2 thoughts on “Final Research Design Presentation”

  1. Hi Rachel,

    I quite enjoyed your research design presentation, even though it did make me realize how little I know about architecture and design.

    Specifically, I thought the justification for your case selection was really supurb, especially with your discussion about how the Birds Nest was built to be seen on the global stage and is one of the first main examples of postmodern design in China.

    You also brought up an interesting question about the scope of your project, namely how much do you dive into, not just the discourse amongst the Chinese officials responsible for designing, building, and preparing the Bird’s Nest, but the international reaction to the design and the accompanying discourse amongst international observers.

    I think, as you indicated, that remaining focused on the first of those two discourses is probably good for keeping the scope of the project narrow. However, it might be worth seeing if Chinese officials were reacting to international observers as the Bird’s Nest was being designed/built – maybe they changed parts of the plan after getting praise or criticism from western media – in which case there may be some merit in discussing how those two discourses interacted.

  2. Rachel, I particularly enjoyed your presentation’s clever introduction, as well as the artful design throughout.

    When discussing the perception of the stadium as a sign of environmental conscientiousness, you mention that there may be a perception of China as an “overpopulated, germ-y place…” Could you discuss how this perception came to be as well? You make it clear that this perception is at least a potential factor in how the stadium eventually came to be viewed, but why does the baseline exist?

    Additionally, could you discuss who is perceiving postmodernism as progressive? Is this a universal view, or is it a perspective only held by the West in regards to China?

    Towards the end you mention that all of your texts you are analyzing are translated in English. While this makes sense with your research, could you draw out any perspectives that you may be sacrificing, or moreso define the exact perspective that you are including, by taking this stance? Since the actors are entirely international Olympics staff, is the Chinese perspective on the stadium considered? It appears that you get close to discussing Chinese perspectives when you mention that the Bird’s Nest was the first example of postmodernism in China.

    I suppose I am only concerned with the lack of representation of Chinese perspectives. However, if this was the case during Olympic planning 2008 (and it very well could have been), then it would be helpful to mention the absence of Chinese voices in the process. Since the IOC is an international committee with a comprehensive representation, are the perspectives limited to United States and China? Maybe drawing out the scope of the IOC’s potential impact would be helpful, as if they are the sole constructors of the international (or American/Chinese) perspective regarding the Bird’s Nest, consider discussing why or how their impact is so intrusive compared to other potential actors, as opposed to simply what their perspective is.

    Finally, I believe the star at the end the presentation is over Hong Kong or Chengdu, not Beijing. That being the only issue I found with the design is a clear commendation of a well-designed and thorough presentation!

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