"Beyond the Boundaries"

Authors: Mary Guzowski, Judy Theodorson, Jim Sullivan, Michael Zaretsky, Sonal Rashmi

Overview:
To perceive oneself as a part of aset of relationships. The exercise is focussed around challenging our assumption of separation by boundaries and expanding our understanding by going "beyond the boundaries".

Context:
The body, being outside nature in weather and in time perceives things in a set of relationships. The exercise is based upon incremental learning having 4 stages:

(i) Experiencing boundaries
(ii) Finding boundaries
(iii) Creating boundaries, and
(iv) Transforming boundaries

The boundaries studied for the above mentioned exercise fall under the larger domain of the following distinct types, namely:

(i) Protective boundary
(ii) Shading boundary
(iii) Interconnecting boundary
(iv) Dynamic boundary
(v) Thermal boundary
(vi) Closing boundary
(vii) Opening boundary
(viii) Filtering boundary
(ix) Embracing boundary

Thus we learn how to experience, perceive and discover relationships between objects with the help of the boundary (being a vehicle for this exercise).

The Exercise: (part one)
Divide the students into groups and assign them a boundary type. Have the students form the boundary using their bodies (4 or 5 students are required to make the boundary). Discuss, compare the results. Ask them to imagine this in architectural terms.

The Exercise: (part two)
Have the groups of students transform the human boundary into suggestions (drawings or models) of a physical or architectural boundary.