A new Year, a new project, and (hopefully) the last one of my undergraduate programme.

This final project is set in Budapest, and we arrived at an interesting time - mass protests occurred only the previous week due to the so called “Slave Law” introducing mandatory overtime. Additionally, at the end of last year, the Central European University (funded by George Soros) which has recently opened a newly refurbished campus in Budapest designed by O’Donnell + Tuomey, was forced out by the Hungarian government, sparking protests. In December, there were yet more protests demanding a free press and courts.

Unsurprisingly, the weather was cold, but nowhere near as cold as I was expecting - lowest it dropped was -13C with windchill, and that was only when crossing the Danube. Whilst I have mixed feelings about the city itself (didn’t really feel quite as inspired as I was with Paris, or at home as I did in Berlin), the trip did have its highlights. Not least was the sheer amount of walking - and thus photographic opportunities - along with a visit to the Citadel, CEU & Basilica (amongst others). One big disappointment of the trip was the Memento Park: a park full of Soviet sculptures that had been removed from the city; including the iconic “Boots” where a statue to Stalin once stood after being pulled down during the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. On the flip side, snowball fights were had, and snowmen made.

My initial thoughts about where this project may take me include subversive education, community gardening and produce for use in local restaurants (as the site is located adjacent to a major commercial area) and residential. I am unsure as to whether I will want to continue along the line I had been pursuing with the research thesis - that is cybernetics, activity theory and open-potential environments married with the concept of “commoning”. However, if I can pull it off, I truly would like to investigate responsive architectures at a level beyond current BMS, baring in mind the pitfalls of such theoretical concepts; and that I’m an undergrad.

Next steps are threefold - firstly, compile & edit a film showcasing Budapest, and our thoughts about it; construct a 1:200 & 1:1000 model of the site and surrounding area; design a poster highlighting our specific concepts and direction of interest for the project. The first two items are group-work, and the last individual. The next two weeks are going to be rather intense.