Links and Intrigues

JEFF

NOON

If we back track a little to the beginning of this project, I began by reading some of Jeff Noon's literature. Noon is a Manchester based author, whom sets most of his narratives within the city of Manchester. 

I started by reading the novels, Vurt and Pollen, two books that link onto one another, furthering and exploring the futuristic version of Manchester that he portrays.

With Noons writing, it is not so much the concepts that he writes about that fascinates me so much but rather how he writes, his imaginative use of language, his repetition and a very keen knowledge. He puts sentences together that conventionally don't make sense but through his intellect of the said topic, he has the ability to send your imagination running wild. 

Point of Interest;;,

His second book that i was to read, Pollen, which is the predecessor to Vurt, plays with the theme of plant life and pollen taking over Manchester, brought through from the dream world with the intention of changing the map, bringing with it mass hay-fever and havoc. 

I am not interested in basing my project upon a fictional novel, as I need to be more personally entwined with the subject. But i cannot shake the wonder of Noons writing and how he connects it with the city.

Therefore

I intend to play with certain aspects of his fiction,

Feature;;Pollen.

I have began to extract every line from the novel through tracing which features words concerning the pollen invasion of Manchester,,. Due to the nature of tracing and building a narrative with it, I have constructed it in such a way that you get an ordered muddle of events. Tracing the line of text and keeping it at the same place on the sheet of tracing paper as it is on the book, allowing the filling of the tracing paper to create a confusion, a new tale.

Feature;;ExamplePollen

""No, no. In his mind. Like an explosion . . . a burst of flowers . . . l . . ." . . . the flowers are dancing . . . dancing . . . The smell of flowers coming from a nearby garden. May John Barleycorn find you desireless. Reaching instead for one of the flowers in Coyote's mouth. I could feel where the roots of the plants were embedded in his throat muscles."

I hope to continue this throughout the entire book, seeing what I can build from it and what i can take out of it.

Attempt Two

Actually above title is a slight lie, this is indeed attempt three, attempt two was a re-trial of disastrous outcome, recovery is in process,,

Back on track, new methods,,

After the difficult nature of the strict instructions from design sponge that I used to create my initial kokedama moss ball [instructions see below]

http://www.designsponge.com/2011/04/diy-project-kokedama-string-garden.html

I seeked an alternative method,,

This came in the form of coming across this instructional video from Eden Gardens, an Australian based company,,

There string gardens seem to use a lot more straight forward method, merely gathering everything together and stringing it together, I am not entirely keen on the aesthetic outcome shown on the video and question slightly the lifespan this would allow the plant,,

but this is something to be played with,,.

Instead of using found moss for the outer shell, this recipe uses moist sphagnum moss, initially I doubted the appearance this would give the overall effect but in reality so far I am attracted.

The string ball is yet to be hung, images will follow and the survival rate may be questionable, updates will be forthcoming.

Quick Find

Other commercial ideas for bringing gardening into an urban environment,,

Inside//Outside

This video showcases a pre-made commercial pocket but could this be made from scratch to the same effect? Perhaps using the same material as is used as the support for hanging baskets?

I have done little research into this query but if the liner used in hanging baskets is designed to with hold the water and supports the plant then surely you could make your own to some degree.

Also what would happen if you weaved with sphagnum moss?

Give [[Ground]] to Green

I apparently always seem to be drawn back to life, life, plants and growth, nature and all its incredible wonders,,

This project seems to have taken a shape change,,

In moving to Manchester, it has been my first time to live in such a built up city. I am not a country-bumpkin, I am from a city, a city such as Cardiff, but from the suburbs, where both the city and countryside is accessible, easily, where growth and greenery are a few steps beyond my front door.

Living in the city center of Manchester is different, I have no garden to wonder out to, to grow a plant has to be done on my windowsill, under certain conditions, options are limited.

And it is that, that I want to explore, looking at what space there is to grow a garden in an urban built up environment, is there room for contemporary landscape architecture in a concrete jungle?

And what happens when nature tries to take back the city?

Feature Jeff Noon's book "pollen".

A couple of sights//sites of interest

http://www.stringgardens.com/

Moving life to the skies, growing above its natural environment, using space in a different way.

Here, above,

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Is my own attempt although not in fact hung up as off yet,,

more to follloww,,,

Demolition

NOTES ON DEMOLITION;;
I don't really like watching demolition, I feel like I can feel (double use of the word feel) it's pain,,
It seems violent and unconsidered
"Demolition destroying violence with violence"

To Begin,

Initial Reactions and Initial Attractions,,

I was first struck by the images of the Hulme Crescents that we were shown in Visual Resources. There was something about their form and their story that hit a chord of intrigue. I thought they looked alien, alien and out of place. Rejected and neglected. They were supposed to be something new and radical, bringing the streets to skies,,

 

 
But the reality was the creation of concrete jungles, streets that weren't patrolled, creating a notorious maze for theft, burglary and violence, an ideal escape route for criminals, making people hostages in their own homes.