T H E S I S S T A T E M E N T
The project began with a main character, used as a vehicle to explore the meaning of virtual life; a young man who has travelled to the UK after growing up in Pakistan. The “virtual life” does not refer to the computer age idea of virtuality, but to Marcel Proust’s definition of what is constant in the past and the present. Therefore, although the character has moved on in life physically over time; his virtual life (or perception of his identity) has become a blur of past memories and new experiences. It was understood that the world which the character lives in is not the real world but the virtual (as in Plato's theory of forms, the shadow of the real and not the real itself). This virtual life also, according to Deleuze's theory, exists as a principle; as opposed to the actual, or hard facts - that is an understanding of actual events but shaped and influenced by memories and personal perceptions.

The project explored the meaning of the virtual and the real in order to provide enhancement for a deprived area in Birmingham, through an architectural intervention on a derelict site in Aston, Birmingham.



R E S E A R C H
The aim of the project was to use the character as a vehicle to explore the concept that the actual (as things happen) is not the same as our personal understanding of the real (as we perceive things to happen); and by investigating the character's virtual life to reveal the influence of his nostalgic memory as he makes his journey through the actual environment of living memory, the principles of this theory gradually lead to the site and the programme of the project.

The first theory explored Deleuze’s ‘Actual’ and the ‘principle’, in order to understand the meaning between the real and the virtual. This lead to an exploration of Plato’s ‘Theory of Forms’. Comparing the two theories led to the resultant meaning of the Virtual and the real, which was similar to Marcel Proust’s interpretation (the presence of memory within the present and the future).

While exploring the character’s life, as a parallel research, different types of identity crisis were explored; in order to help arrive at a location, site and programme. It was discovered that there were 4 types of identity crisis which lead to a virtual perception; however Moratorium Identity crisis is one which can help to blur the boundaries between Virtual and the real.



S I T E & A R C H I T E C T U R A L I N T E R V E N T I O N
As informed by the theory the site was to be located in a deprived area, therefore Aston (the most deprived area in Birmingham) was used as a Location for the project. The site in particular was the former Broadway Primary school, a place which was, until recently, a very important site for the community but now lies as a derelict piece of land with only remains from the past (portable shipping containers).

As the site itself was suffering from an identity crisis and had meaning in principle but not the actual; this was the perfect site for this project.



Through a historical exploration the previous school footprint, was used as an ‘Actual form’ without material, to reveal the nostalgic memory of the site. While further shipping containers were imported to the site in order to reveal the living memory of the site, acting as ‘Principle forms’ without any architectural culture. As a result this gave the site its own new identity together with a programme (extracted out of Erik Eriksson’s moratorium identity crises) which will help to create better social integration within the area.