Self Reflection

Zoe
11.02.2024
‘INTERPRETATION’ is my manifesto
for the milieu project. ‘Milieu’ could be
interpreted to have several different
meanings:

• Milieu could simply mean an objective

environment and surroundings.
• Milieu is what happens around us
emotionally and through observation.
• Milieu also can be the habitual daily
routine.
• …

During these weeks, collectively from

the readings, my Creative Work tries to
express the abovementioned points.

John Cage’s 4’33 performance1 inspired me to
focus on the concept of ‘INTERPRETATION’.
In his performance, there is a space to involve
the sound created by the audience; those
together become the music in this show.
"Space is marked, 2 " both physically and
experimentally. The ‘Milieu’ is interpreted by
individual experience and senses of Time and
Space. I suppose that Time is experience and
Space is creation and arrangement. When
lived, it radiates a milieu, a field of force, and a
shape of space.
The concept of ‘interpretation’ I would like
to express in my creative work. Every single
person has a different experience, and
they will have a creative spatial quality and
have their own ordering in a space, which
is not about scale but about their different
involvement, culture, and interest.
Reveal the ordering of space, constructing
our evolving relationships through direct
experiential discovery. In my first creative
work – 4’33” Film, I wanted to visualize the
interpretation concept. There are three
movements in the film, movement 1-Point,
movement 2-Surface and movement 3-Spatial.
In the movement 1-Sphere, I conceptualized a
sphere in interpreting the site. These spheres,
1 A performance by William Marx of John Cage's 4'33. Filmed at McCallum Theatre,
Palm Desert, CA, [online] Available at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTEFKFiXSx4
2 Macgregor Wise J. (2006). “Home: Territory and Identity” in Taylor, M.(ed)
Intimus:Interior Design Theory Reader. Chichester: John Wiley, pp. 391-395
Figure-1 Taks1- 4'33 Film
reflective balls in my film, do not represent
anything, or they could be everything – our
eyes, brain, even can be scaled as earth,
geometry , galaxy and universal, from cell
to universe. The sphere distorted this site
view, multi sphere reflected different views
in different perspectives, and also, they
influenced themselves as co-existence of
interrelations at all geographical.
An aluminium foil sheet – a surface reflected
the site in the film movement-2. We are all in
the same space as the whole aluminium foil.
After rubbed, there are million micro surfaces
will indicate our differences experience even
we are all in the same earth.
The movement-3 combined those spheres and
the aluminium foil sheet. These spheres reflect
themselves, and the foil sheet’s every single
micro surface’s reflection of the site. Also, the
aluminium foil reflected spheres and the site.
All things interpret this site at the same time,
in the same space.
The Milieu is the time and the space distorted
by our different perspectives; meanwhile,
our milieu affects the site (represented in
the space); we bend it, inflect it and shape
it. Which is the concept of ‘interpretation’ I
would like to express.
J Macgregor Wise suggests that ‘home and The major events and celebrity controversies
identity are grounded in the location of one’s of today will benefit the news media more.
body and self’. We discussed his article and Nevertheless, the habitual things of the
why we subconsciously have negative and unacceptable and inadmissible cannot be
cold feelings about the word 'territory'. “The disregarded while evaluating the historical,
territories of such regions are discussed as noteworthy , and revelatory . According to
milieus impacted by stable bodies and objects Perec, we should thus consider and describe
in our midst.” This means the territory is the mundane, the everyday, the obvious, the
an area, a place that has been given to us common, the ordinary, the fundamental, and
[Figure 2], but the territories will be affected the habitual in order to address the question
and become ‘home’ by our cultures and the that is truly about ourselves. We should also
accumulation of habitual acts.3 be open to questioning our habits of thought
and reevaluating the things we take for
When I was drawing the site’s surroundings granted. Things are made meaningful by the
[Figure3 & Figure4]—the terrace houses with meaningless and inconsequential, as opposed
the courtyard and the square apartments to our meaningless need to hold onto our
with a more modern design—I was trying to reality4.
imagine how the household would use their
yard, what kind of trees they would plant,
whether there would be a round table with
heat lamp, etc. These are all territories. And
territory became the 'milieu' and 'home' to the
resident and me.

Figure-2 Territory

Figure-3 Territory & Identity Figure-4 Territory & Identity (Detial)

3 Macgregor Wise J. (2006). “Home: Territory and Identity” in Taylor, M.(ed) 4 Georges Perec.(1971) “Approaches to What” in An Attempt at Exhausting a
Intimus:Interior Design Theory Reader. Chichester: John Wiley, pp. 391-395 Place in Paris, pp. 209-211
I have similar opinions with Perec; I suppose collected, like beautiful receipts, labels, and
we should question our habitual behaviours, packaging, or painting some [Figure 5]. Which
not only pay attention to cataclysmic events. is a good way to record my milieu in a physical
I usually ask what the reasons for my daily way to me. And the collage I made for the site
behaviour are; for example – there is a coffee is also [Figure6]. Which will all speak about
machine, a microwave, and a kettle in my myself emotionaly and the action of site and
kitchen. These things occupy lots of space, surrounds.
so I have to arrange them well. At first, I put
the kettle and coffee machine together on
the left of the kitchen countertop and put the
microwave on the other side next to the sink.
The reason I arranged them like this is because
of the aesthetic. And then I start using them.
Every morning, I will take on the machine
and let it make a cup of black coffee for me
when I go to the toilet. Meanwhile, I will also
use a kettle to boil hot water. But sometimes
the steam from the kettle will make the cup
really hot. Then, I started to think that maybe
turning the kettle a little bit would be better.
So, I turned it. But it becomes inconvenient Figure-5 Junk Journal

for me to boil water. Also the microwave! Due

to the microwave next to the sink, there's no
place to put the dishes I've washed. Then,
I start thinking again. Eventually, I put the
coffee machine and the microwave together
on the left side and the kettle on the sink side.
There are a lot of words I used to describe this
little arrangement change! But this is what I
am trying to say: we question our habits, and
then we think, and after that, we choose the
arrangements of our apartment and stuff in a
particular order, which is our milieu. Figure-6 Collage

Why does everyone have different room

arrangements, but there are some common
possibilities. The process of homemaking is a
cultural one; the milieu is cultural in that the
specific expression of an object or space will
be differentially inflected based on culture.
Culture is meaning-making, and we can think
about how the meaning behind culture
influences us. In terms of territory, what is
important is how the object is expressed; we
all make ourselves at home5.

I used to like doing the ‘junk journal’ instead

of the diary– sticking the little cute stuff I
5 Georges Perec.(1971) “Approaches to What” in An Attempt at Exhausting a
Place in Paris, pp. 209-211