What I intend to do at School

Here is one statement outlining what I would do if admitted to the MAADM program at Westminster University. Below is the long version

My interest in seeking admission into the Masters in Architecture & Digital Media program stems from a desire to further explore the changing role of digital media design within the field of architecture.  In the last five years my work has drawn me into using digital design platforms to create responsive environments in architectural spaces. As a media artist and former VJ, I have been very adventurous, yet rigorous with how I use digital design tools to develop an approach to my work. I feel that further training within a program like MAADM would allow me to integrate my work into the built environment much more fully. After looking more closely at the program and taking a tour (thanks to Jeremy Till and Richard Difford), I felt a familiarity with how the program blends theory with practical skills development. I want to continue to work with architects, interior designers, and urban planners to help them harness the power of digital media and lighting; for this I will need thorough knowledge of how the design process in built environment works and what software platforms are used. Participating in the program will give me exposure to digital design tools for architecture, work methodologies, and a point of view on design that I find vital and stimulating. From working with architects such as Neil Denari, I know these elements are vital to the process.

As an undergraduate, I read Maurice Merleau-Ponty’s  Phenomenology of Perception and was struck by his theories on ‘association’ and ‘projection of memories’ – as well as his criticism of Descartes. I was also curious about what Walter Benjamin wrote regarding the role of cinema in the formation of public consciousness and I became fascinated by the relationship between images and ‘real’ experiences. After graduating in 1993 with a BFA in painting from the University of Victoria, I put down the paintbrush and picked up the image projector. I took inspiration from a multitude of mediums used by popular culture and pop art mainly working collaboratively across many disciplines in visual art and music. This lead me to work as a VJ in nightclubs, music venues, and large public events often working in London, Vancouver, Los Angeles, Tokyo and New York.
 I differed from other VJ’s in that I was more interested in creating image landscapes that audiences could inhabit. What is noteworthy is that I worked directly from images, using the messaging and composition of the images to dictate the layout of the installations. From the arena of live events, and temporary installations, and with very little alteration to my work methods, I moved into television set design.

By using digital projectors to create image landscapes I could incorporate any form of digital media, especially the web, into the set itself, which gave the perceived on-screen  ‘environment’  a whole new relevance in the realm of host driven television. In a project for MTV in New York I derived the entire set environment from a single MTV motion graphic animation. The process worked, and in 2003 I was nominated for a Gemini Award in the category of visual effects and production design, and in 2004 our show garnered an advanced interactive Emmy nomination.
 Around the same time I became very interested in “cross pollination” of visual style between contemporary architecture and motion graphics. I recall reading Frederich St. Florian’s essay,  “Imaginary Architecture Revisited,” where he writes about a desire to produce architectural elements non-physical in nature, and that we lived in a world of multiple realities that could be signified by architectural form. Thus I saw the potential of adding a dynamic element to the ‘frozen’ design of architecture by the use of intelligent lighting and projection. As the hand drawn image can come to life through animation, so could the contemporary building I thought. Consequently, my work since then has been a pursuit of this potential, an ongoing attempt to show its significance.

Crowd responsive facade illumination

I would like to learn about new design tools and technology that architects are using, and about the way they are being incorporated in an architect’s design process. I would also like to study and report on the cost and benefit of several other digital technologies that have made their way into the built environment, from large digital displays, LED screens, and lighting to building information modeling and control and data acquisition. I plan to apply much of what I learn to small experimental installations covering topics such as building entryway ‘response’ lighting, intelligent street furniture, and visualizing the data of building control/monitoring systems. Further, I hope to develop a program of work related to exploring the potential of bespoke lighting and digital media combinations. I see the potential of these combinations yielding a new medium onto itself, one that makes it possible for buildings to appear kinetic, and to communicate their status visually to the cityscape; I like to think of it as “Building Mood Expression”. As our entire built environment is occupied by feeling, seeing and sensing human beings, it follows that the very structures we inhabit should communicate something about our collective experiences within them. 
 In closing, I would like to say that visual media and technology in the built environment will progress with or without the architects’ participation, actual collaboration across disciplines is essential, and “cross pollination” at the learning level is a great way to start. There is much for me to gain from an in-depth period of academic and experimental work, and there is also much for me to contribute to whatever program I am able to join. I can bring a point of view gained from practical experience that I am certain will add colour to the program and my portfolio attests to the innovation, pragmatism and rigor in my approach.