The Workshops: A Synthesis

Introduction
In the three workshops a wide range of different and new concepts have been introduced. The aim of the synthesis is to combine all these different ideas and consider new possibilities that come from this. In particular there may be inspiration for the final Agile project based on combining different elements of the three workshops. In this synthesis I will draw separate conclusions of each workshop and then outline different ideas which have stemmed from the experiences I have had.

The Picnic
The Picnic was the first workshop which introduced a number of leading aspects for the module. These included abstraction, reconstruction and gave us the ability to look at information from a different perspective. The Picnic was a steep learning curve in terms of the more open ways of thinking and viewing the environment, but this in some ways made it more engaging. This was also a benefit for the future workshops as these concepts such as abstraction have seemed to run throughout the workshops and so by introducing us to them at an early stage it made it easier to carry out future tasks. In terms of the ecology aspect of this workshop, both social and human ecology were covered which gave a broader spectrum of the underlying concept of the module. The most engaging aspect of this workshop was discovering ways in which the data can be abstracted, as although I knew of this concept, at first I found it difficult to put it into practice and so working through it helped to develop my creative skills.

The Field
The Field was the second workshop that was covered involving hertzian space and locative media and was focused on human ecology. The main focus of this work shop was the GPS track and ways in which to develop it from a simple GPS drawing to a more dynamic outcome. In particular I found the hertzian space element of this workshop interesting as it allowed me to investigate a query that I had previously considered, whilst developing this further into a spatial understanding of my surroundings which was relevant to the task at hand. This particular section had little development from the initial investigation, unlike the GPS section, and so there is a possibility of continuation in the future.

The Territory
The Territory was the third and final workshop and revolved around the Arch-OS system. Out of the three workshops I felt that this one was the most informative in understanding and developing ideas for its ecological theme of deep ecology. The most interesting element of this workshop was the Arch-OS section as there are numerous possibilities for the data it provides and the concept of intelligent architecture is a new and exciting area to explore. By studying the Arch-OS system it introduced a new perspective of the building itself, which others who are unaware of Arch-OS would not see. The discovery of this understanding is also one of the reasons why the GreenScreen is interesting to work with, as it deals with the concept of people having to look closer and unravel the information to understand what it really resembles. The philosophical element to deep ecology also allows for this section to be more flexible in terms of concepts and ideas.

New Ideas
By combining the information learnt during these workshops a number of new ideas can emerge. These ideas can then widen our investigation, but more importantly can be used to develop a concept for the final Agile project.
Firstly there are ideas such as those previously voiced in this synthesis. In particular I feel the investigation of hertzian space not involving GPS was left undeveloped and so there are a number of ways in which this section could be continued. Firstly hertzian space could be investigated further using time. The maps made at the beginning of the Field using wi-fi and Bluetooth were static images, but the position, strength and other characteristics of these frequencies change over time. Therefore alike to the GPS narrative the hertzian space could be studied and the constructed over time. This would move the herztian space element away from the space-based approach and more towards a time-based approach, therefore linking elements of the Picnic with the Field.
Another idea that has emerged from carrying out these workshops is a way of combining elements of the GPS section of these workshops with the GreenScreen from the territory. Previously the GPS elements had either been defined using a static image or a simple video narrative which demonstrated the development of the path. However these elements have only been viewable through computer and this blog, whereas with use of the GreenScreen tracks could be displayed to the public. As well as this if some of the Arch-OS data could be used to somehow produce the GPS element of the concept the final image would be more relevant as a whole.
The ecologies covered in this module also introduce new ideas. In particular it occurred to me that social and human ecology is quite difficult to separate as whenever people are interacting socially they are also interacting with their physical environment. This therefore made me question whether it was possible to get social ecology without the interference of human ecology. For this to really be possible the social interaction would have to occur in a non-physical environment. This made me consider virtual social environments such as MSN and Facebook, as these would allow for a social environment without any involvement of the physical environment. This could be an interesting area to investigate as it approaches a completely different type of ecology in terms of social interaction.

Conclusion
Overall the Agile workshops have been very effective in introducing and developing new concepts relating to architectures of the near future. Although certain elements were difficult to understand to begin with, by working through the projects and looking at examples of similar work a better understanding began to develop. This module has been an interesting developmental process that I have enjoyed and has introduced a wide range of different techniques and strategies. The final stage of this module is to take these ideas and create a final project with them that will be interesting and effective.