Architects, planners, and politicians (to name but a few) in post-war Britain pioneered a vision for the future of our society, shaped by the spaces we occupy. The modernist movement in architecture attempted to do away with the bourgeois styles of the past, and construct a more socialist Britain. The ideologies decayed and eroded over time, much like the buildings themselves, and today we are left with “visual placeholders” (Gartside, 2003). My practice, in short, focuses on extracting the forgotten modernist narratives from these visual placeholders, then reconstructing and contextualising them in the present. A prominent narrative, and focus of (part of) my study during placement on the SerenA Project, is modernism’s pre-occupation with the human connection with space.

As what was arguably a very socialist movement, modernism attempted to sculpt space in a manner that enhanced social interactions. These are not notions confined to architectural movements of the past, but a prevalent area of research in the present. Understanding the theories behind space syntax, and applying them to a contemporary example - Dundee Contemporary Arts - will allow me to create a visual dialogue between a structure’s form and the social interactions which take place within the space. Being an artist, my work will attempt to expand the visual vocabulary of the vast research area that is space syntax. I have modeled and exhibited modernist relics in 3D, but would like to expand on the social narrative of these spaces by attempting to model the “social layout” of a space.

DCA provides an excellent test bed for such research. As a mixed use space on multiple levels there is an opportunity to attempt to map the building's social integration with the various demographics of people who use the space. Understanding the interactions between these demographics, and the role the space may play in facilitating this interaction will also form part of my research.

James Bell

The placement is offered as part of 'SerenA - Chance Encounters in the Space of Ideas'
http://www.serena.ac.uk

This project can be followed via the project blog