Personal Evaluation

I decided to set myself the challenge of changing the tone, originally to be more polemic (although editing removed a lot of this as I was too uncomfortable with it), as well as to be the narrator of a conversation. I pushed myself quite hard to change my review and felt quite uncomfortable with this style of writing. I think that I was much more comfortable in my first review and I think in many ways the first one was better. I think I would have ended up with a better result had I just refined that rather than changing tone. This said, I feel that the 2nd review is somewhat more concise. The narrative parts are better to read than the conversational. I also lost sight in this review of 'reviewing' and tended to be more in 'discussion'.

Task 2 - Part C
Emigre’s new website

What's old that you're still enjoying?

My friends and I have often had these extended conversations about life, and somewhere along the way they began to include one staple question. 'What's old that you're still enjoying?' The question appeared tiring from the constant, 'What's new?' Why does everything always have to be new?

And of course, the second you start asking, 'What's old?', the 10 new things you could never think of come to mind. So of course, when my friend, a web designer pops the question, I respond with 'Well, actually Emigre has redesigned their website and I know its not old, but I'm really enjoying it.' As you can see, I'm not one to be inhibited by not really answering the question.

I'm amazed at how much the new brings the critics to the surface, including myself. There is an air of nostalgia in the air in the design world, which I admittedly am out of, just jumping in on the band wagon so I'll be informed for the inevitable 'Emigre's new website conversation.' I try to set the scene for an informed reception of Emigre's new place, 'Emigre's role in visual communication,' I explain, 'has been important in keeping the long debate over function vs experimentation alive. The name came from the French word émigré meaning "a person who has 'migrated out." And no matter what you think about Emigre's design, they've assisted the design world to think about forward motion.'

We turn up to the front door of Emigre's new house.

There is an immediate burst of colour and tactility. The tactile loving visual communicator in me begins to smile, I am a positive judge on first appearances. My friends expression and mine are at odds. Emigre’s front door has 4 big square images, like doorbells, which I find inviting. Hastily, I knock on one. A door opens, and we follow it...to the laundry.

'Oops,' I say. I'm thinking this is all a bit of an adventure but my friend is obviously assessing the functionality of the navigation system. My desire to explore has not yet been crushed. I'm won over by image and take the challenge to learn my way around.

He points out the 8 smaller buttons with writing that open the real front door. But, despite getting off on the wrong foot, I've already measured its success on playfully asking me to partake in understanding the navigation system.

'I thought you liked old things. like the good ol' table that's still standing?'

'I stand by that, but there is a place for change too.'

'But is it any better? It's got a lot of technical problems, like “the front page is all images, laid out in tables, and is invisible to search engines.” Criticism from a web perspective is coming along the lines of “WHY are we all still accepting shoddy web design from terrific print designers?"

I retort, 'Well I felt welcomed there. It's different to your conventional residence you know. I know the issues are different between web and print design, but web just doesn't embrace its creative possibilities.'

I've set this criticism aside as technical issues. Web designers have things to learn from print designers, as do we from web designers. Emigre have provided a sense of tangibility that web so often forgets about.'

Meanwhile, he's busy appreciating the functionality of the old interior along with others, praising it for its "marvellous economy of means" (Sorkin).

I continue, 'As this guy says “the new site at least introduces hierarchy. [The old one]It was trying to be undesigned, but it suffered badly from link overkill” (Pemberton). Obviously Emigre agreed, the new site has far less links. It's good they've taken on board the criticism.'

'The design worlds argument has been hardly convincing with its typical one liner aesthetic responses like “Wow. So much better” and “I liked the old site. I like how they were anti-trendy.” And then he comes back to the heart of the debate, the point that transcends our different perspectives. I am torn. I have no succinct answer. 'Why change what was working perfectly well?'

'There was room for improvement.' I partly disagree with myself as I speak, it didn't need to be redesigned. I continue talking to flesh out the thought. 'For Emigre’s regular visitors, they are familiar with the fonts and know their way around. Sure, for them, why change it? But, I suspect that the majority of Emigre's vistors don't know their way around. I for example don't know any of the fonts, if I wanted to find a font on the old site, searching and clicking through the links listing would have been a nightmare. The font previews are an improvement on the new site.'

'I still think the front door is over indulgent,' he says indignantly.

He changes tack, 'I suppose I just feel like the old website is undervalued. The new always brings the critics running to praise (as well as criticise) the change.'

'I guess it's like any house move, there is this bittersweet emotion one feels with the loss of the old, but it shouldn't discredit the new. But the new can be a blessing; it's just often disguised in a lack of familiarity and the time it takes to learn. Change happens, and change in itself shouldn’t be criticised. But neither should lack of change.'

Review on Design Blogs – Part C (Draft)
Design*Notes by Michael Surtees
Design Observer by founding writers, Michael Bierut, William Drenttel, Jessica Helfand

William Attoe writes about design criticism and suggest that criticism should provide a "'purposeful response' instead of simply as 'sifting' or 'making distinctions'...such a perspective on critical activity would make the work [the critic's] seem less that of a parasite...and more of a co-worker."

Design*Notes is a personal and reflective blog where Surtees writes under different categories surrounding design and culture. Scrapbooked and discussional. Accessible in style. Surtees reflects and describes in short posts from his immediate environment about things that are stimulating him. According to Amy Gahran's blog styles, it blends in style between brief remark and a series posting. Surtees intentions are not to criticise or make judgements at a high level of complexity about design, but rather to use the blog as documentative and interactive tool.

King and Kitchener suggest that in Stage 6&7 "They also readily admit their willingness to reevaluate the adequacy of their judgments as new data or new methodologies become available." The personal and reflective style actually provokes and enables reflectivity and a willingness to reevaluate. Surtees casual, personal and uncensored tone allows him to present opinion with relative certainty. I have noticed that Reflective Reasoning in itself I doubt requires an intellectual writing style, but a reflective writing style which more often than not is laid back.

But perhaps to truely reflect reasonably judgements actually need to be made, and to transcend the inhibition of quasi-reflective reasoning acknowledging that they are only relatively certain and that they are most reasonable judgements. Surtees blog doesn't make as much judgements but observations, and the style of blog lends itself more to what William Attoe in his article Methods of Criticism and Response to Criticism proposes as descriptive criticism. "To note facts that are pertinent to one's encounter with the environment...it aims not at judging nor at interpreting but at helping people to see what is there."

Surtees comment, "I still love Junk Charts and so should you" is critical in the sense that he has chosen to praise something preexisting, contributing constructively to praise criticism in the design field. The "so should you" seems to put prejudice baggage out in the open, the audience knows (according the Bourdieu's theory on taste being more than conscious choice) that he is coming from a perspective where junk charts rock his world.

Designer Observer is a multi-authored design blog which features long articles about design and culture. The articles have a more intellectual tone than Surtees Design*Notes and appear to have a popular following in the design scene.

Admittedly not an avid design reader, I found this an enjoyable and insightful read, particularly Michael Beirut with his fluid and conversational writing style. He has great skill in writing from a perspective that people can relate to. Steve Baker's article Flying, Stealing: Design's Improper Criticism talks about the need for design writing to learn from the ways that "fictional writing offers ways of thinking about objects...Fiction animates that world of objects; seeing (and insisting on) its connection to the psyche, to experience, to dreams." I was just reading an article about Beirut's conversation with Arnold Newman where he talks about his misguided self-importance. Baker's comment that "when I indulge in allowing a glimpse of myself into my writing on design...the question of whether they [the glimpse] cut through to an otherwise relatively inaccessible truth" well explains the magic and eloquence of Beirut's writing style. I found myself cringing along with him, partly at the story unfolding, but primarily I cringed because I, alongside all other readers have memories of doing exactly the same sorts of things. The story connects with the readers with a deeper level of truth than what is simply present in the 'story'.

Reflective Reasoning acknowledges "knowledge claims must be evaluated in relationship to the context." This article on Design Observer by William Drenttel acknowledges different interpretations based on context although I am not sure that it makes a judgement with relative certainty. "But the red hand has so many other meanings. It means stop, don't litter. It means stop, as in halt." The article utilisies a more descriptive criticism than interpretative. Attoe says that criticism "is broadly concerned with prescribing and judging, interpreting, and describing," and here neither Surtees nor Design Observer fulfil all these criteria although don't set out to. Design Observer does provoke thought and more importantly, discussion around design theory and culture, which is constructive.

References
Attoe, W. 1976. 'Methods of Criticism and Response to Criticism.' JAE, Vol 29. Architecture Criticism and Evaluation. pp. 20-21

Baker, S. 1997. 'Flying, Stealing: Design's Improper Criticism' Design Issues, Vol. 13, No.2, A Critical Condition: Design and Its Criticism. pp. 65-76

King, P., Kitchener, K. 1992. How Do We Know? Why Do We Believe?

Task 2 - Part A
Emigre’s new website
www.emigre.com

Visual communication has long debated the function of design vs experimentation. Emigre has been one of those in the spotlight of this debate for a long time. Criticised and praised aliked for embracing the digital age fearlessly, Emigre had a major influence on the desktop publishing world. Founder Rudy Vanderlans published the first Emigre Magazine in 1984 which showcased his wife Zuzana Licko's fonts as well as including writings on design and design criticism. Emigre published its 69th and and final issue in 2005. Recently, Emigre redesigned their website from
to
According to wikipedia, Emigre, taken from the French word émigré "refers to a person who has 'migrated out.'" The new website, like the old, performs a similar function to the magazine, selling fonts, housing articles and providing an outlet for graphic experimentation. Much like the continuing debate around function and boundaries, the design worlds response to the redesign has been remarkably black and white. The aesthetic has been criticised and praised generally in one liners such as “Wow. So much better” and “I liked the old site. I like how they were anti-trendy.” People are allowed to like or dislike the aesthetics, in fact according to Bourdieu, they can’t help themselves. But nonetheless, the debate appears to be taste based without reasoning in any meaningful way. Issues for evaluation are naturally going to differ between web and print design. Because of the level of interactivity involved in web, from a web perspective, criticism has come harshly “WHY are we all still accepting shoddy web design from terrific print designers?", with criticism being about page sizing being incorrect and content invisible to search engines.

On hearing that the Emigre website was the latest talk of the town, I of course wanted to jump on the band wagon, knowing it would be of importance next time the inevitable conversation about Emigre sparked up in my design education. So it was that I went to meet with Emigre’s ‘new’ house, admittedly uneducated about Emigre’s ‘old’ home, I perhaps didn’t feel the same sense of loss or nostalgia as some. When I arrived at the front door I was won over by an immediate sense of tactility, unusual for something as intangible as web. Despite criticism that “the front page is all images, laid out in tables, and is invisible to search engines.”, I was invited in by a burst of colour, different to your conventional residence.

Functionality of the old interior was appreciated by some for its "marvellous economy of means" (Sorkin), but critical criticism went along the lines of “The new site at least introduces hierarchy (yeah, that’s a design concept.) It was trying to be undesigned, but it suffered badly from link overkill” (Pemberton). This criticism appears to have been taken on board in the huge reduction of links and development of a navigation system.

Emigre’s front door has 4 big buttons, like doorbells, which is primarily tactile and invites you in for a cuppa. Only problem is, there appears to be quite a few entries to the door, and it wouldn't be too difficult to end up in the laundry out the back if you aren't careful. As any tactile person would, I was drawn to the 4 BIG buttons, but, they turned out to be the entry to the laundry and it was actually the 8 smaller written buttons that open a free run to the kitchen for a cuppa. But, I'm always up for a bit of an adventure, and the vibrance had grabbed my attention. It asked me to delve. So despite the mildly unclear front door, I measured its success on playfully enticing me on an adventure to understand the navigation system.

Emigre’s regular visitors may be familiar with the fonts they produce and will know their way around inside out. And from this perspective, criticism of the change is fair,why change what was working perfectly well? But I suspect that the majority of Emigre's vistors don’t come round every week and in turn don't know their way around or the fonts like the back of their hand. In a paper I wrote in 2005 about intuition I suggested that intuitive design was where “...thought processes are exhibited simply and coherently and interaction is instinctive. Interfaces provide access to content, they instruct by explicating what doesn’t need to be said, without saying it.” As with anyone who is familiar with something, usability for the regulars of the old was particularly intuitive, although, as a member of the latter group, the navigation of fonts in the new home is delightfully simple to use. Previews. For the visual communicator, which I am, having visual cues is something that must be praised.

The redesign of Emigre’s home seems to have sparked contention for some as with anything new, it always seems to bring the critics to the surface. Myself to criticise as well (for jumping on the band wagon here), we forget to praise or as my friends and I would put it, ask the question “What’s old that you’re still enjoying?” We tend to jump in on the criticism at the “What’s new?” and forget about the odes to the old style kitchen table that’s still sturdy and performing well. Perhaps I’m working against myself to say what’s wrong with the old ways, when I enjoyed visting Emigre’s new home. A I suppose its that, as with any house move, there is often a bittersweet emotion one feels with the loss of the old, but not in anyway to discredit the new. The new can be a blessing too, it is often just disguised in time and lack of familiarity. But we humans are resilient, this nostalgia will eventually be superceeded with the new design becoming homely. Change happens, and change in itself shouldn’t be criticised. The ways of the new home will be learnt, so lets celebrate old and new together. The new doesn’t require all the fond memories to be given up for the new slick ways, they were valid in themselves.

Task 2 Part A Emigre’s new website - Draft
www.emigre.com

Visual communication has long debated the function of design vs pushing boundaries or dare I say innovation. Emigre has been in the middle of this debate for a long time. Criticised and praised aliked for embracing the digital age fearlessly, Emigre had a major influence on the desktop publishing world. First published in 1984 they are a font foundary and until 2005 with their 69th issue, they produced a magazine that showcased their fonts as well as contained articles of design criticism. Recently, Emigre has redesigned their website from
http://web.archive.org/web/20050217011215/http://www.emigre.com/
to
www.emigre.com
The website sells the fonts of Zuzana Licko as well as cataloging their essays. The new website has been designed with Emigre ilk and much like the continuing debate around function and boundaries, the design worlds response to the redesign has been remarkably black and white. The debate appears to be taste based without reasoning in any meaningful way http://www.typophile.com/node/20464 . Issues for evaluation are naturally going to differ in web design to print design as web is far more interactive in form. Criticism has come hard upon the website from a web perspective “WHY are we all still accepting shoddy web design from terrific print designers?" http://www.graphicdesignbar.com/2006/06/new-emigre-website.html , saying that the page sizing is incorrect and content is invisible to search engines

When I found that the Emigre website seemed to be the latest talk of the town, I of course wanted to jump on the band wagon as I thought it was surely to be of importance next time the inevitable conversation about Emigre sparked up in my design education. So it was that I went to meet with the Emigre’s ‘new’ home, admittedly uneducated about Emigre’s ‘old’ home, I perhaps didn’t feel the same sense of loss or nostalgia. When I arrived I was won over by an immediate sense of tactility, which is a strange response to web. Despite criticism that “the front page is all images, laid out in tables, and is invisible to search engines.” http://www.kottke.org/remainder/06/06/11175.html , the colour burst is refreshing from your conventional residences. Criticism of the ‘old’ website seems to have been taken on board. “The new site at least introduces hierarchy (yeah, that’s a design concept.) It was trying to be undesigned, but it suffered badly from link overkill” (Pemberton, http://www.typophile.com/node/20464) . Emigre’s home has what you could call 4 big buttons, like doorbells, which is fun, tactile and inviting. Problematically, there appears to be quite a few entries to the door. The four doorbells as well as another 8 smaller buttons in the side list. I was immediately drawn to want to push the BIG buttons, as any tactile person would, but, you then find that actually the 8 smaller buttons are a much more coherent navigation system and the 4 lead somewhat to a dead end. The vibrance grabbed my attention though. It enticed. It asked me to delve. So despite the mildly misleading navigation system, I measured the success of the website on it performing higly in the way it so playfully asked me to understand the navigation system. The aesthetic has been criticised and praised generally in one liners such as “Wow. So much better” and “I liked the old site. I like how they were anti-trendy.” (http://www.typophile.com/node/20464). People are allowed to like or dislike the aesthetics, in fact according to Bourdieu, they can’t help themselves. But in terms of constructively placing worth on the website, these reflections on the website haven’t really added to my navigation of Emigre’s house. Some users of Emigre’s house may be so familiar with every font they produce and will know the website inside out. And from this perspective, a criticism of the change is fair,why change what was working perfectly well. But I suspect that the majority of people browsing for fonts at Emigre don’t know each and every font like the back of their hand, and in hand with that, the house. Usability of the house was particularly intuitive for the first group, although, as a member of the latter group, the navigation of fonts in the new home is delightfully simple to use. Previews. For the visual communicator having visual cues is something that is appreciated. In a paper I wrote about intuition and suggested that intuitive meant design where
“...thought processes are exhibited simply and coherently and interaction is instinctive. Interfaces provide access to content, they instruct by explicating what doesn’t need to be said, without saying it” (2005)

The redesign of Emigre’s home seems to have sparked contention for some as anything new always seems to bring the critics to the surface. Myself to criticise as well, (for jumping on the band wagon here) we forget to praise or as my friends and I would put it, ask the question “What’s old that you’re still enjoying?” We tend to jump in on the criticism at the “What’s new?” and forget about the odes to old style kitchen table that’s still sturdy and performing well. Perhaps I’m working against myself to say what’s wrong with the old ways, when I enjoyed visting Emigre’s new home, but, sometimes the new is to be celebrated also. As with any house move, there is often a bittersweet emotion one feels with the loss of the old, but not in anyway to discredit the new. The new can be a blessing too, it is often just disguised in time and lack of familiarity. But we humans are resilient, this nostalgia will eventually be superceeded with the new design becoming home. Change happens, and change in itself shouldn’t be criticised. The ways of the new home will be learnt, so lets celebrate old and new together. Renouncing the old doesn’t require all the fond memories to be given up for the new slick ways.

Design*Notes, Michael Surtees, Review thoughts

This blog is a personal blog which explores many differenet themes surrounding design and culture. Short posts and reflections on his current context and surroundings. Scrapbooked and discussional. Accessible in style. Doesn't review designs with a high degree of complexity although it is important to acknowledge that this is not the authors intentions. Blog is for personal reflection and recording of thoughts.

Although the element of review is not highly complex, this style of blog, a personal and reflective style actually provokes quite a high level of reflective judgement. "They also readily admit their willingness to reevaluate the adequacy of their judgments as new data or new methodologies become available" King & Kitchener.
A casual and personal tone allows for people to change their minds as well as to be less certain. Random thoughts allow us to write without censoring so much, the things we write don't need the same level of certainty we feel when we write with a highly intellectual tone.

I find this quite interesting, because I have noticed that Reflective Reasoning in itself I doubt requires an intellectual writing style, but a reflective writing style. I know that sounds obvious, but a higher level of reasoning often will make me think that an intellectual tone needs to increase, although, perhaps (I am not certain about this), the less certain we sound, often sounding less intellectual, we will be more reflective...

Design Observer - review (Draft)

Been reading this article and thinking it rates quite highly on the King and Kitchener Scale because it explores different interpretations and recognises that for example, children will perceive a red hand differently because they are coming from a different context. Reflective Reasoning acknowledges "that knowledge claims cannot be made with certainty...and that knowledge claims must be evaluated in relationship to the context". This excerpt does acknowledge different interpretations based on context although I am not sure that it makes a judgement with relative certainty. It seems to be somewhat despcriptive it its explanation of interpretations. Whether this is reflective or not I am not entirely sure.

"Caught red-handed is usually associated with crime, or at least fingers in the cookie jar. There's also the proverbial "fingers in the pie" version of being caught red-handed. Then there's just recent news: getting caught censoring email or manipulating terror alert status or spying on U.S. citizens. Occasionally, the hand is even dripping blood.

But the red hand has so many other meanings. It means stop, don't litter. It means stop, as in halt. Or it can mean "the jagged edge between the mainstream and non-existence" in Latvian traditional music. For children, a red-hand can have other meanings. It can also be the result of mixing iron oxide, or trying to enter forbidden areas. In war zones, red hands have their own poignancy. There's even a board game where "green with envy" you "cut through the red tape" and "roll out the red carpet" to sharpen your "gray matter;" "given the green light" you'll be be "tickled pink" to play Red-Handed®."

Excerpt from William Drenttel, The Red Hand: A Graphic History

Design Observer - review (Draft)

Michael Beirut's writing style is fluid and conversational. Enjoyable to read and entices you to continue reading. He has great skill in writing from a perspective that people can relate to. I was just reading an article about his conversation with Arnold Newman where he talks about his pompous behaviour and aligns the audience his his position. I found myself cringing along with him, partly at the story unfolding, but primarily I cringed because I alongside all other readers memories of doing exactly the same sorts of things come flooding back to me. The story connects with the readers with a deeeper level of truth than what is simply present in the 'story'.

I think I've decided to take a new tack with this blog. I am not really a writer, and I don't know how to write criticism. I would like to be a better writer and a better critic.

So. I have a problem that I don't really know what to write about. So I might just write. And I've decided to embrace the fact that I might be wrong and be flexible to change rather than run scared. So I'll probably post more drafts and rash statements without any proof and that are ill-considered...or not even considered. But I figure, at least I can begin to consider it then. And I can be wrong. And then I can change. And I like change. Because I like to improve.

And I think that I will try and write as truthfully as possible. Not hide behind swanky writing styles. Because I think that blocks me. Hopefully, this truthfulness will lead me to want to practice, and will lead me to improve.

And there it is.

Trying to get my head around this criticism thing. This seems to be a rather big claim that doesn't really have any backing.

"Karl Rove may be a brilliant strategist, but he knows absolutely nothing about good typography. He’d better get his ascenders in gear if his White House minions plan to continue placing banners and digital backdrops above, behind, and below the President while he’s making those key speeches. So far these ersatz billboards—with slogans like “A Brighter Future for America,” “Plan for Victory,” and “Protecting America’s Borders” underscoring W’s major themes and talking points—have been typographic monstrosities on an aesthetic par with those hideous subway advertisements hawking Dr. Zizmor, New York’s most publicized board-certified dermatologist. "

By Steven Heller

Task 1 - Part A - Reflection on Taste Regime

Humanity is complex and subtle and I was concerned (I know it seems like an over the top concern) that I would appear like a left-wing-extremist-hippy when I was responding to these questions. This said, the guesses were relatively close, scarily close considering they were assumptions.

When you suggest that you do not watch TV, in my experience, people tend to assume that you are subverter of mainstream culture. Whilst I acknowledge it is an ideological stance to one degree, the absence of TV in my life isn't entirely this conscious. More to the point, television lacks quality and doesn’t inspire or grab my attention. I can generally find better ways to nurture my soul and spend my time.

Frag suggested that the news wasn’t a high priority for me, I imagine he picked up on where I admitted that I am uninformed about the funding for the arts or for sport. I would question whether Nicola really thought I stayed well informed or felt it rude to say I seemed like someone who was uninformed, but she may also have been responding to the left-wing essence that comes across with my attendance of demonstrations and political stance. I expected people would assume I kept well informed with the news because I am interested in driving environmentally friendly cars and think the government should fund the environment rather than tax relief. The stereotype is that left wing people are more likely to be kept informed. And good for me, I break the mould. I would know less about current political and social situations than the majority of the population. Not so good for me is that I actually have a deep desire to stay in touch with the news, but in reality I’d be fooling myself to think that I did.

What I said about my photographs let off more about me than I realised. This was where the subtleties about my humanity were revealed. Frag's comment 'creative observational approach to life' captures a lot about me, and I think that Frag was able to pick up on this outlook to life because in his taste regime he talked quite similarly in terms of photography; enjoying taking "photos of everyday things that I find interesting or quirky and I often photograph to visually document". This according to Bourdieu's taste regime theory suggests he was prejudiced to understand what I was talking about because he has similar tastes and was therefore predisposed to interpret the data I offered correctly.

Review 2
Emotional Architecture 2
Sample City 2003 – Calin Dan (video – DVD, 11:40 mins)

Thinking about Sample City, the main memory that sticks is the sterile environment in which it is displayed and its refusal to acknowledge the interaction with its audience. The world cannot escape the uncontrollable dynamics between people and environments. The dark unatmospheric room with one chair, 3 beanbags, 3 different projections and headphones isolates the audience. This isolation from the work which then appears flawless endangers the audience to see the artist as an authority. The audience is less likely to seek and value their own interpretations of the work, as I did, when I assumed I didn't know enough to decode the work.

Despite this lack of atmosphere, the querky and slightly absurd mood that Sample City evokes does engage with the audience. The absurdity of humanity- a man embarks upon a journey wearing a door - it can appeal to humanity. The piece succeeds in this respect, in that the absurdity holds the attention of the audience – the audience anticipates how the world will respond to the flaneur because they can sympathise with his siutation without having experienced it.

If art is to communicate, it needs to engage its audience. I imagine Dan was hoping for more than a dispassionate response from his audience. Dan trusts his audience will bring its own thoughts. My lack of desire to understand what Dan was getting at in Sample City suggests that it doesn’t successfully seek a dialogue with the audience. It is a one way piece of communication that the artist ultimately leaves trustingly in the hands of its audience. Hopefully he is seeking the diversity of unguided responses. If the provocation to think and interpret is all Dan is getting at, he has succeeded.

existing review of Sample City

"EMOTIONAL ARCHITECTURE is conceived as a 'flannerie' (in the sense used by Walter Benjamin) among a series of six video and multimedia installations / projections disseminated in the generous, yet fragmented spaces of the recently renovated early 20th century venue. Alternating hard and soft points, places for reflection and places for entertainment, the exhibition is meant as a non-linear discourse about cities.

- SampleCity (I), 2003, 12 min, sound - four channels video installation. The film is exploring the textual/human/architectural strata of the Bucharest cityscape, using as a guiding agent the contemporary impersonation of a character from an old Romanian folk tale. Sort of Tijl Uilenspiegel, he is carrying a door on his back, transforming therefore his body into a migrant architecture that wanders endlessly through the city. The character plays the role of a disturbing factor (the performer/the buffoon/the homeless shaman), and functions as a strange attractor for the voyeuristic inquiries of the camera, which has to deal with his presence constantly, while constantly scanning the cityscape."

review 1

Emotional Architecture 2
Sample City 2003 – Calin Dan (video – DVD, 11:40 mins)

Sample City follows a flaneur around the diverse and ramshackle cityscape of Bucharest. Baudelaire’s theory of the the flaneur is “to be away from home, yet to feel oneself everywhere at home...” . The flaneur wanders aimlessly throughout the streets; the raw and real environment. He carries a door upon his back. The tension of interpretation is that the door can be also read as a burden. Coming out of a predominantly Christian Orthodox environment (where crosses represents burdens), his discomfort at carrying the door as well as the other wanderer that carries a cross provides this reading.
The flaneur is on a pilgrimage, yet a pilgrimage that doesn’t and isn’t intended to finish. Strangely, the flaneur’s pilgrimage, like any good flaneur is to seek contentment in the process of the stroll through the cityscapes and environment, to find a sense of home.
Environmental Architecture begins to open up the idea that architecture cannot be and is not isolated from human interaction. Inherent in the concept of architecture is the presence of people, an uncontrollable and dynamic sense of being.
Another of Dan’s architecturally related projects in the Romanian context has been in response to ‘The House of the People’. The building’s construction and size caused major displacement throughout Bucharest due to the demolition of one fifth of the historic areas of Bucharest. Sample City could be a continued response to the displacement caused by this. The raw realities of the interaction the people have with architecture that is generally clutered, run-down and poor.

taste regime

1. Favourite Television Show in the last 2 years. How many hours television do you watch a week?
I don't watch TV. Until the World Cup Soccer, our household was not in possession of a television, and, when it finishes, I imagine our house will return to the same status.

2. What sort of camera do you have? What do you take pictures of: events, friends and relatives, things I find interesting, beautiful things?
Pentax K1000. A lovely traditional style manual camera that requires no electronics for it to work. I generally take photos of things that inspire me or that I respond to. For example, something that I respond to emotionally such as people’s interactions or an idea/concept that moves me. But, more often I photograph things that I am visually inspired by such as typography, textures, colours, moods unusual compositions that are created in my surrounding environments, the natural and man-made environment. My photographs are often close-ups. Occasionally I will photograph events, I always take my camera but I always forget to take photos or decide I would rather just enjoy the moment.

3. What sort of car would you like to drive? How often would you get under the bonnet of that car?
I am not particularly troubled about what car I drive, although would prefer to drive a smallish, perhaps diesel fueled car, for environmental reasons. For most of my life I wanted to drive a Mazda 121. Now, every now and then, I borrow my friends Mazda 121.

4. Do you play a musical instrument? Which?
No.

5. List your most favourite and least favourite type of music?
Musical type...I am not really into favourites because it is so definite. But...
A rough favourite would be Blue and Roots Music
A rough least favourite would be screaming music where I can’t figure out the words.

6. Which of the following would you visit or attend at least twice a year: art galleries, museums, public lectures, public libraries, political meetings, demonstrations or rallies?
Art Galleries
Public Libraries
Demonstrations/Rallies

7. List 4 films you have seen in the last year, from favourite to least favourite, and indicate how you saw them (cinema, video/dvd rental, video/dvd owned, pay TV, free-to-air TV)?
1.Amelie (DVD –borrowed)
2.900 Neighbours (Cinema –Sydney Film Festival)
3.Thumbsucker (DVD –rental)
4.Mona Lisa Smile (video –rental)

8. What is your favourite sport or game to play? What is your favourite sport or game to watch?
To play: Soccer
To watch: Tennis or soccer

9. Where would like to travel to (apart from to friends or relatives)?

10.What is your primary source of news? To what extent to do you take an interest in the news

11.Should the government be spending more or less funding on: tax relief, sport, the arts, the environment.
Tax relief: Less
Sport: I don’t know how much they spend on sport, but I might rather not know
The arts: I think the arts is a very worthwhile investment, although I am not 100% sure how much they spend on the arts, I get the impression they invest quite a large amount in the arts. There are other things I would be encouraging more funding on before the arts at the present moment.
The environment: More.

12.Which country are you from? Could you live in a country other than where you were raised for the rest of your life?

13.Where do you tend to meet your friends: at each other’s homes, shopping centres, pubs or clubs, cafes and restaurants, parks or exercising?
Each other’s homes or cafes. We often may progress to a pub or restaurant.