the inside. The communication of spaces, over the communication of architecture. We will learn from Learning from Las Vegas, and from the theory of semiotics and iconography to gain cerebral powers to be able to read the spaces of language, the meta-realities of Macau.       

Few eras of architecture has caused so much confusion and lack of self confidence in architecture as the conditioned entertainment spaces of malls and casinos. As the world is colonized by consumer complexes such as the casinos of Macau, architects gaze with apathy. 

In Rem Koolhaas’ text, JunkSpace2  he openly blames architects lack of understanding space for the “punishment of conditioned spaces”. He argues that architects have only been looking at the containers of space. “As if space itself is invisible, all theory for the production of space is based on an obsessive preoccupation with its opposites: substance and objects i.e. architecture”. While the programs of malls and casinos is purely internal. The content is space, not structure. The negative space created by the windowless walls, the ornamental ceilings, and the edgeless floor becomes the positive, and the structure the negative.

We will focus our ambitious task on three cases. The City of Dreams casino and hotel complex opened in 2009. Home of the world’s largest water theatre, three major hotels in four towers, a three-floor podium including a mega-casino, over 200 shopping facilities and hotel guest facilities.  Fisherman’s Wharf Theme Park opened in 2006. The complex includes over 150 stores and restaurants in buildings built in the style of different world seaports such as Cape Town, Amsterdam and Venice, six rides, a slots hall, a 72-room hotel, and a casino themed on coastal towns including Miami, Cape Town, New Orleans, Amsterdam, Venice, Spain, Portugal and the Italian Riviera. Last but not least, the immense Venetian Macau Casino and Hotel opened in 2007. The Venetian, modelled on its sister complex in Las Vegas, USA (in its turn modelled on Venice, Italy) is the largest single structure hotel building in Asia, the sixth-largest building in the world, the Venetian covers an area of 980,000 m2, more than 3000 suites, 110,000 m2 of convention space, 150,000 m2 of retail, 51,000 m2 of casino space – with 3400 slot machines, 800 gambling tables and a 15,000 seat arena for entertainment/sports events. 

Through conversations, interviews, observations and measuring these limitless spaces will become tangible, readable, so that we can, after our return to Bangkok, produce drawings, 3D models, texts, diagrams etc. and gain understanding into the marvel of meta-realities and reach conclusions concerning their meaning, their influence, and their future.  

In preparation for the field research requirements, participating students will undergo an introductory workshop where basic theory and specific digital tools 

-indispensable for the on-site documentation and the postproduction- will be covered.

The theoretical part will consist on a series of lectures in different topics concerning the generation of experiences in artificial environments. The four research fields on those spaces are: semiotics, flow, infrastructure and control.

The digital tools include only specific knowledge related to the field of research. This will include basic tools from the following software: Adobe Illustrator, In-Design and After Effects, IES environment control software and some Rhino modeling tools -if necessary-.

DAY 1_ Semiotics+ Adobe Illustrator 

DAY 2_ Flow+ Rhino

DAY 3_ Infrastructure & Control+ Adobe AE

PRODUCTION

During our time in Macau we will produce a rigorous study of several spaces, understanding the qualities previously explored in the preparation workshop and the readings. 

The first couple of days will be dedicated to group field recognition, looking for the richest targets to explore, together with brainstorming sessions and collective observation walks. The following three days will be dedicated to field research onto the chosen spaces. Different methods of data gathering will be utilized for studying those spaces and students might work in pairs as well as on their own. Enough data to generate the documents on the postproduction phase should be taken during these days using all necessary tools, as unexpected as they might be, given the unprecedented spaces that are being studied.   

The last day is strictly dedicated to Shopping. 

Back in Bangkok we will set up a studio for the postproduction phase. We will bring all gathered and recorded information together and split tasks with the main focus of generating a single copy crafted book and a multi-copy e-book. 

We will work as writers, graphic designers, editors, printers and binders of both the physical and digital copies. 

Sunday 27th of May to Wednesday 29th of May       WORKSHOP

Thursday 30st of May to Tuesday 5th of June         TRIP

Wednesday 6th of June to Sunday 9th of June        STUDIO