Michel Gondry + Bjork

I was fortunate enough the other day to rip a whole heap of stuff off John's portable hard drive, including a collection of Michel Gondry videos, a large proportion of which were music videos for Icelandic 'pop'? artist Bjork [who now also collaborates with the ex Unit 15 video artists Lynn Fox]. I had come across analysis of the work of Michel Gondry before, notably a documentary of the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind...

For me Gondry's approach seemed to centre on simple low-tech tricks with little or no computer trickery; in the film these are just that, tricks, but in the below Bjork video for Beachlorette, this technique, or method is not hidden, but celebrated.

In this particular video, Gondry exaggerates, pierces and manipulates the divide between the audience and the artist/performer, using multiple media and stage sets, all ultimately fed through a television set, or the internet:

Another video, Hyperballad, does go beyond the singular celluloid surface, and collages various angles and images onto the frame. This reminded me of the Bryan Cantley drawing exercises the Masters students participated in recently; layering, distorted perspectives and coded surface textures are common to both artists... I guess it all leads back to the imperative of suggesting altered states within a static 2-d frame...

Theo Jansen's Strandbeest

A few weeks ago I came across a jaw-dropping 5 minute 'ted' talk by Theo Jansen, describing the herd of Strandbeest he was creating on the beach in Holland.

At the time I had no Idea Theo Jansen had lectured at the Bartlett none too long ago [2006]. The architectural relevance of his work is plentiful. Jansen creates herds of sibling 'beests that inhabit beaches, harvesting, storing, and using wind energy using simple materials such as empty lemonade bottles. Jansen hopes their evolution (not exactly self-propogated, more his own continous re-evaluation of sibling models) will lead to their eventual self-reliance. Possible future uses for the technology include reclaiming or protecting Holland's coastline by gradual collection and re-deposition of sands.

The above sectional model shows Jansen's '11 holy measurments', the ideal component lengths that allow this re-invented 'wheel' to act like a limb. Many different lengths of tube were analysed by computer to evaluate the ideal triangle shape as seen by the pen markings on the paper background.

Again, similar to the investigations into horology, this kind of influence may be more relevant when I begin to refine a design, this week has probably seen far too much thinking and reading, not enough doing!! But fascinating and inspiring nonetheless...

'Escapement'

Now I am beginning to understand the basic workings of horology a little, I have seemingly stumbled upon the really important piece of the puzzle, the part that begins to hint at how a mass of microscopic cogs measures/records/distorts time...

I will try to describe my own crude understanding, with as little reference to my sources (wiki!!!) as possible, chiefly as a means of attempting to personally interpret the research and its relevance to my project...

The 'escapement' element found in most almost any modern time-keeping piece, has evolved a variety of descendants that can either be described as 'mechanical' or 'liquid'. Any timekeeping method featuring an 'escapement' can be described as a repetitve oscilliatry process (such as a swinging pendulum), as opposed to a one-way flow process (such as a water-clock or egg timer). This improvement yeilded huge gains in accuracy.

The above self reversing process is an example of a mechanical process; the reilability of an escapement depends on the quality of workmanship and the level of maintenance given. A poorly constructed or poorly maintained escapement will cause problems. The escapement must accurately convert the oscillations of the pendulum or balance wheel into rotation of the clock or watch gear train, and it must deliver enough energy to the pendulum or balance wheel to maintain its oscillation.

[World's largest pendulum clock, Shinjuku]

The crucial element in escapement design is to give just enough energy to the pendulum in order to keep it swinging, and to interfere with the free swinging of the pendulum as little as is possible. As the lubrication of the escapement ages, friction will increase, and less power will be transferred to the timing device (for example, the pendulum). If the timing device is a pendulum, this means the pendulum will swing a shorter and shorter arc. Contrary to popular opinion, the time taken for a pendulum swing is not constant regardless of the size of the swing; the swing time changes with the size of the swing. Therefore, a dirty escapement will cause inaccuracy because the arc of the pendulum swing becomes shorter (the clock will speed up). To minimize this effect, pendulum swings are kept as small as possible.

For now I think all that is crucial for me to understand is the principle, a self-reversible, repetetive, oscilliatry process. The immediate obvious [metaphorical] link to my site can be found with the coming and going of the tide. I hope the fascinating details of calibration and tuning can be re-visited once a convincing design is up and running, but for now I guess I should leave the clocks alone for a while, and get some more drawings done.

I have been [quite rightly] advised to back up my hand drawings by scanning them; once this is done it should be simple to post them chronologically to chart the project.

Chrongraphs

Along the same lines as the seismography investigation, I am looking into the measurement of time, and the chronograph seems as good a place to start as any... All I currently know is that it looks like an incredibly complex instrument with an infinitude of tiny cogs... let's see what else can be learned...!

The Greek words "chronos" and "graph" stand for "time" and "writing". A chronograph is a chronometric (time-measuring) device which contains a mechanism that allows to stop at least one hand to facilitate reading of the elapsed time.The chronograph was invented by a Frenchman, named Rieussec, back in 1821. Literally, this was the only timepiece that bore the name Chronograph rightly. It was actually written on the dial with a small pen attached to the index. The length of the arc of the circle displayed the time that had passed. The index was fixed, while the dial turned. In 1822, Rieussec was granted a patent for his invention.

Chronographs are watches that can meassure time in different ways. Besides normal timekeeping, they can be used for one or more specific time measurements. For this, the dial has several sub dials with a scale, from which the measurements can be read. A central second hand can be started and stopped, without interfering with the continuous time.

The design of the dial of chronographs depends on the number of subsidiary dials. This can be two, three or even four. One of them is likely to be situated on the "9" of the dial, and shows the continuous seconds. When the chronograph is activated by pushing the top button, the central seconds hands starts moving. After one complete cycle is completed and the hand has returned to "12", the minute-indicator, located at the "3", will jump one position. With this simple type of chronograph a period of 30 or 45 minutes can be measured.

More complicated chrono's have a subregister for total hours, often located at 6 o'clock on the dial. This enable to take measurements up to 12 hours. Even fairly simple chronographs have a very complicated movement.

The escapement of a watch is that mechanism which operates in a very precise manner in order to release increments of time through the gear train of a watch. The Straight Line escapement from the Fredonia Watch Company. Many companies used the term "Equi-Distant" escapement when describing the type of escapement used in their watches. This is interesting as all escapements commonly found in pocket watches used and equidistant escapement. The escape wheel is round and has 15 teeth. The pallet has two impulse jewels which by obvious terms divides the escape wheel into a circular operation, thus becoming an equidistant escapement.

The diagram above shows the typical gear train of a watch. The escapement of a watch begins with the escape wheel. Next you will have the pallet. The pallet makes contact with the balance wheel as shown in the diagram. The balance wheel swings back and forth and with each swing locks and unlocks the pallet as it engages the escape wheel. This arc-of-motion can range from 18,000 beats per hour to as much as 28,000 beats per hour on some wrist watches.

Seismo[graphics]

SCATENI'S SEISMOGRAPH

In order to begin to understand the task of designing an apparatus that tracks the movement of the vessels relative to the shift in tides and sediments, Phil has suggested I look into earthquake technology - seismography etc... I found a fantastic set of drawings and accompanying explanations at the following site at http://www.gutenburg.org/

Italy, with her volcanic nature, has very naturally made a specialty of movements of the ground, or seismic perturbations. So the larger part of the apparatus designed for such study are due to Italians. For the observation of the vertical and horizontal motions of the ground, different apparatus are required. The following is a description of those constructed for each of such purposes by the Brassart Brothers. Some of the explanation are a little long-winded, but necessary to really comprehend the beautiful complexity of these machines...

APPARATUS FOR THE STUDY OF HORIZONTAL SEISMIC MOVEMENTS.

Apparatus for Studying Horizontal Movements.—A lever, movable about a horizontal axis, carries a corrugated funnel, i, at one of its extremities. At the other extremity it is provided with a counterpoise which permits of its being exactly balanced, while not interfering with its sensitiveness.

DETAILS OF THE APPARATUS.

The opening of the funnel passes freely around a column, v, upon which is placed in equilibrium a rod that terminates in a weight, P. The corrugations of the funnel carry letters indicating the four cardinal points, and the funnel itself is capable of revolving in such a way that the marked indications shall always correspond to the real position of the cardinal points. When a horizontal shock occurs, the weight, P, falls in a direction opposite thereto, and into one of the corrugations, where it rests, so that the direction of the shock is indicated. But, in falling, it causes the lever, F, to tilt, and this brings about an electric contact between the screw, h, and the column, n, which sends a current into the electro, E, so that the armature of the latter is attracted. In its position of rest this armature holds a series of parts, S, A, L, which have the effect of stopping the pendulum of a clock placed upon the same apparatus. At the moment, then, that the armature is attracted the pendulum is set free and the clockwork is started. As the current, at the same time, sets a bell ringing, the observer comes and arranges the apparatus again to await a new shock. Knowing the hour at which the hand of the clock was stopped, he sees how long it has been in motion again and deduces therefrom the precise moment of the shock.

The small rod, f, which is seen at the extremity of F, is for the purpose of allowing electricity to be dispensed with, if need be. In this case the screw, h, is so regulated that F descends farther, and that f may depress the armature of the magnet just as the current would have done.

APPARATUS FOR THE STUDY OF VERTICAL MOVEMENTS

Apparatus for the Study of Vertical Movements.—In this apparatus, the contact is formed between a mercury cup, T, and a weight, D. The cup is capable of being raised and lowered by means of a screw, so that the two parts approach each other very closely without touching. At the moment of a vertical shock a contact occurs between the mercury and weight, and there results a current which, acting upon the electro, E, frees the pendulum of the clock as in the preceding apparatus. In this case, in order that the contact may be continuous and that the bell may be rung, the piece, A, upon falling, sets up a permanent contact with the part, a.

ROSSI'S TREMITOSCOPE

BRASSART'S SEISMIC CLOCK

Purton Site Visit May 2008

Below is a selection of my own photographs taken earlier this year. At this stage I had no particular agenda, the site had triggered my interest because it represents a visual picture of one architecture decaying and in so doing creating a 2nd architecture. I took over 300 photos; here are just a few favourites...

For me this incredible place provides a complete spectrum of material life, decay, death and rebirth, or perhaps more accurately, reincarnation. Metals, timbers and aggregates are absolving themselves from the previous occupation of keeping a waterborne vessel afloat, instead now they are searching and feeling for the afterlife that exists immediately below the vegetation and sediment that are slowly consuming them.

The material strength of the vessels provides shelter from the daily attack of the tides, like an alien guardian protecting the indigenous sediments from the perennial neighbouring invader; the Severn River.

In addition to these residents, the new topographies have invited other foreign entities, such as tyres, tubes, wheels, pipes, grills and many more. Whether these elements can settle and contribute to the local ecology and economy remains to be seen... perhaps it is up to the designer to find them a place to exist within the grand scheme...

The Hulks at Purton, Gloucester

The narrow bank between the canal and the River Severn to the north of the Severn Railway Bridge has long been used as a graveyard for old barges, with the aim of protecting the bank from erosion by the strong currents in the river.

The first barges were dumped on the bank in 1909 when it was realised that a new channel was developing near to the shore, and further craft were added at intervals up to the early 1970s. Each vessel was taken out of Sharpness Dock on a high spring tide, towed by a tug towards the shore and released so that it charged up the bank as far as possible. Then holes were knocked in the hull to allow subsequent tides to deposit silt inside.

As a result of the barges being dumped, the ground level has built up over the years, and some of the later arrivals are lying on the top of earlier ones. Careful research by Mr Paul Barnett has identified the remains of over 30 wooden vessels protruding above the present surface, but many are rather obscured by long grass. As well as the wooden barges, 6 concrete barges are on the bank nearby, and 18 steel barges and lighters may be seen protecting the sea wall between the Severn Railway Bridge and the Old Entrance at Sharpness.