System. No system

System. No System

“It is equally fatal for the mind to have a system and to have none. It will simply have to decide to combine two.” - Friedrich Schlegel.
2022 10 10

There are two elements taking place in my research work, it’s the uncontrolled, the dislocated city areas, and the controlled – a context – a scripted urban environment, i.e no system and system. 

As it is obvious that a system is necessary for any city to function, I am arguing that no system areas are also necessary, allowing you to have an authentic unpredictable experience, injecting the environment with new meanings, complexities, and activities, as well as preventing the cities from changing into generic landscapes.

Looking for ways to translate my findings into practice, I was looking for a language that would combine both a system and no system, an interactive installation where the two exist at the same time. By taking two opposing elements – an urban fabric, a standard pavement tile, something that is a very fixed element in the city, and freedom to rearrange it in any possible way – allows to create one’s own reality and simulate an uncontrolled environment within the controlled means. Making an installation model also became a practical tool in finding out what a system, no system and space in-between could be.