John Manaves retraces the technological evolution of aviation and the impact on the designed world rethinking current technologies within architecture. With over a quarter of a million people flying in the air between ground and space at any given moment, John challenges this mode of temporary existence and juxtaposes his aerial creations within the city.
Emerging technologies cannot be solely investigated within the current condition. A new fictional world must be created to assist discovery. The city is reexamined by returning to a critical moment in history. In 1891, Alexander Graham Bell began to experiment with the idea of creating heavier than air structures. In this new world, the Wright Brother's winged aviation model of flight is trumped by Alexander Graham Bell's visions. The emphasis of on an elevated ground is explored. A new aerial fiction is produced by hybridizing techniques found in modern aviation with the past. An inverted city alters the horizon. Within this context, emerging technologies are developed and explored.
In a further attempt to challenge the city, a temporary inhabitable flying platform has been developed. The plan is to fly the platform above the tallest towers in the world rethinking the basic principles of the city skyline.
(Master of Fine Arts in Studio, Design for Emerging Technologies)