25.10.09

My views on life ... "Life" is simply a reaction, a way to rationalise our existence beyond the physical purpose of living. We are born, we reproduce, we die. Religion is a way to comfort ourselves, to fill the void, a way to understand and to protect ourselves from the starkness of our own reality.

When Helen says 'movements, actions, rituals and habits' I think it is really important that we apply this when looking at seemingly unconnected things. For example we cannot just look at 'significant buildings' we need to ask what makes a building significant?
In order to understnad the actions and habits of the people of golders green and the area in itself we need to form a connection between people and their awareness of their own environment. For example how can we state a synagogue as a significant building but not a small bakery which attracts the community. A building exists as a physical man made structure which is intwined with our own perceptions of it, therefore any building can be significant.

Maybe by trying to discover which are the significant buildings of Golder green in this way we will be able to closer understand the 'movements, actions, rituals and habits' of the community.

In the same way, if we were to observe the geography of the two sites throughout their history, town plans etc, what might this tell us about the community.

Also, as designers, we work with texture and colour. They are the visual representation of our aims, they transform our ideas into a tactile product. So I think we should try to explore the textures and materials of the crematorium and road, maybe do some rubbings to get a visual interpretation of the materials that make the area.

- Vita