PROGRESS

I have made some significant progress this last weekend, which feels pretty good.

The larger idea within which a lot of my thesis work lives is this idea for Bird University (working title…). The main premise for Bird University is that human intelligence isn’t the only meaningful intelligence, and it might be less meaningful than many other species’ intelligences as the world changes around us. One of the species that we could learn from is birds — what would it look like if humans went to Bird University?

One of the ways I have been exploring this idea is by watching videos of birds building nests, and making small maquettes of nests after these birds’ style. This has felt like birds teaching a Nest Building class. Maybe it would be called Nest Building; Function, Craft, and Sustainable Architecture. If that were the case, then the maquettes are homework assignments. The final assignment would be building a nest for myself based on similar principles. This project would focus not only on techniques for construction, as the maquettes did, but would move deeper into looking at some of the why’s behind nest building. What is it for (comfort? growth and nurturing? protection? from what?) and how does it meet those needs? How does a consideration of materials factor into the specific design of the nest?

^^ That is where I expect to spend the bulk of the next week, getting the “Jamie Nest” which is a Migraine Vest, closer to completion. I have made progress roughing out the vest itself and drafting the hood, which is the key migraine feature. I will finalize that shape/design early this week, and plan for some other features that I will work on later. This will include an internal structure to create more shape, fans (laptop fan? something small) that can create some air movement within the hood, and…?? what else?

As I have been working, I have been thinking about what makes the rest of this class at Bird University. Who is the teacher? What is their bio? What is the syllabus? (I have the basic outline of the syllabus outlined above — what else?)

And then what is the rest of the University? What are the other classes? Who are the other students? Where is it, when is it?

Marina encouraged me to think about what the birds get out of it. I’m still working on that, but even if it starts with a deeper appreciation and understanding of birds, what they do, and what they need, that seems like a step in the right direction.