Collision

BACKGROUND Approximately 65% of Ho Chi Minh's population live in the Hems (alleyways). The hem is a unique attribute of Vietnamese urban life and offers a glimpse of life beyond the business and tourist dominated centre. The broader research field of enquiry of this project aims to develop Hay's (1997) assertion that film [moving image] is a social practice and through that informs architectural problem solving as much as architecture informs moving image problem solving. This research draws on this notion to explore how moving image can capture, archives can store and creative practices can be developed from the detailed results of this 'social practice'. It investigates the visual boundaries of a given space, that are polarised by tempo, and the intrinsic nature of the streets of Ho Chi Minh, in order to map the physical and social boundaries that define the Hems. It was developed through the research question 'How can moving image help define the visual and physical and temporal extremes of the hem?' CONTRIBUTION A moving image work, Collision defines the spatial and temporal extremes of the hem, which elucidate the architecture through localised social practices. Because the Hems are enclosed spaces, the work exploited the public and private properties that define cities. The video exploited this blending by visually condensing the space. This works to focus our understanding of the space through the physical and temporal boundaries, and is a contribution to the development of archive, that will contain discrete details of the Hems, that employ social practices. SIGNIFICANCE A socially embedded project, that contributes to an archive, which in turn forms a medium of creative potential (Speiker 2009) that can imagine how development can be responsive to a particular community. It also promotes an approach to development that is a responsive form of urban renewal that prioritises the sustainability of the community as a way of managing change.