Patchblog

UD 2003 Reunion in NY and Patchbook launch

Hello all,This website is an open template to share our work and thoughts on how our professional work reflects our experiences in school. Let’s all add content and share.

DESIGNING PATCH DYNAMICS

The book is available from www.merrittboks.com for 19.95.Contact Merritt Books for e-mail or phone orders.

E-mail: info@merrittbooks.com

Phone: (845) 677-5857

 Victoria Marshall’s description(Co-editor and Co-author) 

‘The book Brian and I are launching is called ‘Designing Patch Dynamics’ and it is the product of transdisciplinary research between urban design and ecosystem science based in Baltimore MD. It is published by Columbia University Press. As well as presenting the work of two years of urban design, and one year of architecture studio work, it is balanced with substantial academic essays from our ecologist partners and urban design professors.

The studio work happened in 2003 and 2004 and as the students have now been working for a while I want to position the book launch as a jumping off point to inspire our students to invent their own new
integrative practices.

 UD03 NYC + ONLINE REUNION 2008

MARCH 29-31, NYC

NYC reunion: Two alumni gathering events are scheduled for the weekend of March 29-31, 2008:

1) March 29 – Victoria Marshall is inviting all UD03 and UD04 alumni to a terrace party in NYC

2) March 31 – Book launch + alumni event for the publication “Designing Patch Dynamics” organized by Victoria Marshall. The book involved work from some students in U03 and UD04 who took the Baltimore studio. It is finally going to be published after 4 years in the making! The book will be used as a starting point to open up a larger discussion on the topic collaboration/transdisciplinary practice. Victoria would like to have as many UD alumni as possible come to New York and participate in this discussion (or just come and listen/observe). There will be some invited speakers as well to help engage everyone in the topic. Since the book is based on work of alumni, the event is also an opportunity to discuss how UD theory learned in school may have been applied in the professional practices of graduates.

These events make a perfect excuse for a UD03 reunion! We can organize other activities too. Please RSVP.

ONLINE reunion: Even if you can’t make it to NYC that weekend, there is still an opportunity to reconnect without traveling. We have come up with a blog survey where everyone can input information about themselves to share with all UD alumni. To participate, please respond to the survey below – you can write/submit as little or as much as you wish, including images. Also, please see the Call For Proposals if you think you have a specific project or work experience that is relevant to the event topic collaboration/ transdisciplinary practice or anything you feel relates in some way to your UD education at Columbia. There is a possibility your work could be presented, either by you in person or by someone else, as determined by Victoria.

INVITED SPEAKERS, March 31st Event

• The Living - David Benjamin and Soo-in Yang
• Erika Svendsen
• Interboro - Georgeen Theodore
• Park as Living Laboratory - Mary Miss Studio (presented by Rennie Tang)

COLLABORATION/TRANSDISCIPLINARY PRACTICE (notes from Victoria)

Rather than a theme of collaboration I still like the Guattari text on ‘transdiciplinary metamethodology’- the idea that to work between disciplinary fields requires not a mixing together but a change of ways of working and most importantly of self. This has been my experience working at the GSAPP, working for an artist and starting TILL.

Transdiciplinary metamethodology is a mouthful. Pickett writes about ‘Integration’ in a way that doesn’t feel like a compression or compromise but more like an strategy for communication. An expansion system. This is where his work on models and frameworks is important to get all the branches and sub-disciplines of ecology to talk to each other and to talk with us and others as well. Like Urban Design Ecology is a relatively young field and so there is some resonance in this way.
From his book integration is ‘establishment and growth of connections between apparently disparate areas, be they empirical, conceptual, or paradigmatic.

SURVEY

Feel free to answer any or all of these questions:

1) Name, city, email address

2) What kind of work have you been doing since graduating from Columbia?

3) How has your UD education influenced the way you work?

4) What type of projects have you worked on? Feel free to include images.

5) Personal update – trips, married, kids etc. (photos welcome!)

Answer here

 

CALL FOR PROPOSALS

If you have a specific project, work experience, paper etc. that you think could be appropriately folded into the discussion on the 31st, here is your chance to make a proposal. Please provide detailed text with images. Submit online to share with everyone. Once all proposals have been received, how they will be presented on the 31st (ie. as a powerpoint overview with global mapping of where everyone is, specific projects focused on etc.) will be decided by Victoria and you will be informed.

 

VICTORIA’S TERRACE PARTY

On the evening of March 29th Victoria Marshall will host a party for all UD03 and UD04 alumni. The party will take place on her terrace with a view of the East River.

Address: 100 Maiden Lane Apt 2104. NYC.

 Bye, Come back soon!