In a rush to take action most makers don’t focus enough on the importance of “seeing.” To be more than a scribe or to transcend mere mimicry, one needs to see something others don’t see — to have a critical observation or insight. This is certainly not easy, but should be the ultimate aspiration of all makers. The important question then becomes how do we cultivate and nurture our ability to “see?” The best way is to cultivate disciplines, devise tools and ways of living that make it possible to see more clearly and accurately.
Seeing occurs at several different levels and in many different ways. However, it should always start with defining and considering the overall context or situation. At a philosophical level this might involve garnering an understanding of the human condition and our deep human needs. At the specific, pragmatic level it might involve determining the potential of a particular piece of land, within a particular jurisdiction, for a particular use. Regardless, if the context is not assessed clearly and accurately the actions that follow will always fall short.
I will often have my architecture students construct timelines to reveal hidden relationships between various streams of history. For example, mapping the development of information technologies alongside the evolution of library facilities.
The purpose is to develop an accurate, coherent narrative that points to the next logical iteration — seeing or projecting into the future. Sometimes I will have students engage experts and end-users. These conversations often reveal differences in opinions, divergent perspectives as well as potential synergies that can be exploited. Sometimes after documenting and analyzing the technical features of a site, I will have the students visit the project site at various times of day and document their thoughts and feelings. This can reveal experiential insights that don’t reveal themselves on a technical site plan or in a site photo. The ultimate purpose of all these activities is to provide an opportunity to see more clearly.