The Evaluation of space Part: 9 (E.S.: 9) – part h‘The University of Plymouth: A survey project’ 2010-2012

Or:

‘One years Psychogeographic adventure into the alien environment of Academic facilities, bureaucracy and failure that turns into my personal fiction.”

E.S.:9hCharles Seale-Haynle Library‘Potted Plants’

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“A little bit of greenery brightens up the place… I think?”

By Oliver Griffin

E.S.:9h / Fig. 9x-y

The potted plants that are littered around the Charles Seale Hayne library are hired from local florists called Montrose Foliage Displays of Plymouth. This company has been supplying and maintaining the foliage from the 70’, when it was first built as part of the Polytechnic. I believe that these features have not changed since then (, especially the silk hanging plants on Level 0). There seem to have a timeless quality to these displays. They mimic the building’s mid-century modernist aura that they are situated within. Even with the modifications over the years to the architecture and the introduction of various new forms of technology, permission to consume food & drink and the change of student’s ideas of what a library is.

The novel, “journey to the centre of the earth’ (Jules Verne, 1864) in-stinctively makes my mind wonder as I travel down to the basement (or level 0), as the thought that refurbishment beyond the rare books room has seems to be excused. With the columns in amongst the metal modular shelving units, hide these untouched pieces of foliage, within their numbered pots. They have the feeling that one-day they will be collected (and maybe replaced), but it seems the silk displays have give up hope of seeing anything else but florescent light. The only reassur-ance of care they receive is the occasional dust from the cleaners.

On the floors above the usual houseplants occupy: Hederas, Yuccas and Ficus. These low maintains and semi-tropical variations are Dotted around the interior of the three floors above, usually around seating areas. Taking up where NASA’s research left off in the introduction of the humble houseplant within the work place. Giving scientific results to the common theory that they produce a pleasant work area with clearer air quality and reducing toxins within the enclosed environment. But in all practice they can be just seen as distractions to stare into and remember of past holidays or future promises to yourself of holidays in warmer climates, other than grey old Plymouth…

E.S.:9h / Fig. 5-8

E.S.:9h / Fig. 12-14

E.S.:9h / Fig. 0-4

E.S.:9h / Fig. 11

E.S.:9h / Fig. 15

Copyright© Oliver Griffin 2012

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without permission of the publishers.

Borist Press Life is boring, why make it interesting?  

This series of pychogeographical adventures within the University of P lymouth, U.K, explores the topography through the typologies of the everyday objects and elementary architecture that clutters Oliver Griffin’s educational environment between September 2010 to November 2012. Though this transplantation into an alien environment for the purposes of education, these publications are records of mundane points of inter-est accompanied with observational notes and a crudely research history of the site. This is set of documents evaluates and archives a point in time where the United Kingdoms educational at a graduate level is changing within a polit ical landscape along with the psychical environment of this particular academic environment.

Borist Press Life is boring, why make it interesting?