George Clarke's Amazing Spaces, BBC

My second piece of research and inspiration arose from watching the BBC series George Clarke's amazing spaces. The series involves Clarke traveling around the country to discover and interview the owners/ makers of some of the most inventive uses of space in Britain. The style of documentary is fairly similar to that of any other BBC documentary, very informative, but not necessarily as creatively shot as it could have been. In comparison to "We the tiny House people", the BBC documentary does not have the same home made feel or raw, stripped back look of the Documentary by Kirsten Dirksen which she achieves by using a camera of less of a high quality than that of the BBC, her own home made theme tune and the absence of unnecessary editing. Dirksen's documentary appeals to me because  of it's honesty and authenticity, she hasn't worried about cutting shots of her interviewees out where they hesitate or maybe say something wrong. She leaves the whole conversation in so you really get to know the people and their spaces. 

In George Clarke's series I picked up on a few spaces which i thought were the most original, and relevant for my documentary project. I have picked examples which highlight my interests in sustainability and use of materials which I hope to focus on during the project at Brighton.

Firstly, I was particularly interested in the Tree Tents at the Red Kite reserve in Wales. Living above ground, suspended in the air is something that we may have to adopt more of in the future if crisis like over population, or the risk of natural disasters such as flooding, or tsunamis become a significant threat to us and the way we live. The tent is shaped like sphere, giving it symmetry to distribute the weight and pull of the ropes suspending it, as well as a very attractive exterior.  

The materials chosen to construct the foundations include an aluminum frame, light weight therefore easy to suspend in mid air and 100% recyclable. The perfect  dome shape was created using steam bent green ash, which being relatively flexible allowed it to bend more easily than say a hard wood such as walnut, very dense and also more expensive. The covering is made from 100% cotton canvas which unlike blended cotton and synthetic fabrics is less susceptible to UV radiation, reducing weathering and ultimately lasting longer. The interior is lined with wool, a natural material that can trap huge amount of heat, insulating the tent without the need for electric heating. 

The second space I thought very inreguing was a converted former fire service truck. It is designed for two as a B and B styled living space with a double bed, small stove and cooking space. It's name is the "Beer Moth" designed by a man called Walter. The interior is all made from salvaged goods such as original Oak flooring saved from a Tudor mansion, a snooker table, a fire escape to make the staircase. It is somwhat excentric, with a huge Victorian bed and stuffed animals are skattered about the place adding character and a very appealing sense of antique. This character of the truck comes from using things that have been used before, adding a sense of history which may or not be the case in Duncan's house. It will be interesting to see if Duncan manages to give character to his house made from waste and if so how he achieves it with the materials he chooses use. 

Finally, The Village Underground is the last space I have chosen to look at, it's aims of generating art and cmmunity similar to the plans for Duncan's Space. The village is a non profit centre designed from jumble of spaces including old tube trains, shipping containers and a converted warehouse in East London. It is focused around bringing artists, musicians and creatives together the tubes and shipping containers acting like offices and the warehouse as a preformance centre. 

I love how not only does it focus on communal values  but also environmental ones. The tube carriages are powered by solar panels making them carbon neutral and generating enough power for lighting and office equiptment. The warehouse has a living roof, with plants that act as insulation, a dampener for concert noise and absorb carbon emissions from the city. By combining this sustainability with creative practice it encourages people that green is good and we should all make the effort to be as green as we can. Duncan's house will be used in a similar way, acting as a bubble for creativity, with school children, sports groups, and different local communities using the space. 

   

Documentary in Community: my aims, understandings and research.

In the next year the Univeristy of Brighton will be taking on a new project involving the construction of a sustainable house designed by Duncan Baker Brown, architect of the 'House that Kevin Built' in London. The success of his previous house, which was featured on the programme Grand Designs, has opened up the opportunity to recreate the house on university Campus. I aim to capture the transformation of the house itself from beggining to end, to thouroughly interview the people I meet, may they be the main brains behind the project or just individuals I feel have a story that needs telling. I also aim to express my documetary work in an individual way and being somewhat naive to the world of filming I feel I wont have any preconcieved ideas about how a documentary should look. To kick start my inspiration I have decided to create this blog on which I will store relevant links, photos or films that I feel are relevant to the project.

My first link is from a search I did on google in an attempt to find out more about creative documentaries. "We the Tiny House People" was created by Kirsten Dirkson a film maker based in America. She previously worked for MTV but now focuses primarily on her own projects for which her extensive research, motivation to travel and relationships she forms with interviewees inspired me. The website I found the film on includes a brief description of the film:    

" This is journey into the tiny homes of people searching for simplicity, self-sufficiency, minimalism and happiness by creating shelter in caves, converted garages, trailers, tool sheds, river boats and former pigeon coops. "

http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/we-the-tiny-house-people/

I felt the subject matter for the documentary linked nicely to Duncan's house because some of the main themes that occur in both cover, transistory spaces, resourcefullness, and sustainability. Transistory or temporary space becomes important in the documentary because many of the interiors inside these spaces, be it a caravan, boat or micro home, have to be multifunctional, able to be changed and adapted according to different activities within the living space. For example many of the spaces include hidden storage components which can also be used as tables or a pull out bed which can be tucked away to creat more space during the day. This idea of multifunction may become apparent in Duncan's design as the plan for the building is for it to be used as a community centre for the arts. The space would need to accomodate for maybe dance, music or things like sports activities. The project that took place in London was also designed as a temporary building as it was created in 6 days and then dismantled at the end of filming.

Resourcefulness and sustainability is something that as a Design and Craft student I am constantly exposed to but find it difficult to understand. I hope the research I undertake can open my eyes to new approaches within Duncan's house and past projects such as "We the Tiny House People". The documentary by Dirkson shows the innovation and struggle individuals have undertaken to create the perfect space that caters to their every need. One lady created her own travelling wagon out of reclaimed chicken coup planks and corrugated metal, with roof that can be slid open for an increase in sunlight into her home. She also is a quilting fanatic and found efficient ways of storing her materials such as stuffing her pillows with left over scraps to save space. There is also an attitude throughout the whole film which supports the idea that  'less is more' meaning the less possessions you have the less baggage you'll have and the more freedom. Duncan's sustainable techniques to the building in Brighton may differ from the one in London but I know that the design involved the use of plastic bottles to create a lattice of textured wall and more environmentally friendly woods, meaning ones that grow faster and are cheaper than say a very expensive hard wood. The roofing was also set up with multiple solar panels and was the first building in the UK to get an A+ energy performance certificate.