OCSF

CLASSIFIED

OCSF OFFICIAL CORRESPONDENCE

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MINUTES FOR PRELIMINARY CONVERSATION BETWEEN MEDIA

MOGUL,

ARCHITECT AND HEALTH AND SAFETY ENGINEER REGARDING

THE

FABRICATION OF AN ‘IDEAL USER’ FOR SPECULATIVE

ARCHITECTURE. WORKING TITLE ‘MICHAEL’.

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LOCATION: RIBA UPPER OFFICES. RM 233.

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04/09/2012 :: 10:20

MEDIA MOGUL: OK, SO I HOPE WE HAVE ALL BEEN

ABLE TO THINK A BIT ABOUT WHO OUR USER IS, AND

THAT BY MAKING THEM TANGIBLE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO

THINK CLEARER ABOUT OUR ROLES AND POSSIBILITIES

FOR OUTCOMES.

MEDIA MOGUL: OK, SO I HOPE WE HAVE ALL BEEN

ABLE TO THINK A BIT ABOUT WHO OUR USER IS, AND

THAT BY MAKING THEM TANGIBLE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO

THINK CLEARER ABOUT OUR ROLES AND POSSIBILITIES

FOR OUTCOMES.

ARCHITECT: I HAVE HAD DIFFICULTIES IN DOING

THIS, BUT I HAVE COME TO SOME CONCLUSIONS.

H&S: I ENJOYED THE PROCESS, AND ALSO CAME TO

SOME OUTCOMES.

MEDIA MOGUL: GREAT, WELL, I GUESS LETS HEAR

THEM?

H&S: I AM GOING TO START. I PICTURE THE USER..

LET’S SAY HER NAME IS MICHELLE.. OR HIS NAME

IS MICHAEL. I PICKED A GENERIC NAME THAT WOULD

REPRESENT A ONE WORLD USER. SO I SEE THE USER

BEING AN AVERAGE PERSON THAT IS IN SOME WAY

INVOLVED IN A SMALL ASPECT OF THEIR LIVES IN

THE FRINGE ACTIVITY OF WATCHING THINGS FALL

DOWN.

ARCHITECT: IS THAT AN ACTIVITY AS SUCH? OR ARE

THEY MERELY JUST OBSERVERS.

H&S: NO, EVERYONE WOULD BE AN OBSERVER TO

SUCH A CALAMITY. HOWEVER THIS USER TAKES

PERSONAL INTEREST IN DOCUMENTING THE DEMISE OF

BUILDINGS. THEY ARE SIMULTANEOUSLY A NORMAL

EVERYDAY USER, WITH A DAY JOB, A WIFE OR

HUSBAND, A FAMILY. AND IN THEIR OWN TIME THEY

THINK A LOT ABOUT THE STRUCTURAL MAKEUP OF

BUILDINGS AND WHY THEY SIMPLY STAND OR FALL.

MEDIA MOGUL: OK, BUT THEIR WORK, IT DOESN’T

LEND THEM TO STUDY THIS?

H&S: NO. IMPORTANTLY THEY TAKE IT UPON

THEMSELVES TO LEARN AND UNDERSTAND THIS

PHENOMENON, THUS PERPETUATING A PROCESS THAT

SEES THEM EXPLORING THE OCCURRENCE AS AN

INTERESTED LAYMAN, AND ACCESSING A NEW FORM OF

ARCHITECTURAL DIRECTION COMES OUT OF IT.

ARCHITECT: A SORT OF.. NEO-ENTROPOLIST.

H&S: HMM. LIKE A NEW OBSERVER OF ENTROPY. I

SUPPOSE SO.

ARCHITECT: I LIKE THE FACT THAT THEY ARE A

NORMAL CITIZEN, OR SO THEY SEEM.

H&S: THEY ARE NORMAL, SURELY WE ALL DABBLE IN

ACTIVITIES THAT ARE OR COULD BE CONSIDERED

FRINGE.

ARCHITECT: EXACTLY.

MEDIA MOGUL: IT IS A VALID HYPOTHESIS, BUT

COULD HIS OR HER LACK OF FORMAL UNDERSTANDING

OF THE MECHANICS NOT IMPEDE FULL EXPLORATION?

H&S: NO FOR HE DOES NOT NEED TO ACTUALLY

UNDERSTAND WHY OR HOW THE PHYSIOLOGICAL EVENTS

ARE HAPPENING, BUT MERELY REACT AND POSTULATE

ON THEIR EXISTENCE, OR PROBABLE MANIFESTATION.

ARCHITECT: EXACTLY. IT IS ACTUALLY BETTER IF

A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF DETAILS ARE NOT KNOWN, SO

AS TO ALLOW THE CREATIVE AND POTENTIALLY LEFT

FIELD THOUGHT TO BLOSSOM. IT’S REALLY QUITE

GOOD.

MEDIA MOGUL: SO THIS.. MICHAEL. WOULD THEY BE

SHOCKED TO SEE FOR EXAMPLE BIG BEN COLLAPSE? OR

WOULD THEY EXPECT IT.

H&S: THEY WOULD BE SHOCKED BUT EQUALLY

ENTERTAINED. WE CANNOT PREVENT OURSELVES FROM

BEING ENTERTAINED ANYWAY. BUT HE IS THE KIND OF

PERSON WHO WOULD TRAVEL SOME GREAT DISTANCE TO

SEE THAT KIND OF THING.

ARCHITECT: IT IS ALMOST GETTING TO THE POINT

WHERE WE ARE CREATING A TOURIST EVENT, A SELF

CONTAINED HAPPENING THAT BRINGS IN PEOPLE NOT

NORMALLY INTERESTED IN SUCH A SPECTACLE.

MEDIA MOGUL: WE ARE ALMOST BRANDING IT. WE

COULD HAVE T-SHIRTS AND SUCH.

H&S: THIS IS VEERING OFF THE REAL THEORETICAL

UNDERPINNING REALLY.. THE MEDIATISATION WILL

HAPPEN INEVITABLY. BUT THE REAL KEY POINT IS

MICHAEL, AND HOW HE MIGHT EDUCATE US TO SEE THE

POTENTIAL, AND THE PITFALLS OF OUR IDEAS.

ARCHITECT: THAT IS SPOT ON. WE CAN DO THE

T-SHIRTS AND KEYRINGS LATER.

MEDIA MOGUL: THERE WILL BE A TIME AND A PLACE

FOR THAT FOR SURE. SO WE CAN SAY THAT MICHAEL,

RATHER THAN MICHELLE, FOR IT IS MORE LIKELY

TO BE A MALE THAT IS INTERESTED IN ALL THINGS

CONSTRUCTION.

ARCHITECT: PROBABLY WE CAN DECIDE ON THAT YES.

HE IS THE AVERAGE AGE FOR A MAN OF EMPLOYMENT

WITH A FAMILY OF 2.

H&S: SOMETHING AROUND 35 NO OLDER.

ARCHITECT: IS THAT THE AVERAGE AGE OF A FATHER?

MEDIA MOGUL: IT SOUNDS ABOUT RIGHT. BESIDES ANY

OLDER AND THERE WOULD BE HEALTH IMPLICATIONS

THAT WOULD AFFECT THE ABILITY TO BE USEFUL AS A

TEST SUBJECT.

H&S: SO YES, 35 IS GOOD.

MEDIA MOGUL: IS THEIR JOB IMPORTANT? I SEE IT

AS MERELY A INSIGNIFICANT ATTRIBUTE IN THE

SCHEME OF THINGS.

ARCHITECT: YES, THEY ARE JUST AN AVERAGE

WORKER. PROBABLY COLLEGE TO UNIVERSITY EDUCATED

BUT NOT ESTEEMED. I THINK SOME AMBIGUITIES

SHOULD EXIST SO THAT WE MAY MOLD HIM INTO WHO

WE WANT AND NOT HOLD OURSELVES BACK.

MEDIA MOGUL: BUT WITHOUT THESE CLASSIFICATIONS

MAYBE WE MAY AS WELL BE TALKING FICTIONS.

ARCHITECT: IT IS ALL FICTION, JUST HELD

TOGETHER BY LAYERS OF FACT.