1 research outputs found
Towards a deep ecology of art, technology and being - an ontological investigation with particular reference to the rock-cut edifices of Ellora, India, and Tadao Andoâs water temple
This practice-based thesis is an interrogation of âbeingâ, one not centred on the human being. It concerns a being that manifests through dynamic inter-relation between human and other entities and phenomena in the universe. It considers several interrelated questions, interrogating notions of 'relational being','non-anthropocentric being', 'the being of a space', âthe space of beingâ. Ultimately,
one is considering the implications of relational being for âdeep ecologyâ.
With regard ârelational beingâ, key inter-related Buddhist ideas drive the thinking and practice: ârelational originationâ (pratityasamutpada), and âemptinessâ(shunyata). Furthermore at the heart of this particular history of technology is a discussion of the significance of zero. The Sanskrit term shunya, means both âzeroâ and âemptyâ, and relates to shunyata.
There are several principal objectives. Firstly an analysis of perceived relational dynamics in Elloraâs rock-cut architecture, technology, and ontology. Secondly, scrutiny of apparent correspondence between Elloraâs Edifice Twenty-Nine and a contemporary Tantric shrine: the Water Temple, constructed in 1991. Thirdly, an examination of ideas in contemporary science and technology that engender reconsiderations of notions of ârelational beingâ.
The primary practical outcomes are two films: relationship-place naka-ma and zero = every day? Both approach the question through phenomenological process, paralleling Andoâs conception of âarchitectureâ as an integrated and inter-acting entity of built edifice, wider landscape, and the spectatorship of persons who frequent it.
This research engenders ânew knowledgeâ in terms of: offering pluralistic, trans-national and trans-disciplinary insight on current thinking relating to art, architecture, technology, spectatorship, and ontological practice; evolving knowledge with regard interactions between body, humanly constructed entities, wider environments/ecologies; engendering new perspectives on considerations of cyberspace, Ellora, Ando, and the Water Temple; contributing to a counter thesis vis-Ă -vis the colonial project of objectification and ossification of the other