Analyzing stories!

For analyzing the three locations I came up with the following story: In the book 'City of the blind' by José Saramago creates a world where he transforms blindness into a metaphor for his critique on modern society. Blindness not only stands for the absent of vision, but for showing us what we are, in his eyes.

In the book the "crazy house", that houses all the blind that became infected by the blindness disease, collapsed and burns after the happenings inside reached its climax. The house, that sheltered and gave the people a place on earth, was gone. Most of the people where brought there blind and now have no idea where they are. They lost there link to the earth. Struggling to survive and re finding there place on earth again the story of José Saramago and my research intertwine. From here on we will follow three of the characters out of the book, how they will find there way around the chosen location of my project. There blindness will describe the area from there perspective. Sound, smell, touch, taste will be there world. Concept as time, distance, society, life and dead describe the area on a different level then you and me will see them. With the addition of sound maps and materials gathered from the area this story will provide a map of the area different from our view on the side.

Analyzing the areas on a sensory level and combining them with the story of 'the city of the blind' creates a concept not only formed by the absent of vision. But also one that criticizes modern society and our lack of vision.

The idea (until now!) is to finish the analyzes with a concept model for all three locations based on the analyzes of the area. In the msc 4 one off these models will be the base for the design which I will work out.

First structure Literature research

My goals for the literature research two things. First I want to study literature as a methodology for architecture. Tools like perspective, characters, time, description, detail, narrative, but also concepts like lived experience, creative writing, layout and poetry. With these tools and concepts a writers is capable of leading the reader to a world he designs and where the reader will live in it, finishing it. Words and more important narratives speak to a reader in a way that he understands, even feels the writer who he probably never met. Reading books and seeing what impression they leave at me makes me wonder how I can get the same achievements in architecture? Off course combining literature and architecture is already happening in contemporary architecture. Just thinking of the work of bernard tschumi, Peter Eisenman and John Hejduk. These architects already use literature, all on there own way, in there designs. To strengthen my point I plan and ad some case studies in the research part.

The second part of the research is to find a context for the building design for the Msc4. Right now I only have a idea for a building, but I don't have a context and location for it. I don't know how I'm going to do this yet. But I have some possibility to do this:

- Use one or more book to function as the basis for my design. Think of using a book like 'city of the blind' and use the location for my design.

- Use the narrative a book to design my building.

- Create my own narrative and location.

- Use an already existing location (not from a book).

- Use don't work with a location at ll, just design the building without context.

My research of the methodologies of literature combined with the case studies and the chosen location will be my framework for designing the blind institute in the Msc4.