A Method for Considering Privacy in the 21st Century

Abstract

Through a contemporary design method this thesis observes the emergence of a Traffic Junction at a Kingsland site. The element of privacy in its fabric is developed through the lenses of intersubjectivity. There is a significant element in Edmund Husserl’s early work on phenomenology, which attempts to make sense of the gaps through which we engage in subjective interpersonal relationships. Subsequent work in this field has produced volumes of work on Intersubjectivity. Jordan Zlatev and Nick Crossley create a multitude of subjective explorations on the topic of the interpersonal space and the emerging shared mind as a tangible phenomenon attained through a process of tuning in between private experiential worlds. Architecturally this discourse can produce an all inclusive approach to design which capitalizes on the shared authorship, serendipity and emergence of unforeseen meanings and physical manifestations through collaboration. The traffic of the smart phone data and the passenger trains can supplement each other in a world of intertwined personal connections and engagements. The digital and physical aspects of the experiences associated with this amalgamation is focused on the inter-personal connectedness, which can go beyond the exchange of virtual data and superficial niceties. The engagement with another person can take a number of forms. The different depths are explored through the disciplines of psychology, sociology, philosophy and correspondingly architecture. In the testing of the intersubjective design method a number of physical manifestations were arrived at. The resulting Traffic Junction is found in the shared meaning and built form of the intersubjective drawings. Ultimately this shared work was interpreted by the architect. The work was further subjected to the multiple readings and reinvestigation as a collection of connected elements around the subject. The design emerged as a landscape populated with embedded objects for personal engagement; embedded folly objects for personal interactions; the corresponding interstitial spaces within the fabric of interacting entities; reflections as serendipitous occurrences; and accidental findings which happened as a subjectively noticed and appreciated by-product of the making process. This design process is based on the negotiation of the private and public space of evolving interactions between the participants.