aa int. unit 11the briefing:

ibizabody-mind space station.

2012-2013

Ibiza is not just a location, it is a testing ground. From the sixties until now Ibiza Island has been a non-stop laboratory of tools to transform the natural landscape into an amplified experience environment.

From hippies to techno-kids the island has invented and consolidated a kind of “extra-territorial tourism” searching for an experience that melts the wildest nature of the site with the most radical altered experience into a unique atmosphere.

Its mythical natural components are mixed with tecnological devices to produce a kind of rocky platform that works as an inside-outside station. Soundsystems and resorts empower the seductive and magical properties of the mountains, the beaches and the sea.

The island presents a controversial space where the explosion of the low-cost com-panies meets exclusive luxury spots and spiritual meditation trippers, pop and commercial strategies meet sustainable needs, and all of this empowered by a very strong seasonality that multiplies the population only 5 months per year.

ibiza.

Left: Hippy campament in the island during 60´. Right: Dj set in Space Ibiza.

“Since the appearance of Daniel Defoe´s novel The Life and Strange Surprising Adven-tures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, Mariner: who lived eight and twenty years all alone in an unhabited island on the coast of America… written by himself, of 1719, Europeans admitted that humans are beings who have something to look for in the islands”.

The image of the island has been used widely in literary fiction, from Defoe, Verne to Moebius or Holullebecq, passing through Huxley. Its closed outline represents the symbol of human achivement by the establishment of new realities associated with the trip, liberation, identity and experimentation.

From the philosofical gaze, island has been the paradigmatical model to talk about “creation of animated interior worlds”. We´ll draw on the different categories provided by Gilles Deleuze – continental islands and oceanic islands – and Peter Sloterdijk – absolute islands, climatic islands and anthropogenic islands – to work with a typology that trascends its geographical consideration to approach an architectural organization: spatial, atmosphe-rical and political.

From literature to philosophy, island is perceived as a radical enclave from which to fight against everyday conventions. Incorporating the mythological reading of these sites to the established practices of the late capitalism, we hope to find new ways to develope pro-grams related to leisure and tourism, and beyond this, a “review of the definitions of reality on terra ferma”.

islands.

Left: The Mysterious Island. Jules Verne. Illustration.Right: Venise Celeste. Moebius. Illustration.

Today, multiple versions from the 60´s experimental practices are concealed under hypercommercial concepts such as brand experience, body culture, or wellness. Among these commercial practices, there is an attempt to restore strong relations with the body but without the 60’s radical soul. The brief opens an opportunity to revisit a new version of phenomenology from this viewpoint;

On the other hand, we find that the paths exploring the senses and mind expansion are, from the architectural discipline, traditionally narrow and even sometimes rejected.

However, we will look at contemporary artists like Carsten Höller or Yayoi Kusama, who through their installations are trying to achieve ways of radicalism, subverting the sen-ses in order to create intense relations between body and space. Our research will be based on the belief that architecture can activate the same phenomenological protocols used by a certain kind of perceptive art. Simultaneously we’ll look for new versions of radical enclaves to intensify the island experience.

Going back to the 60’s slogan “are you experienced” for architecture, we’ll be able to offer a high fidelity translation of all these expanded senses; adding more qualities to the island party ecosystem.

experience.

Left: Double Carousel with Zöllner Stripes. Carsten Holler.Right: Dots obsession. Yayoi Kusama.

BODY/EXPERIENCE

The first section will focus on body-space relations based on concepts such as percep-tion and expanded experience.

For this purpose, we´ll launch a research on some artists that guide their work around these issues - Yayoi Kusama, Carsten Holler, Takashi Murakami, Olafur Eliasson, Malgosia Stepnik, Jen Stark, Gabriel Dawe...

The final output will be aimed at experimenting with the actual experience of the subject. Having this goal in mind, you´ll be asked to design some space helmets. Head pie-ces, scale 1/1, defined as small immersive spaces that transfer a set of spatial phenomena – visual, audio, temperature, smell... to the closeness of our bodies. We´ll work later whith the results on larger scale projects.

These space helmets work as small-scale constructions of the concept of island - spatial autonomy and environmental isolation capsules. Inside, not only are we re-creating a spatial and technically controlled world but we´re also providing an understanding of the surrounding environment in amplified terms.

The development of the work will be supported by two workshops led by visual artist Adrián Navarro and fashion designer Roberto Piqueras. Both, from their own disciplines, draw on color and graphic experiments to generate lysergic spatial effects related to the senses and the body.

term 1.

Left: Upside-Down goggles. Carsten Holler.Right: Deadmau5 dj set.

CLUBS

The second term will develop specifically and on a larger scale, the idea of what we’ve named body-mind space stations. It consists of pushing the club to a certain limit, a key collective space for Ibiza hedonistic development. Body-mind space stations will work as an answer to the actual debate underlining the stagnation of Ibiza’s brand, mostly concerning the club culture.

But at the same time, from the disco concept created in the 60s and later expanded during pop culture; Ibiza offers a research framework full of new potentials to induce other opportunities to the club concept. The atmosphere for these opotuniteies comes through the island’s deep knowledge of certain aspects such as: the culture of pleasure, the psyche-delic influence and the review of different artists and creators, all of which are linked to the island.

For example some clubs like Usahia have incorporated other programs to the routine of the disco (hotel+club) or the new David Guetta´s club at Ibiza airport (airport+club). The idea is to look into new ways of upgrading the Ibiza clubs; pushing their hedonistic possibi-lities beyond the idea of a single seasonal party and only during the night.

This scenario prompts an initial search for these opportunities and locations using a radical filter and a deep exploration concerning the clubs’ new identities.

term 2.

Left: Space Ibiza party.Right: Anish Kapoor´s installation in Grand Palais (Paris).

THE ISLAND

The last term will focus on developing a whole story for the new hedonistic island; through the disco stations. It is about defining the concept of an island inside an island. We will emphasize on the narrative processes that are able to create analternative identity, a new type of leisure island.

Two production tools support this creation: First we’ll develop posters, a kind of na-rrative sequence using the resources of the posters used by the clubs in Ibiza. It will be an opportunity to deeply review poster culture from psychedelia until now; through the poster we will also revisit color techniques acquired from the analysis of artists and workshops tes-ted in the first term, we’ll insist on adding some 3D qualities to the classical poster output.

The second tool will be a final artificial recreation of the new version of the island; in order to perceive the island through Sloterdijk´s words as an “atmospheric topo”, as a whole new leisure ecosystem. We’ll use a final model to express these ideas and articulate the diffe-rent individual proposals collectively on a larger scale.

term 3.

Left: Divinity. Jen Stark.Middle: Phantasm. Jen Stark.Right: Space Ibiza poster.

The points that will determine the technical decisions of the proposal are: - Small size construction, possibly temporary or removable to another location.- Construction in environmental fragility sites: Natural areas, coastline, barely urbani-

zed ...- The program will require a significant deployment of effects: audio, visuals, climate...

Given these considerations, the technical challenge is aimed at:

A type of construction and materials, light, detachable and based on processes of as-sembly, which produce minimal impact on the land or the building where they are located. In certain cases, if the proposal is an extension of an existing building, it will be addressed the impact on this construction and the strategies to connect to each other (with or without foundation).

Environmental Design will seek to take advantage of the good meteorological condi-tions of the island to use them to produce leisure spaces. Not only we´ll seek to reduce the environmental impact of the building, reducing the climate control consumption, but we´ll try to make the most of natural phenomena (sea, wind, temperature ...) as desirable factors, usually rejected in programs like these.

Due to the need for special effects demanded by entertainment programs, we´ll look into the possibility of developing them in a sustainable way. Is it possible a sustainable es-pectacle? Can we get energy resources from these kind of activities? Con we get an energy trasbase between day and night programs?

It´ll be searched a family of materials that in its treatment we can get a set of effects that provide the amplified sensory effect that the course pursues. Can you use craft techni-ques or local building materials, and avoid sophisticated and extremely expensive systems to produce perceptual effects associated with the use of color, shapes...?

technical studies.

Autumn term 2012.25th september to 14th december

- Week 1: Intermediate Unit Introduction. Intermediate Unit Interviews.

- Week 2: Manuel Collado talk on “Art and Amplified Experience” Presentation of the exercise “Spatial surfaces”

- Week 3: Workshop with Adrian Navarro (Visual Artists).

- Week 4: Reviews “Spatial surfaces”

- Week 5: Submission “Spatial surfaces” Nacho Martin talk on “Space Helmets. Wearable architecture” Presentation of the exercise “Space Helmets”

- Week 6: OPEN WEEK. Trip to Ibiza.

- Week 7: Reviews “Space Helmets”.

- Week 8: Workshop with Roberto Piqueras (Fashion Designer).

- Week 9-10: Reviews “Space Helmets”. TS connection.

- Week 11: Submission Hand-In.

- Week 12: Juries.

Winter term 2012.7th january to 22nd march

- Week 1: Manuel Collado talk on “Discos. An amplified experience” Presentation of the exercise “Body-Mind Space Stations”

Workshop “Party culture in Ibiza and leisure industry” with local ex-perts.

- Week 2: Analysis of Ibiza clubs. Reviews “Body-Mind Space Stations”. Program and location.

calendar.

Left: Island cover. Aldous Huxley.Middle: Painting. Malgosia Stepnik.Right: Radial Reverie. Jen Stark.

- Week 3: Workshop “Identity and branding” with a brand consultant office. Reviews “Analysis of Ibiza clubs”. Reviews “Body-Mind Space Stations”. Drawings.

- Week 4: Reviews “Body-Mind Space Stations”. Technical Drawings.

- Week 5: OPEN WEEK. Open Jury.

- Week 6-7-8-9: Reviews “Body-Mind Space Stations”. Model.

- Week 10: 2nd year Submission Hand-In.

- Week 11: 3rd year Submission Hand-In.

Spring term 2012.22nd april to 21st june

- Week 1: 3rd year TS Hand-in

-Week 2-3: Reviews “Body-Mind Space Stations”. Poster and model.

- Week 4-5: Juries

- Week 6-8: Portfolio and collective presentation. The Island

- Week 9: End of the year exhibition

PHILOSOFYDeleuze, Gilles. Desert Island and other texts.Sloterdijk, Peter. Spheres III. (Chapter on Islands)

ARCHITECTURE, ART AND TECHNOLOGYBurns, Jim. Arthropods. New design futures.Celant, Germano. Rebecca Horn.Colomina, Beatriz. Cold War Hothouses. From cockpit to Playboy.Gordon, Alastair. Spaced Out. Radical environments of the psychedelic sixties.Holler, Carsten. Experience.Kaplan, Ken. Mosquitoes. A handbook for survival.Kozel, Susan. Closer: Performance, technology, phenomenology.Lee, Lara. Modulations: a History os Electronic Music. Throbbing Words on Sound.Neri, Louise. Yayoi Kusama.Pichler, Walter. Pichler. Prototypen 1966-1969.Schimmel, Paul. Ecstasy. In about Altered States.Schwartzmann, Madeline. See yourself sensing. Redefining human perception.Vibskov, Henrik. Henrik Vibskov.VV.AA. Islands. San Rocco 01.

FICTION NARRATIVE Defoe, Daniel. Robinson Crusoe.Huxley, Aldous. The IslandHuxley, Aldous. The Doors of Perception.Houellebecq, Michel. Possibility of an Island.Moebius. The Magic Crystal 2. Island of the Unicorn.Stevenson, Robert Louise. Treasure Island.Verne, Jules. The Mysterious Island.

FILMAbrams, J.J. Lost.Boyle, Danny. The beach.Schwaiger, Günter. Ibiza Occident.Médem, Julio. Lucia y el sexo.

bibliography.

Manuel Collado Arpia and Nacho Martín Asunción are founders of the Madrid based office Mi5 Architects.

They have won and built several competitions and their work has been recognized, awarded and published in a

wide range of media such as Dezeen, Archdaily, Icon, Mark, or El País.

Since 2003, they have taught at various institutions as: the Architectural Polytechnic Universities, UAH

Madrid, UA Alicante and UCJC Madrid, the Architectural Association Summer School, and Fashion Design at IED

Madrid, in addition to having participated in several juries, lectures and exhibitions such as Venice Biennale, RIBA

London, IVAM Valencia, GD-NYU, among others.

They are both currently completing their PhD dissertations at ETSAM Madrid.

unit masters.

Left: Teruel-zilla. Underground leiseure lair and public space. Mi5 Architects.Right: Youth Center in Rivas. Mi5 Architects.

–—mi5 architects.|||||

FIRSTS GUESTSAdrian Navarro seeks to expand the vocabulary of the visual arts,

investigating new mechanisms of intervention in the pictorial

medium which include tools borrowed from architectural practices.

His paintings describe implosions of colour trapped inside virtual

volumes that float weightlessly in the pictorial space.

Roberto Piqueras is a Fashion Designer based in London. His collec-

tions has been showed in Madrid Fashion Week and London Fashion

Week. Awarded with the Premio BK to launch his international

carreer.

Left: LOOP 06. Adrian NavarroRight: A/W 2012. Roberto Piqueras