Perception
When I studied at university I was lucky to learn Claudius Lazzeroni's teaching method based on perception first-hand. It was based on the idea that in order to communicate a subject one must first perceive it with all her senses. Information gained by careful observation is then to be transformed and communicated with media technology. Design is a process of receiving, digesting and exhaling information.
Analysis and description of a location
My project was to perceive and examine a place of my choice under various aspects and to communicate the results. So I analyzed a 150 year old tree at Potsdamer Platz in Berlin. Why I chose a tree? I was just curious whether there was something interesting left to squeeze out of such an obviously trivial subject through intensely studying it. And the examination turned out to bring quite something to light:
- Time. What does a day of the tree look like? The time-lapse movie capture of one day illustrates one essetial feature of the tree. Firmly rooted it does not change its position.
- Historical context. What are the connections between the story of the tree and the history of people who surrounded it? The tree was located in the heart of the Berlin of the 20s, on the edge of the Berlin Wall and still stands firm at today's Potsdamer Platz. The cross-section of a trunk serves as an interface to the history of the tree.
- Views. Panoramic images and views from all around the tree convey an impression of the spatial situation. At close introspection the tree turned out to be hollowed out inside. Years ago it was necessary to free the tree from internal rottenness. Anyway it is possible to crawl inside the tree provided that you find the entrance.
- Materials and details. Photographs illustrate the haptic qualities siginificant to the tree.
Images
