Post St.Joost 2005, Superfacial Kruisplein: A New Advanced Method

‘05

1.Table of Contents
2. Introducing Superfacial:
New Advanced Method
3. Why a method ?
4. What method ?
5. Why the Kruisplein ?
6. Kruisplein image
7. Invisible Kruisplein
8. Kruisplein Info Map
Design Projects: Part 1
9. Debbie van Berkel
10. Rob de Bree
11. Luis Castañeda
12. Dirk Claessens
Design Projects: Part 2
13. Marjolein Kloet
14. Inka Resch
15. Willemijn Schellekens
16. Maarten Verweij

2. Introducing Superfacial
New Advanced Method
3. WHY A METHOD?
Teaching a method makes future designers independent of style or medium.
Applying a method ensures a design process that is controllable, interactive and
suited for dealing with the utmost complexity.
A method withstands the trap of purely aesthetic assessment of the product.
A method implies an abstract level of design development that tilts the traditional
understanding of graphic design as a manual, problem-solving discipline Instead
it introduces a much more advanced notion of graphic design as a open minded,
research-based, strategic approach to visual communication.
4.
WHAT METHOD?
The Post St. Joost method chooses the urban environment of the city as a prime reference to
gain insight into the level of complexity designers are faced with today in dealing with visual
communication. The city provides both an experience we all share, and a mass of signs that
probably nobody fully grasps. In contrast to television and the internet where navigation
takes place through ‘exclusion’, urban space presents us with the maximum of ‘static’. We
move through urban space by ‘inclusion’, meaning the appropriation of a visual culture we
do not necessarily understand or even want to understand. Still, appropriation is needed
dearly to be able to navigate through urban space.
Graphic designers should prepare to step into the gap between the producers of urban space
and the users of urban space and bring their discipline of interface-design to a much higher
level of political and organizational complexity, and to a much larger scale. It means that they
will have to learn to grasp, read, scan and analyze the city’s facades as carriers and machines
of visual communication.
Central to the training of designers for projects that deal with visual communication of urban
identity is that they learn to immerse themselves in the seemingly endless visual and identity-complexity
of the city, but are also able to emerge with compact packages that they can
design with. This means a temporary suspension of their wish to know, control and understand
everything in the beginning, and also an end to their tendency to endlessly doubt and
hesitate over the why and the how in the second phase of the process.
What needs to be drilled into them is firstly the courage to dive into a situation of total
unreadable chaos or emptiness, and secondly the level of control and assurance needed to
make choices and stick to them.
The method to achieve this type of training of Urban Graphic Designers (an ambition for the
years to come) is coined ‘SUPERFACIAL’. The next 8 individual thesis projects will explain and
visualize the succession of steps that constitute SUPERFACIAL in the current curriculum.

5.
WHY THE KRUISPLEIN ?
The location of the Kruisplein in Rotterdam was chosen for its inherent complexity. It functions
mainly as an assembly point for streetcars that need to reach the central Rotterdam
train
station. So... the main slab of the square is covered with rails, and undesigned pavement
consisting of a catalogue of paving possibilities in the last quarter century and even some
trees and grass. The surface of the square says: “I don’t know, leave me alone”. But around
the square there exists a strange ‘big city’ amalgamate of office buildings, hotels, a large
concert hall, a music and dance conservatory, a cinema megaplex, a mini Chinatown and a
drug shelter in a church. The architecture ranges from late 19th century city construction to
early 21” century expansions with all the periods that are in the middle represented too. The
users range from beggars to hot-rodded petty dealers to senior classical music afficionados
to corporate lawyers that set out during lunch to get their falafel in the street. The nationalities
that roam there are uncountable and so are the different age groups and ‘city-tribes’.
This exercise sets out to cater to only one of the users, to make the Kruisplein more comfortable
for just one subject. We get there by analyzing the place, choosing a user-character,
fictionalizing this character and amplifying his or her view on the Kruisplein, creating
a tailor-made comfort-giving device and introducing this back into the area. During this
process we hop several times from group to individual activity. To assist in this process the
team includes a creative writer and an architectural historian. This project builds on the
preliminary short exercise in Paris and even more so on the ‘Poetry HST Project’ which deals
with the introduction of text and image in the railway station area of Breda. As we will see in
the course of the exercise, the Kruisplein area was expanded to both Kruiskades that sit on
either side of the street crossing that was the original name given to the current larger area.
6.

The users range
from beggars to
hot-rodded petty
dealers to senior
classical music
aficionados to
corporate lawyers
that set out
during lunch to
get their falafel
in the street.

INVISIBLE KRUISPLEIN
In a collaborative effort the students compiled data and information on a broad range of
topics closely related to the Kruisplein, but hardly readable from its surface. The Invisible
Kruisplein project researched themes which included social structures, ownership, history &
7.
urban planning, and infrastructure.

invisible kruisplein_ infomap_title

Zoning

Zoning
oning
Zoning

Ownership
Social Structures

Infrastructure

10. Rob de Bre
Design Projec
9. Debbie va
11. Luis Casta
12. Dirk Claes

ts: Part 1
Berkel
e
ñeda
sens

9.
Debbie van Berkel
Both the initial Kruisplein Comfort project and the investigation leading
up to Lost in Transition, the final thesis, are about patterns of movement
at the Kruisplein. Maybe more precisely put, they are about the sense of
disorientation and the way to escape from there into a state of... A state
of... A state of poetic reassurance. Kruisplein Comfort turns the act of
walking of a single woman into dance with a partner. Replaces insecurity
with ritual. Couples the banal to the sublime. Anxiousness is turned into
enjoyment by the shear change of pace and motion. Single becomes couple.
Vulnerability dissolves into intangibility.
The second case of disorientation is derived from the actual situation
at the entrance of the Kruisplein. Building activities have not only obscured
the views towards the city for all those passengers arriving at Rotterdam
Central Station, they have also destroyed any predictable pattern of
movement from there on.
For the next five years this part of the Kruisplein will be a wasteland
of fences, ditches, machines and other obstacles that will cause permanent
discomfort and disorientation. Temporary signs and notices are meant to
|direct vast amounts of people to their destinantions, but their impact is
low. The aim of manipulation is obscured by the irregularity of the official
routing system. Because signs have to be modified or re-hung practically
every single day an ever more confusing pattern arises.
Unintentionally it seems to give rise to a new approach to this kind of
battlefield signage. Why not cash in on the confusion? Accept that no system
at least in situations like these will be able to direct travellers from A to B
in a proper way and instead explore the possibilities of helping people to
get lost in this archeological site. A change of perspective might help people
realise that walking astray will not only lead to lost time, but maybe also to
new insights. Signs will no longer predict the answer, but rather pose the
question. They will not satisfy their need for certainty but examine why
certainty appears to be such a valuable asset to the modern traveller.
Great findings have resulted from derailed scientific research. And what
about derailed walking? For the next five years the Kruisplein area could
be a laboratory, a poetic circus and a fair excuse for being late.

Poetry in Urban Space
Breda Railway Zone
First year Post St. Joost, 2004
Superfacial
Kruisplein Comfort
First year Post St. Joost, 2004
Scanning the Kruisplein

Physical_movement
Creating a character from the Kruisplein by writing a poem.
Visualizing the poem: Character is walking home on her habitual route.
Schggggtrrr ting…
Kdngg…kdngg kdngg,
Kdngg kdngg…kdngg kdngg,
schgggtrrr tinggg tinggg tinggg.
Schggggtrrr ting…
Kdngg…kdngg kdngg,
Kdngg kdngg…kdngg kdngg,
schgggtrrr tinggg tinggg tinggg.
Niemand die het hoort,
Hetgeen mij zo stoort,
Geluid, dansend in mijn hoofd,
dat mijn lichaam verdooft,
Nobody heard,
The noise annoying me
Sound, dancing in my head,
That drugs my body,
Zou hij, daar aan de overkant,
na een stevige shot
Altijd muziek horen,
Dat is pas één en al genot,
Maar ook zichzelf verloren.
Would he, on the other side of the street,
after a heavy shot
Always hear music,
That would be pure delight,
But he had also loose himself
Om de hoek
Raakte ik zoek,
Onaangenaam oog in oog,
Hoe hij mijn lichaam op zoog,
Around the corner,
I’ve lost my way,
Unpleasant eye to eye,
The way he sucks up my body,
Nare man, ontwijken, kon niet,
Mijn terugreis zette ik voort,
Hopelijk wordt ik niet weer gestoord,
En concentreer me op wat ik zie,
WOO HING HAY,
Één… twee …drie,
Stap en draai.
HONG KONG GOLD,
Zo elegant zijn hand rolt,
Langst mijn lichaam,
Niet onaangenaam,
HAS KEBAB,
Vier…vijf…zes,
De laatste stap,
Daar was de beleving weer,
Dansen met hem,
maakt mij als een veer
Elke dag keer op keer.
Nasty man, avoidance isn’t possible,
I continue my journey,
Hopefully, I won’t get disturbed again,
I concentrate on what I see,
WU HING HAY,
One… two …three,
Step and turn,
HONG KONG GOLD,
So elegant how his hand caresses
My body,
Very pleasant,
HAS KEBAB,
Four…five…six,
The last steps,
Here comes that experience again,
Dancing with him
Makes me light as a feather
Every day again.
1 flat house
Woo Hing
Chinese haircutter
Videotheek
Hong Kong
travel service
Wah Nam Hong
house
Entrance
Chinese
supermarket
Dim Sum
Chinese Muur
acupuncture
Exit Chinese
supermarket
Bram Ladage
French Fries
Sjoko
Night Shop
Grill resturant
Turkish Speciality
Living houses
to parking
GSM-shop.nl Printshop MulticopyTimpaan
Yildiz Döner
Monditel BV
West-Kruiskade
luxe schoenen
(luxery shoes)
Corbeau
Hotel Restaurant
nr.3 King's Garden
nr.2
Rotterdam CS
used
Kruisplein
tram 3, 4, 5, 8, 23
not used
tram 1, 7 (3, 4, 5, 8, 23)
tram 1, 7 (3, 4, 5, 8, 23)
Loyens Loeff
Holiday Inn
house Chinese shop
Dansacademie
Conservatorium
Happy Sushi
Multifoon
Rijken & de Lange
(piano store)
Pathé
Cinema
Grand Palace
Dim Sum
schouwburgplein
Doelencafé

Time, movement and repetition refer to rhythm. That’s why I built up the poem out of dots.

Lost in Transition
Final project

Today
Future plans
IDEALISED view from the Kruisplein towards the station
Ideal image Great expectations
A five-year period is expected to generate
these ideal plans, but will it mean five years
of discomfort and disorientation?

efore after
Beware of obstacles
and dead ends.
Sorry!
Flyer City Council

The entrance to Rotterdam will be chaotic
The habitual routes
of daily travelers will
change frequently.

Travelers have to avoid obstacles to reach their destination.
For many people the transition period will disrupt
their daily routine. Normally they can walk their route
blindly, without thinking. That won’t be possible during
the transition period. This will lead to disorientation,
alienation, discomfort, frustration, stress…discovery...
DISORIENTATION
...is particularly frustrating
LOSTTIME
...is especially stressfull

‘Ga je mee verdwalen,
ik weet de weg.’
Loesje
imaginationCAN CHANGE PERSPECTIVE
imagination IS STATE OF MIND

A temporary signage system intended to direct the
flow of traffic also has randomness and movement
in it. The exisitng system has a formal visual language
and changes frequently.

PROBLEMEN
ZIJN GEEN
STOPBORDEN
(zij zijn richtlijnen)
OMLEIDING
Ga je mee dwalen
ik weet de weg
HITCH YOUR MIND
TO A STAR
EEN GEEST VOL
VERTROUWEN ZAL ⇤
JE ALTIJD DE GOEDE
WEG WIJZEN
ER ZIJN ALTIJD ALTERNATIEVEN
standaard
IF YOU ARE GOING
THROUGH HELL
KEEP GOING
standaard

10.

SYNTHESIS RESEARCH MAP: The map above was used to plot the steps I took into the research for this
final project. This chart has two beginning points, the first is the SuperFacial / Visible KP Project, in which
I created a character the '20-Cents' man. The images for this character had been created from the visible
scanning (photography, drawings) the group had made of the Kruisplein area. The second beginning point
was when as a group we conducted the Invisible Kruisplein research. The idea to use a map as a guide
came from the layered information map the whole 2nd year group had designed. Myself and a fellow student
conducted interviews of the social organizations which exist in the area. I then charted a course where I
eventually connect both starting points. For this project I continued what we started in the first year of study.

11.

12.

14. Inka Resch
Design Projec
13. Marjolein
15. Willemijn
16. Maarten V

ts: Part 2
Kloet
Schellekens
erweij

13.

fourteen.

15.
Willemijn Schellekens
Wonderment and memory
There is an obvious simalarity between the main characters of the two
projects presented here. The statue cleaner in Kruisplein Comfort and
Mr. Kruisplein in the thesis project both incorporate the capacity to
maintain an overview of the square. His bird’s eye perspective on the
Kruisplein enables the statue cleaner to record different scenes simultaneously.
His position on the ladder detaches him from the crowd, while at
the same time his profession turns him into an unmistakable part of the
square. Hardly noticed, but fully aware of what is going on beneath him.
Still, his main focuses are the pigeons and their excrements – the ultimate
reason for being there. He’s a flyer like they are. His fantasies are built
around pigeons. They are the actual monuments on the square and most
certainly his preferred companionship.
Mr. Kruisplein is almost without companions. Surrounded by thousands
of people he feels neglect and indifference. His image has grown old and
weary. No one seems to notice the stories he has to tell and most of them
have left no trace on him. Mr. Kruisplein has seen the ages pass by. He
knows about the days before the bombing of Rotterdam. He witnessed
the forbidden love affair between the little black boy of the Zoo and the
director’s daughter. He engaged in public song and dance during the early
20th century Queens Day celebrations. Such stories could reclaim their
presence in public space. As an antidote against the shrinking identity
of the place they would make people wonder about the history of the
Kruisplein. Instead of the current alienation – a place of transit, a square
to be forgotten – new perspectives on the Kruisplein would open up the
views, mark areas of interest in this sea of nothingness. They will add
a sense of belonging that revives the Kruisplein without the help of city
planners, demolition experts and fashionable architects.

• 1st year project • Post-St.Joost • Willemijn Schellekens • end of june 2004 • Het Kruisplein; The pigeon Poet •
The statue cleaner
A change of perspective changes one's perception.

The perspective of the statue cleaner, when he is on his ladder, doing his job. The people don't
notice him anymore, he has become part of the city. And this is what he experiences: --->

The statue cleaner is happy when he stands on his ladder and dreams about being the hero in a
fantasy world of his own creation. Creating comfort for him means more statues to clean, more
pigeons to shit, more opportunities for him to hide. But at the same time he would like to get in
touch with the passers by as well. He does not always want to be invisible. So I ceated a language
for him, to communicate in his subtile way. Nobody notices him, but if you look close, he is there!
That's his message.
I am here
my way

• Thesis project • Post-st.Joost • Willemijn Schellekens • june 2005 • Het Kp; Memories of a shrinking man •
I found mr. Kruispleins
diary. He is sad, and he
will tell you why.
Het
Kruisplein;
an old man,
whose
identity's been
forgotten

The perception of a place is
determined by the way people look.
You donʼt need things
in order to see
Things need you
in order to be seen
-K.Schippers

Wonderment
is the key
to make people look
in a different way
at the Kruisplein.
Things are not always what they
seem
Wonderment makes the ordinary
extraordinary.
Harmen de Hoop
Wonderment is also a matter of
perspective.
What you see is what you think
you see.
Context is everything.
Imagination is essential.
And of course you have to believe
or want to believe.

I believe in wonderment.
And I’ve promised to help
dear old friend mr. Kruisplein.
So I’ve identified and redressed 5 of his
memories, to make people look at the square
in a different way and to give 5 elements of its
identity back to public space:
The Kruisplein was a
place to dance,
I make it a place to
dance again.
Busy bodies reflected the ladies
of the Diergaardesingel, now peak
and wonder again.
An impossible love. The Diergaarde
fence was a border
between two worlds. Come and
find out this hidden story.
Children used to play in the rubble
of the war. Now the Kruisplein is
turned in a building site again.
A new playground?
The Kruisplein was a crime scene.
Mr. Kruisplein was a witness.
The mystery can still be solved, If
you find the criminals portrait...

16.

ZONING + VIOLENCE

17.Colophon
This is a publication of the
Post St. Joost Academy,
Graduate Program in Graphic Design;
Avans Hogeschool, Breda,
The Netherlands
Text: Gert Staal & Gerard Hadders
Design: R.J. de Bree, L.G. Castañeda
with I.X. Resch & W.M. Schellekens
Typefaces: Quadraat Sans
Printers: Veenman Drukkers, Rotterdam
Edition: 400
Year 2005