Concept

Precedent

"To me the raw media such as earth, stones, mud, dust, and plant matter suggest realities, associations and experiences that could be aligned with an innate awareness of belonging to (African). I experience and claim the raw material as acquaintance, family and as belonging to me, and as representing the fabric of my identity. The personal, psychological and physical interaction with this particular material environment is difficult to express in words. It is an intuitive, sensuous yet also intellectual process during which a collaborative relationship of expression is entered into between myself and the medium with the aim to uncover the seductive ‘voice’ of the material and to find the most appropriate form for the material it can hold and convey" 

Angus Taylor

Angus Taylor Twenty: Stellenbosch, Smac Art, Stellenbosch

Infrastructure and Agency

Agency is the capacity of an agent - a person or entity - to act. This capacity does not imply a specific moral dimension to the ability to make the choice to act, therefore moral agency is a distinctly different concept. In sociology, an agent is an individual that engages with a social structure (Wilson and Sphall 2002).

Looking at agency in infrastructure, within a neighbourhood scale context in Johannesburg, one could see the prevalent Trolley Pullers as infrastructural agents. These agents are also transient as traverse the context of the neighbourhood collecting recyclable goods. If they were provided with the necessary tools and incentive to collect the fallen leaves as they walk their daily routes, one would be integrating a new infrastructure into an existing one - thus increasing efficiency.

Sustainability

Through designing an infrastructure system that operates in an infinite cycle, the infrastructure becomes highly sustainable. Connecting that system to existing infrastructure, and integrating it into the existing networks of the neighbourhood, makes the system more viable, and intelligent, in its initialisation and operation.

An exploration of Transient Infrastructure revealed the transience of seasons. Seasonal change brings with it the loss of leaves from deciduous vegetation. These leaves are then blown around by strong winds, and lay scattered around the city/neighbourhood. 

If these leaves were collected and processed, they could form biodegradable material with potential. If this biodegradable material was used to create art in public parks, it would create an interest and encourage engagement with parks. As time passes, the art would biodegrade into the park, providing nutrients back to the park.

The results reinforce the transience of the infrastructure, through engagement with transient people in the parks and the transient nature of the material.

Infrastructure

Infrastructure is the elementary physical and/or organisational system required for the functioning of a society or enterprise, or the services and facilities necessary for an economy to function. It could be generically defined a system of interconnected elements that provide a framework for the support of a structure of development (O'Sullivan and Sheffrin, 2003:474).

Infrastructure is typically referred to as the technical structures which support a society, namely roads, bridges, tunnels, water supply, sewers, electrical grids, telecommunications, etc., and can be further defined as "the physical components of interrelated systems providing commodities and services essential to enable, sustain, or enhance societal living conditions" (Fulmer 2009:30).

From a practical perspective, infrastructure promotes the production of goods and services, all the way through to the distribution of complete products to markets. Rudimentary social services, such as schools and hospitals, also benefit from infrastructure.

'Hard' infrastructure refers to the physical networks necessary for societies/neighbourhoods to function, whereas 'soft' infrastructure refers to institutions which are required to maintain the economic, health, and cultural and social standards of a country, such as the financial system, the education system, the health care system, the system of government, and law enforcement, as well as emergency services.

Transient Infrastructure

Transient Users

People, Systems and Infrastructure

Coming soon...

Neighbourhood Immersion

What purpose does open, green, public space serve within the Jeppestown community?

Transient vs. Temporary

A walk-through of Jeppestown revealed the minimal amount of open, green, public space within the area - limited to one park. Furthermore, how the uses of this park were informal and community based. A deeper look into these uses, revealed two distinct yet similar user groups: ‘Transient’ and ‘Temporary’.



According to The Collins English Dictionary, ‘Temporary’ means not permanent; provisional; lasting only a short time; transitory. Which in the context of Jeppestown park, relates to the people who come to the park by choice. This is a conscious decision made for social, relaxation, eating or playing.

According to The Collins English Dictionary, ‘Transient’ means for a short time; transitory; change in the state of a system. Which in the context of Jeppestown park, relates to the people who use of the park to walk through as a path of convenience. Walking through the park is a sub-conscious route completed twice a day.




















In order to engage and challenge the sub-conscious nature of the transient users, I conducted a four stage experiment:
1. String across the arterial path, on the floor.
2. String across the arterial and secondary paths, on the floor.
3. String across the arterial path, at head height.
4. String across all paths, at head height.




As the experiment proceeded, everyone would sub-consciously walk around the ‘obstacle’. As options were eliminated, people would begin to make a decision on the best solution. By the end of the experiment, the sub-conscious transient pedestrians were actively changing their routes and engaging with the park in a slightly higher degree.