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.
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