I really liked all 3 of the readings and the video as well. For me the three have somewhat of a common thread. Space exists, kind of by definition, in between things. So in order to define a space we need to first have a division between two things. In the case of The Forgotten Space the sea is a division between where goods are produced and ultimately purchased or distributed. In The Poetics of Space, spaces are defined by the structure of a house and objects within it. In Archipelagos of Design spaces are the characterized by the categories and labels placed on people and places. I guess a way to think about the three pieces together might be that a physical space (like in Poetics) is built from physical materials that arrive via the “forgotten” space of the ocean via shipping container. These materials and objects are then the building blocks that form the foundation, basement, walls, floors, and roof of the building. Then from Archipelagos there is the question of who is allowed to fill that space and how are they to do it? I’m not sure if that makes sense at all, but it kind of helped me connect the three of them.
As some additional thoughts, I like how Forgotten Space highlights how as consumer and a society as a whole we are very disconnected with how goods actually reach us. I am totally one of the people who assumed almost everything comes by land or sky and that boats are kind of a thing of the past. I intuitively knew that was not wrong (since I see boats going through NYC) but I definitely didn’t think that 90% of goods are transported by ship! Also, I loved the idea brought up in Poetics about how a space is changed by what an individual brings into that space. When we fill a house with objects and memories it becomes a home and takes on its own personality and traits. I also really liked the idea that those traits transcend the individual and become part of the space itself. It totally explains why certain spaces have a vibe or feeling associated with them. It’s like hearing the echoes of everyone and everything that once occupied that space in some capacity or another. I also really like how Archipelagos touches on that idea as well but from the opposite perspective. That empty spaces have a resonance because of what they were and what they may one day become.