Toyo Ito Sendai Mediatheque Josephine Ho

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Lynn Miles
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1 A body is a system comprised of a configuration of cells, where each cell has its own role and function (Hayles, 1999). It is not a system where its function is dependent upon the number of cells, but rather the relationship inherent to each organization of cells. The body is in constant motion, forever in flux; never static. Although the Sendai Mediatheque is a static building itself, its function as a node within the massive system of information, enables it to behave as a different type of body of architecture. It is a body enabling the flows of the body of information and the bodies of humans. In better words, the Sendai Mediatheque as a unique building that encompasses three related body typologies; information, architecture, and human. Toyo Ito designed for the main function of the Sendai Mediatheque to be the node that allows for people to learn and share information, thus, it is important to note here that the body of information is the main driver behind the functioning of the Sendai Mediatheque (Witte, 1992). Toyo Ito Sendai Mediatheque Josephine Ho

2 The notion of a body is a complex system comprised of relationships. Communication between these relationships allow the body to function based on feedback loops both internally and externally (Hayles, 1999). The Sendai Mediatheque is, as architecture, a body, that requires the external input of information to allow the Sendai Mediatheque to function, and the body of humans (body in terms of their logical minds rather than physical being) to act as the internal feedback and external output. All these factors must work in conjunction with one another in order for the Sendai Mediatheque to properly function. In The Building in Pain: The Body and Architecture In Post- Modern Culture (1990), Anthony Vidler writes about the importance of communication between information that allows for a building to behave similarly to an organism. Since architecture and humans are treated as separate body entities, then the architecture functions as an organism, and requires the interaction between itself and the body organism of humans to survive (Vidler, 1990). In relation to Vidler is Filippo Marinetti s The Foundation and Manifesto of Futurism (1908), where he writes about how something should have the essence of speed:...simply be the dynamic sensation itself, (made eternal). A body is never static, and is constantly changing and reacting along its own pace. The body of information that the Sendai Mediatheque latches onto, is expanding and traveling at an incredible pace. Although Marinetti describes that everything is rapidly changing, and that everything created should be made to capture that essence, Toyo Ito recognised that designing a building that tried to capture this essence of speed of information was pointless (Marinetti, 1908; Sakamoto, 2003). Rather, Ito designed the Sendai Mediatheque as a node that could translate information to the human body, therefore capturing the essence of networking rather than the essence of speed (Witte, 2002). Information is the essence of the Electronic Age, where technology of computers have advanced knowledge and the rate of information sharing unlike any other age. Information as a body is temporal and is, in a way, an invisible traffic system. Balakian s Breton and the Surrealist Mind - The Influences of Freud and Hegel (1970) runs along the same path in describing surrealism as both dream and reality. The information body can be paralleled as a dream like existence where it flows at an incredible speed, where it cannot be seen, only experienced. The reality would be paralleled to the human body. Balakian refers to how one cannot understand a sensory feeling if there is no understood reason behind the feeling nor can one make sense of a logical meaning if there is no physical or emotional experience of an object. Thus, how can information have any meaning if there is no human mind to accept, understand, and challenge information? Similarly, how does the Sendai Mediatheque function as a node if there is no human body to make sense of the information body that is passing through the architecture? The Sendai Mediatheque requires both bodies in order for its architectural body to properly function; it allows for dream/information and reality/human to connect. Body Sendai Mediatheque

3 D diagram 1 _ The Sendai Mediatheque acting as a dynamic node to intake, explore, and propel foward information and human bodies continuously. Body Sendai Mediatheque 7

Merleau-Ponty s The Synthesis of One s Own Body (1962) can be directly related to Balakian, Marinetti, and Hayles by furthering the notion of the body in constant motion with the idea of the

4 Merleau-Ponty s The Synthesis of One s Own Body (1962) can be directly related to Balakian, Marinetti, and Hayles by furthering the notion of the body in constant motion with the idea of the oscillating connection between perception of space and perception of the thing. As previously mentioned, the human body is needed in order for the information body and architecture body to have meaning. The act of processing information is another type of relationship between the information and human bodies. This other dynamic relationship is perception. It is not simply an act of absorbing information, but the rationalizing of information by the human body. In conjunction with Merleau-Ponty, this relationship is an experience, where it is through experience that one is able to understand the body itself and its relation to space as being of space (Merleau-Ponty, 1962). The Sendai Mediatheque assists the experience of the human body with information in two ways. Firstly, as an architecture body, it provides a space that encourages the opportunity to learn and share information, rather than inhibiting it. Secondly, it acts as a facilitator, or a catalyst between the information and human bodies when they interact. Rather than labeling the Sendai Mediatheque as a prescribed program, its multi-program capabilities of a public gallery, library, film and media center, and information center enhances the dynamic relationship between the information and human bodies by broadening the breadth of information networks available to people. The Sendai Mediatheque as a body is an interesting case when compared to the information and human bodies. Neither of the latter can be visually seen, only the architecture body. It has already been stated that Ito designed the Sendai Mediatheque to capture the essence of attaining and understanding information. This makes for an interesting comparison to both Balakian and Peter Eisenman articles. Balakian writes about architecture as capturing the essence of the sensory world into a fixed construction of concrete, where it requires an architect to project him or herself into the concrete existence of the object. (1970). Peter Eisenman writes about how the Electronic Age has had no bearing upon architecture in his Vision s Unfolding: Architecture in the Age of Electronic Media (1996). Eisenman states that the only way for architecture to become affected is to disrupt the viewer s position from the rooted placement on a flat ground with a roof held up by four walls (Eisenman, 1996). The Sendai Mediatheque is quite literally a flat ground plane with four walls and a roof, but it is not the physicality of the building that is capturing the essence of information processing. It is the act of both information and human bodies going to and through the Sendai Mediatheque that allows for the concrete architecture to transcend its physicality and become a node that allows for this transaction of information. However, it can be argued that the Sendai Mediatheque is still an architectural building that is unaffected by the Electronic Age with its literal construction, but it is important to remember that Ito recognized the incapability to capture a building that could represent the transitory passing of information and therefore consciously made a decision to make the Sendai Mediatheque act as a node. (Witte, 2002; Sakamoto, 2003). Body Sendai Mediatheque

5 D diagram 2 _ The Sendai Mediatheque (grey cube) becomes the vessel for information (blue) to be intermingled by the human body (yellow). As a result, the information body becomes processed by the human body and is propelled forward. This is a continuous process.

Toyo Ito realized the Sendai Mediatheque as an architectural body that could facilitate the dynamic relationship between the bodies of information and humans.

6 Toyo Ito realized the Sendai Mediatheque as an architectural body that could facilitate the dynamic relationship between the bodies of information and humans. As a building, it provides a place and the technology to allow for the human body to physically and digitally attain information. Although this action could be done at any facility, the Sendai Mediatheque provides the information in a different manner than other institutions. It encourages the exploration of the space and information within the building. Without the building, the experience of exploration and learning cannot be realized. This can also be said about the information body. It is transparent, but the Sendai Mediatheque provides a vessel for this information to be realized and be consumed by the human body. References Balakian, A. E. (1970). Breton and the Surrealist Mind - The Influences of Freud and Hegel. Surrealism: The Road to the Absolute. Breton, A. (1968). (1968)). What is Surrealism?. Theories of Modern Art. Eisenman, P. (1996). Visions Unfolding: Architecture in the Age of Electronic Media. Theorizing a New Agenda for Architecture. Hayles, K. (1999). Liberal Subjectivity Imperiled: Norbert Wiener and Cybernetic Anxiety. How We Became Posthuman. Marinetti, F. T. (1908). The Foundation and Manifesto of Futurism. Theories of Modern Art. Merleau-Ponty, M. (1962). The Synthesis of One s Own Body. Phenomenology of Perception. Sakamoto, T.; Ferre, A. (2003). Toyo Ito Sendai Mediatheque. Barcelona, Actar. Vidler, A. (199). The Body and Architecture in Post-Modern Culture. A A Files. Witte, R. (2002). Toyo Ito Sendai Mediatheque. Germany, Prestel Verlag. Body Sendai Mediathque

TOYO ITO SENDAI MEDIATHEQUE FORM ERA POGOSON

TOYO ITO SENDAI MEDIATHEQUE FORM ERA POGOSON Quatremere de Quincy defines type as " the rule for the model the inherent structural and formal order that allows architectural objects to be grouped together,