22 November 2009

Visible Certainty 2010

This course focuses on the importance, theory and fundamentals of diagramming and mapping information and concepts in a manner relevant to architects. Students study what it means to abstract something and must demonstrate ability to dismantle a system and re-assemble it visually. They do this through assigned exercises along with their own areas of investigation. The assigned exercises include diagramming a film, a painting, a data set, and a self-initiated design research topic.

18 November 2009

10 July 2009

F1 Rule changes for 2009



This is an excellent animation showing the changes in Formula One for the 2009 season. I think that it is extremely effective in a number of ways:

Context- It shows the cars in the context of race competition.
Relevance- While explaining the changes, it graphically demonstrates how they affect the cars and competition.
Clarity- Each of the changes are clearly shown and irrelevant info is excluded.
Causality - When changes are explained in detail, there is a clear demonstrable cause and effect.
Narrative - There is a clear beginning, middle & end. the changes are demonstrated during the course of a race lap.

06 June 2009

07 May 2009

final documentation

By May 15 you must provide a CD/DVD with all of your work from the semester. Include all AI files, package your InDesign files and include the .pdf of your final document. Place you CD/DVD in my faculty mailbox. Let me know if you have any questions.

22 April 2009

just plain cool

More info:

http://infosthetics.com/archives/2008/07/radiohead_3d_scanner_music_video.html

16 April 2009

writing-drawing-building_revised




During our discussion in this evening's class, I sketched this diagram as a way of understanding the relationship between theory and practice. Let me know what you think.

I have posted a revised image in response to Ryan O's comment.

12 April 2009

exercise 4.0_individual research

Your final exercise of the semester is a personal research topic. This topic may be related to your current/past studios, Mater's project topic or other topic that you would like to graphically research for this course. Your topic may be directly related, tangentially related or reciprocal to architecture(al) thought. You may critique conventions, processes or projects. You may also decide to explore phenomena that is not directly related to architecture, in that, it is not a building, drawing or other.

For 04.22 you must present your topic in the Pecha Kucha format. A 500-word written explanation of your topic must be included. Within your presentation you must clearly state the topic as a thesis of inquiry, your methodology for research and your expected out comes. Keep in mind, this topic mst be formated to fit the final document per the syllabus.

Please post any questions as comments to this post so that the entire class may benefit.

09 April 2009

Week 12 Readings

Allen, "Plotting Traces: On Process" Ch. 3, PRACTICE, pp.47-69
Allen, "Practice vs. Project" Introduction, PRACTICE, pp xiii-xxv

21 February 2009

painting diagrams

Selections thus far:

El Lissitzky: Huebner, Russell, Mabee, Christian, Lambrecht
Le Corbusier: Skeels, Hassett, Koehler, Badic
Malevich: Tesch, Spoehr, Hibbert, Stachowiak, Maciejewski

Email me your selections before next week's class.

17 February 2009

exercise 1.0 presentations

Wednesday's class presentations of your film projects will be ordered by film: Rope, Apocalypse Now and Memento. Each student will have approximately 9min. Time will be keep very strictly in order to give everyone equal time. Someone should checkout a projector cart for the class. Please bring your presentations via jump drive and load them on the computer at the beginning of class.

04 February 2009

required texts

Tufte, Edward, Beautiful Evidence, Graphics Press, 2006 ISBN: 0961392177

Allen, Stan, Practice: Architecture, Technique and Representation, Routledge, 2000 ISBN: 9057010720
> This book is out-of-print, but a new revised & updated version is supposed to be available soon and is on order through the Third Coast Co-op.

I will be teaching from the out-of-print version and I have a copy on reserve in the SARUP Resource Center.