Methods of Investigation Written Response

The two readings from the course reading list that relate to my investigation are Species of Spaces and Other Places by Georges Perec and Graphesis by Johanna Drucker. My investigation focused on 35 Colonnade, an urban alley in London. Perec (1997) reflects on how we can decipher and analyze everyday spaces that we have deemed ‘common’, encouraging us to look beyond their obvious elements. Drucker (2014), who coined the term ‘visual epistemology’, argues that design is a powerful tool for interpretation and that designers actively shape how meaning is perceived. My work connects to Perec through his process of examination and to Drucker through her theme of design as interpretation guiding my visual decisions.

To ‘see almost stupidly’, (Perec, 1997), as Perec suggests, I spent time sitting at 35 Colonnade, observing the street, the people, and the birds. By repeatedly sketching, photographing, and writing about the most obvious and seemingly boring elements, I began to notice details I had missed before. This helped me strip away assumptions about the site and find meaning in what is usually overlooked. I was drawn to textures of the uneven bricks, worn cobblestones, and the alley’s narrow, serene atmosphere amidst the city’s bustle. By converting my images to black and white, it revealed textures as graphic forms. Using these Lego-like textures, I mapped 35 Colonnade, reducing a mundane place into a textured landscape.

My design received feedback requesting conclusions about the place, but clarity is not my primary goal. Instead, I aimed to capture the essence of what 35 Colonnade feels and looks like. The design is not functional in the traditional sense or meant to represent a definitive truth. It is open to interpretation, aligning with Drucker’s (2014) argument in Graphesis. I was not entirely sure what I discovered through this investigation. However, I was intentional in shaping viewers’ perspective by choosing what to show and what to omit. For example, I excluded street signs from the textures to focus attention on materiality. Using the textures allowed me to reimagine the space, conveying to viewers unfamiliar with the alley more about the buildings and atmosphere than written research might. I wanted to capture the London alley that tourists photograph, where birds fly, and workers take smoke breaks.

Ultimately, Perec’s method of slow observation informed my investigative process from start to finish. My aim was not to provide an objective truth, but to translate the physical and atmospheric qualities of the alley into a visual form. Guided by Drucker’s concept of designing graphic interpretation, I acknowledge that the way I visualized the collected data is subjective. I chose visual elements based on my interpretation of London. While alleys everywhere may have smokers, birds, and tourists, not every alley shares the same characteristics as 35 Colonnade. This investigation has deepened my understanding that design is inherently interpretive and does not always need to convey a definitive truth. As designers, we have control over what we observe and bear responsibility for how we visually represent it.

References

Drucker, J. (2014) Graphesis: Visual Forms of Knowledge Production. Harvard University Press.

Perec, G. (1997) Species of Spaces and Other Places. Translated by J. Sturrock. London: Penguin.