12 Dialectical Poetical Strategies.The response for the given assignment is in the form of 12 short stories/poems that relate to the topic from each week of class.

The pieces are written from personal experiences, stories, and conversations with others.The pieces endeavour to offer my own interpretation of each strategy, their relationship with architecture and their contribution to the banality of everyday life.

Ashleigh Low

Irony and Empathy

Week 1

Exhausted.Drained.Shrivelled.Swollen.

Almost sunkissed but trapped in a glass vessel.I stumble to the end of the gantry and enter a new glass house of light.Cleaner air circulates and I inhale,Deeply.It is semi fresh mixed with Auntie Bettie’s pretzels.

I’m in between territories, an alien in a pretty pennied threshold.

My gaze diverts to my piece of hand held glassas it slowly comes alive.

1 missed call.2 missed calls.Same number.I have a bad gut feeling.

I’m right.The ruthless concrete jungle gives nothing back. We edge closer to the zoo of buildings and I’m slowly dwarfed.I expect warmth as the sun stuns my eyes but I’m cheated.Ouch. My ankles are still embossed from the elastic in my socks.

I wince as my ears pop.The metal wall splits and retracts.I step out, disoriented.

The large door swallows my knock.Swollen and blurry eyed.Don’t worry, everything will be ok.

Second-sight

Temporality

Week 2

The sterile porcelain tiles glistened on the wall under the fluorescent lights. Scents of bleach and chlorine filled my nostrils. I burst into the cubicle busting to use the loo.

Suddenly the floor shifted to the left ever so slightly.How peculiar?

Finished, I was nearly decent when the grid of tiles moved again, this time more vigorously. It moved in the opposite direction and the frame of the cubicle arched.

I had to get out.

The door moved back to its 'vertical' position, and then bowed the other way.

Pause. Stop.

Run. I hurriedly washed my hands. Why?

Terremoto.

The Sublime

Week 3

A thick blanket of vapour covered the town in an angry grey.

In its defiance we still went up the mountain.

The drive was long. We climbed its face,

turning carefully at every hairpin.

Little by little we entered the mist.

The fog became so thick we could only see just see the road in front of us.

Suddenly we were numbed by a burst of light.

Just like possoms in the headlights we were all still seeing stars.

Where were we?

We'd taken the stairway to heaven.

A sea of marshmallow delight,

or a bubble bath in a valley of mountains.

Cloud 9.

Multiplicity and simultaneity and repetition

Week 4

The commentary by a fly on the wall in the living room of 47 Codrington Crescent, Mission Bay, enduring Frederich Chopin’s, Nocturne in E flat major.

Day 1Take 1 - Separate hands. Right hand plays first, followed by the left hand. Take 2 - repeat take 1. Take 3 - repeat take 2. Take 4 - repeat take 3. Take 5 - repeat take 4. Take 6 - repeat bars 5-7 in the right hand ten times. Repeat bars 32-33 in the right hand ten times.

Day 2 Take 1 - separate hands. Right hand plays first, followed by the left hand. Take 2 - repeat take 1 but slightly faster. Take 3 - repeat take 2. Take 4 - repeat take 3. Take 5 - repeat bars 32-33 in the right hand 5 times.

Day 3Repeat day 2, but play more smoothly connected and slightly faster.

Day 4Take 1 - Very slowly start playing with two hands. (Gives up halfway.) Take 2 - repeat take 1. (Gives up halfway again.) Take 3 - Start with hands together from halfway. (Deep breath.) Take 4 - (Concentrate.) repeat Take 3. Take 5 - (Frustrated and starting to think twice about this piece.) repeat take 1 of day 1.

Day 5(Forget about yesterday.) Take 1 - Very slowly start playing with two hands. (Gives up halfway, essentially repeating Day 4, take 1 but with minor improvements.) Take 2 - (Do it again. Unintentionally repeats take 1.) Take 3 - (Do it again. Thinks they’re repeating take 1 but they actually get to the end of the piece.) Take 4 - repeat of take 3. (Looking mentally exhausted but is satisfied for the day.)

Day 6 Repeats day 5 with not much improvement. Leaves dissatisfied after ten minutes.

Day 7 No attendance.

Day 8 Absentia.

Day 9Take 1 - (Just as good/bad as take 2 of day 5.) Take 2 - Repeat take 1. (Better.) Take 3 - Repeat take 2. (Better.) Take 4 - Repeat take 3. (Better.)

Day 10Take 1 - Increase the tempo slightly up to 80 quavers per minute. (Takes less time.) Take 2 - repeat take 1. Take 3 - repeat take 2 but increase the tempo. (Stops at bar 15, too fast.) Take 4 - Repeat take 3 at 85 quavers per minute. (Finished!)

Day 11

Take 1 - Repeat take 4 from yesterday. Take 2 - Repeat take 1. Take 3 - Repeat take 2 but at full speed. (Keeps hiccupping at bars 26-28 and bars32-33.)

Day 12Take 1 - full speed both hands (still keeps stopping at the same bars as yesterday.) Take 2 - Repeat bars 32-33 at 132 quavers per minute ten times . Take 3 - Repeat take 2 at proper speed ten times. Take 4 - Repeat take 2 but starting at the end of the previous phrase five times. (The first two were not quite right, 4 and 5, perfect.) Take 5 -Repeat take 4 two times. Take 6 - Play entire song at full tempo. (Messes up at the same place, bars 26-28 gives up with disgust.)

Day 13Take 1 - Entire song, full tempo. (Unintentionally repeats take 6 from yesterday. Heavy sigh.) Take 2 - Entire song, full tempo. (Finished!) Take 3 - Repeat take 2. (Makes a mistake at a different phrase of bars.) Take 4 - Repeats phrase three times. Take 5 - Entire song, full tempo, start adding dynamics and more articulation. (Mistake part way through.) Take 6 - Entire song, but slightly slowly, with dynamics and articulation. (Still sounds clunky. That’s enough for the day.)

Day 14Take 1 - Repeat Take 6 from yesterday. (Better.) Take 2 - Repeat take 1. (Visibly frustrated, making a mistake at the same set of bars from two days previous.) Take 3 - Repeats take 3 from day 12, then take 4 from day 12. Take 4 - Repeats take 1 from today. (Good. But some of the phrasing, articulation and musicality is still not right. A decision is made, today is done.)

Day 15Take 1 - The full piece with full articulation, phrasing, dynamics and tempo. (Average.) Take 2 - Repeats the phrases of bars 26-28 and 32-33 . Take 2 - Entire piece. (Much better). Take 3 - Repeats take 2. (Better again but slight pausing in those same phrases.) Take 4 - Repeats the same phrases. Take 5 - Repeats take 2. (Almost there but still not entirely comfortable with some slight hesistations.)

Day 16(Sits down with a new concentration. Today is the day.) Take 1 - entire piece. (Slightly more comfortable than the last take from yesterday with portions of the piece memorised.) Take 2 - repeat take 1. (Great). Take 3 - (Pretending it is the performance. Eyes closed, or taking a long blink. Breathes deeply and lifts hands to the Ivory keys.) Entire piece. (A mistake at the problem phrase. There’s still tomorrow.)

Day 17Take 1 - Resumes from bar 1. (Perfect, whatever that means. However they’re still not happy.) Take 2 - Repeat take 1. (Mistake at bar 5.) Take 3 - (Try again.) Entire piece. (Done.)

Gravity and Grace

Week 5

It was:

Cold but warm.

Empty but full.

Heavy but light.

Quiet but loud.

Muted but sharp.

Curved but lineal.

Smooth but rough.

Solid but void.

A mammoth and a dwarf.

Dead and alive.

Indirect Voices of Silence

Week 6

Could you pop that in the rubbish bin please?

Excuse me where’s the bathroom?

I’ll have a kale salad with avocado thank you. Two minutes later...

Sorry what kind of salad have you given me?

Ash

There’s lots of room, it should fit in the boot.

New Zealand.

Mental face palm.

Hi do you have any bog?Bog .

Hmmm, that stuff that you use to patch a wall.

Yes.Time to take advantage of the situation.

Yes. It’s pretty great. There’s this bridge called the Sydney harbour bridge that connects us with Australia.

Still waiting in line.But that makes no sense.

Gah I wish I was better at maths. 28 minus 32 divided by 2. Huff it doesn’t work for negatives.

I guess I’ll wear my big jacket.

So if I draw this elevation at 1:200 it should be big enough right?I have no idea what that means.

You mean trash can?

The restroom’s over there.

Caesar. You said wanted Caesar.

So that’s a short americano, and your name?writes down Esh

Fit where?

Where abouts are you from? Oh New Zealand! Yes why would you leave there? It’s amazing. We were in Milan recently, so really close!

Sorry what?What’s that? OH!! SPACKLE!!

So New Zealand’s really close to Australia right?It’s kind of like San Francisco/Alcatraz no?

Step down.I said, STEP DOWN.

It’s pretty cold out. Like twenty eight.

I have no idea what you’re talking about. I would do it at 1/16”Haha I think we have a problem.

Lost in translation.Daily struggles when you think you’re speaking the same language but you’re really not.

Indirect voices of exile and cunning.

Week 7

I sat at the heavy oak dining table, upright in its matching chair with a straw seat.

I had a proposition and everything was planned out in my mind. The sense of adventure has plagued and poisoned me ever since I left the Bay. I guess they call it the travel bug.

My hands were clammy and my stomach started knotting. My feet were swaying beneath the chair and I was dragging my toes along the Persian rug. I think I was nervous.So I told them my plan.

They knew it was coming. They were hurt. And I understood.

But then came the unexpected, “you won’t get in.” My father said.

I was instantaneously enraged. I had never been challenged like that before. The words cut, unclean like a blunt blade. “They won’t accept you.” He said rubbing salt in the wound.

I looked down in shame, bruised, hurt and confused.

I raised my head; Undefeated. “Watch me.” I said.~

You can't do it.

VisibleInvisible

Week 8

That was awesome! (Little did I know it was about to get awesomer.)

I walked to the front of mosh pit that had since emptied, hoping for a left over bottle of water. The stage crew had already started their routine. With only the thought of thirst on my mind someone pushed a small object into my hand. Woah woah woah! It was John Frusciante's pick! Yeah-yahhhh. I politely thanked them and turned my back to the stage, completely surprised by my luck.As I walked to the back of the venue another object flew over my head. A drumstick! I raced to grab it.

Although it was difficult to pick up as a girl had the other end. We started this strange tug of war. She was pulling very vigorously and I wondered about the potential of splinters.

Then she snarled so viciously, tore a look of possessed eyes at me and screamed "F*** OFF it's MINE."I let go immediately.

I walked away totally bemused and bewildered that the situation had even occurred in the first place. I thought about how ridiculous it would have looked to a bystander and then about the sea of rage and greed that satiated her consciousness. "If it makes her happy." I shrugged.

Blind.

The Unnameable

Week 9

My eyes shot open. I checked my watch. 3am. "Witching hour" as it's called. I groaned at the thought of having to get out of bed to use the bathroom. Lazily I stared up at the ceiling and then the shadows in my room. Something wasn't right. I glanced around the room again and paused. What's that in the corner? Mildly freaked out I checked again, drifting over the darkness of my curtains, mirror, bookshelf, sheepskin rug and door. Nothing. But there's definitely something there. Something in the corner, diagonally across from me, approximately three metres away.

My eyes widened. A strange nebula of black dust had formed, sneering in the corner. If evil had a form it was that plus more. I needed to get out. To run. The hairs on the back of my neck and my arms were raised. I had goosebumps all over. I couldn't move. But why?! I'm a fast runner! What is happening? Meanwhile the dust was pulsating and swirling as though it was charging for an attack.

My eyes were still wide. The darkness saw my fear and this time made a swift attack. Still paralysed I braced myself as it made its assault, crushing my throat trying to suck out my soul.

My eyes were tightly closed. Cemented shut. I grimaced as it weighed down my chest. Then it suddenly went away.

My eyes opened. It was gone. I was wrong. It came back with vengeance, tightening its vice. My whole body was tense and I felt my energy leave me and arctic tips of evil trickled down my spine. Yet I wasn't going to let it possess me. It couldn't take my mind. It retreated again getting ready for another assault. So I got ready to mobilise. It came again at full strength but this time I was too strong. Strength roared through my veins and an avalanche of power drove it away. The cloud momentarily cowered in the corner shocked by my tenacity. One second later it was gone for good.

My eyes shot open. An uncomfortable sweat was laced through my pajamas. What just happened? Scared and exhausted I looked around the room. The shadows were the same.

My eyes closed.

Paralysis.

Zimzum and Reductions

Week 10

The room was nothing special.A door in the corner allowed our entrance.However, on the floor were some matte cylinders 2 feet in height.They appeared solid and heavy in elevation. They had a puzzling transparency.They looked like some boring extrusions of ice.

And then we looked at them in plan.

A pure slickness of blue engulfed the taste buds in our eyes as they feasted on the most exquisite colour they had ever seen. Except it was not just the colour. The surface was so smooth it looked liquid. These gelatinous blobs in a room were really true art.We had just visited Iceland.

Iceland.

Sense and Nonsense

Week 11

"Have I ever told you about this game I play in the streets of New York?" Tom enquired."What game?" Replied Lotti."It's called Fragments. Basically whenever you're walking down the street you just zone in and out of people's conversations...""So it's basically eaves dropping.""Well not exactly, because you're walking in the street and they're on the move too. So, you only ever hear part of people's conversations." Tom persuaded."What's so interesting about that?" Lotti questioned, sounding unconvinced."As you start walking around more and more, you start noticing that certain fragments are typical to only certain people and certain places, even certain train lines. And after time certain fragments that you hear can be assigned to a certain type of person or stereotype.""And...""It's the anomalies that are interesting; the ones that catch you off guard.""Maybe I'll try it out.""It's as addictive as angry birds I promise." Tom challenged.

Fragments.

Broken Vessels

Week 12

A South African, Scotsman, Norwegian, Kiwi and Egyptian all sat around the table, tucked away in a cabin up in the Yosemites.

Snow gathered as night fell.

Fully synchronised they all said their cheers, tilted their glasses and proceeded to tuck into their dinner. It was an evening filled with glorious banter and friendship. But the room was burdened with a bittersweet-ness; they knew this would be the first and last time this would ever happen.

Salut!