This project started as research on the different universes that exist at varying scales within a home. The possibility of having nested “universes” within a home raised questions about body and space. Specifically, it asked how our surroundings can play a bigger role where there are no human protagonists. Potentially, the character of these “universes” are the key to understand interrelations and connections between events that take place at different scales. How does the micro-scale connect with the macro-scale? Are these scales as opposites as they seem? How do they influence our homes if we can barely see them or are too far away?
Firstly, the arch-scope, shows us how immediate changes are. Action and reaction magnified. On a small scale, things happen quickly, it is an ephemeral moment. It is hard to focus and follow. Whereas on a bigger scale we start to comprehend more what is happening. It is easier for us to understand those scales that are closer to the human scale. And on the great scale we cannot perceive big transformations. Having a register of all these events in all these scales allows us to stop and learn at the speed humans are capable of.
The room-scope as a last instrument on this research, brings together all the various observations at the same moment. It is a bombardment of stimuli. In this case we cannot focus on a particular event but on how all of them interact with each other and create our reality. Images are being blended rather than fragmented. Even though the site is my own home, and the arch-scope was used in the same room, still new things come up and reveal to the eyes. Maybe a light coming from outside, or a corner you never paid attention to, or the dust accumulated in the beams that is to high to see, or the technical equipment that you never saw, or even a new perspective of your own self. The room-scope reveals a bit of how nature works and performs in a space.
My experiments aimed to explore the hypothesis that the humans are disconnected from their surroundings. Specifically, I considered the role that anthropocentrism plays in our lives and how we design our spaces. Through the design of visualization instruments, I was able to challenge some of the assumptions that I made when inhabiting the familiar spaces of my home. Looking again through surfaces reflected into each other made me aware of our fundamental disconnection with the environment. Our views of and relationship with nature are filtered by culture and media where our preconceptions are rendered in acceptable forms through digital communications and manmade models of reality. By using instruments that de-familiarize ourselves with what we think is how the world works, helps us look again at nature. From the findings that I made, the new questions that arise are how to take advantage of this new view of reality? My master’s dissertation employs some of the already existing technologies to respond and adapt to the new images and glimpses of the other universes suggested in the experiments so that it was possible to consider what an alternative configuring of our surroundings and nature might be.
The process was challenging for one person since many tasks had to be done at the same time, such as recording and performing activities at the same time. It took more than expected to record each scene and many retakes were made. Another thing that made the process a bit harder was that the design of the arch-scope is mainly made to be used by a person and not to record from it. To bring images of what the eye can see trough it a recording and pictures had to be taken and probably they could have been done with a better quality than the current equipment did not fulfill but still made the outcomes clear enough to work with them.
If this research is repeated, the experiment and observation of other routines could be also interesting. As well as the same routines but with different shapes of arch-scopes (some which were suggested previously). To be a bit more executive, following someone else on their routines would make not only the process smoother, but also allows us to learn from different routines and transformations of space. This time as a completely outsider also from the routines. Finding similarities and trying to familiarize with someone else’s routines and spaces.
A next step for this project would have an upgrade on the camera equipment to look better at details, as well as include many more recordings, arch-scopes and different routines and people to compare and find another pattern within society. A generalization starting from many individualities that proves that anthropocentrism should be in the past and go further to a place where nature rules and humans do not try to steal the protagonist role. This new part of the research would also enrich the previous steps since it would give more context and insights that probably remained invisible after this master dissertation.
There are many more invisible events to reveal, and only more time and a further investigation could start that never ending process. That is the wickedness of this project. Other routines, other people, other spaces, other countries, other cultures, etc. all factors that enrich this study. A refinement on the instruments and techniques could be a next step to have more precise outcomes and to reveal as much as possible during the process. Every professional should be open to look at things from another perspective, the arch-scope opens a path to follow and disclose transformations that help to be aware and with that to think about a more ecological design.