Common – Wealth

UNIT 16: COMMON – WEALTH Simon Herron + Susanne Isa

Don’t you get that curious and unnerving feeling that we are all somehow unwittingly working for Google? Increasingly we inhabit a world living vicariously through the encrypted pseudo personalities of our on screen in-world micro personas . . . unconsciously drifting through hypertext paradigms. A world in which we practice living our life, detached, seamlessly switching through various mediated context specific selves Instant Messaging, Twittering, curiously making ourselves up as we go along.

Mashing of context, deliciously devoid of any true content, enacting genres, adopting alternate personalities, role-playing, outsourcing our emotions, whilst exhibiting those of others. Wondering, whose personality is this anyhow? A fragmented psychosis, unconsciously and collectively dreamt up, left over from some discarded marketing campaign? With such shared interrelated experiences, a world in which everyone is so profoundly involved, the self becomes somewhat shapeless and hard to pin down.

Boundaries have traditionally defined the physical geographical limits of the tribe. The machines and technologies of mass observation and communication blur and dissolve our Cartesian certainty. This detached observer systematically distanced outside of the frame of experience.

So what happens to the total social construct? What remains of the physical self? What are our hardware needs?

Consider those utopian dreams of the 20^th Century, from the counter culture of the 50’s and 60’s through the nihilistic disillusionment of Punk, the ambivalence of Generation X to the Anti–Globalization alliance and environmental activism of 10:10?

Last year the unit examined our precarious relationship with the forces of global change, the emergence of a new geographical epoch defined by own labors and whims.

This year following the failure of the collective corporate utopian dream of endless growth, the unit will explore the Free Commonwealth as articulated by John Milton 1660; where true wealth meant Well – Being. An introductory short project will kick start the year’s work as outlined below.

Project 01: Autobiography 2009 Project 02: Institute Project 03: Chair

Field Study - Last year the unit chased the sunset by crossing America from coast to coast, this year the unit will visit the Shrinking City of Detroit via Chicago and Toronto, details to be confirmed.

Unit Support: Joerg Majer & Dominic Harris will be visiting critics, throughout the year. Philip Turner of Alford Hall Monaghan Morris Architects will continue to act as our year 4 Practice tutor.