Thursday, September 1, 2011
Create a New Parliament
What would a futuristic Parliament look like. A recent competition saw many entries for the design for the Albanian Parliament. One in particular caught my attention. Coop Himmelb (1) AU Designs the new Albanian Parliament.
Best Home and Interior Design, 2011. 'Coop Himmelb'. http://www.besthomesdesign.com/coop-himmelb-l-au-designs-the-new-
Design Brief
A hypothetical space will be created in which a computer-generated tool will be used to create a virtual connection with parliament. However although we are creating a virtual tool, infrastructure and architecture must be designed in which these tools can be bound and actively used. This method of spreading the parliamentary ability over Australia will require each design to obtain the ability to be flexible for each and every location in which these secondary parliamentary buildings will be located. Each design will be required to be able to be distributed over Australia.
The design must communicate the significance of the virtual realm in the way that Canberra conveys the importance of parliament currently, through placemaking and creating a significant place to participate in the virtual parliament. Each design will communicate the emotion of the House of Representatives. By having the parliament nodes as a special place that reflects the community/town/cities ethos. Within these nodes, you can enter a virtual realm of Parliament where your voice can be heard.
Current Technological Capabilities
It wasn't too long ago in which computers and their ability for limiting our ability to communicate over the world. Now days there are faster transfer rates, allowing more complex and larger files and information to be exchanged with great ease. The faster the transfer rate the more complex the virtual system that we can use, and the more emotional, realistic and accurate the virtual communication can become.
123RF, 2011. 'Virtual Technology'. http://www.123rf.com/photo_7248996_virtual-technology-with-data-network-stream-art.html, accessed 1st September 2011.I don't think that technology will limit the ability for a virtual parliament to occur. Now days we are blessed with such technology that we will be able to use current technological infrastructure.
Virtual Communication
Here is a link to a group of architects who have used Second life to hold meeting and discuss their points of interest. They are using current infrastructure and existing technology to create a meeting.
This is more an example of how people are using current infrastructure and technology to use the most of an existing virtual world to communicate and hold meetings. There were more than 42,000 kilometers separating this group if you connected their locations around the globe.
Although, with all this new technology and social networking, are we loosing our personal and emotional compass? I think that may be for another discussion, however it is still very appropriate!
What is a Virtual World?
What would it look like? I began to try and sketch this image which I had in my head, but I soon found images on exactly what I thought it would look like. The Oxford University's Future Technologies page. See Below.
Future of humanity institue, University of Oxford, 2011. Future technologies. http://www.fhi.ox.ac.uk/research/future_technologies. Accessed September 1st 2011.
I envisaged people walking around inside a lost world of computer processed images! Seeing them selves as a third person.
How would it be possible to design for such an unknown universe, a life outside of the usual way of like in which we know it?
These are the kind of questions that we are still facing now! We are looking at ways in which we will be constructing this visual world, this virtual dream / idea into something that could be real... WHAT IF it were possible.
A virtual Government Listens
After lengthy in depth discussions about the some current issues with in Australia, one major topic which kept arising was the fact that those who's voices are heard, are a very small percentage, and that small percentage are usually those with a voice and the ability to be heard. We are going to be looking at ways in which we can solve this problem. With the use of todays technology and a virtual twist we are going to be providing a virtual government in the sense that we will provide the tools and infrastructure to enable the voices of all to be heard.
Australia's Voice
The idea of a 'Virtual Government' allows the voices of the poor the rich and all those in-between - the lower strata of society - are often lost, or if consulted, ignored in the design and implementation of development programs and projects.
Virtual Assembly
We want to be able to offer an alternative way to voice. The Virtual Government will offer virtual assemblies from the sub-village, to village, to district, to regional levels to present people's concerns, priorities, ideas and needs for meaningful development. This form of 'direct democracy' will sidestep the dominance of powerful patrons and their clients.
Decision Making Made by All!
Virtual assemblies will encourage all people to express their voices but also to choose their development path. All within local society will participate including elders, youth, women, the unemployed, the landless and the disabled.
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