Exploring the “Site of Exchange”: Finding Inspiration in the World Around Us.

 Exploring the “Site of Exchange”: Finding Inspiration in the World Around Us.

This past week, we got to know about the term "Site of Exchange" in my design studio, and it's safe to say that it has altered my perspective on design. 

During class, I was in Rachel's studio group, and I listened intently as she explained the concept of the site of exchange. Basically, any interaction between living or non-living entities can be defined as a site of exchange.

 After class, I went home and immediately started thinking about how I could incorporate this concept into my design work.

However, I quickly realised that I was going about it all wrong. Instead of focusing on the design part, I needed to think more about what the site of exchange meant to me. So, I started writing about it, and I found that I was really interested in the idea of creating a co-working space.

I also took Alice Hume's Soil to Cloth concept and the ideologies of Luis Sullivan and Jane Bennett. From there, I decided to create a conceptual model representing my perspective on the interaction and intra-action between two opposing ideologies, materials, and materialisms.

With a basic idea of the site of exchange in mind, I went out to find the perfect location. I ended up choosing Canoe Lake, a place where there are a lot of interactions happening between man and nature. As I was exploring the area, I stumbled upon a beautiful Mahogany Obsidian rock, and I became obsessed with learning how to carve it.

Despite my roommate's complaints about the noise, I spent hours striking the rock and perfecting my craft. I even rendered a walk-through of the site as a block model on Lumion and made a short animation video of the Interaction and Intra-Action model.

Ultimately, I learned that the site of exchange is not just a design concept, but a way of looking at the world around us. It's about finding the interactions and connections between everything and using that knowledge to create something truly unique and meaningful.