canvas; 13 3/8 x 17 3/8 in. (34 x 44.1 cm)

Nationalgalerie, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin

Available at – http://www.metmuseum.org/special/ Caspar_David_Friedrich/ 1.r.htm

6

At times Beckett mentioned the painting below as the source of inspiration for the play.

Two Men Contemplating the Moon, 1819

Caspar David Friedrich (German, 1774–1840)

Oil on canvas; 13 3/4 x 17 3/8 in. (34.9 x 44.1 cm)

Gemäldegalerie Neue Meister, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden

Available at - http://www.metmuseum.org/special/Caspar_David_Friedrich/ 2.r.htm

02.30 My understanding of the story

The story „Waiting for Godot‟, emphasizes the routine of everyday life and how waiting is part of

our daily routine. All these daily routines add up to what we call „life‟. The play in essence is a

reflection of our everyday lives and conveys through repetition that there is really nowhere to go

except finding a new place to wait everyday and enduring the wait by building up symbiotic

relationships with others in the same situation.

Characters: Vladimir, Estragon, Pozzo, Lucky, Godot(absent) and a Boy.

Vladimir and Estragon are the main Protagonists of the play while Pozzo and Lucky are re-

iterations of the 2 main protagonists. Godot is an external force/entity and the Boy is a messenger

and represents Hope.

In the story, it was the relationship, the dialogue and the acts between the two main characters

Vladimir and Estragon that helped them endure the wait for Godot, who they did not know and nor

did they know what would happen or change if they were to meet him.

7

03.00 Understanding the Basics

03.10 Etymology - ‘Wait’ -to delay movement or action until the arrival or occurrence of; to

await.

Available at- http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/wait#Etymology

Wait is a state of pause, a state of slowing down movement and delay in action when moving or

travelling between two points/places/situations or happenings and waiting is a state of mind.

Bergson (1896, cited in Bachelard, 1950, p.8) restated a dualism between body and soul, matter

and consciousness. „Matter- our body- acts, whereas the mind remembers. In its autonomous

experience, the mind does not experience those temporal discontinuities and voids which characterize the

perception of material things. As a result the mind is capable of preserving the past in its entirety so that it

always remains part of the present.‟

Wait is the transition period between two points where the two points are generally given more

importance than the journey between these two points. If one thinks of the two points as „Past‟

and „Future‟ then, the „Wait‟ from the time perspective could be read as: The past doesn't exist

anymore and the future is a concept. What exists between the past and future is the present, our

place of existence.

With time, the memories of the past keep accumulating and we are often worried about the future.

Hence the past and the future are ever expanding and as a result the present is shrinking.

03.20 Etymology - ‘Dialogue’

Dialogue, is a conversation between two or more persons.

Available at- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dialogue_(disambiguation)

As physicist David Bohm, describes, “Dialogue is not an exchange and it is not a discussion.

Discussion means batting it back and forth like a ping pong game. That has some value, but in

dialogue we try to go deeper…to create a situation where we suspend our opinions and

judgements in order to be able to listen to each other."

Another dialoguer, painter and psychiatrist David Shainberg, called dialogue an "open process of

making forms."

Available at- http://www.davidbohm.net/dialogue/experiment.html

8

04.00 Understanding Waiting

04.10 Investigations

My interest is in studying the way humans situate themselves in these spaces and the

interdependency of the bodily experiences and spatial properties of the surrounding environment.

How can we have a new understanding of waiting spaces?

For the purpose of my study I wish to examine specific waiting spaces within the city of London,

and investigate the complexities associated with waiting. The issues that I aim to understand

through this study are:

1. The existence of humans in waiting spaces and the relation of humans with the built and

un-built surrounding environment.

2. The behavior of humans in different environments and how the waiting space and waiting

times affect the experience of waiting.

3. Does the act of waiting affect the space itself?

4. To what extent is the waiting experience shared with other people and is there any

dialogue between the people occupying these spaces?

5. How can the experience of „Waiting‟ be an understanding of the complexities of the way

we can design spaces differently and what is the spatial and architectural implication of

„Waiting‟?

04.20 Waiting spaces and the experience of waiting.

Franck and Schneekloth, ed., (1994, pg.9), mention, „Humans structure environments by creating

and using a multitude of categories of places and spaces, often called “types”. Our social

practices and our built landscape are structured by elaborate systems of place types, which

enforce myriad distinction and separations between different kind of activities, people, and

places that are often codified…‟

The questions that arise when we think of „waiting spaces‟ are - Is „waiting space‟ a “type” of

place as referred above? Are waiting spaces similar or just seem similar? Could any space serve

as a waiting space? In the present day context would it be appropriate to term a specific place as

a waiting space? Would it also depend on the interpretation and meaning of „waiting‟ as one

might think?

My interest in waiting spaces is not limited to it being a „type‟ of space, but is rather to examine,

evaluate and learn through personal experience the importance, richness and diversity of these

9

environments. My interest is in observing these everyday experiences and situations in a different,

curious and analytical viewpoint.

Bachelard (2000, p.54) mentions „The fuller times is the shorter it seems.‟

Uncertain „Waits‟ seem longer than the known, finite „Waits‟. Anxiety seems to makes the period

of waiting longer than it actually is.

In the present times where distances, information, knowledge, communication and technology

are all aimed at and result in shrinking and compressing space rapidly, a person who waits feels

time slowing down, space expanding and a detachment from the pace, productivity and efficiency

of everyday life. We are in a society where a lot of importance has been attributed to the time

factor which is directly related to money. „Wait‟ is looked at as the non-productive and non-

profitable component of our lives.

We are part of a culture where „time‟ is „money‟, and there are certain rules that one needs to

abide by. We need to keep performing without questioning, one where we must wake up every

morning, get ready, go to work, eat three meals a day, shop for material things, amongst a lot of

other things. We are certainly caught in a race, competing against others without even knowing

how far the finishing line is and what would be reward for winning. „Time is Money‟ and

conformity with this fact repeatedly is important to progress in the contemporary society.

04.30 Things people do

Humans experience architecture and a lot of things primarily with their bodies which acts as the

medium, the interface with the real world. The human body also interacts with other bodies and

objects around in the surroundings.

There are certain things that people do to divert ones attention from the duration of wait and the

seeming slowness of the clock. Some people do not do anything but only wait expectantly with

expressionless faces. There are some who stare at the watch repeatedly, contemplate, are self

indulgent not aware of what is happening around, read books, magazines and newspapers, listen

to music, eat, pace up and down, smoke, watch television, see advertisements, check personal

belongings and physical appearance, ignore, observe, try to socialize, stare, visualize, talk, sing

and laugh. One might encounter feelings like nothingness, boredom, worry, remembrance, muse,

dream, ponder and wonder.

10

The waiting experiences and interactions range from individual to collective levels with varying

time scales of waiting period. These are influenced to a large extent by the characteristics of the

built, un-built space surrounding them and the animate and the in-animate contents of these

spaces. These experiences and interactions reveal the relation of the human bodies with the

surrounding environment. The relative positions of the humans with respect to other humans and

objects in the environment need to be studied along with the psychology of the humans in the

waiting spaces for a better understanding of the waiting experience.

04.40 Dialogue

Yudell (cited in Bloomer K.C and Moore W.C, 1977, p.57) mentions, „The interplay between the

world of our bodies and the world of our dwelling places is always in flux. We make places that

are an expression of our haptic experiences even as these experiences are generated by the

places we have already created. Whether we are conscious or innocent of this process, our

bodies and our movements are in constant dialogue with our buildings.‟

1 Dialogue with the surrounding environment - This relates to the way people situate themselves

in a space, the way they sit, where they sit, the way they lean against something and the way

interact with the animate and animate surroundings. There also exists a dialogue with

environment through the feelings one encounters while a person is in that environment.

2 Dialogue with own self - People are normally engrossed in their own thoughts, listening to

music, reading while they are waiting. The only dialogue they have is with their self through their

thoughts.

3 The other minimal indirect dialogues which people have while waiting is a visual dialogue which

is related to time: the watch, the display/information boards which tells how long or short is the

wait. It is more about conveying information rather than having a „Dialogue‟. This information

helps in reducing the anxiety associated with waiting times.

4 While people wait they initially acknowledge the presence of other people waiting and then

completely avoid any kind of eye contact, interaction and continue to be self indulgent with no

bearings of the surroundings. It is observed that verbal dialogue between people who are waiting

is very negligible and is mostly limited to brief conversations if at all.

11

Initial experiment to study the interaction between humans and their environment through the

body as the medium for interaction.

05.00: Image set 1

05.00 Image set 2

12

05.00 Initial enquiry

This initial study using projection as a technique was an attempt to explore the interaction

between humans and the surrounding environment through the medium of the body as the

interface for interaction.

Image set 1: These images represent a kind of mapping of the urban landscape as a flat/two

dimensional unwrap of the urban imagery in the mind of an individual. The individual remembers

certain images which are fragmented, discontinuous and frozen memories of the personal

experience. These discontinuous images and memories all add up to a vision of the place. The

individual is thus a „map-per‟ and at the same time he also leaves a trace of his existence in the

place. The edge/profile of the human is the link between the inside and the outside. The edge

emphasizes the area bound by it and the surface created. The edge or the boundary defines an

enclosure for the images which are the memories of the fragments of the city.

Image set 2: In the present hectic urban life the urban environment governs and influences the

way people situate themselves in the city through their routine activities. Humans leave a trace, a

temporal residue, which is an extension of the human body within the surrounding environment.

This changes the nature of the environment and hence these two factors are interdependent and

are constantly in flux. The blurring edge of the human figure relates to the basic human nature and

thoughts which are always in flux and thinking about the past or the future. Humans are

conditioned for adapting to the environments and the complexities of life. The edge indicates the

interdependency of the humans and the surrounding environment.

Inverting the concept of light and shadow is read as follows:

Conventional notion of shadows – Humans and their actions affect and influence the surrounding

environment and it is the human who decides how to act and interact with his surroundings.

From the consideration of time, „Wait‟ can be interpreted as: a period of non-productivity and

inefficiency.

Revealing shadows - After inversion, what holds true is that the urban setting/environment is

influential and governs the behavioral pattern and the way individuals act within it.

From the consideration of time, „Wait‟, can be interpreted as: The parallel of the conventional

exists and can be seen in a positive aspect where one can be aware of his surroundings and

introspect, contemplate about important things which will help in a better understanding of the

future course of one‟s actions.

13

06.00 Production Methodology

06.10 Static snapshots and preliminary analysis of waiting spaces.

The process starts with the observation of waiting spaces by looking at the ways in which the

people situate themselves in these spaces, the objects and space around them and their

interaction with the surrounding environment, in terms of the posture of the human body,

interface with the other bodies: animate and in-animate, their actions and behavior and the

relation to the time factor.

The spaces within London which I have considered for study and analysis are varying in their

nature in terms of the character of the space, use of the space, users of the spaces, duration a

person waits, the body language and postures of the users and the way they situate themselves

in these spaces, scale of the space, the number of users and whether the experience is individual

or collective in nature.

Map showing the different waiting spaces within London considered for analysis.

A Residence at N12 7LD, London

B Euston train station

C Heathrow Airport Terminal 3 – Departure Lounge

D The Scoop near Tower Bridge

14

A: RESIDENCE

Location map: My residence at N12 7LD, LONDON

1 2 3 4

5 6 7 8

Image set 1: Recorded on 23rd

May, Time: 17:00. Time duration between snap-shots:

approximately 1 minute.

Waiting in the personal space of the kitchen. Sequence: These snap shots are like frozen

moments in time.

15

Each profile indicates the space occupied by the body at different moments in time and the time

interval between two profile of momentary inhabitation is approximately one minute.

Spatio-Temporal Analysis

The trace of the human body (one minute intervals) records the temporal presence and the area

of momentary inhabitation by the human body in the space. This is useful to understand the in-

between spaces between two positions of the human body and also useful to understand the

relation between bodies in space and the surrounding environment.

This method for analyzing data is useful for generating the spatio-temporal map of the different

spaces over a particular duration of time which can then articulated and transformed into patterns

for these specific spaces. This data will serve like a base map for further study and articulation.

16

A: Residence:

The experience of waiting in one‟s residence is very individual in nature, devoid of other people

and in an environment which is very personal. Here the surroundings are created by the person

occupying the space and hence to a certain extent the experience of waiting in this space is self-

designed and can be modified to personal requirements. The nature of things that one waits for in

a residence could be for the tea to boil, food to bake, jug of water to fill, clothes to dry, space to

warm up during winters, and so on. These waiting experiences are very routine, repetitive,

personal and in very known and familiar environments. The way one moves in his/her own

personal space, the body language, engagement with physical objects like chairs, sofa‟s to sit on

and other objects to lean on as props for waiting is more personal, formalistic and different as

compared to the use and experience in public spaces.

While one does an activity, there are other related activities one does to be more productive,

efficient and make the best use of time. The psychology of the person is to finish all the activities

and at the same time it is to keep one-self occupied rather than doing nothing. Once these

activities are done the person is in transition or in a waiting situation before the commencement

of another activity.

There are no external distraction/stimuli and hence the activities that one engages revolves

directly around the setting he/she is in and immediate in nature. This experience normally tends to

be very silent and is mostly self indulgent with a person always being engrossed in some

thoughts mainly reflecting on the past or planning the next action or imagining and visualizing the

future. To support the waiting times people think, plan the next course of action, sing and listens

to music while they are working. The nature of the space is interdependent of the purpose and

use of the space.

The image set records the routine, repeated activity of everyday life in the personal space of one‟s

kitchen. These snap shots are recorded at approximately one minute interval while the tea boils

and are like frozen moments in time. The human body and the trace record the temporal presence

and the area of momentary inhabitance by the human body in space. Hence we can observe the

path traced by the body. In case of routine based activities we could predict or map the future

traces that the body will probably leave to a certain extent.

17

B: Euston Station Concourse

1 2

3 4

5 6

7 8

Recorded on 21st

May, Time: 14:40

These snapshots are recorded at the Euston Station and show how people situate themselves in

the space and the things they do. These along with my observations form the basis for

understanding, interpreting their psychology and the waiting experience.

18

B: Euston Station Con-course

The concourse of the train station is a dynamic space like an airport but with little less diversity

and complexity as compared to an airport. The population at the train stations is diverse- ranging

from young to old and from businessmen to young teenagers on a holiday. The journey times and

waiting times differ depending on the destination of travel. Most of the people at the station are

people who stay in suburban areas or nearby towns and travel everyday to and from work. They

do not have much personal belongings other than a small office bag. Very rarely do we find

people with a lot of luggage hence very few trolleys. People prefer to seat in waiting spaces when

the waiting times are long. The seating facilities in these spaces is limited as compared to the

number of users and hence it is noticed that people sit in every place where they can rest against

or lean against something and not be an obstruction to the activities in the space. A lot of people

prefer waiting in the outdoors than indoors.

Props are important in waiting places and people make use of various things in the environment

as props to rest on or rest against to make themselves comfortable.

Most of the people stand in the concourse and keep watching the information boards to find out

their train details. There are a number of facilities like restaurants, take-away, bar, cash

dispensing machines, retail shops in the station.

19

C: Heathrow Terminal 3 – Departure Lounge

1 2

3 4

5 6

7 8

Recorded on 22nd

May, Time: 15:20

These images show how people situate themselves in very different ways and places. People use

trolleys, railings and luggage as props for waiting and keep luggage very close to themselves.

20

C: Departure Lounge at Heathrow terminal 3

The diversity observed at airports is unlike any other waiting spaces considered for my study.

There are people from a diverse population, age group and travelling for varying reasons. Some

travel alone, some in pairs and some in groups. Some commuters arrive early and wait for hours

while some arrive late because they hate to wait. The waiting times at airports are long and people

prefer to sit. Some prefer to sit close to the departure gates, some sit anywhere as long as they

can are updated regarding flight status, some happily stand near the departure gate for an hour

without doing anything and there are some people who pace all around the airport and keep

themselves occupied as they find sitting in one place boring.

My observations, personal experience and interactions with people at Heathrow: People normally

prefer to sit during their wait because of the long waiting times. Elderly people, who I spoke to

complained about the insufficient seating facilities and that they wouldn‟t mind the wait provided

they had a place to sit. People were using their luggage, luggage trolleys to sit on, railings, walls

and fixed furniture to rest and lean on. The role of communicating information through display

boards and information points is very important for passengers to be informed and at ease in

large public waiting spaces.

This space is very dynamic, frantic and highly energized in nature and there are a lot of things

happening in this space. The experience of waiting is varied in terms of the time scale, being

individual and or collective, psychology of the users, presence of people and objects in vicinity

and their personal belongings and the way they relate to them. To assist people in their waiting

times there are number of activities at airports like shopping, restaurants and bars, internet

browsing terminals, and body shops. The experience of waiting in these spaces is very varied as

compared to the other cases mentioned above.

21

D: SOCIAL WAITING SPACE AT THE SCOOP NEAR TOWER BRIDGE

1 2

3 4

5 6

7 8

Recorded on 29th

May, Time: 14:00

22

D: Social waiting at The Scoop near Tower Bridge

There is a marked difference in the experience at social waiting spaces and the other waiting

spaces mentioned earlier. The experience is more of a leisurely activity where the mood and

temperament of people, their postures and body language of humans and the way they situate

themselves is noticeably different from the waiting experience at the train station or airport. Here

the experience is not very time bound. This kind of waiting is very often a collective experience.

One is more aware of his surrounding and not very self indulgent in this environment which

makes this experience richer. Time seems to have lost its significance momentarily. There is a

greater possibility of interaction and dialogue between people and their surrounding in social

waiting spaces. This social waiting spaces are lively during the weekends due to the number of

people visiting being more as compared to the weekdays where the users are normally people

working, staying around and tourists who visit this place to see the Tower Bridge. The social

waiting spaces are good forums where a lot of campaigns are carried out to create a sense of

awareness amongst people regarding certain social causes and issues due to the number of

people visiting and their mindset being relatively free and not being pre-occupied with thoughts of

daily routine, schedules, time utilization and hectic pace of urban life.

06.20 Inferences

By observing, analyzing, talking to people in waiting spaces, experiencing and interpreting these

spaces and the users of these spaces with the intention of understanding the „waiting experience‟,

the inferences which I wish to mention:

Waiting space, duration of wait and purpose of waiting are the three most important things that

come to one‟s mind when thinking of „waiting‟.

23

Everyone wants to be comfortable while waiting and the meaning of comfort differs from person

to person and the context. For some people comfort relates to physical comfort and the

immediate surrounding environment, for some it relates to the purpose of the wait and for some it

relates to the duration of the „wait‟.

The physical aspect of waiting is associated with the seating, the spatial context and the animate

and in-animate things in these spaces. The nature/physicality of the seating and the duration of

waiting are factors which will determine the comfort value of the seating. If there is lack of space

to be seated, as a matter of instinct people use support of the things around to sit, lean and rest

against as props to make themselves comfortable. The comfort value associated with the

environment too is an important factor which determines the experience of „waiting‟. The human

posture and the way people situate themselves in space is an indicator of the waiting times and

the experience of waiting to a certain extent.

Shorter and known waiting times are more acceptable compared to longer and unknown waiting

times. Unknown waits result in restlessness and anxiety. Given an option some people would

choose not to wait at all as they think it is a waste of time. This is a result of the hectic and fast

paced life we live and the society we have created for ourselves, which re-asserts at every stage

that „Time is Money‟.

There are some people especially the slightly elderly people think of waiting differently and do not

mind it as they do not follow a fixed routine and fast pace of life. They are more relaxed in their

outlook as a result of their age and the restricted daily activities they do.

People want to make use of the waiting times encountered in day to day routines for progression.

They usually read, plan their next activity, think about the near future and introspect. This is again

associated with the notion that „wait‟ equals delay and in-efficiency, non-productivity and loss.

Waiting times are usually supported by activities like shopping, restaurants, eateries and bars.

Media, entertainment and amusement related activities too help. Fuller times seem short and

extended times are boring.

Social waiting spaces are spaces which people generally use to get away from the daily routine

and repetitions of day to day life. These spaces are more lively and cheerful and the people are

important contributors to creating the atmosphere in such spaces. This kind of waiting is not time

a routine and time bound activity. The people in these spaces are more relaxed and the body

language of people in these spaces is very different than that in other waiting spaces.

24

Henry Moore -Sculptor

05:40 Available at - http://www.henry-moore.org/pg (29th

May, 13:30)

Bruce Mclean – Artist

Available at -

http://www.google.co.uk/images?q=bruce+mclean&um=1&hl=en&tbs=isch:1&ei=1WAaTISYMpK9_Q

aao7SECQ&sa=N&start=0&ndsp=20

Bruce Mclean, In Pose Work for Plinths I (1971; London, Tate), a photographic documentation,

the artist uses his own body to parody the poses of Henry Moore's celebrated reclining figures.

The shadows cast by the body leaning against the wall are the temporal reflections/extension of

the body and reveal the positioning of the body and the relationship of the body with the wall.

25

06.30

Generation of two dimensional abstracted profile from snap-shots

06.40

Examining the lines of rest and lines of force based on the postures and exploring a

drawing technique to be adopted for representation of the for the project.

26

06.30 Generation of two dimensional abstract profiles

Moore quoted „All the best sculpture I know is both abstract and representational at the same time. I do

not admire work which is produced as an escape from reality, which is soporific or prettifies merely as an

entertainment‟.

Available at - http://www.henry-moore.org/pg (29th

May, 13:30)

The works of artist Henry Moore, „Abstractions of organic shapes‟ were inspired from humans

seated, standing, and reclining figures which comprise an enduring vocabulary reflecting the

universality of the human condition.

Available at-http://www.google.co.uk/images?hl=en&q=bruce+mclean&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source

=univ&ei=NZcTTNufFKP00gSL7f2HCg&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CC

0QsAQwAA (27th

May, 12:53)

Taking inspiration from the works of Henry Moore and Bruce Mclean, generating two dimensional

abstracted profiles from the actual profiles of the data gathered from the different waiting spaces

that I have observed.

06.40 Posture Analysis

Observe the postures of people in waiting spaces, things they are doing, objects they are resting

on/against. The things people lean against are posts, walls, other people, railings, trees, seating

and luggage. The things people sit on are trolleys, suitcases, seating on chairs and benches and

steps. The posture and the way they are leaning against and sitting on are indicators of their

experience of the wait- namely the waiting times, the duration of the wait and their experience of

waiting. The lines of rest and the lines of force of the postures convey a certain state of waiting

indicating the time of wait and the convenience/ inconvenience of the seating position. A study of

these give reveal information regarding the specific condition related to the waiting experience.

06.50 Spatio-temporal analysis of each waiting spaces

This analysis will reveal information regarding the density of the spaces and generate patterns

related to the nature of the waiting spaces based on the way humans situate themselves in the

environment. The analysis of the different waiting spaces will serve as a base map for the

articulation of the setting and composition required for the final project.

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Image 06.40

Composition of the two dimensional abstracted profiles of people observed in a waiting spaces

and studying them in relation to the shadows.

06.50 Spatio-temporal analysis of the different waiting spaces.

The illustration above shows the space influenced by the human. This method of analysis of the

different areas will help in deciding a strategy for the design process. The space between two

lines/traces too can be defined as the waiting space between two positions of the human body.

28

1

2

3

Images 06.60

Generation of three dimensional forms from the two dimensional abstracted profiles and decide

further articulation strategy in relation to the physicality of the site.

29

06.60 Generation of three dimensional models from the two dimensional abstracted profiles of

people observed in waiting spaces and having them 3D printed to 1:25 scale. Studying them for

their further re-articulation. Re-articulation of the models based on factors like whether it is an

individual or a collective experiences as recorded, movement of the people observed, the props

and the nature of the props used while waiting, possibile patterns generated by their movement

while waiting and interaction with the surrounding environment.

06.70 Intent

Further study of the physical models in relationship with the physicality of the site and studying

their inter-relationship as a stage set for „waiting‟ and „dialogue‟ through drawings and three

dimensional models will be the next method for developing the project.

This process will then help me to explore and deploy my learnings about „waiting‟ and the

understanding of „Waiting for Godot‟, as the input to the final development of the project depicted

through the main characters of the story in relation to the site.

30

07.00 The Site

‘The Cut’ in Southwark area of London.

The site provides a link between two underground Stations, Waterloo station and the Southwark

underground Stations. The site considered for the „Synthetic Theatre‟ is the stretch between the

Old Vic Theatre on Waterloo road and extending up-to the Young Vic Theatre on The Cut. The

presence of The Godot Company on 51-The Cut, the Southwark College, the Old Vic theatre with

its rich history, the Young Vic and the vicinity of the two underground stations is what interests

me.

1 2

31

3 4

5 6

7 8

9 10

Recorded on 29th May, Time: 15:00

The Cut – Southwark, London

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08.00 Conclusion

The project „Beckett in Space- A Synthetic Theatre‟ will be an attempt to depict a stage set for

„Waiting‟ - an inseparable part of our daily life. The project aims at expressing my understanding

of „waiting‟ through the placing of the bodies in space like a three dimensional setting and the

relationship of the bodies with the surrounding built environment like a stage set design. These

bodies and the physicality of the site would then engage in a dialogue like the characters in a

stage play. The synthetic theatre opens up the possibility of this dialogue by the possibility of

rearranging spatial configurations of the bodies in space in numerous ways as required. The

observer is an active participant influential in re-articulating and interpreting the whole

composition. This proposal emphasizes the numerous possibilities of how bodies can occupy

space, wait in space and contribute to the spatial variations that are possible and invoke a sense

of curiosity amongst the observers. The proposal aims at understanding the complexities of

transition of one entity in space and how it affects and influences the surrounding environment in

the process of change. There is interdependency between the character of the physical space and

the temporal interaction of the bodies with the surrounding environment.

Through the project „Beckett in Space‟ I wish to depict the act of waiting as a delicate, time based

ecology of bodies in space which composes a scene, binding the memories of the past, invokes

response in the present and emphasizes the necessity to progress.

This project gives me an insight into the different ways of understanding phenomenon associated

with human existence and this has contributed towards enriching my experiences of everyday life.

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Bibliography

1 Bachelard Gaston (2000), Dialectic of Duration, Clinamen Press Limited, Manchester

2 Bachelard Gaston (2000, p.18), Dialectic of Duration, Clinamen Press Limited,

Manchester

„between this passing of things and the abstract passing of time there is no

synchronism, and that temporal phenomenon must each be studied according to its

appropriate rhythm and from a particular point of view.‟

3 Beckett Samuel (1955), Waiting for Godot, Faber and Faber Limited, London

4 Bloomer, K.C and Moore, C.W, contribution- Yudell, R.J 1977. Body, Memory, and

Architecture, New Haven and London Yale University Press

Endnotes: 38 – The “physical” body is the private property of the individual, but the

individual‟s body image is developed socially and thus has a social property. The

tendency to associate the body with physicality rather than image over-associates the

body with notion of privacy.

5 Bohm David, The Dialogue Experiment, Harper Perennial, New York. Copyright 1999,

www.david-bohm.net/dialogue/experiment.html

6 Franck, K and Schneekloth, L. ed., 1994. Ordering Space-Types in Architecture and

Design, Willey John and Sons