Michael Bermudez

Architecture and Sound

"Architecture is defined by the actions it witnesses as much as by the enclosure of its walls."

- Bernard Tschumi

The above quote from Bernard Tschumi, to me, explains what architecture can become. It is not about a stringent set of rules devised by those who took part in the design and construction process placed upon to inhabitants of the structure. Architecture can, and should, become more than that. It is about letting people take part in what happens in the building you’ve designed. It’s about letting your design take on a life of its own. You set a goal to create something that encompasses a certain set of programmatic and aesthetic qualities you think will make your building a success. However, there comes a point when you have to let the inhabitants take over. They see what you’ve done not for the theory behind it, but as selfishly as possible. They find the nooks where they can be by themselves. They find the spaces where they can have group meetings. They find the openness to hold events. It is the job of the architect to provide these conditions as best he can, but ultimately the user will change the program as they see fit. When that happens, your design has taken a life of its own.

 

 

Visiting the site, a certain programmatic scheme becomes apparent – both visually and auditory. Walking the site through at night, it becomes very apparent. When in the deepest part of the alley, the lighting becomes mustard and the sound becomes mechanical. As you move towards others programs, the lighting becomes lighter and more colorful with sound being varied with events taking place. There is a juxtaposition between a dark and dirty alley to a bright and pristine public program.

 

When researching how I can make my design have a life of its own even though it already a built environment, I came across Marcel Duchamp. He plays with an idea in art called “readymades.” The only known definition given by Duchamp about readymades (which is debated not to be his definition at all, but by Andre Breton who wrote this definition for the Surrealist dictionary) is “an ordinary object elevated to the dignity of a work of art by the mere choice of an artist.” Expanding on this idea to with the alley, I came across an esoteric musical score called “Treatise” by Cornelius Cardew. Then I adjusted it to suit my purposes. Cardew never explicitly mentions how one should perform his work, but encourages the interpreters to devise their own rules about the piece.  The score is now my diagrams. This score show me something new when placed over the site. When using cognitive psychology, the score encompasses a certain set of rules within itself that allows someone to organize it – Gestalt Principles of Organization. This organization technique allows the interpreter to organize based on proximity, similarity, continuation, and closure. Mimicking Treatise with the Gestalt Principles of Organization, I can organize the alley and elevate it beyond a mere road for service. I can find those events that are already occurring in the space and organize them to accentuate or downplay them. It brings composition to these 15 blocks disorder.

 

I have come to the realization that sound and architecture are very similar, when you look at it through a certain point of view. The composer writes his vision for someone else to play it. The architect draws his ideas down for someone else to build them. The musician spends time crafting his piece in order for someone else to enjoy. The architect spends time designing his work in order for someone else to use it. I want to combine these two professions into one cohesive piece. The musical score is the floor plan to the way a piece should be experienced. When the visitor of my work comes, I want them to break their preconceived notions. I see my design a musical score. I want to create a space that becomes unique by changing experience at certain points by manipulating perception.

Network/ Connection/ Add-Ons

Palacios+Perelli