Consciousness, Literature and the Arts

Archive

Biographies of Contributors

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John McClellan. My early childhood was in wartime, in an atmospheric and unmodernised medieval-constructed farmhouse. In a small village surrounded by the technologies of modern warfare, this complex environment stimulated my feelings for Form in effective design. Experiencing the 1951 South Bank “Festival of Britain” saw the potential of advanced engineering when applied to Architecture and Urbanism. Architectural studies in a Bauhaus-influenced regime, with its emphasis on art and craft and technology-based skills along with practical analysis, focused attention on exploring the origins and psychological effects of the basic forms and evolution of the styles of building [Kingston School of Art, Architecture & Design – 1958-65]. Living in Britain, Scandinavia, Argentina, Sri Lanka and Japan has brought experience of the complex symbiotic relationships that exist between a culture and its natural and self-generated environment. Designing living and working accommodation for offshore oil and gas production platforms used the most advanced computer-based design and engineering technologies to develop self-contained artificial environments in extreme and hazardous locations - extending the range of human habitation. Participation in the University of Arizona “Towards a Science of Consciousness” forums (Denmark 1997 and Tokyo 1999) was an opportunity to meet and exchange ideas with those leading an international and multidisciplinary approach to investigating and understanding this significant aspect of our evolving existence. Designing a home in Sri Lanka [2001] with new ideas of space, time in Architecture, explored their variable impact on collective lifestyle and individual consciousness. This design applied a developing theory of environmentally directed social development to the practical conditions of day-to-day life.