technē and poiēsis

I’ve been spending time with a 5-year-old and a 3-year-old. They have become accustomed to me working on the 3d model of the caravan. ‘Sam, elle fait sa carabane!’. I asked them what they would like if they had one. ‘A bed, and a shelf for my books, and a cupboard for my puzzles. And a swingset’. Everyone has their own ideal for what makes a home! It has been a good exercise for me to imagine what is my own minimum necessary equipment for living. Maybe not a swingset, but here is my list. This is what shaped my design.  Windows. I dream of having a big double door that I can throw open when it’s nice out. Over the bed, I want a skylight so I can hear the rain and see the stars.  Bed. Yes, this is necessary. Unlike most tiny houses, I don’t want to put the bed in a sleeping loft that is used only for sleeping.  Table. This is the only piece of mobile furniture in the caravan. It is a multifunctional surface: dining table, desk, kitchen island.  Bench. A...

Tiny houses are trendy at the moment. It seems like there are dozens of Youtube channels, blogs, Instagram feeds, etc. published by people choosing to downsize their living space. It almost made me not want to build one, because the last thing I want is to be trendy! This wordwide community of tiny house dwellers share many common ideals. These include: using less resources, paying less rent, and being closer to nature. And yes, I have these ideals as well. But each person who has made the decision to live in a tiny house has done so due to a different set of circumstances and life goals. The tiny house is simply the physical outcome of these. Some people choose to order one pre-made; others buy plans; others start from scratch. I'm starting from scratch because a) My education as an architect has (hopefully!) given me the tools I need to make one, and b) For once I have the chance to build something entirely for myself and I want it to be as close as possible to my 'dream...

When I try to give people the link to this blog, I end up cursing myself because it's impossible to spell. Why did I choose ' technē and poiēsis ' anyways? I was trying to remember- it was such a long time ago! But eventually I remembered Ignasi de Solà-Morales' collection of essays, called ' Differences: Topographies of Contemporary Architecture '. This anthology often lay beside my computer as I was working on my research papers in Rome. I think I was particularily captivated by Solà-Morales' analysis of Martin Heidegger, in the essay called 'High Tech: Functionalism or Rhetoric': "The historic rupture between doing and being, between technē and poiēsis, is, in Heidegger, the expression of an essential malaise in modern humanity and society. The cure for this malaise lies in art: in building, dwelling, and thinking." According to Heidegger , technē is a Greek word that means 'to make something appear', whereas poiēsis means ...

I've titled this post optimistically 'chair 1' because I hope to make more chairs in the future. This one was very much an experiment, and there are many things I would like to correct for the next.