Sergei Eisenstein - Notation for Alexander Nevsky, 1938 Eisenteins notation of sound, movement and image for the

film Alexander Nevsky is an early example of a holistic film score. This notations developed by Eisenstein, were also used by Bernard Tschumi to explore the relationships between space and image in architectural projects.

B. McGrath and J. Gardner - Cinemetrics: Architectural Drawing Today, 2007 This book explores some very objective techniques of representation of architecture through film, and the representation of these films through chronograms which approximate the reader to the standard architectural techniques of representation. The image above is an example of the representation of a film sequence within an architectural space and it explores the relationship of the elements that compose the film - space, camera, time and actors.

Jason Salavon - Emblem (Taxi Driver), 2004 Digital C-print. (48" x 48". Ed. 5 + 2 APs) Salavons work is based on an abstract representation of the elements of film and generated by algorithmical analysis. He has based his research on 1970s iconic films. The films' frames are sampled in time and organized in outwardly flowing concentric rings.

Wings of Desire References for Chronogram

SHOT 1

SHOT 2

SHOT 3

SHOT 4

SHOT 5

SHOT 6

SHOT 7

SHOT 8

SHOT 9

SHOT 10

S. 11

S. 12

S. 13

S. 14

S. 15

SHOT 16

PICTURE FRAMES

arch from ceiling to view level

dolly gently turning angle to left

stop

dolly focused on subject

dolly follows pair

stop

arch upwards & left of subject

stop arch from ceiling to eye level dolly along study tables stops at position and rotates view towards angel 1 rises above head level of angel 1 still still still still viewpoint moves slightly to right

still

CAMERA

fixed position viewpoint moves left

fixed viewpoint camera moves left

camera moves left slightly viewpoint pans left

camera moves left and pans left still still fixed position tilts upwards still fixed position viewpoint moves right still fixed position viewpoint moves right still still viewpoint moves up to different subject camera position follows fixed position viewpoint moves left/down fixed viewpoint position moves left still still still still still still still dolly to left fixed position viewpoint moves right still

people studying in background - sitting & standing - static man walking behind female angel standing next to a person looks at camera female angel standing next to a person male angel 2 walking parallel to dolly male angel 1 walking parallel to dolly leaves male angel 3 looks stands at next to camera person studying still - head faces upwards slowly

people studying in background - sitting & standing - static people studying at the tables - close distance

people studying in background - sitting & standing - static child

people studying in background - sitting & standing at both close and far distance womans hand writing

people studying in background - sitting & standing - static two man standing studying/reading by shelves

people studying in background - sitting & standing - static

people studying in background - sitting & standing - static

people studying in background - sitting & standing - static

PEOPLE

male angel 2 stands on balcony male angel 1 hand male angel 3 stands next to person studying male angel 4 sitting looks at camera male angel 4 sitting stands & moves right stands next to person close plan looks at child, smiles then looks at angel 4 angel 1 walks towards camera/left stands next to person studying angel 1 hand picks pen stands with pen in hand walks towards camera stands pen in hand head moves walks towards men studying stands looking at men walks away towards chair sitting at chair looks at pen in hand drops pen on lap spreads arms holds balustrade eyes closed angel 1 walks down the stairs stops by old man looks at man & up looks at old man walks down stairs

angels 5 and 6 sit on ledge of void

female angel stands next to person, smiles

old man walks up stars stops at landing

stops hand in face

looks at angel 1

walks up stairs

sits on chair

looks for glasses and puts them on

sits and stares

SOUND

specific womans voice studying specific childrens voice studying generic voices of people in background continuous pipe organ fade out voices of people studying/sitting at tables continuous pipe organ singing voices
00 05 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 100 105 110 115 120 125 130 135 140 145 150 155 200 205 210 215 220 225 230

specific mans voice studying volume decrease increase continuous pipe organ decrease volume decrease
235 240 245

womans voice writing voices of people studying/sitting at tables continuous pipe organ singing voices
250 255 300

narrators voice specific mans voice studying voices of people in background increase continuous pipe organ decrease decrease
320 325 330 335 340 345

stop

narrators voice

old mans steps

old man breathing

continuous pipe organ singing voices

350 355 400 405 410 415

fade out fade out

420 425 430 435 440 445 450 455 500 505 510 515

violin music

decrease
305 310

singing voices
315

520

525

530

535

540

545

550

Wings of Desire, Wim Wenders 1987 Notation of Library Scene

JIM BALLARD, The Magician (Study for a Portrait) mixed media and collage, 2009

The Greatest Television Show on Earth (J. G. Ballard, 1972) During their visits to the battle the producers found that there were fewer combatants actually present than described by the historians of the day. Whatever the immense political consequences of the defeat of Napoleonic France, the battle itself was a disappointing affair, a few thousand march-wearied troops egaged in sporadic rifle and artillery duels. (...) Rather than sit back helplessly behind their cameras, the Time Vision companies should step in themselves, lending their vast expertise and resources to heightening the drama of the battle. History, [the producer] concluded, is just a first draft screenplay. (...) Equipped with a lavish supply of gold coinage, agents of the television companies moved across the Belgian and North German plains, hiring thousands of mercenaries (at the standard rate for TV extras of fifty dollars per day on location, regardless of rank, seventy-five dollars for a speaking part). The relief column of the Prussian General Blcher, reputed by historians to be many thousand strong and to have decisively turned the battle against Napoleon, was in fact found to be a puny force of brigade strength. Within a few days thousand of eager recruits flocked to the colours, antibiotics secretly administered to polluted water supplies cured a squadron of cavalry hunters suffering from anthrax, and a complete artillery brigade threatened with typhus was put on its feet by a massive dose of chloromycetin. The Battle of Waterloo, when finally transmitted to an audience of over one billion viewers, was a brilliant spectacle more than equal to its advance publicity of the past two hundred years. This short story explores the idea that our expectations are much higher than the real thing might be and that we believe that something is authentic when it meets these expectations - even if what was actually authentic has been tampered with and overly exaggerated. What interests me for the project is the fact that what is addressed here is this expectation and disappointment, a natural and human characteristic - no matter what the truth is really like, we prefer an exaggerated version of reality.

Dark City (Alex Proyas, 1998) A man wakes up in a state of amnesia, or so he thinks. Through a strange sequence of events he soon realises that he is living in a city controlled by an external force, and that his reality is no more than an experiment to these outsiders. The city and its inhabitants are rearranged, repositioned and rebuilt every night, though there is only night in this city. This film is a reference to the project mainly in regards to the idea of a constructed reality. The question of authenticity is The nigh time shooting and visuals also exaggerate the idea that this reality is constructed in addition to giving a sense of mistery to the film. The visual langauage of this film relates to the male side of the short film project.

Chungking Express (Wong Kar-Wai, 1994) The film tells us two love stories that happen in the Chungking Mansions in Hong Kong. What interests me in this film is, on the one side the idea of voyerism and search for authentic love and, on the other, the way in which the visual language is achieved, using high contrasted and high staurated images and a dream like quality achieved with the use of a contrast between fast forwarding and slow motion. The idea of the love story was inspiring in the way that the short film project can be narrated. In addition the film is mainly shot in the street and it shows a high contrast between the traditional elements of Hong Kong and the hi-tech urban ones, which is something that the short film project will try to achieve.

Project 1.2 References

Stores around Spitalfields Market

Outside the market, crossing Commercial Street

Princelet Street / Wilkes Street

Store outside Spitalfields Market on Brushfield Street

Commercial Street, walking towards Aldgate East Station

Commercial Street corner with Petticoat Lane, with the view of the city

Preserved old streets to the south of Spitalfields

Alley in Parliament Court

Her Story Using a love story of expectation and disappointment as a methaphor for the contrast between the developemnt fo the city of London and the hip side of Spitalfileds and Banglatown, the film will use the two sides (him and her) as antagonists. She represents the city side, the lonely worker and the one that seeks the autehentic. She is desperate to find him (the authenticity) and is constantly looking for him while on the way to and from work, since she passes through the site. One day, perhaps as many others, she sees him in the corner of her eye and decides to follow him. Finding where he lives, during the next few days she stalks him, until the moment that he disappears and she is not sure if he is the one anymore.

His Story In this detective love story he is the pursued and he is not aware that there is someone stalking it. He represents authenticity and the character of the (whether fabricated wether authentically old) areas of Spitalfields and Banglatown. He is a man of habits. He has his own routes home. Likes meeting friends as a routine, just like going to the cafe or the corner shop at the same time of the day. He lives in the historical area of Princelet and Wilkes Streets, where she discovers his existence. The first time their paths cross he is not aware of being stalked. The second day he notices that is being followed for a few miles and disappears without leaving trace.

City Tail Film Site Context

she enters the station thinking of what she has lost and about the next day...

view of overbridge sound of train passing below

views walking up the stairs camera handheld

Camera 2

view of bridge and stairs from cheshire street camera is still 2 different plans
Camera 1

camera is still outside tunnel stairs are visible at far end

Camera 3

Through a sea of people she finally leaves work. Tomorrow she will have to come back to the same place but for now she is going out with friends. view of escalators and stairs people moving and background sound of trains

sad, she walks through the streets looking for him and decides to go home after all.

view of station entrance ticket machines and gateline people meeting and leaving sequence in accelerated motion

Camera 2

Camera 1

Section III (Scene 6) - cross section and plan of tunnel and overbridge

Section II (Scene 3) - cross section through station

she waits for him to be at a distance, walks up the stairs hearing the sound of passing trains below obscuring the noises of her steps. when she arrives at the end of the overbridge she realizes that he is gone.

the first time she saw him, they were ten metres apart. she later remembered the moment when she first saw him as she passed by the same place.

Camera 1

camera moves from hidden shot to close-up

On her way to meet her friends she wonders if she might meet someone interesting tonight.
Section II (Scene 5) - cross section through street

he comes out of the house she follows she meets her friends at the pub after work. they stand outside chatting and she remembers how boring her day at work was. the next she waits behind the corner in the hope of seeing him again

first scene outside office block. camera far with little or no perspective. still camera focusing on revolving doors and people coming out of building.

Camera 2

he walks towards the old railway. enters a tunnel. she waits behind hiding in the poorly illuminated areas. it feels dodgy.

Camera 1

Camera 4

she peeks from behind the corner hoping to see the same man again she crosses the street and walks towards the station as every day after work

shots of commercial street in increased speed and echo showing moments of her walk to the station

Section I (Scenes 1 & 4) - cross section through office block entrance Section IV - cross section of commercial street

she walks through the street remembering what she just saw

she ignores the image of the city in the background. someone asks for an information and she forgets to look. sequence shots of small street and alley. still shots with sounds of steps she follows him through the dark streets and alleys, trying not to be noticed in her steps
Camera 1 Camera 2 Camera 3 Camera 4 Camera 6

Camera 5

Camera 3

Camera 5

Camera 1

Camera 2

Camera 4

Camera 6

final scene shot - into tube station (view focus on station entrance staircase then city background seen in the direction of aldgate) he looks back. she hides on the entrance to a house. he continues walking and she keeps his tail.

Scene 5 - plan and elevation of shots through city alleys

City Tail - A love story of expectation and disappointment Chronogram

Camera 1

Scene 1

Scene 2

Scene 3

Scene 4

Night time. Outside an office block. Street is busy. A few people are leaving the office together. We see them in the street, outside work.

They walk through the streets. We see people passing by, cars, bikes. A busy street with lots of night lights.

We see the same people at a bar outside. The place is busy and many people and cars pass by.

Camera walks alone through the streets as if walking home. We hear steps. Some people and cars pass by.

Something catches the eye in a dark alley illuminated with the light of a street lamp. Camera zooms as if focusing on someone in the dark. We hear someones steps far away.

Camera follows from alley to a door a few streets away.

We see the door of a house. Close-up of door. We hear door closing.

Camera looks down in sigh. Baffled lights and movement around.

Camera walks through streets towards the station. Street views of facades, lights and cars.

We see a train station and hear a train leaving. Sound overlaps with next scene.

Next day leaving the same office as in scene 1. People outside at night time.

Camera moves towards the same house. View partially hidden behind corner.

Street sound - cars, people walking, traffic lights sounds of voices near the office entrance sounds of people in/outside bar

sound of traffic (lower) sound of steps at distance

sound is even lower

street background sound sound of train leaving

street sounds quiet street sounds

mans steps lowder

his door opening and closing

her steps

station sound - ticket machines, etc.

Scene 4

Scene 5

Scene 6

He leaves the house. Camera follows through road. Noise of keys and door slamming.

She follows him through the streets. Camera follows on pavement. Handheld shake.

He walks through back alleys. She follows him. Camera stills.

Train passes by in cityscape. We hear his steps. sound follows to next scene.

shot of tunnel outside. Wind and cracking noises. Train still in background as sound.

She waits, then follows through tunnel. Noise of steps and echos.

She walks up the stais. Camera handheld goes up step by step. Image echo or slow motion.

overbridge view - he has disappeared. camera pans down

camera pans street laterally. she is looking for him.

she can not find him anymore. waks home. scene of street in blur / slow motion.

she arrives at the station. camera focuses on station entrance and movement of people in and out.

view of train leaving the station. image dissolves to black.

door opens and closes sound of steps sounds of people in street far away sound of train

sound of echoes in tunnel

sound of street below low sound of steps steps dispapeared

very low background sound sound of street and traffic

sounds of station entrance

sound of train leaving

City Tail Film Storyboard

scene 1

scene 2

1. Through a sea of people she finally leaves work. Tomorrow she will have to come back to the same place but for now she is going out with her friends.

2. On her way to meet her friends she wonders if she might meet someone interesting tonight.

3. She meets her friends at the pub after work. They stand outside chatting and she remembers how boring her day at work was.

4. She crosses the street and walks towards the station as every day after work. scene 3

scene 2

5. The first time she saw him, they were just ten metres apart. She later remembered the moment when she first saw him as she passed by the same place.

6. She peeks from behind the corner hoping to see the same man again. scene 4

7. She walks through the street remembering what she just saw.

8. She ignores the image of the city in the background. Someone asks her for an information and she forgets to look.

9. She takes the train home, thinking about him.

10. The next she waits behind the same corner in the hope of seeing him again. scene 4

11. He comes out of the house. She follows.

12. She follows him through the dark streets and alleys, trying not to be noticed in her steps.

13. He looks back. She hides on the entrance to a house. He continues walking and she keeps on his tail.

14. She waits for him to be at a distance, walks up the stairs hearing the sound of passing trains below obscuring the sound of her steps.

15. He walks towards the old railway, enters a tunnel. She waits behind hiding in the poorly illuminated areas and it feels dodgy.

16. When she arrives at the end of the overbridge, she realizes that he is gone.

17. Sad, she walks through the streets looking for him and decides to go home after all.

18. She enters the station thinking of what she has lost and about the next day...

City Tail Film Screen shots of film sequence

Selective Nostalgia Seeing and Unseeing

Seeing and Unseeing the City This scene explores the idea that we select the elements of the city which we want to see or unsee. Borrowing the idea from China Mivilles The City and the City, the collage represents our selective view of elements as sharp and blur. It is a fictional collage constructed with elements of the site - Spitalfields, Old Bishopsgate Station, the new East London Line bridges, as well as the buildings on Brushfield Street, Commercial Street and Brick Lane; and the background skyscrapers of the city. This page illustrates the technical process developed in the production of this scene, using 2.5D techniques. The scene was constructed in three-dimensional space; however, rather than using a revolving camera, as shown on the right and as the film movement suggests, the scene was constructed using flat images as shown on the diagram on the left of the page. The effect of three-dimmensionality is given with the use of a fish-eye lens effect.

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Illusion of three-dimensional panorama - The panorama effect shown on the left of this page, together with the fish-eye lens effects used, creates the illusion of a three-dimensional space, which would look as something as the
u il d r-b la y e in g s

drawing represented above.

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Selective Nostalgia Scene I - 2.5D Process

This animation was produced fom a single photograph, in this case the photograph above from no. 4 Princelet Street. The photograph was cut and flattened into the different parts that constitute the space, not only the floor, ceiling and walls but also the furniture and different elements that are present in the original image. In this particular case the photograph was separated uinto 15 different objects, which were then used to create the animation in 3D space. This creates the illusion of being in the real space and also allows for a much greater control of the camera and possibilities of film effects whoich would not be possible in traditional techniques.

camera position 1

camera position 2

camera position 3

camera position 1

camera position 2

Main flattened surfaces obtained from original photograph.

camera position 3

Shots of film sequence.

Selective Nostalgia Scene II - 2.5D Process

Similarly to the previous sequence, this animation was created using a single photograph, this time from a different room of the same house, no. 4 Princelet Street. As in the previous one, the original image was cut into several objects and surfaces which were then flattened to create the illusion of a three-dimensional space in video editing software. In this animation the camera was taken beyond the point of parallax to show the artifice used to create the illusion of real space.

camera position 1

camera position 2

camera position 3

camera position 1

camera position 2

Main flattened surfaces obtained from original photograph.

camera position 3

Shots of film sequence

Selective Nostalgia Scene III - 2.5D Process

Selected Nostalgia Concept Drawing

Selective Nostalgia Scene IV This scene explores the idea of fabricated authenticity on site, where the old elements which make the urban context are overly constructed. The image in itself is a fabricated version of the site, representing actual ements such as the city background, the truman brewery, or Brick Lane, however contrasting it with borrowed elements such as the athenian parthenon or a famous mosque. The scene further explores the techique of 2.5D animation, being constructed of plain two-dimensional elements staggered in three-dimensional space. In addition to the idea of fabricated authenticity represented in the image, the work explores digital techniques of representation of traditional mediums, fabricating the impression of brush strokes, paper textures and hand collages.

camera position 3 camera position 2

camera position 1

Selective Nostalgia Scene IV - 2.5D Process

Selective Nostalgia Scene V Following the idea of the previous scene, this image explores the contrast between the over developed city and the old remains of infrastructure in its periphery. It attempts to draw attention to the unseen destruction of historical elements within urban environments, while the financial districts expand. The scene again explores techniques of 2.5D animation, camera movement and wild sound, exploring elements such as the moving train over the building and the bouncing antenna on the right.
train moves

camera position 3

camera position 2

camera position 1

Arrangement of 2D layers for animation

Scene sequence

Selective Nostalgia Scene V - 2.5D Process

History [] is just a first draft screenplay. J. G. Ballard, The Greatest Television Show on Earth, 1972

We cherish the authentic and character rich relics of the past, but we are able to unsee, the disappearance of historical places within our cities.

The project explores the idea that we are more interested in a glamorous image of our past, rather than the real one

even if this image is overly fabricated

Reality was able to surpass fiction, the surest sign that the imaginary has possibly been outpaced. [] And, paradoxically, it is the real which has become our true utopia. Jean Baudrillard, Simulacra and Science Fiction, 1991

Selective Nostalgia Film Structure and Narrative

Reproduction of the 1560 Ralph Agas Map of London, c.1560

John_Norden's Map of London, 1593

De Witts Map of London, c.1693

Roques Map of London, 1745

Bowles Pocket Map of London - Geographicus London, 1795

Moggs Pocket or Case Map of London - Geographicus London, 1806

1560

1593

1693

1745

1795

1806

Cruchley Pocket Map of London - Geographicus London, 1849

Reynolds Map of London, 1882

Bacon Traveler's Pocket Map of London, Geographicus London, 1890

Philip Pocket Map or Plan of London - Geographicus London, 1895

Smith's Tape Indicator Map of London - Geographicus London, 1910

Geographica Pocket Map of London - Geographicus London, 1923

1849

1882

1890
Site Analysis Historical Development of Spitalfields

1895

1910

1923

Location Map 1:5000

Banglatown It is evident on site that the community of Banglatown has a very clear territorial boundary and that, whether consciously or not, the character of the south of Brick Lane and Osborn Street is distinctively different to the area north of Hanbury Street. As David Harvey puts it, low-income communities take ownership of the site through physical appropriation and the communitys street life plays an essential role in the definition of this territory. This is clear in the intensity of commerce and community based services in the main streets, as well as the concentration of Curry houses in the boundary area south of the Truman Brewery. It is clear that the question of class distinction still plays a strong part in the territorial division of cosmopolitan London.
Princelet Street The main streets of Banglatown have a concentration of private commerce and community oriented services. There is also a clear distinction in the use of symbolic elements as the arches and traditional patterns.

Hanbury Street

Bric k La ne
There is a clear distinction between the north and the south sides of Brick Lane, roughly divided by Hanbury Street.

Low income populations [...] find themselves for the most part trapped in space. Since ownership of even basic means of production (such as housing) is restricted, the main way to dominate space is through continuous appropriation. [...] This means frequent material and interpersonal transactions and the formation of very small scale communities. Within the community space, use values get shared through some mix of mutual aid and mutual predation, creating tight but often highly conflictual interpersonal social bonding in both private and public spaces. The result is an often intense attachment to place and turf and an exact sense of boundaries because it is only through active appropriation that control over space is assured. [...] Successful control presumes a power to exclude unwanted elements. Fine-tuned ethnic, religious, racial, and status discriminations are frequently called into play within such a process of community construction.
W
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The majority of the Banglatown area is defined by council blocks, most clearly lacking green spaces, play areas as well as general privacy and defense space.

e Stre t

David Harvey, The Urban Experience, 1989

Partial Site map of the Banglatown Area South of Brick Lane, Osborn Street and adjacent areas

A concentration of Curry houses mark the boundary to the north of the Banglatown community area.

Site Analysis Banglatown - Segregated Communities

Spitalfields Spitalfields is an example of how the quest for authenticity has been turned into an exploitation of the cultural capital of East London. The character of the actual market has significantly changed since it was renovated a few years ago to one of an extremely fabricated image of the past. The old shoppes of Brushfield Street have similarly been kept in its idealized historical condition old signs and faades have been made cleaner, yet older. The exploration of new business opportunities has been fueled by the attractiveness of the Brick Lane fashion and the proximity to the city of London. Roman ruins, which have been discovered on site during the recent redevelopment, can be found in the new piazza west of the market. There is no visible mention to these ruins in the area.

In place of remembrance, parts of our collective past have been either so historicized or so completely repressed that they can never be recalled, while memory [] has fallen prey to mythical narrations and nostalgic recollections.
The new development of between Spitalfields Market and Bishopsgate is reminiscent of any other city.

M. Christine Boyer, The City of Collective Memory, 1994

[] one of Londons finest Victorian market halls set in an historic location in the heart of the City and one of the crown jewels of East London. Firmly established as the must visit London attraction for Londoners and tourists alike, this market offers a fusion of Victorian splendour and contemporary architecture []. You can dine in style, browse through the antique market, buy unique designer clothes and relax with a glass of fine wine []. www.oldspitalfieldsmarket.com (accessed 20 Nov 2011)
The themed market stalls of Spitalfields Market.

Hanbury Street

The area of Brushfield Street to the south of Spitalfields Market has been historicized to the point of looking unreal. Is this as authentic as it gets?

Bisho psga

Brushfield S

treet

Commercial Street

te

The commerce around the market and Commercial Street. Every day new shops open that seem older than what was there before.

Partial Site map of Spitalfields

If it were not for the graffitties the areas to the south of Brushfield Street would seem like an historical film setting.

Site Analysis Spitalfields - Authenticity as Cultural Capital

Views of Wilkes Street seen from Hanbury Street.

Princelet, Fournier and Wilkes Streets Princelet, Fournier and Wilkes Streets have been preserved to a level of extreme historicism. No.4 Princelet Street has been preserved to the state of what it was one hundred years ago and is nowdays rented as a film and photography set.
Wilkes Str eet

Hanbury Street

The house at no.19 has also been preserved although to a more authentic level; throughout history this Huguenot house has been a synagogue and is now the Museum of Immigration and Diversity.
Commercial Street

Different ideas of an idealized past: some prefer to renovate the faades while the faade of no.4 Princelet Stret is intentionally left in decay. Princelet Street

Brick Lane

Fournier Street

The majority of the wood work of the faades have been restored, renovated or fabricated.

Reality was able to surpass fiction, the surest sign that the imaginary has possibly been outpaced. [] And, paradoxically, it is the real which has become our true utopia. [] Perhaps the SF of this era of cybernetics and hyperreality will only be able to attempt to "artificially" resurrect the "historical" worlds of the past, trying to reconstruct in vitro and down to its tiniest details the various episodes of bygone days: events, persons, defunct ideologiesall now empty of meaning and of their original essence, but hypnotic with retrospective truth. Jean Baudrillard, Simulacra and Science Fiction, 1991
Partial Site map of the areas to the south of Hanbury Street Princelet, Fournier and Wilkes Streets

Fashion Street
Interior photographs of no. 4 Princelet Street from their promotional website. (http://www.princelet.co.uk/)

Entrance to an office building.

Site Analysis Princelet, Fournier and Wilkes Streets - frozen in time

Old Bishopsgate Railway Station and other Victorian Structures The area that was once the Bishopsgate railway Station and Goods Yard, has now been cleared for the new Shoreditch Station. Similarly, most of the areas around the railway line to the east of the station, have been progressively demolished over the last few years to allow for the development of new building complexes, such as the Barratt Homes housing scheme in Cheshire Street and similar developments, currently under construction in Sclater Street. It is evident in the final result, that most of these infrastructure projects are not required to undergo the normal process of planning and building control. These way in which the remains of these Victorian buildings are treated are an example of how we unsee the destruction of historical elements in our cities in general. Walter Benjamin, Theses on the Philosophy of History, 1940 To articulate the past historically does not mean to recognize it the way it really was (Ranke). It means to seize hold of a memory as it flashes up at a moment of danger. Historical materialism wishes to retain that image of the past which unexpectedly appears to man singled out by history at a moment of danger.

The new Shoreditch High Street Station is built on the site of the old Bishopsgate Station and Goods Yard. The remains of the victorian buildings can be seem adjacent to the station.

Few memories remain of the old Bishopsgate Station and Goods Yard. A great part of these elements have been demolished and the remaining await for redevelopment of the area.

The perimeter walls of the old Bishopsgate Station and Goods Yard are still visible from Scatler Street, although they have been extensively demolished to give way for the new Shoreditch High Street Station.

Stree t

Bethnal Green Road Shoreditch High Street Station

Sclater Street

Cheshire

Street

Shore

ditch

High

Brick Lane

Old victorian structures between Weavers Fields and Cheshire Street - a great part of these structures have been demolished to allow for the development of the East London Line extension as well as a large residential scheme by Barratt Homes on Cheshire Street. These remaining structures are the connection between the two areas across the railway lines. Weavers Fields

Quaker Street

Buxton Str eet

Partial Site map of the areas adjacent to the Old Bishopsgate Goods Yard and the New Shoreditch High Street Station

A few remaining railway buildings as the old Shoreditch Station can still be seen from Brick Lane.

Site Analysis Old Bishopsgate Railway Station and adjacent rail areas - Remains of History

Brick Lane The area of the old Truman Brewery and the north part of Brick Lane is an example of how an urban culture generated mainly by a community of students and artists has been taken to an exponential growth and exploited by its cultural capital. The use of bicycles and plimsole shoes for example, once adopted primarily for simple economic reasons, are now the mainstream fashion. The old Truman brewery building in the corner of Hanbury Street and Brick Lane, which functions as a car park during the week, becomes an alternative Shopping Mall on weekends. Inside, thousands of authenticity-hungry tourists come from all over the city and enjoy the authentic and multi-cultural vibe of the food court, which without air-conditioning spreads its fumes throughout three storeys filled with arrays of stalls selling vintage and hand-made items. Ironically, many businesses, which until now had only high-street shops, are using the concept of stalls as a business model, and one can often find the same unique stall in several of these stall markets. More recently, an increasing amount of stall markets has proliferated through the area, as well as the appearance of commercial establishments that try to appear older than what was in the same place before.
New and old shops display their unique products.

Brick Lane: there is a clear disticntion between the fashionable zone to the north and the Bangladeshi community to the south; this separation is evident at the junction of Hanbury Street and the Truman Brewery site.

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The Truman Brewery car park and courtyard. 19th Century looking shops in a concrete building.

are superior in spirit. Groups closer in social class who yet draw their status from different sources use taste and its attainments to disdain one another and get a leg up. These conflicts for social dominance through culture are exactly what drive the dynamics within communities whose members are regarded as hipsters. Once you take the Bourdieuian view, you can see how hipster neighborhoods are crossroads where young people from different origins, all crammed together, jockey for social gain. One hipster subgroups strategy is to disparage others as liberal arts college grads with too much time on their hands; the attack is leveled at the children of the upper middle class who move to cities after college with hopes of working in the creative professions. These hipsters are instantly declassed, reservoired in abject internships and ignored in the urban hierarchy but able to use college-taught skills of classification, collection and appreciation to generate a superior body of cultural cool.
Co e mm

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a rci

Taste is not stable and peaceful, but a means of strategy and competition. Those superior in wealth use it to pretend they

Hanbury Street

Graffitti and cool bikes.

Mark Greif, The Mirror and the Hipster

in The New York Times Sunday Book Review, 14th November 2010 (retrieved 11 Nov 2011)

Partial Site map of the the north part of Brick Lane Truman Brewery and adjacent areas

Wilkes Str eet

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The weekend stalls in the Truman Brewery. During the week this is a car park, on the weekend it transforms itself into a giant shopping mall.

Site Analysis Brick Lane

treet

Jerome S

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Lamb Street

Wilkes Str eet

Princelet Street

Site
The proposed site for the project is Hanbury Street and adjacent areas. This area links Spitalfields market to the new Truman Brewery commercial area and Brick Lane. In addition, the area lies in the convergence of the different zones of the site, which have been chosen for the site analysis case study, as examples of the different levels of historic preservation in the area: Spitalfields; the historical areas of Princelet and Fournier Streets; the popular north side of Brick Lane; and the area of Banglatown to the south of Brick Lane.

Proposed Site Hanbury Street and Truman Brewery

Brick Lane

Co mm erc ial St ree t

Charlie Chaplin (Modern Times, 1936) I am interested in the contrast between the comical and critical character of Chaplins films. Modern Times is definitely a reference especially since it can draw a parallel between the critique to modernity in Chaplins film and the critique to contemporary times that this project explores.

Buster Keaton (The General, 1926; Sherlock Jr., 1924) The Films of Buster Keaton are a reference mainly because of the special effects which he pioneered. I find these extremely interesting when contrasted to the simplicity of the script and the formal language of the silent films.

Fritz Lang (Metropolis, 1927) The main reference in Langs film is the architectural setting and special effects. I am interested as well in the social contrast between the ruling and working classes and the form in which this is represented in the film.

Barry Sonnenfeld (Wild Wild West, 1999) Although the film plot and western setting is not relevant for the project, I am interested in the steam-punk formal language that is used to contrast the historical setting with the fictional technological inventions.

Project 2.2 Film References

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Project 2.2 - Film I Collages / 2.5D Scenes

The film begins by drawing attention to the areas of the site that have been explored in the previous film, highlighting the unseen elements of the city as blurred, once again. This first part of the sequence focus on both the selective view of the remains of the past, and on the visible segregation of social groups that happens in Siptalfields and Banglatown.

Moving phisically onto the proposed site around Hanbury Street and Brick Lane, the film begins to show the area of Princelet Street, which has been preserved to an extreme historicism; this area is also evidence of the segregation of a wealthy community within the site.

From the area of Princelet Street, the sequence moves towards Brushfield Street and Spitalfields Market, denoting the contrast between the fabrication of a past - evident in the streets commerce - and the visible skyscrapers of the city behind. The following collage exaggerates this idea by borrowing even more extreme historical elements and placing them against an idea of future technology, illustrated mainly by the mediatic faades on the right of the sequence.

Similarly, the following scene - this time in Hanbury Street - speculates on a future vision of the site with an exaggeration of the aspects of shabinness and decay, and represented through the idea of a street market, which is used as a procession through the quest for the authentic.

Project 2.2 - Film II Film sequence

Pass the Baton - Secondhand store showcases previous owners & the stories of their things A new store in Tokyo encourages sellers and buyers of secondhand objects to share personal culture along with the goods that are changing hands. Pass the Baton, which opened in the Marunouchi district last month, lists previous owners as exhibitors, complete with their photo and a short bio. Their personal page on Pass the Batons website shows the items theyre selling, have sold and will sell in the future. Kazuko Okuma, for example, is selling a number of items from her travels abroad, including a golf trophy that she won in South America, and sold a bag bought for a dance in Monaco. The stores web manager, Kelly Kikuchi, explains the reasoning behind Pass the Baton: My generation facilitated both the evolution of simple resale into vintage, and the rise and plateau of internet auctions. Back then, it was about economy, discovery, curiosity. Now, it is about expanding, exploring the meaning and relevance of second-hand. Pass the Baton is an attractive concept on various levels: the strong story element not only adds value for potential buyers, but might also make it easier for sellers to part with their possessions, knowing that an objects story is carried along with it. And while the items theyre selling probably arent those they value most, displaying a persons collection of things underscores the role of consumers as curators and gives buyers a peek into their life, as well as the opportunity to see whether their tastes align. Its a retail concept that should appeal to authenticity-seeking consumers everywheretime to bring it to other parts of the world? Website: www.pass-the-baton.com / Source: Springwise/Trendwatching (www.springwise.com)

TOTeM: Tales of Things and Electronic Memory TOTeM is a three-year collaborative research project which will investigate the potential for the technologies behind the internet of things to be used to store memories in a digital form. By associating peoples stories to objects through the use of QR codes and RFID tags, memories can become attached to possessions, allowing others to read them and better understand their importance. The project aims to provide a social platform in which the value of an object can be increased through the attachment of memory, encouraging people to not to throw away items, but instead reuse and retain them. Objects that are capable of telling a story themselves afford an insight into other peoples past experiences, and may transform a mundane object into an heirloom. Thus interrupting the cradle to grave cycle in which objects tend to have one life for one person as memories live on in a digital form. The project team envisage the social benefits to include: encouraging inter-generational understanding, richer interpretation of diverse cultural communities and the fostering of a networked museum of social history. In addition, the project offers enormous scope for how auction houses and online stores can identify, track and add-value to objects that otherwise may be looked over because of a forgotten history. The projects outputs will include a website database of peoples memories, focussed workshops, talks and events. Website: www.talesofthings.com/ / Source: Chris Speed / FIELDS (http://fields.eca.ac.uk/)

GIDSY - A peer-to-peer marketplace for experiences Gidsy bills itself as a community marketplace for authentic experiences. It promises to provide a place where anyone can host an activity as well as simply finding something fun to do. Its been a while since we featured Sweemos online auction for experiences, but recently we came across something similar. Based in Berlin, Gidsy bills itself as a community marketplace for authentic experiences. Now in beta, Gidsy is still gearing up for launch. Once it does, it promises to provide a place where anyone can host an activity, as well as simply finding something fun to do. Walking tours guided by locals, nature hikes with wild cavemen and meals at exclusive pop-up restaurants hosted by top chefs are all among the experiences Gidsy anticipates finding listed on its site. Those who list activities can do so for free; when an event gets booked, Gidsy charges participants a service fee of 10 percent. For those browsing the site, Facebook integration can make it easy to see what friends are up to, enabling them to easily combine plans and meet up while trying something new. Gidsy is currently focused on activities hosted in Berlin and New York City, but it hopes to expand soon. One to partner with toward that end? Website: www.gidsy.com / Source: Springwise/Trendwatching (www.springwise.com)

SWEEMO - Online auction for experiences Online auctions for goods are plentiful, thanks to eBay and all the others it has inspired. It was only a matter of time before experiences got an auction of their very own. To be fair, American Express tried out an auction for experiences a few years ago that was known as Blue Play, but thats since been disbanded. Instead, we now have Sweemo, a brand-new UK-based site that allows users to buy, sell, swap and request exciting experiencesor sweet moments, after which its named. Sweemo lets those with access to exclusive experiences open those experiences up to everyone, connectingeas the site puts itthose who have with those who want to. Experiences are listed in five main categoriesentertainment, adrenaline, lifestyle, travel and groupsand they range from a beauty makeover with TV presenter Sarah Cawood (priced starting at GBP 56) to a day of extreme speed sailing on the Hugo Boss for GBP 12,000. Shopping for experiences is free, and users get a profile page where they can track details about experiences that have interested them as well as leave comments and rate experiences they have already won. For those with experiences to offer, listing fees are based on the starting price and begin at GBP 1.50; closing fees range from 1.5 percent to 5 percent of the final selling price. Sellers can also rate those who have bought from them. Jay Nguyen, managing director of Sweemo, explains: Sweemo gives everyone the opportunity to access special experiences that simply arent available in any other marketplace. We are motivating and inspiring people to recognise the incredible experiences within their own lives and making them available to others. They can be weird, wild or wonderfulso long as they can be enjoyed. Yet another business idea that should appeal to consumers who are driven by experiences, also known as transumers. (Related: Experience stores.) Website: www.sweemo.com / Source: Springwise/Trendwatching (www.springwise.com)

Fabricated Reality Trends and References

Fabricating Reality Concept Drawing

01 Waking-up

02 Morning shower

03 Breakfast in a hurry

04 Walking to the station

05 Crammed in tube on the way to work.

06 Station busy as always. Trying to get out.

07 Finally out of the station. Walking to work. The citys skyscrapers are visible at a distance.

08 In the lift to work. Packed as usual.

09 Bored at work. Falls asleep at his desk.

10 Out for lunch. The place is packed too.

11 He takes a card from his pocket. It reads Reality Holidays.

12. In a Holiday Agency

13. Back home on the tube

Black Screen for 2secs.

14. Airplane

15. He sees the island from the airplane.

16. Leaving the Airport.

17. Outside the airport.

18. Hanbury Street.

19. Hotel Entrance.

22. He is taken for a make-over session

23. Styling session

24. Instructions

25. Outside. New look. Meets new friends.

20. Entrance to the hotel

21. Inside

Title title tile subtitle subtitle subtitle

Fabricating Reality Map of Constructed Situations