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Why are there 360 degrees in a Circle? 60 Minutes in an hour and 60 Seconds in Minute? Casual research will quickly reveal that the roots of contemporary mathematics have been handed down from ancient Civilisations. The Sumerians, Babylonians and Egyptians are particularly relevant to western societies, through the Greeks and the latter European Empires. It is now widely accepted that the great Sphinx is far older than the pyramids of the Nile valley. Indeed several sites around the world demonstrate evidence for the roots of human civilisation to extend beyond the end of the last ice age. It seems we have faced Cataclysmic Climate Change before, how well we coped is an open question. The system of mathematics that determines the number of degrees in a circle, in the minute and second is know as a BASE 60 counting system. As we will see, this system is also closely linked to the BASE 12 system of imperial measurements, the inch and foot. It was the Romans that established the BASE 10 system, which has utility in linear measurement. Recently the BINARY system has gained utility in electrical systems, that also is facilitated through LOGIC. However the forefront of enquiry is within the QUANTUM field, transcending dimensional planes. Mathematics, measurement, is a scientific tool to explore, understand and interface with reality. While all of the about systems are interchangeable and interlinked, as tools they are refined to specific application. The advantages of the BASE 60 system are widely understood, however its basis, or foundation is not. Understanding Origins Number systems emerge from Sacred Geometry, out of Unity. It is perhaps not surprising that a Geometry that describes the Physical plane of existence would be encoded and preserved religiously.  This first describes root 2, root 3, root 5, the Fibbonaci sequence and the Golden ratio. The completed operation describes a cube in 3 dimensional space, the Hexagon where its perimeter is 6x the Radius of the circle its corners describe and the equilateral triangle, where all its angles are equal. It is a pattern often called the Seed of Life, it makes reference to the Six 'days', or movements of creation and sets out the Seven Heavens.  If there is in play, a system, where an established powerful elite creates a puppet theatre that divides the otherwise overwhelming power base of the masses to support one side over another. A perpetual illusion of change is presented as a means of distraction, it is the old magicians trick. So, as in game theory it is inevitable, that what starts as a trickle of individuals aware of the game, becomes a growing tide. At a certain point this rebellion will find itself with the potential to bring down the house cards. RESET REPEAT However in that moment, that keystroke, at the dawn of a promised era, there is the potential for a new world order. When the stakes are at the highest, it requires the boldness and blind self-belief to go ALL IN. The first, February Revolution of 1917 was an uprising of the people where crucially Emperor Nicholas II lost the support of the military. In the weeks that followed, looking into the chaos, the seeds of a peoples democracy where being sowed. It was not until Red October, that the Soviets seized the opportunity to take control. A new System, the same as before, with a new ruling elite comes into play. Fear is control and few are prepared to die for a cause. The irony is that Militia intended to prevent marauding become the very instrument of violence, of a vicious circle. When you do not hold the keys to the castle, the only way to win the game is not to play. Some will see this as throwing in the towel, of walking away from one’s responsibilities to contribute to a better society for all. In truth, turning your head and walking into the emptiness of space, into to the wilderness is a great undertaking. It requires the building and gathering of many skills and resources. Most importantly it requires facing the reality that human existence is an incredible complex, entangled and co-opted occurrence. Put simply, you take the world with you. Empowering yourself with an understanding to the nature of reality can be a confusing and perplexing journey, but non the less it is starring you in the face and is wonderfully inevitable. That, the one thing, which you have been entrusted with, that gift which is truly yours, freedom to be your self, to play the game as you see fit; the one condition, it is required to realise how awesome that responsible is.  The conquest of space by State sponsored private corporate groups is perhaps seated in the public consciousness, but what thought is given to its long-term implications? It is a question of sovereignty and of liberty.
The British Empire was built on controlling Global trade; the royal navy exerted dominance by policing the sea-lanes. A strong naval presence is still required today, but more important are space-based assets, if you want to control global trade, you have to control the satellites. While US hegemony may be dwindling, what is significant however is not the composition of low earth orbit technologies, but the extending sphere of economic influence space technology affords. The mining of the moon continues to be an ambition, one perhaps closely linked to Energy technologies due to its abundance of Helium-3. But plans also exist for operations further afield, such as the capture and mining of natural satellites and even of establishing a colony on Mars. These things have been dreamed about for a long time, that they are increasingly within reach is highlighted by the establishment of legal frameworks addressing issues of ownership. If someone is going to go to such trouble and expense, they are going to want to legally own that which they claim. Existing agreements do not extend into space. It is these quiet legal proceedings that reveal a transition into an open multi-planetary economy, that have all kinds of political and military implications. People often don’t feel truly free living on this planet, that access too and the economic bounty of space exploration will be at the hands of private corporate interests, should perhaps be no surprise. It is after all, simply how things are here on Earth. It is the implications for where it is heading that are perhaps cause for concern. If you find yourself in a situation where you do not own the air that you breath, what have you become?  Maybe it’s just a sign of the times, of where we are, but I find myself with the realisation of being a fundamental extremist.
How can you question existence, its mean through time, techniques of design and even imagination: without some sort of grounding and understanding of space and what it is to be in it? Is Architecture more like a map, or a ride? In the 1989 Disney film, The Little Mermaid (based on the fairy tale by Hans Christian Anderson), **SPOILER ALERT** Prince Eric defeats Ursula, the evil sea queen, at the helm of a wrecked ship. Through humanities ability to create, in this case a ship, technology, it is able to take on and defeat forces far greater than itself. Another obvious example is David and Goliath. Architecture is the ship, or the catapult. But it is more; we do not wish to reduce matters to simply being a utility. In these stories, the hero has purpose, intent, skill; that is to say they are artful. With much art, there is a way, a discipline; through pursuing this path knowledge is found. Perhaps it is a good place for a caveat, to refrain from religious terminology. Exploring being in space, unbound with imaginative potential while also grounded, understanding being within a reality, confronts the boundary or frontier between that boundless sea of unimagined potential and that boat, or body that brought them here. At the cutting edge, between that which is real and that, which is not. Faith pushes intellect to its limitation, to the crest of where understanding gives way to insight of truth. There is no foil-backed guarantee, dogma is long gone, what is, isn’t, a great deal…  Drifting over reflections of our latest project, eager to reveal and unleash documented results, first some rover wanders over wonder… Watch space! All that is rises from the deep, it is the only truth and the only truth is that it is not. Perception of reality and the nature of consciousness emanates from this omnipresent infinite sea of unrealised potential. Within the stillness of empty space, flowing through and surrounding all things, this wildly energetic eternal shift lies beyond the comprehension of thought and is the activation of all thought. Too magnificent to behold as felt phenomena it is glimmered. Through the eye of the imagination the path is walked, beyond this veil of the world with eyes open to this myst. Terrific, dark shimmering light, transcendental, of fear knowing no pain All is serene, the only measure of time the intensity or relativity of the torus It is no coincidence Taurus is symbolic of the torus This flower of life no longer to dwell as occult To shine light into space that is not, where it cannot be seen, The doors to the house are open but they do not exist To walk in the open realised Awake unaware No knowing, all ways https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cedNya7e8Uc The ownership of the clouds*
Firstly both legal and illegal weather control by state and private interest corporate powers at a localized and global scale. It does not take much independent research to gain an understanding of this issue. Secondly and just as importantly Clouds in the virtual domain, regarding ownership of the Internet. It is widely known who the major gatekeepers are. Where in the real world, the destruction of the commons is endemic; in the virtual world it has hardly had a chance to even take root. I seem to remember it being in the early nineties that SETI released a download that enabled the spare computer power of individual users to be utilised in the processing of their vast quantities of radio telescope data. Now, increasingly more than ever, the general public is armed with computing power that is seldom fully exercised. It is kind of like everyone doing the school run, in a sports car. As such entertaining the idea of private individual clusters of data storage and processing hardware collectively and openly organised in the form of cooperative providers is potentially powerful. It could be compared with investing in sustainable energy generation technology, where surplus is sold to the grid for profit. Only here individual users would control when and/or how much of their digital hardware is allocated to upholding the Internet. Such settings could be controlled in real time, allowing the Internet to self organize and swarm around users. * Many may dismiss this, as it does not resonate with their sense of self. That is to say, one would say, what are you talking about! So it is seen that the issues that are grasped, experienced and realised by the masses are those arenas where progress and transformation occurs. It is why control of the masses is so paramount. Meditation is essential, for without experience of the inner plane of reality one cannot distinguish where the thoughts, emotions and impulses one posses, or is possessed by, emanate from. It is why it is said that one carries responsibility for the thoughts that one chooses to harbor. In other words, choice, or more precisely consciousness presides over power. The powerful can only control if those weaker are ignorant of their weakness. The world is thick with dogma, to carve a track through this soup to an understanding of a way and a terminology of expression that is totally free is no easy undertaking. HUMANITARIAN Humanitarian work in improving welfare, happiness and in the alleviation of suffering firstly encounters an ethical and theological obstacle. An assistant may possess ethics and theories that are brought to a task; those whom are being served also possess such things. Free humanitarian work possesses a passion of movement to transcend such limitations through the convergent action of communication to arrive at a unique idea. That is to see through all that is and to move beyond. It is acting, which is continuous; continuously seeing through what in time will come to be a particular act. That is that any emergent idea will itself become the threshold of limitation and dogma to move beyond. A facet of architecture that addresses certain individuals that by comparison are perceived as needy is a false humanitarianism. All architecture is humanitarian as long as man suffers in any form. Utilitarianism, functionalism, experientialism; architecture must be beautiful, but it is not a cold beauty, not an aesthetic beauty, not ordered or chaotic, not of an idea. Architecture as beauty must be a reflection of the human soul that is ever becoming. An expression of passion, embedded in its form, a passionate process, it is then architecture of passionate beings. Free of suffering it is architecture beyond humanitarianism, beyond itself: as passion is a transience of meaning into eternity. It is of the upmost interest to recognise the serious importance of a Humanitarian architecture that is complete and fully present in all action we undertake. As so much of the human populace does not have access to clean air, water, nutrition; to education, affordable housing; where the parlours of public space, of cooperation, community, communication; are inadequately formed. Where unbalanced and false economies create a discord in the production of well made things, create scarcity and maintaining disproportionate distribution of wellbeing. It is an architecture not limited to assisting what is so narrowly regarded as the developing worlds. As we see in absolute poverty and desperation the human quality of joy, humility and an intensity of living too often lost in the comforts and nonchalance of materially focused cultures. It is a whole hearted recognition that the culmination of human development, constructed in its architecture, is a life of pleasure, delight, comfort and the realisation that anything is possible, that one can be anything one wishes. It is therefore an architecture that is a complete rejection of pain, suffering, violence, ignorance and confusion. It is an architecture that is beyond the known, beyond the past and beyond experience. It is an architecture of complete freedom, which is the liberation and continual transcendence of ones self. It is therefore of the upmost importance and relevance to all of humanity. It is a total transcendence of the idea and concept, which in their self-perfection are always limited within the field of knowledge. It is an architecture where anything goes, where without exception all action is exceptional. FREE STYLE Architecture free from style: Architecture free to embrace style It could be said that a style is a way of doing, in that any form of doing is manifest through style. Following a way of no particularity is a particular way to follow! Or we may look at style as an embellishment to an essential form, in relation to decoration and fashion. A high position favours the latter as it gives rise to an essential form that is self determinate, that removes the actor from the equation, it is a powerful beauty. If it is the intention for work to exist for much time, it becomes a prerequisite for such architecture to not enter into the flutters of fashion; permanent forms being a more substantial investment so as to be too like trifle, foolish. Yet the world is big enough to look after her self, it is not our concern. We tend to chapter the evolution and spread of knowledge into stylised categories, being particular to the field of knowledge, such a view of style exits only with reference to the past and is nothing more than a categorisation seeking to understand what has been forgotten. With unintelligent work playfulness/decoration becomes clumsy; be it man or machine. However we tend to dwell on reason and mental prowess in conceiving intelligence. It is more of understanding, which can be felt, is intuitive and can be unknowing. Intelligence is a capability for interaction, which is to be a determinant contributor to the unfolding of reality. In seeking to understand there is however the danger of denying intelligence, Intelligence is a form of message-less communication that enables information networks to transcend barriers of time. Ignorance creates false economies and uncertainty regarding long term sustainability; But in the hope that society becomes joyful, open, wide and tolerant, that masses sustain touch with the eternal present moment rather than being lost in a mental illusionary pursuit of an egoic future; as all rules will destroy themselves, as the contemporary is always just beyond knowledge, as we recognise constant change, as we become unbound to form; why not throw some shapes as wildly as they will be flung. Rising out of the collective consciousness we see the structures, systems, cultures, rituals and formworks that regulate our species, we see that the emergent architectural form is so widely plugged in, that typically most individuals and groups are restricted as to how wild they will be. Learning how to throw a ball is not commonly taught at architecture school. Some individuals learn however, others try to follow; this also gives rise to a foolish style. A free architecture is then an architecture where anything goes. Like a truly deeply liberated person beyond all morals and ethics, society is terrified and compelled towards her. EXISTENCE/REALITY Space does not shape or control behaviour. Space is totally unbound with limitless possibilities. Architecture, materiality, objects; do not shape or control our behaviour in space. Culture, tradition, memory, sensory experience; does not shape or control behaviour. Be as you wish. The majority of people would argue that when before a wall; that the presence of the wall will have some bearing on how they exist in space. What one believes is true. For in building that belief you are building the walls that shape your interpretation of space and reality. Our ability to be, shapes, defines and controls our self. There is the law of cause and effect that could suggest forms of control are imposed. The causal and the effectual, the inner and the outer, the sense of not being in control, formworks of self control as we seek to limit ourselves in order to manoeuvre, to not be afraid. Boundaries, Bondage, become pathways that are created in choice, they are wishful; Structure becomes mastered. Control and free will are temporal illusions of a limited being struggling to understand itself. Entering a place and reading its nature by what you know, by who you are, not by what you do not know, not by who you are not, not by wishing to be, but by seeing to be, by defining yourself in your reflection, by defining your place, by defining yourself in being- Do not be. Architecture tracks, or is an agent of social evolution, indeed much of architecture is a manifestation of social evolution; the liberation of people from social and institutional formworks, the recognition of human rights, learning how to care for all life and the planet. Look at modernism for instance, it is quite clear. The other main arm of progression for the field is of course technological, of technique. Looking at a building these considerations reveal architecture of timeliness. The potentially infinite nature of architecture as a timeless discipline should also be recognised, the rising of the sun, the sound of the ocean, there is much about this. The vast majority of contemporary spiritual practice is recognising the dominance of the ego, and seeking to deepen awareness of the possibilities of the present, moving beyond the material veal of existence. So it is timely that much contemporary architectural discourse is of making, focusing on the material nature of things. However, if the single or multi polar voices of dominant modern ideology are lost and we embrace openness, a state of questioning everything, accepting nothing, absorbed and saturated by a noise of things. As all is subjective experience, which totally experienced is absolutely blissful, then all is lost, all is one, no identification, boundless. How better to navigate this than by allowing the noise to pass through, but what is questioning if it is not listening to silence. Reality is limited by definition; it is the world of sensation but also of shared experience, a communal confinement or sanctuary, a bastion for knowledge and temple of human contemplation. But it is only a slice of experience the world of the unreal is as equally present all around us continuously potential. Existence is perhaps the fundamental basement of the universe, beyond time, a potentially infinite occurrence. Consciousness is not restrained to a mechanistic material exploration of this space, it is not held by rules but holds them. In dream, fantasy, idea, hallucination and illusion we experience, expanding awareness as an expansion of sensation. Through exploration, through choice and passion the World becomes, the real expands. Our senses are our tools; they must be cared for, mastered and refined. It is clearest of all with technology, how man dreamt of going to the moon. But nothing is fixed, fundamental laws of thermo dynamics are not constant throughout space-time and are in nature evolutionary and as such a determinant of consciousness of which we interface. Anything is possible, we are unbound, mans perpetual preoccupation with freedom is symptomatic of his self-bondage. Evolution need not be an extrapolation of the past; there is no precedent for the speed at which we can move, as there are no rules without exception. At times life moves very quickly at times it moves slowly, but how we experience/move through time is our choice. I am growing old now and I see that a deeply aware perpetually immersed experience of the present is to go through time very slowly, to become very old. For sure, if there is such a thing, the arrow of time for the world may move at a certain speed, but within the world we wind our own watches…  Strategically located within a cluster of surrounding villages Sharanam is an ongoing experiment exploring integral development. Aurospace being the architectural agency embedded within The Sri Aurobindo Society that is responsible for the design and construction of the Sharanam campus. Visiting the campus, or simply just seeing images of it, and it quickly becomes apparent that it is an exceptional place, certainly within its surrounding context. Internationally, be that looking specifically at village development, socially/economically orientated work or for that matter simply a broad-brush appreciation of architecture, Sharanam stands unique. This short paper looks at this multifaceted formwork and seeks to identify some of the primary elements that have lead to the realisation of such space. The project is largely funded by Cadbury but also through private donors and was born out of the timely bringing together of multiple actors and agendas, that at the time at least appeared very much a chance act. Cadbury, following a recent tsunami that had devastated much of the south east coast of India, felt compelled to extend their public donation operations beyond there normal field, usually in and around centers where the company is directly deployed; seeking genuine and effective projects that would actively improve life for impoverished communities affected by the natural disaster. It was a difficult search, much aid was pouring into the area with questionable results. At this time Mr Senthil & Ms Chitra where drawn to the Sri Aurobindo Ashram with the aspiration of offering service, outreaching non-religious spiritual guidance to village communities with the intention of bringing about progressive transformation, where work is self directed by all involved in a non-hierarchal environment. Architect Trupti Doshi had been embedded at the Society for sometime, exploring sustainable development platforms for an emerging agricultural experiment neighboring what would come to be the Sharanam site. Completing this initial assemblage, Jateen Ladd a project architect engaged with large-scale work in London, happened to also be visiting the Ashram and exploring activities of the Society. The organisation quickly galvanised with clear insight as to the possibilities of this convergence of people and intentions; the Sri Aurobindo Society, Village Development Program began to be realised. Auroville, an international township located close to Sharanam; comprising of residents from all around the globe that are unified in the aspiration for the continued evolution of humanity guided by individual principles of yoga, had for some time been conducting research into alternative and sustainable methods of construction. Cement Stablished Earth Blocks, sun baked, form a particular aspect of this research. Inspection of ground conditions at Sharanam found that the earth was ideal for such a technology and the idea of a large vaulted hall became apparent. Certainly the work undertook within Auroville provided a springboard for construction of Sharanam both in respect to the development of techniques and also with increased skill levels of some master and apprentice masons that reside in the area. However the spirit of the Sharanam project is one of experimentation, the vault designed and constructed there, at the time pushed the boundaries of mud block vaulting; in both scale and slenderness. Furthering technical knowledge, the vault and surrounding structures also seek to excel and progress structural efficiency at all moments of design. Sadhana forest, a mission group within Auroville that is charged with developing reforestation strategies also provided initial focus to help envisage the emergence of the new campus. The Sharanam site at first being a dry wasteland, is now a lush landscape of native trees plants and flowers. This dramatic transformation has been brought about by an integrated approach to building design and landscape management. Very early on irrigation trenches were dug on site with the intention of retaining rainwater rather than allow it to run off, this is bringing about a localised recharging of the water table. A particularly striking result when viewed alongside the potentially devastating problems large sways of India may encounter in the near future regarding water security due to a lack of strategic implementation at community and state level. Any excess ground water run off or drained rainwater from rooftops makes its way to a reservoir at the lower end of the site, the reservoir being purposely dug with the removed earth used to make the vault earth blocks. The movement of rainwater is celebrated at every opportunity at Sharanam, in that sense it is a very traditional place. The building draws heavily from traditional vernacular Tamil Temple architecture, the timely movement of rainwater contrasting with the timeless solidarity of block piers and heavy black granite slabs. If many of the ideas deployed here are ancient and specific to that place, so also many are contemporary; such as the treatment and flow of space. Building fabric is loosely designed to fulfill specific criteria, such as the multi-media workspace, but the space has also been designed to be flexible and adaptable to unknown situations. It is an architecture of landscape, climate and playful exploration of shifting degrees of enclosure and shelter. Pondicherry is no stranger to world-class architecture and one particular precedent became a formative guide to the development of the Sharanam site. Golconde, 1938, is one of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram Dormitories and is one of the earliest examples of Tropical modernism. Its architects served their apprenticeship under Frank Lloyd Wright and the building is a master class, it is a robust inhabitable piece of furniture eloquently detailed. But it is the buildings responsiveness to the local climate that is exemplary both in strategic design and in detail. The buildings orientation to the sun, its user customisable natural cross ventilation, considered use of shade and water to create micro climates to specific spaces and its use of exposed concrete and stone to cool the body all demonstrate an intimate understanding of climate and design. However, insightful as Golconde was in forging a design framework, Sharanam is something else materially. Whereas Golconde is modern, pioneering new techniques in concrete and asbestos: Sharanam pioneers the uncovering of forgotten wisdom. It is made of the earth; low embodied energy with high thermal mass, mud walls being naturally cool to the touch. While we have perhaps now gained a picture of Sharanam born out of tradition, ideas and techniques particular to its place: as we start to appreciate it as an exploration of integrated strategy and detail we must look further to gain a true appreciation of its uniqueness. It is not only about a design framework, it is also how it was built. Returning to Golconde, we see such an exceptional building not just because of its design but also due to the execution of its construction, it is highly crafted. In craftsman we see two things, firstly ones skill; here credit must lie with the architect in designing a system building that could be constructed by relatively unskilled workers and achieve beauty, secondly we see emotion and the human soul. The craftsman is care full, caring for all one does, touches, is and is surrounded by; there is love for work and for being, gratitude and an appreciation for beauty. The craftsman’s appreciation for beauty is born out of passion, a passion to transcend limitation, to move beyond the pains and suffering of failure to success. So with all this must grow compassion as the way of the craftsman is passed to the next, in his apprentice he sees himself. But also in working together with others he sees greatness. And it is so apparent how limited the viewpoint of mechanistic material science, of machines and abstract modernity, when experiencing buildings such as Golconde and Sharanam. There physical form is imbued with the human soul; the spirit in which they are built is manifest in, even as, there material form. Sharanam takes advantage of pre-fabrication and pre-casting, numerous tricks have also been utilised to produce high quality finishes from straightforward construction techniques, but the building is also a labour of love. It has taken time to build because it is hand built. Great credit must be given to the donars and the society in seeing the gains in affording the building time to be constructed. But Sharanam was not built to become a center for sustainable rural development, out of the center of sustainable rural development Sharanam was built. While some highly skilled workers had learnt their trade at Auroville the vast majority of those who worked on the project were unskilled. As a construction site Sharanam was a training ground, all of those involved came away greater in skill and awareness than when they began. Workers felt that they were cared for and were proud of the work they were learning to produce. The compassion the school offered was poured back into the building. It is said that all life is yoga, so then should all construction sites and work be like this. It is pertinent for contemporary practice, be it architecture or in general, to be progressive. Being progressive is perhaps a conscious avenue of evolution. Like most things it is a word brandished too readily, if seen correctly it can be regarded as the application of newness. New techniques, technologies, ideas, happenings or occurrences; but when we look at the emergence of newness we see that it quite often is a trajectory from the past, in particular the field of knowledge. As such it has a career of its own and occurs in time, it can be said that all action is timely. More than this however to be progressive is essentially to move forwards, not necessarily with reference to the past, this is a movement into the unknown. A space is created into which one blindly walks in order to see what is there. This is the objective of experimental architecture, undertaken by a process of measurement and observation, as it is necessary to record how and what is found if the work is to become applicable. Sharanam was designed and built confidently and comfortably within the unknown, much of the building could not have been foreseen at conception and it was designed in such a way where the design, specifically the schedule of works, could carry any pockets of unknown fabric with it; knowing that the intelligence to inform action would arise by when it was required. This may sound far out, but it is just the same way the Basilica of Saint Mary of the Flower was constructed in Florence, 1296. It is a timely organic way of design; of course chaos exists within the organic, but so to does order. Moving from the past to the future the dog chases his tale; only in the present does he decide how to act. So with movement into the unknown we are faced with a choice, space is born out of the intention it was created. To open a door and step in, you will see yourself and that is a choice, to see beyond is a great challenge. So perhaps underlying it all, Sharanam is testament to a human spirit that is unique and self-guiding.  Much of making is process; it is the way of procedure in action.
Process however has another aspect, that of career. It is rooted in the past, past action and knowledge; but not limited to it, as it may be and should be an experimental process into the unknown. But as experimentation it is measured, observed and charted; it is scientific enquiry. There are, perhaps, popular misconceptions of science, or engineering, as being somehow limited to the metal plane of idea and number. Yet in the great acts of these preoccupations we see inspiration, breath or life- by which we see the full embodiment of being. Flowing from the heart, gut, sex, accident, chance, risk; from beyond temporal limitations. It may be regarded as the spontaneous emergence of beauty. Such a way may be considered art, in being artful. But it should be regarded with great humility and reverence, not withstanding that it is open to extravagance. So within process, within all this, arises Passion. Passion of course existing within and of itself in no way bound to terms. Passion also being movement, being action, but unlike procedure it is self-emergent. It both arises within the sphere of process as a freshly discovered road of enquiry and it arises beyond. That is, in a time bound paradigm, as Newness. It moves us totally into uncharted territory. Hence arises fear of being lost, which takes us into definition and varying abstractions of looking at time. Fear must be looked at, in so doing the way becomes clear; sight always being clouded. Returning to passion, Buddhist dogma presents the World of suffering; Nilism or escapism into Nirvana or Bliss. It is a passionate movement from pain, routes of which being recorded in many different known processes. Passion is the power of action in moving from pain and suffering into increasingly higher expressions of joy, pleasure, delight and bliss. Following ones bliss is a passionate process. Being ones bliss is a state of enlightenment. Enlightenment is often conceived as a state of being where the achievement of which is something perpetual. It may be. But it is also a state of being in and falling out of. Enlightenment or Oneness, the complete obliteration of self, of definition, is the expression of being and of being beyond, of non-being, of pure experience. Passion is seen as the rise, but it is also the fall. Passion moves us from being within bliss to pain. As the writer is often seen as living a painful life from which passionate explosions produce greatness, so too that process takes one deeply into sorrow. It is a process of discovery of gathering tiny glimpses of brilliance and returning with them to the world. In seeing its Beauty the world feels its pain, this is the sight and abolition of fear. Passion then is curiously related to choice. All is bound and unbound within and of its self, beyond itself. Perhaps we have arrived at a riddle, perhaps it always has been. To be beyond your self is an extra-vagance, to be beyond boundaries, to be beyond limitation. Extravagance is often seen as wasteful or excessive, but that is always through comparison, which is to create a duality and hence a boundary. Through observation extravagance is non essentially flamboyant for it exists within simplicity. Simplicity itself is deeply extravagant as a celebration of beauty: Choice in movement being far from simple. Purpose, even intention is a mystery the moment being the power of the potentiality of now Unfolding is design drawing from plans exploding from nowhere making something from no thing For it to be action swells of emotion it just feels right, that is the truth of it Investigation of Earth as a body, defines an edge, a boundary: but it is not a clearly defined threshold. Even when only concerned with the physical, mechanistic reality, our definition is more of a haze, a cold fogless mist, its edges the limits of the breath, beyond an unbound abyss of fantasy and shatteringly terrifying existence. It is our heights. An edge of limitation It is far too simplistic to study the house in isolation; there is the ecology of landscape, of wilderness, family, neighbour, stranger, city, citizen, alien. Being not bound to limitation takes us to a humble awareness of immensity. Here the house is not. The house is the world and the world the house. The duality of inside and outside creates division, conflict: Our investigation is to form an idea, to see, the nature of the house through observing its movements, its relationship and interconnectedness. It is at once the body, house, city, planet, system, universe: as it is the soul, heart, mind and experience of being. To see our housing we must not look at it. The Japanese have an expression, something of the world as it is and the world as it appears. The world as it is, is a mystery, it is unknowable; it’s absolute presence is beyond mere reality. We must learn how to see, perhaps our eyes see the world as it is. Our eyes then, are a mystery to us. Within our very fleshiness we find the frontier of the great unknown. We see with our brains, there we find our limitation; there we dwell in knowledge. When we know this border, so close to home, where the real slips with the unreal. Presence in space knows no boundary. Within the fields of perceptible felt experience we commonly withdraw from the known to dream, imagination, hallucination, idea or fantasy: out of fear of becoming lost we confine our acceptance of reality. The fear is not so much a fear of being lost, but one of not being found, of being alone. What is real is communal. Our passion pulls us from fear of the forest; the forest provides, more than survival it is a blissful lifetime. The shaman knows no conflict he is absorbed within the lucid dream of life, a dreamer is no more alone that he is afraid of it. It is a sweet innocence that is absolutely defenceless and indestructible. I have strayed far, but our ecology must be ecology of continual movement, ecology of becoming the world. What is the world as it is, if not the world as we wish it to be? Man is Nature; man is more than nature and she more than him. The movements of the house within a sea of wishes is the intention of Will in Love, one is both the boat and the ocean. It is a storm deeply calm of itself. What then for the rocks of ignorance. We must turn to harmony, order and chaos, for enlightenment is much more than harmony. Being one is a continual state of shattering into eternity. This soundscape turning of itself in love is the movement of harmony beyond order and chaos, a continuous state of wholeness providing tiny windows, opening to the non-being. It seems sense has abandoned us. To go beyond the known, is to go beyond sense, into pure non-sense; to go into the unreal, to discover and through our passion; to return with a tiny glimmer, the sparkling hope of a distant star brought into the world of the known, the world of togetherness, the receiving of a shared expansion of the field of the real. How meagre the word, but this is design, is making. But it is a way that is beyond drawing or planning, it is a way of adventure and action. There is a crisis. It is a matter of time. If we are to deeply understand the movement. We must see if the crisis itself is not a reflection of our contemporary limitation. Looking at the movement, it is of such a complexity that to suggest a decisive moment will arise, that a crisis will occur, is the very weakness of man that is creating the problem. The need of a kick, to bring about a change, the crisis is then one of ignorance, of not seeing the world in all its horror and beauty. Innocence is not ignorant, innocent eyes see the world, innocence is not all knowing, but it is all becoming. Ignorance is closing the eyes; it is closing the eyes and closing the mind, building a dishonest illusion in a swell of fear. Our words we allow to be abused; stretched, broken; we seek to expand meaning through an increasing diversity of interconnectedness with other existing and emergent concepts and observations. In the interests of broadness, depth, tolerance and understanding, we accept that everything is meaningless, not merely subjective or in any form absolute, but totally insignificant and no thing at all. To see the meaning we unbind the term, let go. It is clear then, all things are non existent formless anomalies manifest; yet it is not widely understood. Within a dynamic world, everything is interconnected, one. Sustainability is a conservational force to maintain a system. Where, time is understood as a way of seeing/expressing/sensing/being in the now; the now of change, infinite potentiality particulised by it connection to the past, to knowledge and causation; and to the future, aspiration/effect. Within Now the past, present and future reside. Sustainability is a formless guiding parameter to realise action; a complete rejection of ignorance; a continuous aspiration for brilliance. It is a way of creating. It fully embraces and welcomes the unknown, it is a recognition that all action is timely and that the emotional depths of being are beyond knowing. Popularly sustainability is framed by utopian or dystopian visions of our future existence. Such worlds already exist, sustainability is movement therefore in a particular direction, but not set or defined by acceptable practises or propaganda. It is the way of the individual. It is therefore free of dogma, of rules, protocol, acceptable practice, morality and ethics. It is free of knowledge, of the past, though it is the field of knowledge. A sustainable paradigm is a state of enlightenment and selflessness. The realisation of Oneness reveals the pathways or boundaries of action; the means of creating: Selflessness reveals what is to be created. Selflessness is the realisation of free will, of true independent, original creativity. Being no thing is being potential. It is the responsibility of the person to become individual, to become indivisible, to consciously act and take control of how they live their lives, to act with integrity in pursuit of the world and to continually challenge and move beyond oneself. People are so immaculately different and this is one of the most wondrous things. The indivisible conscious act, choosing how to be, each moment, is then the most powerful force. Indivisible, everything is, there is no subject. It is a unity of movement, the sea of change, of breath becoming particular. Society is a base from which to venture, as it is the means, as it is the ends to venture. There is no sameness, everything is unique, strange, a mystery, everything is pure wonder. Our togetherness is what is to be sustained, as it endeavours our isolation, it is a love story, alone all for one. Beginning with the social, with relationship; sustainability exists in the emotional realm as a felt phenomenon. When we feel truthfully and fearlessly we are unbound and free, action becomes us. It is not a world without pain; without pain there is no beauty. Sustainability as a social construct questions how we interact, value. There is the polar duality of how completely unnecessary all the material stuff is, simultaneously coupled with an appreciation of its complete beauty, this understanding enables instant focus. As a construction of interaction it is a framework of movement, it is passionate and brilliant. If you are doing anything do it exceptionally. It is your responsibility in being. Sustainability is inherent and inseparable to the form of any entity, what is then at question is the nature of the form. Where everything is unique (one of the natural form) and form is not bound to its past, to knowledge, but is emergent, self-generative and becoming. Sustainability as a formwork is intelligence. THIS SHIP IS NOT IN HARBOUR, SHE RACES; A FLEETING CIRCUS- MUCH HERE TO WONDER
A circus way of extra-vagrant practice, wandering beyond bounds, the nomadic architect not only moves and becomes to the situation of a given project; the way they move is the genesis of their work. In no way exemplary, at once selfless moving through themselves, it is a joyful discipline; understood as the art of acquiring knowledge without control or limitation, uninhibited and absolutely free of dogma. Positively affirmative transformation of the human condition, of society and of the nature of reality, through the transcendental aspiration of the fearless individual openly magnificent and humble. |
