Tutorial Questions : Week 1

Readings: How to Encounter a Puddle by Anny Li and Index of Agency by Sophie Chien

1. What is Li’s overall idea about puddles? How does she connect the practical (photos, experiences) with the theoretical (ideas in the the text)?
   
   – She considers puddles as a form of evidence that can be used to document changes throughout the day. The use of images compliments the text and helps us to further visualise and connect to her ideas.
   
2. How might you sum up Chien’s ideas about agency? How does she connect the practical (diagrams of spaces, experiences) with the theoretical (ideas in the text)?
   
   – She feels as though society has pre-determined it and there is a kind of hierarchy. Who is to say what/who is more important than the other. Things are designed for certain people.
   
3. Each writer poses questions within the text. What do you think the purpose of these questions are in Li’s piece? In Chien’s? How might we answer them
   
   – In both pieces the questions seem to be rhetorical, designed not necessarily to be answered but more to keep us curious and looking further into things. They make us think and consider different possibilities.
   
4. How are the engaging with the different/similar ideas of movement within cities and spaces?
   
   – Li: Humans have almost designed the movement of water around the city, the way it fits around infrastructure, with an ever changing natural element.
   – Chien: diagrams show the structured movement in different ares that societies have “designed”.
   
5. What is the purpose of, or impression you get from the images within each text? How important are they in your understanding of their ideas?
   
   – Images of the puddles help us visualise the strange colours that you wouldn’t usually associate with puddles and give evidence to her writing.
   – The diagrams in Chien’s writing are interesting documentations of human movement and make you consider a different point of view.
   
6. There are some key theoretical texts or ideas mentioned in each piece of writing. Research them (briefly) and come up with a one or two sentence definition.
   
   – Ekistics: Science dealing in human settlements using research of experienced professionals from different relative fields.
   
   – Agency + spatial agency: New way of looking at how buildings can be produced moving away from traditional architect practices into ways that offer more opportunities.
   
   – Personal as political: Personal experiences can be linked to ones level/location/status in a system of “power relationships” ie: woman getting abused by male due to women being oppressed in society.
   
   – low theory: Undermine usual standards of success in society and to argue that failure to meet these standards can allow more creative ways of thinking and being.
   
   – decentralised network: “Trustless” environment with no single point of failure