POLITECNICO DI MILANO
SCUOLA DI ARCHITETTURA URBANISTICA INGEGNERIA DELLE COSTRUZIONI
POLO TERRITORIALE DI MANTOVA
ARCHITECTURE: A MODEL FOR EDUCATION AND POLITICS
Supervisor: Professor Fabrizia Bandi Co-Supervisor: Professor Kléver Vásquez
Student: Adriana Estefanía Moreno González. Matr. 896236 Laurea Magistrale Architectural Design and History 2018 - 2019
2 TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT 4 1. INTRODUCTION 6 2. CHAPTER 1: 9 2.1. Architecture and the Concept of Space 9 2.2. Imagination, Perception and the Aesthetic Experience 13 2.3. Influence of the Space in the Experience 16 3. CHAPTER 2: 20 3.1. Education as a Learning Process 20 3.2. Education as a Social Component 24 3.3. Education as a Political Tool 29 4. CHAPTER 3: 35 4.1. Bauhaus School Dessau: Instauration, Life, and Shutdown 36 4.2. Bauhaus: Three Periods, Three Headmasters 40 4.2.1. Walter Gropius: 1919 – 1928 41 4.2.2. Hannes Meyer: 1928 – 1930 43 4.2.3. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe: 1930 – 1933 44 5. CHAPTER 4: 46 5.1. On architecture and education 46 5.2. Representing reality through architecture 50
6. MANIFESTO FOR EDUCATION 53
ANEX A 57
BIBLIOGRAPHY 63
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LIST OF IMAGES
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ABSTRACT
The following text is a research work performed on the philosophical theories of two specific topics: architecture and education. The aim of this investigation is to find the link of the previously mentioned topics, which came from an unconscious process achieved by the author. The goal is to make this relationship tangible and to explain it in words. On one side there is the topic of architecture, a practice so wide that is difficult to classify but that is very rich on its links to society and the human being. Architecture being a starting point, helped the investigation consider the most elemental components of thinking, this is how the subjects of image, space and perception came to be defined as theoretical tools.
Secondly, once the tools for analysis were defined, it was time to address and dissect the topic of interest, education. By using the tools given by architecture, the author is able to understand education and its influence on society and politics. At this point, the usage of a concrete example was necessary; for this research the author used the Bauhaus School. Lastly, the author proposes a Manifesto; these ideas concerning the conclusions of the research, aim to propose a debate, and intend to be a contribution for the participants of the academy.
ABSTRACT
Il seguente testo è un lavoro di ricerca svolto sulle teorie filosofiche di due argomenti specifici: l’architettura e l’istruzione educativa. Lo scopo di questa indagine e trovare il collegamento tra gli argomenti precedentemente citati, che provengono da un processo inconscio raggiunto dall'autore. L'obiettivo e rendere tangibile questa relazione e spiegarla a parole.
Da una parte c'è il tema dell'architettura, una pratica così ampia che è difficile da classificare ma che è molto ricca nei suoi legami con la società e l'essere umano. L'architettura è un punto di partenza, che ha permesso di considerare i componenti più elementari del pensiero, è così che i soggetti dell'immagine, dello spazio e della percezione sono stati definiti come strumenti teorici.
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In secondo luogo, una volta definiti gli strumenti per l'analisi, si è affrontato e analizzato il secondo argomento di interesse: l'istruzione educativa. Utilizzando gli strumenti forniti dall'architettura, l'autore è in grado di comprendere l'istruzione educativa e la sua influenza sulla società e sulla politica. Ll'uso di un esempio concreto si è provato necessario per la seconda parte della ricerca: l'autore ha usato la scuola Bauhaus.
Infine, l'autore propone un Manifesto; che mette a luce idee che riguardano le conclusioni della ricerca, mirano a proporre un dibattito e intendono di essere un contributo per i partecipanti all'accademia.
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1. INTRODUCTION
By one interpretation, modern architecture is a hard-headed and hard-nosed undertaking. […] If such is one important and academically enshrined thesis, then alongside it, there is to be recognized a no less respectable one: the proposition that modern architecture is the instrument of philanthropy, liberalism, the ‘larger hope’ and the ‘greater good’. - Collage City, Colin Rowe and Fred Koetter1
Architecture is such a diverse discipline. Through the years it has managed to influence many aspects of humanity, it has been involved in the structural development of society, it has served as the element that witnessed the socio-cultural changes of communities, it is the living proof of history. A building is able to say as much as any book, with the plus that it is also able to show through reality.
The humanistic approach of architecture suggests the anthropological approach, simultaneously; this approach is handled with science. The balance of scientific and humanistic approach of architecture makes it diverse, therefore, it is possible to say that architecture is able to be involved with any other science or practice, there will always be a point in which architecture will relate, the bridges will always be present.
My journey with architecture started with the academy, as a student. The years spent in the formal study of architecture were quite an impact; more than anything, I started understanding the importance of society and context for architecture to emerge. It was at this point that I got to appreciate the theoretic side of architecture, it was not a matter of buildings and houses anymore, it begun to transform into the abstraction of conditions that belong to the human being; at the same time, these conditions transformed into the existential questionings of the mind and above all, it questioned my impact as a participant of society.
This is how, in the year 2016, I had the opportunity to start a journey in Quito – Ecuador, volunteering to work as an English teacher in a public school from the urban area of the city; during this period I had the support from a non-profit organization that would
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provide pedagogical training and accompaniment, this in order to obtain a proper performance and results from my activities in the school. I worked in this school for one year; I had the chance not only to share my knowledge with my students but to impact people’s lives and, what I like to believe, raise the question on student’s minds of whether they were getting the education they deserved.
The experience, as an educator and as an architect, derived into a search for social involvement, a sort of unsatisfied social justice. Nevertheless, it was indispensable for me to use architecture, as the tool to achieve it, ignoring this aspect would mean to ignore the bases of my motivation and the negation of who I was. This is how the idea of using architecture as an exemplification or model for society begun.
At this point, the problematic of education and politics were part of an intellectual research I had been developing. However, the link between these social motivations and architecture were missing, I knew that architecture was a reflection of society, the question was: how to prove this was true? The answer was simple, though in the beginning not very obvious: the events of society through history proved by the materiality of architecture.
For this thesis, it was of particular interest, the further exploration of the academic dimensions and development of society, this is when education became the focal point to concentrate. Many things have been said on education, but it mainly represents a reflection of how societies work: schools and academies are small samples of sovereignty and socio-political practises. However, it is only when the link between these premises (understanding society, education and the architectonic model) emerges that the thesis comes to life.
The Chapter entitled “Architecture as a model for Education and Politics” aims to provoke questions that can help raise the debate on how we are educating; furthermore, it aims to question the way we are getting involved in our society. The human being is not capable of breaking the link that ties it to society, as society shall be understood as an extension of the human being; therefore, it cannot neglect it, the individual needs to be part of a society to be fulfilled.
In addition, this work is able to reflect on the cognitive processes, it analyses the aesthetic approach of architecture and the image. Understanding the image and the ways it is
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represented serves as a bridge to connect the concept of society with the reality. In this light, architecture becomes the key to the research, because it, in this case, will serve as the image that explains the importance of the connections (utopic or not) to politics, education and the reality.
This work uses as its support the historical example of the Bauhaus, not only as an important architecture school but also as a social movement. The Bauhaus emerged in 1919 in Germany, this school had strong educational reforms and a controversial indirect political involvement. The school functioned for almost 14 years, when in 1933 it was finally shut down by the nationalists. It went through the transition of three different headmasters: Walter Gropius, Hannes Meyer and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe; each of these provided the school of little additions that would result in what we know now as the Bauhaus. Nowadays, this school keeps making strong and powerful statements in the architectural world and in the educational model, it changed and reformed the academy, these reforms meant a great struggle for the movement, it is due to this struggle and perseverance that the school is iconic and remembered.
With no further ado, I present this research work which intends to awaken the interest of those who read it and transform it into an opportunity to get involved with the comprehension, and eventual reflection, of the social realities each of us live in.
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2. CHAPTER 1:
ARCHITECTURE
Categorizing architecture is an ambiguous task. From a professional point of view it is difficult to conclude whether architecture can be defined as a science or an art; on one side we have the essence of it, the design side, trying to use simple words, architecture is the construction of spaces that serves to develop an activity; on the other hand, there is also the anthropologic side of architecture, because architecture studies the way human beings live and develop activities in our reality: these aspects are frequently connected to the sociological components that take part. Under the previous considerations, architecture would be the element that constructs reality, and the human being is always aiming to comprehend the reality that is surrounding, the context itself.
The chapter that follows is aiming to further explain architecture in the aspects that are most relevant to this thesis. For starters, it is important to clarify the concept of space and how its relationship with architecture is articulated. Furthermore, it is also in the interests of this thesis to explain how space in architecture is the generator of perception, namely how it is engaged in our everyday experience, through the creation of the images we perceive.
2.1. Architecture and the Concept of Space
Activities, events, memories, all take place on a site. Every story begins with the characters that participate and take part in the story, and, in every case, architecture might as well be considered as one of the protagonists: it sets the scenario as one of the most basic elements of the image, this image originates in the mind and it is the place that links all the events that happen. It also gives meaning to the situations; this meaning differs from one individual to the other. If the individuals are able to conceive the space in their minds, they are able to develop all of the other elements and components. Architecture is the space, the area, the surface, where events take place.
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Francis D. K. Ching makes a reference to the concept of space in the following way: “Space constantly encompasses our being. Through the volume of space, we move, see forms, hear sounds, feel breezes, and smell the fragrances of a flower garden in bloom. It is a material substance like wood or stone. Yet it is an inherently formless vapor” 2. Space is a notion that is quite challenging to define in a few words: it is not something properly tangible, because space itself exists on its own; nevertheless, space can also be defined by elements that we add in it, but it does not depend on them, its existence is not subject to the materialization, definition or delimitation of this space. However, in a deconstructed way, it can be said that space is an idea that the mind constructs, trusting its existence, shapeless, free and open. Going back to Ching’s words, it is rational to think that through the use of architecture, space can find a way to achieve expression.
The concept of Space is intrinsically essential for architecture: it is the raw element used by the design process; it can also be accurate to say that, in an architectonic process, space is the most basic component and starting point. However, under the common understanding, architecture is conceived as the practice of designing and constructing buildings 3, by this definition, it seems to a certain point ephemeral; thinking of space and
architecture only from the conception of material boundaries, subtracts meaning from both; on the other hand, thinking of these, as places where events and activities take place, is much more fair. Architecture from a practitioner point of view is about the design of public spaces, houses, buildings, work places, leisure spots, study rooms, just to mention a few; the architect studies not only the composition of these places, the architect specifies every detail on the way an activity will take place: where is the main entrance, how will the user get from point A to point B, how much area the human needs to feel comfortable in a certain space.
To further explain the previous point: in architecture, space is conceived as the materialization of planes. There are many conditions under which, a plane, can shape space; the basic figures are the primary elements from which forms emerge, what architecture does with these planes, is to give them certain conditions that work directly
2 Ching, Frank (Francis D.K.). Architecture: Form, Space & Order (1979), Fourth Edition. John Wiley &
Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey. 2014. pg 100
3 “Architecture” English Oxford Living Dictionaries. Accessed May 9, 2019,
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with the perception of the individual, this same perception can be linked to the effects caused by visuals, a plane can enclose a space if it is placed above the object, or experience; planes do not necessarily need to be a closed system to form a space, in reality, we can find objects that act as planes; for instance, the space conceived under a tree is the same as the example about the horizontal plane, the tree somehow signifies shelter and the space under is available to develop any activity that requires one 4. Another very interesting example is the situation we obtain from public squares. Many centuries ago, and now still, public squares are seen as spaces for social gatherings, market developments, culture and tradition events, it is interesting to notice that these places are not closed by surrounding planes, instead, this space is constituted by the disposition of the buildings around it, probably the only existing plane is the ground floor; the system is formed by a disposition of constructed and void spaces. Which is the topic of discussion ahead.
The concept of planes can also be translated in a language of positive and negative 5. Sculptor Jorge Oteiza was a modern artist, active through the twentieth century; he worked with the interpretation of the void, translating it into a geometric language that was expressed through his works. Oteiza had as his main elements the tangible as positive elements and the void as negative: he mainly tried to materialize this negative as a tangible and visual matter, its materialization concluded then that, even though we cannot see the void, it is present, it exists, then the void is also space. Oteiza’s search for the representation of the void had also a spiritual connotation, claiming that the void is nothing and everything at the same time.6
Taking the previous argument into account, when thinking about architecture, a different point of view can be considered, a view from which space can also be analyzed, the existing and the non-existing. Architecture disposes space in a singular way, usually elements such as walls, roofs or doors, anything that encloses a surface, even a line, can be the positive or existing; while the space itself, contained by these elements, will be considered the negative or non-existing: Under this perspective and under the theory that
4 Cfr.Ching, F., op.cit., pg. 111 5 Ching, F., op.cit., pg. 109
6 Jorge Oteiza. Guggenheim: Collection Online. Accessed april 15th, 2019.
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is being managed in this chapter, the negative element would become the most important element, the reason is no other than understanding that it is inside this element, that the activities or actions take place, this space serves architecture and in the end the protagonist of architecture is the space that, materially speaking, does not exist, but as experiencing subjects, we know it exists because we are in it and we are experiencing it. Another interesting way to see the concept of the existing and non-existing, and the concept of planes, is to understand them through the comprehension of light. Light is an element that is capable of defining planes without using any tangible factors but visual impact, to add on to this, it is important to note as well that color is no other thing than the decomposition of light, therefore, it is included as well in this illustration. If architecture and its quality are defined as a sequence of spaces, then light is also an element that architecture uses to create this sequence, a clear example of this is when the transparent or reflecting elements, like mirrors or windows, are used as a way to reproduce a sort of illusion that supports architecture; corridors that extend infinitely by a mirror, the threshold which, depending on the presence or absence of light, can provide continuity. In the same way, color is used to define a space virtually; another example of the practicality of this theory is water, it has always served as an ally in the design, it is capable of creating a boundary, reflecting an image for the space to look wider, or simply, reflect light and colors to create a special visual effect, adding to the experience and hopefully transmit a sensation.
Moreover, the understanding of space in architecture must not be focused only in the experience, but in the fact that architecture’s main purpose constitutes the answer to a necessity provided by the human being and the reality. As Ching states:
Architecture is generally conceived—designed—realized—built—in response to an existing set of conditions. These conditions may be purely functional in nature, or they may also reflect in varying degrees the social, political, and economic climate. In any case, it is assumed that the existing set of conditions—the problem—is less than satisfactory and that a new set of conditions—a solution—would be desirable. The act of creating architecture, then, is a problem-solving or design process. 7
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Accordingly, architecture has to be understood as a system with a structure, satisfying different dimensions related to the object or the space, these are the answers. Architecture is a system of space, structure and enclosure; these signify the materialized project, which is experienced through the movement in space and time, and is achieved by the use of technical solutions and constructive techniques; the architectonic element is also whiling to answer to necessities, which are the purpose it is created for, ergo it has a program that works in accordance with the context that is surrounding it. So, architecture becomes strong in this way because it has a concept supporting every decision, which sets principles for the architecture to be coherent, but more than anything, the completion of these rules and principles allows the perception and experimentation of the space to be natural and rational. Space, form, function and theory, linked by their context, this is architecture. 8 As Venturi claims:
Designing from the outside in, as well as the inside out, creates necessary tensions, which help make architecture. Since the inside is different from the outside, the wall-the point of change--becomes an architectural event. Architecture occurs at the meeting of interior and exterior forces of use and space. These interior and environmental forces are both general and particular, generic and circumstantial. Architecture as the wall between the inside and the outside becomes the spatial record of this resolution and its drama. 9
2.2. Imagination, Perception and the Aesthetic Experience
In his book, The Embodied Image, the Finnish architect Juhani Pallasmaa refers to the image as the word that is commonly used as a synonym for ‘picture’, ‘visual depiction’ or even ‘photograph’. We can agree with Pallasmaa, when he speaks about this vague conception of the image in common understanding, that this definition turns out to be poorly fair, in perspective to all the elements that truly involve the concept of image, it is a complex term usually associated with mental imagery and imagination, it is abstract and quite difficult to define. We think of this ‘image’ as reproduction instead of being a bridge for the thought.10
8 Ching, F., op.cit., pg. Introduction / XI
9 Venturi, R. Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture. The Museum of Modern Art, New York, in
association with the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts, Chicago. Second Edition, 1977. pg. 86
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To develop further, the analysis constructed by the German philosopher Immanuel Kant, suggests comprehending the image through understanding and imagination. It is important to start from the intention of the process, which in this case is achieving cognition, which is defined as “the mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses.” Previously, it was mentioned that knowledge or cognition, in this case, need a bridge that connects the mind with knowledge, only when cognition takes place the premise becomes significant, in other words, it requires tools.
If a presentation by which an object is given is, in general, to become cognition, we need imagination to combine the manifold of intuition, and understanding to provide the unity of the concept uniting the [component] presentations.11
The previous excerpt summarizes the fact that the image is something that originates and takes place in the mind, the image would come to represent a bridge, as mentioned before, and this bridge can exists between many forms of expression: language, drawing, photography and architecture as well, just to mention a few. The human being grabs a concept and in this moment imagination takes the lead as a tool for the process, imagination starts building a path for the perception, while imagination is happening, understanding meets the process, this spark of the meeting of imagination and understanding would translate to cognition. It could be said that cognition is the concrete construction of knowledge, it becomes an abstract object that if needed can be translated into the material world as a universal representation. Kant as calls the dynamic of imagination and understanding: free play. 12
Moreover, Kant theorizes on the discourse that imagination can be used in two ways, one is the ordinary perception, which combines the intuition, as something that comes from the senses, and the concept, as something that comes from the understanding. The second way to use imagination in the aesthetic experience, properly in the aesthetic judgment, is
11Kant, I., Critique of Judgment (1987), Hackett Publishing Company, Indianapolis. Ninth Edition 2005.
pg. 62
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when the power of imagination as a productive faculty arises.13 Under this perspective imagination is free, it is detached from concepts and it engages with the experience entirely in order to be. The approach to Kant’s thinking can suggest that imagination and the image, both can be complete if they rely on the reality and materiality of the experience.
Continuing, once the concept of image has been explained, it becomes imperative to talk about its relation to architecture. Previously, it was mentioned that architecture is also a form of language, which materializes the image, and the image in spite of not being a representation, eventually requires one, even if this representation is not a material. Architecture has a strong relationship with representations, and by deconstructing its forms and shapes it is able to relate with the most basic archetypal images: figures like circles, squares and triangles, are a clear representation of these archetypes. According to Jung’s definition of archetypes: they are patterns and emotions that tend to generate certain kinds of associations and meanings.14
Furthermore, for Pallasmaa, the image of architecture suffers from an understatement and is threatened by both instrumentalisation and aestheticisation.15 The archetype provides
the component of meaning to architecture. For us, architects, an architectonic project is successful when it is able to transmit the purpose it was created for and in many occasions we define this meaning as the concept of the project. With the use of more appropriate language, this concept can be called the image of architecture. This image needs to be transmitted to the representation of architecture: this is when the archetypes take value, because these are the links for the image and the representation to connect, in technical words this is the formal stage of a project. These archetypes can be many types of primary human experiences: previously we mentioned primary shapes, but we have to consider also the sense of horizontal and vertical, left and right, full and void, shadow and light, etc. Through the use of archetypes, architecture is capable of gaining not only meaning but also value; this is the moment when an architecture piece becomes
13 Kant, I., op.cit., pg. 31
14 Carl G Jung, “Approaching the Unconscious” Man and His Symbols (1964). Carl G Jung et al, New
York, 1968. pg. 87
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transcendent, not only the architect who designed the piece is able to understand it, but every user would be capable.
Going back to Pallasmaa’s point, if we say that now architecture is threatened by both instrumentalisation and aestheticisation, it means that the mental processes creating architecture are lacking motive for being; as architects, if we are not able to find the primary connecting elements of the architecture we are projecting, then architecture is not really delivering. More than providing a result, space shall provide the materialization of a process that was conceived long before, inside the mind, and serve its purpose. In a nutshell, “Architecture articulates de encounter of the world and the human mind. It structures de ‘flesh of the world’ through spatial and material images that articulate and give meaning to our basic human existential situations.”16
2.3. Influence of the Space in the Experience
I sometimes wonder whether this”, the place where he works and lives in “has influenced my work. […] As soon as I begin to think about this question, I realize that my work has been influenced by many places. - Peter Zumthor 17 The human being is constructed from experiences. Previously, a point was made on the way the context adds many qualities to the individuals, they are constructed by the environment that surrounds them, characteristics such as culture, practices, traditions, language, are given by the place where the individual is born; it also stated that in spite of the context being extremely influential, human beings do not remain static, they are exposed to diverse situations that in one way or the other will impact their personal construction, it can change in many occasions, partially or completely, the way the individual faces reality, it may even detach the being from what they previously knew as the truth; to this phenomena we give the name of experience.
When I concentrate on a specific site or place for which I am going to design a building, when I
16 Pallasmaa, J., op.cit., pg. 120
17 Zumthor, P. Thinking Architecture. Birkhäuser Verlag. Basel, Switzerland. Third expanded edition,
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try to plumb its depths, its form, its history, and its sensuous qualities, images of other places start to invade this process of precise observation: images of places that I know and that once impressed me, images of ordinary or special places that I carry with me as inner visions of specific moods and qualities; images of architectural situations, which emanate from the world of art, of films, theater, or literature.18
Peter Zumthor remains very close to a humanitarian perspective when he talks about space and experience. He uses the resource of empathy and questioning, in order to comprehend the concept of perception. His point of view might be comprehended 19, if
we use the same process he does: the act of asking questions to discover architecture, and from my personal perspective, probably not only about architecture but about existence as well. The truth is that from his perspective and from what was stated before, human beings are a product of experience. What is more, it is important to understand that individuals create memories from these experiences: how do I remember my elementary school? How was the room I inhabited during my childhood years? How was the neighbourhood I lived in? Eventually, these memories transform into images, into the elements of reality.
When talking about the image from experience, now called memory in this chapter, the poetic image surfaces. Pallasmaa in his Embodied Image conceives this notion. He defines this kind of image as an image that has the ability to branch out, fuse with and metamorphose into other images20. The poetic images are free, they only follow the being and its will. In contrast with the dictated image, the poetic one originates entirely from the mind of the being, completely new and personal. In a certain way we can say that this type of image, directly responding to our experience, is the one that constructs our reality, because no one else is interfering with it; this could explain why the perception of reality variates from individual to individual. The poetic image has no limit, there is not a way to predict how it is going to grow in the mind, the paths to follow are infinite and they depend on the previously conceived images in order to be.
“Differing from the usual understanding of the word, the poetic image refers to an evocative, affective and meaningful sensory experience that is layered, associative and
18 Zumthor, P., op.cit., pg. 41 19 Zumthor, P., op.cit., pg 7-27 20 Cfr. Pallasmaa, J., op.cit., pg. 88
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dynamic, and in constant interaction with memory and desire” 21. Regarding the definition that Pallasmaa gives to the poetic image, once again we are able to confirm that the poetic image is a free process; its ramifications are unpredictable and happen spontaneously. Moreover, it is imperative in this case to understand that the poetic image is itself and also, one of the results that come from it is the experience, which has as its most primary and main archetype: the sensorial perception.
Once, I had the opportunity to meet an architect who created an exercise called ‘Your Childhood House’. She would give the task to people, with no specific selection process, to draw the house they lived in during their childhood years. In this example, the ‘Childhood House’ acts as an image, this image, pure and untouched could only be visible to the person; the memories of the experience and perception act as archetypes, links to reality; finally, the process has as a result the graphic representation of the house. This process of drawing the house would serve as a way to translate and transmit the message from the house; in this case it did not matter the quality of the drawing, what was important was that the message would be delivered, sometimes a conversation would take place to further explain aspects of the drawing, but it was not mandatory; in this case the trace of the pen, the drawing itself already expressed a lot. The embodied poetic image was present.
The process described earlier can be applied to a variety of other examples; however, the object of interest this time will focus on the space, specifically, the space conceived in architecture.
In their projects, architects, as any other artist, aim for the object to speak by itself, and the speech needs to be intellectually available for any individual who experiments it. This is the moment when the architect gets involved in the design process, that is, as described by Zumthor: “associative, wild, free, ordered, and systematic thinking in images, in architectural, spatial, colourful, and sensuous pictures” 22. For the architect, the image of space is always present: this image, specifically speaking, is so wide in meaning, it comprehends so many aspects, and that is why it is so difficult to define it. The architect has learned to define this space, he does it through more specific images that belong to
21 Pallasmaa, J., op.cit., pg. 41 22 Zumthor, P., op.cit., pg. 67 - 69
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the same category of space: house, building, park, hospital, and so on; later using the components or qualities of space (light, verticality, shadow, feeling, meaning, openness, order, module) gives the significance to the object; and finally, the object is materialized to provide the experience. The design process satisfies the image in every aspect, so that later a memory could be created.
When Zumthor talks about his childhood house23– to be precise, when he talks about his much famous door handle – he starts speaking about a number of images that come to his mind, concretely when thinking about that door handle, the sensations, the hall, the light, but he specifically mentions how the image of that specific house, dominates his mind in every house he designs. It is a pattern that, not only architects, but people who have experienced architecture in any way, can relate to. How could architects not relate to Le Corbusier when thinking about the image of promenade, Louis Kahn when confronted by the image of light, Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe when the image of detail is proposed, or Rem Koolhaas when connecting the image of utopia?
Architecture is a living object, capable of serving as a bridge for the image. Its reaches are so wide, because architecture is universal, it would not be inappropriate to say that architecture is a bridge to show society as well, as a matter of fact, it would be accurate. As a final thought, it is necessary to remember that architecture, might be the most trust worthy witness of history, it does not lie, it shows the reality through its existence, it shows us concrete evidence, the experience. After all, the human being is always looking to understand the reality by seeking the truth.
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3. CHAPTER 2:
EDUCATION
Education is a concept commonly understood as: a process where learning takes place for an individual. These learning processes will expand the knowledge of the subject in a specific field or practice. This first approach to the concept makes it seem very simple as well as when we see it from the traditional perspective, e.g., one goes to an institution (school, university, etc.) and acquires knowledge from books, people, and experiences. Conversely, it gets more complicated when we start analysing the factors that affect on this acquisition. Intelligence has always been a major player in the educational environment: how capable I am of understanding a topic, whether I can afford, economically speaking, the knowledge I pursue, where is the best place to train my knowledge, and, of course, how I understand and I am interested in knowledge from a contextual point of view (for instance, someone from China might not be interested in learning the same thing as a student in Belgium; the individual looks for what is useful to their context). All these factors and many more have an effect on education. This chapter aims to explore and further explain three specific aspects of education: the learning process, its socio-economic side, and its political influence.
3.1. Education as a Learning Process
Learning, by definition, is a process through which the individuals are able to comprehend the reality that surrounds them; this reality can be tangible or imaginary24.
Human beings embark on learning processes every day: consciously or not, we are learning from a variety of situations and learning involves emotional, practical, scientific knowledge, and others. Nevertheless, not all learnings embed in our minds as one would
24 Maldonado, N., Interview by Adriana Moreno G. Skype telephonic interview. Mantova – Italy,
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expect: the proof to this is the mere fact that most of the things we remember from our elementary school years are mainly those that we use in every day life (for example adding and subtracting); there is a condition in our minds that makes knowledge stick in our brains for longer periods of time and in some cases, this remains forever.
The paths to learning vary from individual to individual, although some of the methods might be common. These different ways or paths of learning depend on the evolutionary cycle of the person. Abstract thinking might require a more mature mind; meanwhile, plastic or experimental experiences might get better results with younger individuals. The truth is that a mind that is not ready for the type of knowledge it is required to learn will not do it.
Logically speaking, we could conclude by analysing the previous statements that: human beings learn to satisfy a necessity; the connections made by the brain when an activity is performed to solve a problem are reliable and meaningful. This might be an explanation to why, in most cases, learning something by memory does not last for too long: for memories to be preserved in a mind, these need a connection to reality (understanding reality), but if this connection is missing, the learning will not last for long. Moreover, learning by necessity is not only the most significant but also the most natural way of learning.25
To further develop the previous concept in the area of learning, it is necessary to establish that space, in which we develop ourselves, is the one in charge of providing a necessity. The environment we live on will be the one to guide our learning; for example, scouts are usually placed into situations to practice the skills they are acquiring, once they accomplish a satisfactory level for the skill, they are rewarded and now, they are able to perform it by themselves, this constitutes a successful learning. We could say that in the case of the current situations of educational institutions, especially for schools and universities, most of the time they create an illusion for a justification to learning (to achieve a particular mark, for example). It is no wonder that children in these situations are not able to make significant learning from most of the time they spend in class: the system becomes a fake as a consequence and results are not obtained as expected. Individuals do not learn for the sake of knowledge and personal enrichment.
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Chicago based researcher Jesse Raber, calls out for the concept of brainpower26, in the context that we are exposing now. We can say that brainpower can also be understood as the motivation that fuels the drive of a human being to learn. For the learning process, motivation is a crucial factor; individuals move towards the goal that lights a spark in their minds and heart. This would mean that they are deeply involved with their emotions when they are learning, this involvement with emotions builds new connections towards the desired knowledge; consequently, and more importantly, they are fulfilling their need to satisfy the craving for a specific piece knowledge. It is a primary instinctive action; this is why, in an almost ideal and somewhat utopic scenario, we would be learning only the things we are interested in we would be guided by a tutor that would provide and facilitate the elements to achieve these goals. This would not signify by any means that we would be ignorant in aspects that we are not interested in, since knowledge is connected in many different sub-aspects, essential foundations of knowledge would support each other and eventually they would create interest in other unexplored fields.
For Raber’s understanding, knowledge shall not be imposed; the individuals might not even be aware that they are being educated, their learning would occur out of unconsciousness and curiosity: the motivation is in seeking satisfaction for themselves. If motivation and satisfaction were keys to the learning process, this would enhance the premise that human beings are directly connected to their emotions when learning. The environment that surrounds them plays a major role in the process. This means that the moment a significant learning occurs is the moment a strong emotion takes place as well
27; these emotions do not necessarily need to be positive: as grown-ups or children, we
have experienced situations of stress or fear that lead us to a moment were knowledge was acquired, then again this brings into consideration the deceitfulness of most practices in educational institutions. Although this current and traditional system still delivers learning results in schools, most probably we can say that they are not the most effective.
By stating this premise, educators or facilitators of knowledge would need a method to put into evidence whether a specific content embedded in the mind of a student, the key to the method is in the speech.
26 Raber, J., Progressivism's Aesthetic Education, The Bildungsroman and the American School. Ebook.
Palgrave Macmillan, Springer International, 2018. pg. 126 – 134.
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The most effective way to test if a goal was reached in the learning process, is by using the dynamic of the speech of the individual: when individuals are capable of accurately explain the concepts they just learned is when we know meaningful learning took place.
This event could also be replaced by the act of sharing or teaching these facts to another person – this is called reproduction28 – in this idea we find the explanation to why it is important when mothers ask their children “what did you learn in school today?” or to why experience in a job counts, the more I reproduce a piece of knowledge I own, the better I will learn it. Also, perfecting the knowledge of a topic is about comprehensive repetition.
The previous considerations take us to the constructivist approach of Vygotsky29. According to his thought, individuals are constructed from interaction; they help themselves with guides that will take them to achieve cognitive learning.In this process we find the concept of proximal development: this is defined by the gap between, all the actions the individuals can perform by themselves and those they perform with the help of a guide. The guide suggests paths to take but never takes the role of performing actions for the individual, this implies a process where every part of the knowledge is constructed by addition and by self-reflection on what is true for the protagonist. However, the construction of such knowledge comes with maturity, as development and learning are two processes that work coherently and at a certain point, Vygotsky believed that the most significant learnings are the ones that anticipate development. 30
If we mention that individuals are constructed from interaction, we shall make a special reference to the space that serves as a scenario for every process. Most of the times we understand architecture as building and construction, we see how spaces are constructed for an activity to take place, though, if we think thoroughly about it, activities also take place in unbuilt spaces, we can understand un-built spaces as those that are not enclosed by materiality, public squares, street markets, parks, etc.; However space is architecture and this implies that the interaction with learning is mediated by architecture.
28 Maldonado, N., op.cit., View annex: A. pg. 57-62
29 Ortiz Granja, D., El constructivismo como teoría y método de enseñanza. PDF. Colección de Filosofía de
la Educación [online] 2015. pg. 96 – 100.
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In architecture we play with different aspects of society, for example, the concept of historical memory depicts the connection with reality quite well: this is present when we are able to visualize or experience the memory of certain events through architecture. Mentioning historical memory brings to the table two concepts, these are generally not associated with it, both have a connotation of social aspects of the world, both very related to education. Nevertheless, history takes place in a space that, as stated before, is related to architecture, therefore historical memory is directly connected to architecture, but, more important than that, it can influence the way we learn and remember, ergo memory.31
Nowadays, it is popularly known that children spend more time in schools and daycare centers than at home; the same situation goes for adults and universities, the amount of time a person dedicates to attending lectures and working on academy related activities, overtakes the time spent at home or with family. If the academic space is the most frequented place, the importance given to the ongoing situations in this space should be outstanding. More than that architecture, the science of space, could be capable of providing the situations that would combine learning, necessity, and facilities, in other words, it would be capable of providing a “methodological structure” in accordance with the study of human beings and could be the designer of how we evaluate the way activities unfold in a space at its optimal performance.
Space is the protagonist and witness of the actions that take place in the life of human beings. Space suggests many things, from something tangible like culture to something within the individual like perception; again, the way we learn is suggested by the space that surrounds us. Finally, the way we learn is guided by the complete experience.
3.2. Education as a Social Component
The role of education in society is quite complex. Leaving aside its ideal purpose, when thinking about education, we tend to ignore some aspects that have significant relevance
31 Ulrich Obrist, H., Rem Koolhaas Conversaciones con Hans Ulrich Obrist. Editorial Gustavo Gili. 2009.
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for understanding the scope of interaction it has, not only interaction but influence as well. Depending on the context of the educational system, we might find that its range of influence reaches different scenarios and differs on the weight it represents. Perhaps we ignore the fact that on many occasions, education may serve as a means to an end.
To start with, the University of Oxford dictionary defines society as: “The aggregate of people living together in a more or less ordered community.”32. For this subchapter, it is important to remark the understanding of society as a group of people, to this we must add the definition of education stated in the previous chapter, education is a process through which the individuals are able to comprehend the reality that surrounds them; therefore, education is the understanding of society.
Brazilian philosopher and educator, Paulo Freire reflects: “It seems to me that the first point to emphasize is that educational practice is a necessary dimension of social practice, like other types of practice such as productive, cultural, religious, and so on.”33 That would mean that one could not be complete without the other. On this, we would also be able to understand that education is one of the many components of society, which according to Freire, is also the construction of events and elements since the human being is not the only reason, biology and culture:
“This historical and cultural being cannot be explained only by biology, genetics, or culture. It cannot be explained only by consciousness as if, in place of being constituted socially and thus transforming the body into a conscious body, it had been the all-powerful creator of the world that surrounds it, nor can it be explained as a pure result of tranformatios that operate in this world. This being, in and of itself, lives a dialectic between the social, without which it could not be, and the individual, without which it would dissolve in the purely social, without a mark or profile”. 34
Socially speaking and in regards to the words of Freire, the individual, as the word suggests is a singular being, without society, it cannot be anything more or different from a machine. The context and environment that surrounds human beings are the ones that construct their character, which at the same time is not the same in each of the individuals
32 “Society” English Oxford Living Dictionaries. Accessed April 29th 2019,
https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/society
33 Freire, P., Politics and Education, (1998) ed. by The Regents of The University of California. English
translation. pg.63
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of such society, as it is impossible that we all live the same experiences in spite of sharing the same space; one can attend the same school as its classmates, but most certainly does not go back home to the same family, does not frequent the same leisure spaces, restaurants, etc. Nevertheless, the being has to satisfy its needs to belong, and in order to belong it needs to be part of a society, though this society needs to also represent the individual.
The characteristics earned by certain groups of people, are those that describe them. The items that construct this description, talk about a specific place and specific group of people, meaning, it represents not only the people but the physical city as well. After all, the relationship with the city is to give but also receive from its inhabitants; in consequence, it can be said that an element that represents the social construct of the human being is architecture, it describes society in an specific period, space and materiality, not to mention that it also represents an ideology, it is the materialization of the mind. Freire quotes anthropologist, William Johnston Sollas (1849 – 1936): “the works produced by the hands of men are thoughts redressed in material”35, making clear the suggestion that the spaces in society are a translation of the most abstract side of the being.
Furthermore, it is also interesting to understand how the material and abstract representation of society have an effect on education. As stated before, Freire talks about the construct that comes from an influencing society, more than that, there is still an element to consider that comes directly from the abstract, the memory; he writes: “the educational task of the cities is also realized through the treatment of her memory which not only guards but also reproduces, extends, and is communicated to future generations”36, it is in the memory that the true connection of society with education is found.
Education evolves through time, as does society; if it is suggested that the human being is a construction of events and experiences, this points to the relationship that memory is constructing the critical side in the minds of the individuals of society; if this is happening, it would mean that the key to learning, comes from a process of assimilation
35 Freire, P., op.cit., pg. 64 36 Ivi, pg. 28
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of the tangible with the abstract, or from the connection to something we can relate in a cultural level, because it is present; with this said, it seems unrealistic that individuals would be fit to learn something that is not familiar to them and their reality, this is where the sense of critique to the system activates, because the individual starts to require the unraveling of the unknown.
In his text Politics and Education Paulo Freire talks about the veiling and unveiling of knowledge37, he claims that for authoritarianism’s sake, knowledge is veiled because,
inside the context, it is like swimming against the tide, it is more difficult to try to unveil knowledge, not because society doesn’t want it, but because unveiling would imply the questioning and criticism of many, of course, this would waken the need of the society to know beyond what is shown to them. For instance: a girl who has lived in poverty all her life, truly believes that poverty is all there is, that is the way it is meant to be; instead, if the same girl is allowed to know that she might get out of poverty, she will start to question why is she poor in the first place, authoritarianism is more of the style of obedience and not debate, thus this ignorance, will eventually lead societies to discrimination out of fear of what they do not know.
Discrimination is present in our lives in more ways than we traditionally recognize, there is the most popular example of discrimination, xenophobia, but there are also other types: gender discrimination, stereotypes, homophobia and the most practiced and normalized, socio-economic discrimination. More than being a problem of exclusion, discrimination does not allow us to see the problems of society in diverse scenarios, it does not allow us to differentiate what is more urgent or needs more action, it blocks empathy for the other, it makes us care for what we need as a sub group, instead of the needs of the collective society that we belong to. For this matter, Freire mentions the problem of power:
The critical comprehension of the limits of practice is related to the problem of power, which, in turn, is related to class […]. An understanding of the level of class conflict in any given society is indispensable as a way of demarcating spaces, the content areas of education, what is historically possible, and the limits of political-educative practice.38
37 Freire, P., op.cit., pg. 89 38 Freire, P., op.cit., pg. 46
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The struggle of socio – economic discrimination, or social classes, is indeed a problem of power; mainly, it should be precisely understood as acquisitive power, because then the struggle truly turns into a matter of survival, only then the motive for the neglect of education is understood. People have to fight for different causes that satisfy their particular necessities; in this way there are limits for what the working and popular classes achieve and what the dominant, more elitist, classes do; if there is such disadvantage of power, why reforms are not demanded? The individual, participant of a society, has to demand quality education, the moment society stops demanding to the governments for the proper construction of public education, it loses its rights, it lose its future.
Continuing, what was previously mentioned does not ask for the naïve conception that education will save the world, as it cannot start to be seen as the origin of the problems. To sum up, it is proper to say that in society, there are two ways of looking at education:
on one side there is the perspective that it has been used as a tool to influence society; but on the complete opposite side, there is the way the different components of society have influenced the development of education. Taking us back to our first reflection, where it was mentioned the concept of education as one of the many dimensions of society, it is valuable that as a collective, society starts denouncing the true figure and value of education in it.
The City becomes educative, through the necessity of educating, learning, teaching, knowing, creating, dreaming, and imagining that all of us – men and women – who occupy its fields, mountains, valleys, rivers, streets, plazas, fountains, houses, buildings, leave on everything the stamp of a certain time and style, the taste of a certain epoch. The City is culture that is created not only by what we do in it and with it, but also by the aesthetic look we add to it. The City is us and we are the City. 39
Reflecting on the different points exposed in this sub chapter, it can be said that there is no doubt that the city creates a profile for the individuals that live in it. The human being is made from the city, mainly because the space gives the contextual components that, in time, turn into experience; the material components and the cultural or abstract components play a background story for the being, this being is in continuous interaction.
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It is necessary to emphasize the fact that part of the city is its society, moreover, the city cannot exits by itself, and it needs its people to be complete, just as the human needs the city.
For this matter, the being can never be separated from society; beings cannot break the link that ties them to the place of development, because one does not exist without the other. This brings to the attention the very common illusion that a reality can be changed from an external source. Nowadays, it is common to see the type of programs that sponsor “socially responsible” volunteering activities, for almost everything; it makes me wonder, how many of these people are aware of what it means to immerse in a context you do not know anything about, and what is more, intend to change it. Maybe this society does not need change, maybe it does not even want it, perhaps all it needs is to function; changing the model and bring another one from different reality is vague, the people to be involved into a matter that belongs to them, thus, society needs to be involved in education for it to work.
Finally, and as a last remark, I would like to say that a society without education is a society without identity. As seen before, identity is built from culture, practices, ideologies, architecture, etc.; but what is most relevant is that identity comes from the unveiling of knowledge, this does not go only for the individual but for the collective as well, a well educated society is the one that recognizes that it is surrounded by diversity, is the one that does not discriminate, the one that is always asking for more and fighting for its rights. A well-educated society is not naïve; it does not live in illusion, it participates, it makes the dreams of its city happen because these dreams are its own.
3.3. Education as a Political Tool
Society has as its only and main protagonist: the human being. There are many factors that influence society, such as culture, economy, and in this case we will speak about politics, as it is one of the most influential ones; we will explain how is it that the individual cannot remain distant to this aspect, because it is part of himself. Moreover, the aim is to expose how the educational formation, is responsible for the political construction of the self and how this impacts society.
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To start, understanding society means to understand the factors that have an effect in it, but more important than that, the way these elements influence it. According author Paulo Freire40, there is no such thing as a neutral education. This concept of neutrality
must be understood from the premise, that the act of education may serve as an exercise for freedom, freedom from all the things that do not allow a man to truly be a person. Freire also states that education should be a tool to free minds, education is that element that teases and transforms, for this to take place, educators and students must be participants of a critical dialog, where both are collaborators of the same stage Therefore, the education process becomes a political matter, a humanization process.41
Continuing, stating that the education system signifies a humanization process, would suggest that both are deeply related to the construction of the individual and the society; as a result, these would compose the identity for both. Earlier, it was mentioned that the context influences the way that a certain activity is developed, behind the processes there are traditions that express how a society understands or perceives a phenomena; these issues or concerns have touched this certain society in different ways, thus, an act reaches different effects depending on the elements surrounding them. The previously stated point can explain why societies struggle for different causes, the action of striving on a struggle already has a political connotation, it affects our sense of ethics, moral and justice, it hits the dilemma of the sense of right and wrong in the individual. For the individual, it is to feel a sense of belonging to something, only then they start claiming for their rights.
In many developing countries, public education has long been neglected. Public education still seen as the place where the poor and unlucky find a chance to succeed in life; ever since privatization became a competitor for the public sector, society has witnessed how the quality of public education has lowered, and the responsibility towards the future has concentrated on private education. As a rational consequence, only those who could afford this type of education could beneficiate of knowledge and progress, in a certain way, the future became designed for them. “Does literacy have anything to do
40 Freire, P., op.cit., pg. 39
41 Jaramillo, O. La Formación Ciudadana en la Obra de Freire. PDF. Facultad de Educación. Universidad
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with individual and class identity? With the creation and development of citizenship? Yes. We must understand, first, that education is not the end all and be all in this process […] we must engage in education as a political act… ”42; Under this affirmation, we shall
understand individual identity, as the one the person chooses, and the social class identity, as the community available for that group of people; this is determined by power. The participation of power implies the involvement of political and social factors that characterize the group.
Thinking that certain social conditions might imply that a society carries an advantage over another, seems unfair, however it brings also to the attention, which are the actions that we take to solve this problem. Participants of the social system have the obligation to request critically what is rightfully theirs, the moment when the society stops claiming for quality education, the governments stop making an effort to correct its flaws and improve43. If the academy is a place to develop critical thinking, the view of the dynamics, between the actors that participate in the system, needs to step out of the traditional. I think that more important than that is that public education will no longer be seen as the last resource for the people, but as an equally competitive choice next to private education.
From a practical point of view, Freire’s approach to the dialog between participants44 is assertive because it is dynamic. Thinking about the traditional model of education in schools: the system suggests that there is always a vertical hierarchy behind it; after all, the current organization of schools and universities proposes a character of authority, specially to the figures that are “higher” in the system. The problem is not really the verticality; instead, the problem originates on figures not earning this “authority” and respect. Eventually, the fear is that we all become victims of education, rather than beneficiaries: people start obeying, and by definition “to obey” does not require a cognitive process, it just requires that they follow an order, subsequently the dynamics of thinking are mostly lost.
42 Freire, P., op.cit., pg. 54 - 55 43 Ivi, pg. 27
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Students and educators are meant to exchange ideas in the same space, the exchange is going to feed the culture and understanding of the situations that involve society, this would awaken the search for knowledge, not only for the student but for the educator as well, thus, the political formation takes place for students, and the act of reassurance happens for educators. There is so much one can learn from a student, to be an educator from a completely different social background, different age and sometimes a different country, allows the individual to exchange dialogs with students and learn. At the same time they will share their perspective on life, but in the end, the practice of sharing will create a need to search for the truth, which in some cases is no other than the understanding of the reality each of us live in.
Again, going back to the premise that this chapter proposes in all three instances, we define education or learning as an act of understanding the reality each of us live in. It was said that education is the comprehension of the reality, it was also said that the reality is no other than the society or context we live in, therefore, education and politics are both builders of reality, of society. We might as well say that education and politics are so tightly bonded that they are one, thus, education can never be a neutral act, it cannot deny its existence, and there is no such thing as non-political education.
As a final point, some useful words to reflect on: “A man or woman today, who has no interest beyond the directly personal,”[…] “is as out of place among real human beings as an ape would be – almost.”45 In the book Progressivism’s Aesthetic Education, Jesse Raber brought to the table an interesting point. The matter of influence and suggestion is a major player in politics; while on the early stages of life, a person is more suggestible, most certainly the brain is more adaptable and receives information in a greater way, also because as mentioned before, individuals spend most of their time of their early years in schools and universities, this is their second home. All of this exposure means that, whatever it is that they are sharing space and time with, during their time in the academy, will awaken different aspects in their minds, if used properly. On the other hand, a vague stimulation can lead as well to a vague exposure, low awakening of interests, an underdeveloped critical thought.
