#practice led

Reconstructing Spatial Narratives 03

Ruins and Physical Evidence

Physical evidence can be described as any physical object which is linked to an event in question. Virtually any object can be classed as evidence however the significance of the object only when it is recognised as physical evidence, objects found in the ruin of Lord Armstrong’s Banqueting Hall which perhaps reveal something about the place in which they reside, their photograph has been taken and a brief objective description of the objects accompany the images. Through association, these objects when considered individually and as a collection may provide a representation of the way the place is, and has been, used;

A white crate. The plastic box has ‘oval’ shaped openings in the sides and base. Two handles are positioned in the short edges of the crate used for moving and carrying.

The red text on the side reveals that this once belonged to “RIVERSIDE BAKERY 01642 247181” a cursory internet search reveals Riverside Baker was based in Middlesbrough and ceased trading in 2010 when the limited company when into administration before it’s assets were auctioned and purchased by local businessman Anthony Duffy. The bakery had already recovered from controversy in 2005, when inspectors reported “appalling and highly unsatisfactory” conditions at the factory.

A simple vehicle for carrying small loads, typically being an open container supported by a wheel at the front and two legs and two handles behind

A wheelbarrow rested up against a stack to shipping pallets which have been covered with a vinyl tarpaulin. The whole object is covered with a dew-like moisture. The weight of the barrow is supported by its metal stand/frame and the lip of the barrow itself. Two handles of the wheelbarrow point to the sky. It appears the body of the object was once painted black, the majority of this finish has degraded, approximately 60% of the surface is covered with a light rusting of a dull brown colour. Metal angles attach the barrows handle to the ‘box’ fixed by four stainless steel bolts, their appearance is brighter than that of the rest of the metalwork. The wheel is a ‘donut’ shape, consisting of a black rubber tyre articulated by a series of grooves running the circumference. The surface of the tyre is covered in a green ‘moss-like’ substance. The wheel has a solid centre painted a deep red colour with a small axle joining it to the frame of the barrow.

stone - Hard solid non-metallic mineral matter of which rock is made, especially as a building material

carving -. An object or design carved from a hard material as an artistic work

A stone carving. The object is a rough disc shape with a second circular depression in the centre. This central depression is full with rain water. The water appears darkened, on closer inspection this seems to be caused by a build up of dark green vegetation on the inside of the circular depression. It is constructed from a single piece of light coloured stone. A ‘flattened arrowhead’ shape has been carved into one side of the disk. The stonework has a ‘mottled’ patina of green and dull brown. The surface of the object has a number of brown leaves resting upon it.

post - the official service or system that delivers letters and parcels.

bag - A container of flexible material, such as paper, plastic, or leather, that is used for carrying or storing items.

Forensic Recording Techniques - Experiment 01

Edmond Locard's (1877-1966)  'Exchange Principle'13 states that every contact leaves a trace, a principle which forms the foundation of all crime scene anlaysis14. The traces that Locard is referring to are fundamentally the same as the 'marks' and 'traces' discussed by Di Carlo5, Edensor4 and the 'artefacts' encountered by the ruin explorers6. In all cases these traces, marks and artefacts are the evidence of an event or events causing a physical change to the materials of a place. This commonality suggests that methods, techniques and processes designed for forensic recording record a place could feasibly be utilised by designers when translating the aesthetic information of a place to reconstruct it's story or 'memory'.

Parallels within the fields of architecture and forensics have been drawn before; Eyal Weizman's research project 'Forensic Architecture' explores architecture as a target of political violence and the consequent interpretation(s) of architectural destruction in international law. Weizman states; “we have coined the term “forensic architecture” to reflect upon the way in which architecture functions as evidence of violations in international humanitarian law but also in other political and media forums.”14 In essence their work is derived from the discipline of building surveying and pathology, a practice which aims to determine the cause of building defects in order to support legal claims and structural repairs. Weizman et al. conceptualises buildings and places as 'material evidence' which through the forensic process become a 'material witness' of past events. Places become physical evidence of past events.

Bibliography

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3. Mansfield, J. (2012) ‘Re-imagining existing architecture’, Structural Survey, 30(4), pp. 344–356.

4. Edensor, T. (2005) Industrial Ruins: Space, Aesthetics and Materiality. Berg Publishers.

5. De Carlo, G. (1999) ‘Reading and tentative design’, Places: Forum of Design for the Public Realm, 12(3), pp. 51–51.

6. Garrett, B. (2013) Explore Everything: Place-Hacking the City. Verso.

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13. In forensic science, Locard’s exchange principle (sometimes simply Locard’s principle) holds that the perpetrator of a crime will bring something into the crime scene and leave with something from it, and that both can be used as forensic evidence. Dr. Edmond Locard (13 December 1877 – 4 May 1966)

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and the Challenge of Reification”. Ecological Psychology, 15(2), pp.149–180

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27. Dewey, J. (1958) Art as experience. New York: Capricorn Books.

28. Mostafavi, M. and Leatherbarrow, D. (1993) On weathering: the life of buildings in time. Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press.

29. Rasmussen, S. E. (1964) Experiencing Architecture. Cambridge, Mass: M.I.T. Press.

30. Nimkulrat, N. (2007) ‘The Role of Documentation in Practice-Led Research’, Journal of Research Practice, 3(1), p. Article M6

31. Harrison, A. (2002) ‘Shared judgements: Thinking for yourself, thinking from the standpoint of everyone else, and being consistent’.

32. Rynearson, Joseph M. 6th ed. Evidence and Crime Scene Reconstruction. Redding, CA: National Crime Investigations and Training, 2002.

3D Scanning the Banquetting Hall 

ARMSTRONG'S BANQUETING HALL - ANIMATED GO PRO FOOTAGE 01