voi Ceswith the criss- crossing processes of invention- intervention- analysis- construction.
second, assemblages relate to system thinking, which is part of architectural thinking.
But where system thinking tends to present schemes that neutralize the qualities of
relationships between components, assemblages underscore the particular character
of links and relationships, and connect them to critical perspectives and standpoints.
Third, assemblages support change as the research process develops. They are non-
static configurations, mapped at certain stages of the process, and thus the sequence
of assemblages provides an itinerary of the research process, making it possible to go
back and locate changes, decisions and special discoveries. Fourth, while context can
easily be seen as a passive surround to the problem, the assemblage is deeply involved
in modelling activity. it can set the game rules for performance and explorative
experiments; it can provide a score for simulation, or in itself be an object for simulation;
that is, it can be tried out in different forms of representation, and key points, links
and relationships can be challenged. Finally, as assemblages stress the compositional
act of the research process they promote the gradual invention- setting- emergence of
research issues.
in heterotopic conditions ‘place’ and ‘site’ are constantly competing, forming diverse
and multiple interactions. Place, as (traditionally) a location saturated with a specific
set of qualities that produce ‘identity’, is confronted with site as a location in space
connected to other sites and spaces. in this sense, key points are sites in an assemblage.
identities become relational, equally tied to the qualities of relationships as to the
roles of defined key points. in this complexity of constant change we are compelled
to make choices and to construct meaning, and therefore, in academic knowledge
production, we also need to train construction and composition. as architectural
thinking modulates heterotopic conditions, it constructs assemblages as configurations
of relevant components in the research situation, at the same time producing tools
for mapping the research set- up and representations for navigation. The researcher
gradually develops skills in setting up relevant and interesting assemblages for
navigation.
This brings us back to the research process as a compositional activity where we
can recognize four basic types of performative actions: mapping; solution- oriented;
exploratory; and discursive or critical action. mappings bring in, or gather, reliable facts,
relevant reference material and site conditions that need to be considered in the
research situation. solution- oriented actions can bring about, or produce, temporary or
stable statements generated during the research process. exploratory actions bring out,
or reveal, the unknown and open up for the unexpected. discursive/critical actions
bring up, or discuss, alternative perspectives that may invert or question the constructed
assemblage and its components.
To sum up, these four categories take the investigation through a selective oscillation
between convergence (focusing, stabilizing) and disruption (opening up or rethinking)
in the research process, and create loops between identification (analysis) and scenario/
staging (explorative action and innovation). The process will generate a heterogeneous,
transient, composed set of assemblages that serve as a double strategic tool. on the one
hand the assemblage provides a mindmap that gives an overview of the present state of
the configuration – its components of key points, links and relationships. on the other
hand the successive sequence of assemblages generates a flexible itinerary, a route map