moments – [mo-ments]
a. a brief, indefinite interval of time
b. a specific point in time, especially in the present [1]
“If anyone will consider the abundance of Rome’s public supply of water, for baths, cisterns, ditches, houses, gardens, villas; and take into account the distance over which it travels, the arches reared, the mountains pierced, the valleys spanned – he will admit that there never was anything more marvelous in the whole world. “[2]

Pliny the Elder provides us with a very illustrated example of a moment. When reading his quote from the handout on the Baths of the Diocletian, I can easily imagine water taking you through villas, mountains, and arches of Rome and experience the awe that Pliny predicts of the observer. In Suzanne’s drawing class, we’ve been working on capturing ‘moments’ in our vignettes and thumbnail sketches, and especially in our recent building drawings, by taking in our surroundings and illustrating that mood and atmosphere onto paper. Below, I strived to show moments of entrance and transition within and around the Curry Building here on campus.

In studio last week, we were to capture a moment of passage in our last black and white model. While simultaneously working with my design word, boundaries, I modeled a moment of obstacle within circulation. The Baths of Diocletian can be viewed of a series of moments as well. As you move through the complex of arches, basins, and gardens, one experiences moments of community and social interaction, exercise, relaxation, and leisure. And the mosaic and marble surfaces throughout the complex create a continuous moment of luxury. These moments clearly show the importance of socialization, leisure, and health for the ancient Romans.

metric – [me-tric]
a. a standard of measurement
b. the rhythmic arrangement of syllables [1]
c. a way of thinking of the building as a system [2]

I immediately think of measurements when faced with the term ‘metric’. I start off with scaled units on a plan, to remembering how the diameter of the column was the measuring unit for the Parthenon, to keeping in mind the purposes of aedicules, and then I start to consider how Roman baths were arranged…

As one of the first known archetypes in history, aedicules have been used to divide and organize space. Paintings were very aediculed along interiors of Pompeii. Roman baths were organized into caldariums (hot, steamy baths for perspiration and relaxation), tepideriums (warm baths for socialization), and frigidariums (cold baths for swimming). Gothic cathedrals were made up of repeated arches, columns, vaults, windows, and flying buttresses and used the square and geometry of heaven as their basic building unit.


precedent – [pre-ce-dent]
a. any act, decision, or case that serves as a guide or justification for subsequent situations
b. example that is used to justify similar occurrences at a later time [1]

The aediculed arrangement of the Roman baths serves as a strong precedent in today’s shopping malls. Like the ancient public complexes, our malls are made up of repeated interior spaces (stores, restaurants/food courts, facilities, common areas, arcades, movie theaters, etc.) that create one place for merchants, dining, socializing, and leisure. Also, “the full panoply of changing rooms, gymnasiums, libraries, meeting rooms, theaters, concert halls, gardens, vast basins…Today’s luxurious spas and health resorts are by pale copies of the Baths of Diocletian” [3].

In Suzanne’s class last week, we were to find examples of perspective sketches to use as precedents for our own building drawings. And in studio, we chose one of our three black and white models to use as a precedent for a more developed model that better demonstrated our design word and a passageway.

presence – [pre-sense]
a. the state or fact of being present
b. immediate proximity in time or space
c. a supernatural influence felt to be nearby [1]

“Images of stylized reality, captured in the glittering mosaics, evoke a spiritual presence in an otherworldly atmosphere of resplended grandeur” [4]

My first idea of presence agrees with Roth’s observation of San Marco. The interior of this basilica evokes a strong emotion as light bounces off of the mosaic walls and ceilings. The Baths of Diocletian use this same lustrous technique, along with all the reflective basins of water, to create a rich and luxurious presence for civilians. Although these two buildings provoke different feelings, they both used reflective surfaces to intentionally provide a certain presence or atmosphere.
Another way of creating a supernatural presence in churches is their building layout – “At the geometric center of the semicircular apse would be an altar, acknowledging the spiritual presence of the emperor, for only in his symbolic presence could cases be heard” [4]. And as we’ve studied the transition from Romanesque to Gothic architecture, “… the presence of light, the symbol of God’s divine Grace, became the prominent symbol…” [4] in churches like the Cologne Cathedral. This German church really takes advantage of stained glass, candles, clerestory, ribbed vaulting, and marble statues to reflect and welcome light in.


duality – [du-al-ity]
a. a classification into two opposed parts
b. (geometry) the interchangeability of the roles of points and planes
c. a dual state or quality

“A vital focus for leisure and social interaction…these [baths] represented a new concept of luxury and sophistication in an age more often marked by violence and squalor…the bathhouse was one of Rome’s most effective tools for converting its conquered subjects to the Roman way of life.” [5]

The website, “Ancient Roman Baths”, points out a clear duality within Roman baths: a pleasure palace for current citizens and a method for attracting and converting outsiders. Within this duality lies another as, for the Romans, the baths served as a place of cleansing and a combination of leisure and community – not only did citizens go to get clean and exercise, but they went to browse the libraries or markets and meet up with friends. The basilica is laid out on an axis to mimic the idea of the pathway toward salvation while also indicating hierarchy with the priest in the apse at the end.

In studio, my first black and white model demonstrated a duality of light and dark, or ‘good’ and ‘bad’, and how they often get tangled up in each other. In my last model, I tried to show a duality of passageway and boundary.

in summary, moments, metric, precedent, presence, and duality speak out to tell a building’s story. Defined as “something likened to speech as conveying impressions to the mind” [1], these voices tell a building’s influences, structure, it’s purposes and versatility, and the feelings that it provokes.

citations

[1] http://dictionary.reference.com/browse

[2] Design History and Theory handout, Patrick Lucas

[3] http://web.tiscali.it/romaonlineguide/Pages/eng/rantica/sAHy4.html

[4] Roth

[5] "Ancient Roman Baths"

PARTS : WHOLE

ORDER – [or-der]
a. the disposition of things following one after another, as in space or time; succession or sequence
b. a condition in which each thing is properly disposed with reference to other things and to its purpose; methodical or harmonious arrangement
c. any class, kind, or sort, as of persons or things, distinguished from others by nature or character[1]
I think of ‘order’ as an organization of either people and their actions, or categorized objects. Throughout our classes this past week, we’ve discussed social order, chronological order, and design orders. Going back to last semester in studio, “Principles of Gestalt psychology suggest that the mind seeks to find utmost order and regularity…” [2]. We learned elements of this design psychology, such as proximity, continuity, figure&ground, similarity, closure, and symmetry, and still practice using these laws in our projects.  And in Suzanne's class, we've been trying to understand, or make order, of the floor plans of our assigned building on campus by walking around and experiencing it.

  

As I’ve already studied in other art history classes, we’ve also been reviewing the Classical Orders of architecture in Patrick’s class. This order consists of the three Greek column styles: the Doric – simple and masculine with rounded capital, massive, fluted shaft, and no base; the Ionic – taller shaft with flutes, scrolled capital, and large base; and the Corinthian – very decorative and feminine with Ionic shaft, and scrolls and leaves on the capital.

As far as social order is concerned, history class brought up a few concepts, one being Roman roads. We talked about how in Pompeii, all the roads were straight, forming a grid on which the city was organized. And last week, Patrick asked the class, “How do we use order to define or determine the hierarchy of the Parthenon, Erechtheon, Propylaia, and the Athena Nike?”…

HIERARCHY – [hi-er-ar-chy]
a. any system of persons or things ranked one above another[1]
…to answer Patrick’s question, the hierarchy of the main buildings on the Akropolis in Athens are easily determined by order as the Parthenon, Athena’s temple and the largest building, can be seen from all over the city and embodies great perfection, the Erechtheon, which hosts many political events and its Porch of Maidens leading your eye back to the Parthenon; then the Propylaia and its maze of columns engaging civilians who visit the acropolis; and it’s obvious that next in line is the temple of Athena Nike, a tiny version of the Parthenon to memorialize Athena’s messenger. This organization of size, orientation, and quality of such buildings is a great example of how order ties into hierarchy, two terms defined as sequence.

Blakemore talks about hierarchy in a social sense: “Furniture design reveals the same influences reflected in other arts of the dynastic periods: religion, inspiration from familiar objects, technology, and social hierarchy…decorative objects also placed there were suited to the status in life of the deceased…in tombs and preserved to climatic conditions, the most prevalent extant examples of Ancient Egyptian furniture represent those of royalty or upper-class citizens.” [3] In Rome, interiors were very important for they were where Romans expressed their wealth and social standing through levels of detail and decoration, and furnishings – their expression of materials was a sort of competition against their neighbors, just as Rome itself was a world of competition among its city states. Neighborly competition is also obvious in the villas of Pompeii. Each had a courtyard in the center where homeowners could hide necessary work and workers, giving the illusion on the outside that no work was ever done, that that’s how much better it was than the one down the street.
In studio, we bring up hierarchy quite often. For example, during our artifact wall critiques, we tried to determine the hierarchy of each model and how placement, colors, and sizes can emphasize or take away from intended focal points.


ENTOURAGE – [en-tour-age]
a. surroundings, environment
b. Architecture. The landscaping and other nearby environmental feature shown on a rendering of a building[1]
A strong example of architectural entourage would be Hadrain’s Villa in Pompeii. This ‘vacation home’ is surrounded by pools, baths, libraries, and galleries - an entourage of beauty, entertainment and relaxation. The acropolis, with it’s collection of temples and gathering sites, creates an entourage of society and hierarchy.

In Suzanne’s class, she wanted us to go to a coffee shop or somewhere to sit back and draw people within their environment. She really wanted us to capture their surroundings and the moment – an entourage. Compared to Roman amphitheatres that ignored nature and had man-made backdrops, the Greeks succeeded in creating an entourage for their theatres by taking advantage of their natural surroundings and building into the land rather than on it.

SOURCE – [source]
a. any thing or place from which something comes, arises, or is obtained; origin
b. a manufacturer or supplier[1]
“George Hersey suggests that the Greek orders were first developed in imitation of the trunks of trees in sacred groves…” [2], in other words, tree trunks were the source of inspiration for the Greek columns. This semester, although we’ve put a lot of emphasis on sources of inspiration, we’ve also talked about sources of light, sources of water, and sources of materials. Roth even reminds us that, “Vitruvius is the source of ancient advice” [2] as a lot of what we’ve been reading has been his findings and theories. In Baroque churches, architects “created hidden sources of daylight, focusing light on specific areas to direct attention” [2]. The oculus – a hole at the top of the dome - also provided a source of light in the Pantheon. Some say it was also a source of communication between heaven and earth, as well as a source of ventilation for the building.

In Egypt, the main source of water was the Nile. The river was also Egypt’s axis on which they built around; and sand and mud were the main sources of building materials. Wood, stone, and nature were the Greeks main sources of materials and inspiration. Greek architecture was Rome’s source of inspiration; and the Roman Empire’s strong source of control was their theory of “Bread & Circuses”. In studio, our fairy tales started off as our main source of inspiration from the beginning of the Found in Translation project.
























As we’ve moved through more and more phases of this project, our fairy tale has remained an important source, but others, such as phases themselves, have become inspiring sources as well – like the our 3 models due tomorrow which are supposed to be inspired from the previous 5”x 5” thumbnail graphics.


ARCHETYPE – [ar-che-type]
a. the original pattern or model from which all things of the same kind are copied or on which they are based; a model or first form; prototype
b. a collectively unconscious idea, pattern of thought, image, etc. universally present in individual psyches.[1]
PROTOTYPE – [pro-to-type]
a. the original or model on which something is based or formed
b. someone or something that serves to illustrate the typical qualities of a class; model
c. something analogous to another thing of a later period
d. an archetype; a primitive form regarded as the basis of a group[1]
HYBRID – [hy-brid]
a. anything derived from heterogeneous sources, or composed of elements of different or incongruous kinds
b. composite[1]
Evident in their definitions, ‘archetype’, ‘prototype’, and ‘hybrid’ are interchangeable terms and heavily used in the world of design. One of the earliest known prototypes is the aedicule, starting as tree arbors connected by manipulated branches and added horizontal beams to divide and organize space, to interior aediculed paintings in Pompeii, and still existing in today’s architecture. Ancient Egypt’s post and lintel system was used throughout ancient Greek and Roman architecture and is still common today. Blakemore notes that, “…it is clear that the Romans relied on Greek prototypes of the Hellenistic period for their inspiration” [3]. Assimilation was easy for Rome because Greek ruins were right there for them to study and copy. ‘Hybrid’ can be described as eclectic, or freely borrowed. The Romans were quick to borrow Greek style and technology, but they also used their prototypes and archetypes to build onto. For instance, they created hybrid columns by creating different combinations of the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian orders - “…three columnar types, or orders, were adapted by the Romans, who added more ornate variations of their own, and the orders became, part of the basic architectural vocabulary…” [2].

As Greek architecture was Rome’s major prototype, Roman architecture and society has been America’s prototype - “…their (Rome) great architectural achievements were to be a recurring prototype for centuries to come.” [3] In class, we talked about how ancient Rome and present day America are both modern looking, a forward thinking society, have similar political ideas and procedures, identical competition of power and wealth, and they share the idea of “Bread & Circuses”.
Another prototype would be the basilica of Pompeii as future inspiration for gothic cathedrals. Our current phase of the studio Found in Translation project is a good example of archetype/prototype/hybrid. Each preceding phase has served as inspiring archetypes and prototypes, but the 3 models were working on for tomorrow are intended to be hybrids of the 5”x 5” thumbnails and black and white 3D structure. Each model is supposed to focus on a certain vocabulary word (hopefully used in the 3D structure) and be developed and inspired by combinations and elements of the graphics.

In summary, the world of design revolves around the idea of “parts:whole”. This weeks prompts tie into each other in their definitions and in the way they’re applied to design and architecture in ancient and present times. Order defines hierarchy, and hierarchy gives purpose to order; sources provide inspiration and possibilities to create order, as well as build up entourages. And the three very similar elements, archetype, prototype, and hybrid, provide reference, or sources, to continue to show and improve hierarchy, entourages, and order.

citations
[1] www.dictionary.reference.com/browse
[2] Roth, Leland, M. (2007). Understanding Architecture: Its Elements, History, and Meaning. Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press.
[3] Blakemore, R.G. (2006). History of Interior Design & Furniture, From Ancient Egypt to
Nineteenth Century Europe, Second Edition. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons
Inc.

building selection & justification

Centre Georges Pompidou [the Pompidou Centre]

built 1971-1977 by architects Renzo Piano, Richard and Sue Rogers, and Gianfranco Franchini, and structural engineers Edmund Happold and Peter Rice.

Beaubourg area of the 4th arrondissement of Paris, France

[high-tech architecture]

floor area: 103,305 square meters and 7 stories high

[my photo - spring 2007]

this very modern complex houses le Musee National d'Art Moderne [the National Museum of Modern Art], le Bibliotheque publique d'information [a huge public library], and IRCAM [a center for music and acoustic research].

a very functional design that allowed room for hugh, uncluttered spaces inside by moving all the service sections [elevators, stairs, plumbing and ventilation...] to the outside of the building and color-coated

the goal was to reveal to the public how a building works

Approaching this building in person was very intimidating at first with all the exposed systems,  but still a very impressive and worth-while experience! I wish I had more time to walk through more than a couple levels. 

I love the juxtaposition of this extremely modern structure in the middle of old parisian streets!

design on paper [and] in history

SCALE – [scale]
a. a certain relative or proportionate size or extent
b. a standard of measurement or estimation; point or reference by which to gauge or rate [1]
When I hear or see the word ‘scale’, I immediately think of size and try to think of an example of how different sized objects relate to one another. In our drawing class with Susan, we’re really focusing on the importance of scale figures and how to use them on paper to show the relation of our design to a human figure.

With all of our discussions last week about Egyptian pyramids and Greek temples this week, its hard to steer away from using these massive structures as examples scale. We talked about how these buildings’ uses of huge proportions empowers them and commands one to worship. Visual scale is very vulnerable and tricky - “For the most part, there are many clues in a building as to its size – windows, doors, steps – but even all these may be enlarged so that our sense of scale is distorted.” [2]. When designing the Parthenon, everything was measured by the diameter of the columns. In history class, we talked about how this made sense on paper, but that the architects knew better and moved columns along the edges closer together to enhance converging lines so that when the building was viewed from far away, it wouldn’t look like it was falling apart. 

Not only is there a physical scale found in buildings like the pyramids of Giza and the Parthenon, but they also house a social scale. Blakemore notices this too and writes that, “At the top of the hierarchal scale was the pharaoh, or king…”[3]. In Egypt, the scale jumps from a bunch of smaller structures for citizens’ everyday life to these enormous pyramids for the king. But in Greece, I find this social scale to be more gradual – on the Akropolis, there sits the most important and perfect temple of Athena, the Parthenon, in plain view from all over the country; to it’s left sits the Erechtheion with the famous Porch of the Maidens whose concrete gazes direct the viewer back to the Parthenon. Next on this scale is the Propylaia, which was very important for big processions of everyday life, and finally, still on the Akropolis, sits the temple of Athena Nike who was like a messenger figure to Athena. You can still see that the Parthenon is the most important temple, but the importance of these other three structures is also very clear, and this gradation of scale continues out to the theaters and buildings surrounding the acropolis and so 

on.

UNITY – [un-i-ty]
a. the state of being one
b. oneness of mind, feeling…as among a number of persons, etc; concord, harmony, or agreement

c. absence of diversity; unvaried or uniform character
Deriving from its definition, unity equals sameness, or continuity. So far, we’re able to list many instances of unity in ancient architecture, from the repeated patterns of concentric circles at Stonehenge, Carnac, and Avebury, to the undulating Great Wall of China and Ohio Valley, the use of limestone and illuminating effects on the pyramids, the Egyptians’ static culture, the post and lintel system in found Egypt and Greece, and columns themselves as they are repeated around a Greek temple. Blakemore notes that the ancient Greeks had their own unity that pretty much arose and remained in Greece for a while: “The unity which characterized many other cultures was hindered in Greece came from the difficulty of communication between areas of settlement, since the landscape was dominated by mountains, small valleys, and islands”[3]. She also talks about four categories of continuity that could be found in everything from furniture to the scale of a city. These four continuities are social hierarchy, geography, religion, and technology. For example, at the Temple of Amon, the social hierarchy is obvious as, being a temple, it illuminates the highest figure in society; it reveals its geography because of its local building materials; religion is apparent in the god-like sculptures, and its structure alone shows a level of technology. 

Also, there is great unity among all buildings in ancient Greece that can also be found in almost every building ever since…the citadel. This uniform arranges buildings in three basic areas: the porch, the court, and the hearth. With the porch as the gateway, the court as the social space near the hearth, and the hearth as the focal point, this arrangement is easy to point out in all kinds of buildings.

SECTION – [sec-tion]
a. one of a number of parts that can be fitted together to make a whole
b. a representation of any object as it would appear if cut by a plane, showing its internal structure
In architecture, ‘section’ can relate to several ideas. The citadel’s porch, court and hearth that I just discussed are merely sections of a building. And the Akropolis is the most important ‘section’ of the city of Athens.

Not only can a section divide a space, but it can also reveal crucial information. In drafting, section views are drawn to show the internal structure of a piece of furniture or building. A cut line is drawn on the plan of that object to show where the section is taken from, then another drawing depicts what the object would look like if it were cut by a plane at that cut line. If you were cut a red pepper down it’s center, you would be able to see its skin layers, cavities, core, and possible the fibers and structure of its stem. Or if you cracked open a peanut, you would be able to draw the thickness of the shell, and the fibers and nuts inside. These views are section views. Last week, we worked on section views of Pat’s Chair for drafting class. I drew two sections from cut lines running east to west and north to south across my model of Pat’s Chair.

BOUNDARIES – [bound-ar-ies]
a. something that indicates bounds or limits
A simple example of a boundary could be a wall or fence, determinations of space. In ancient Egypt, the Nile was the boundary between community and temples, between society and pharaohs, between present life and the after life. The Egyptians placed the Pyramids on the west side of the Nile where the sun sets and the pharaoh’s spirit can fly to the gods. And inside the pyramids were winding, mazes of halls to chambers along with booby traps to keep out civilians, to limit their access to the pharaohs grave. The ancient Egyptians had to figure out a way to deal with their natural boundaries: “Every year, the new soil deposited by the inundation swept away the landmarks that established field boundaries, so very early, the Egyptians perfected a system of geometry and mathematics to redefine the boundaries the river obliterated”[2]. The land of ancient Greece was nothing but boundary after boundary as it was made up of and surrounded by mountains, islands, valleys, and water. These were all natural boundaries, which made trade and communication difficult and became a good reason for founding city states. In Greek architecture, many different elements provide boundaries. Blakemore talks about, “…drapery used decoratively and functionally to define space…columns used structurally to define space…sections of mosaics to define floor areas…” [3], and also how, “Pilasters occasionally marked the boundary of windows and, alternatively, were used to separate windows”[3]. In drafting, when we draw a plan, we are drawing the boundaries of that building, but we are also exploring boundaries in drawing class too with vignettes. In contrast to setting limits and making boundaries clear in architecture and landscape, vignettes are about the lack of a boundary as the images and colors sort of fade away at their edges rather than connecting to a border or the edge of a page…



VIGNETTES – [vig-nettes]
a. a small, graceful literary sketch
b. a decorative design or small illustration used on the title page of a book or at the beginning or end of a chapter
c. an engraving, drawing, photograph, or the like that is shaded off gradually at the edges so as to leave no definite line at the border

As a small, graceful drawing, vignettes capture a moment and its surroundings. We’re working on vignettes of people and public spaces for Susan. These little drawings capture the activity, mood, and scale of a person in the environment it’s currently in. Typically, the lines, shading, and color tend to fade out as if inviting the viewer’s eyes to continue the image. 

As a small, graceful drawing, vignettes capture a moment and its surroundings. We’re working on vignettes of people and public spaces for Susan. These little drawings capture the activity, mood, and scale of a person in the environment it’s currently in. Typically, the lines, shading, and color tend to fade out as if inviting the viewer’s eyes to continue the image. An interior wall could create a physical vignette with the way furniture and artifacts are arranged on and around it. Vignettes can also be literary. In Leland M. Roth’s “Understanding Architecture”, she introduces each chapter with a descriptive quote that creates a mental image of what topic that chapter’s about to discuss. A strong example would be in Roth's Understanding Architecture on page 25 by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe: “Architecture…is the crystallization of its inner structure, the slow, unfolding of form…”[2]. Now, before I begin to read chapter two, I can already imagine a building literally unfolding and revealing its inner structure and even refer back to that image as I read on about firmness and what holds that building up.

In SUMMARY, scale, unity, section, and boundaries are all important aspects within the “commodity, firmness, and delight” of architecture. Scale is important in the physical aspect as well as social in determining the type, size, and placement of a building, as well as satisfying commodity, firmness, and delight; Unity requires study and history of the past as well as craft in attaining it, and also satisfies commodity, firmness, and delight; sections and boundaries are crucial for laying out a building or space and determine the purposes for those spaces, while also fulfilling the three key elements; and vignettes help document on paper and in our minds the real and ideal views of a space and reflect the amount of scale, unity, section, boundaries, [commodity, firmness, and delight] that space has.

citations

[1] www.dictionary.com/

[2] Roth, Leland, M. (2007). Understanding Architecture: Its Elements, History, and Meaning. Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press.

[3] Blakemore, R.G. (2006). History of Interior Design & Furniture, From Ancient Egypt to

      Nineteenth Century Europe, Second Edition. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons

      Inc.

my [thoughts] on...

             

       

 illuminate - [il-lu-mi-nate]

 a. to supply or brighten with the light

 b. to make resplendent or illustrious [1]

One immediately thinks of light when referring to such a verb.  Objects with reflective surfaces or bright colors or lights are considered 'illuminated'.   "Our principal receptors for sensing the environment are our eyes, and the light illuminating that environment is critical for the information we receive" [2]. As an artist, most of my work is in high contrast where my subjects are attacked by dramatic lighting. 

 I tend to exaggerate my paint hues and weight of my charcoal. [3] And very often light is used to bring attention to something.  My use of contrast highlights my subjects, and in our drawing class last week, each of us illuminated certain aspects about ourselves by drawing and writing about objects that hold great meaning to us. Illumination was a popular tool in ancient times as well.  As we read and talked about in class, one Egyptian pharaoh, Zoser, used a limestone in his early mastabas and later on his step pyramid, probably to bring attention to his temple by making it contrast to it's desert background.  And the pyramids of Giza also used limestone sheathing along with gold caps so that the sun's rays, or the spirit of Ra, flow down the four sides - "Their capstones were gilded, and from them, the spirit of the pharaoh greeted Ra on the dawn after his burial" [4].

idiom - [i-di-om]

a. a language, dialect, style or speaking peculiar to a people

b. an expression whose meaning is not predictable from the usual meanings of its elements [1]

Just as it's meaning, this term is hard to translate.  The first example that comes to mind is the phrase, "it's raining cats and dogs!".  This heavily used saying in America, as we all know, only means that it's raining really hard, so ridiculously hard that we've come up with a ridiculous expression for it.  However, if you were to shout this out loud when you get caught in a rain storm in, say, China, don't be surprised if you get some funny and confused looks.  The ancient Egyptians had no desire for change. "Egyptians came to desire a world in which things did not change, could not be allowed to changed... The universe and human society were conceived as static. 'Progress, change, new questions, and new answers were simply not needed'." [5]

 In today's culture desperate and ready for change, one could argue that this ancient satisfaction or state of mind is no longer translatable. I find another example of an idiom in our artifact project for studio as we took the essence of our fairy tale, rather than literal elements, to create an artifact that was inspired by the story, but that does not translate back to the actual tale when viewed separately.  

material - [ma-ter-i-al]

a. articles or apparatus needed to make or do something

b. a group of ideas, facts, data, etc. that may provide the basis for or be incorporated into some integrated work

c. pertaining to the physical rather than the spiritual or intellectual aspect of things [1]

As designers we define 'material' as papers, markers, rulers, glues, pens, and sketchbooks - things we have to work with. 

Our mission is to make the best use of these tools by learning which materials are appropriate for which projects.  The ancient Egyptians had very little materials to work with.  They were limited to sand and mud for pretty much everything - their

 buildings were mostly mud bricks and if they wanted any other materials like timber or stones, they had to rely on international trade by the Nile.  Surprisingly, these mud and sand stone structures proved to be long-lasting as they still stand today. "An architecture of mud bricks reinforced with straw emerged. Coated with a hard plaster, this material was sufficiently durable in a climate with little rain" [6].  Temples and tombs were intended to last for eternity because the afterlife was more important to the Egyptians than the present life. Material is also used as an adjective, like when describing the burial of a pharaoh where royal tombs were packed with jewels, money, clothing, food, and even dead bodies for the use of the pharaoh's spirit.  This trend still continues in today's 'material culture' which we defined in class as "an artifact corresponding to patterns in the mind of the producer and user and can be assessed by a three-step process: description, deduction, and speculation"[7].

commodity - [com-mo-di-ty]

a. usefulness, convenience, accommodation, benefit, profit, interest, advantage [1]

firmness - [firm-ness]

a. property of being unyielding to the touch

b. a quality of being sturdy or securely and immovably fixed in place [1]

delight - [de-light]

a. high degree of gratification of the mind [1]

"Architecture, Vitruvious wrote, must provide utility, firmness, and beauty... by utility, he meant the functional arrangement of rooms and spaces so that there is no hindrance to use and so that a building is perfectly adjusted to its site. Firmness referred to foundations that were solid and to building materials being used wisely to do their required work.  Beauty meant that the appearance of the work is pleasing and in good taste"[8].  This Roman architect's three elements of architecture were later described as 'commodity, firmness, and delight' by Sir Henry Wotten.  

Not only in architecture do we find the importance of this trinity - don't we search for the biggest, reddest, freshest apple in the crate, and don't we usually put the shirt back on the rack if it seems to be poorly made, the wrong size, and not as interesting as it looked from across the store? Although we can't always find it or attain it, everyone at least looks for commodity, firmness, and delight in everything we buy, eat, or design. In our readings, Roth uses the term 'function' to explain commodity. He says that, "architects have had to do two things simultaneously - invent original forms using new building technologies while also devising appropriate new symbolic representations for the functions their structures are housing" [9]. He uses the Paris Opera House by Charles Garnier as a good example of commodity because of  its success in directing, accommodating, and facilitating movement throughout the building [10].  Firmness refers to the structure of a building or artifact.  In all of our drawing and studio classes so far, craftsmanship has been crucial in every drawing, model, and artifact we create.  Delight includes the rhythm and proportion, light, color, ugliness, ornament, and sound of a space, or object for that matter.  Well-designed things have a balance of these elements, along with firmness and commodity. As Roth writes, "Architecture is the art into which we walk, the art that envelops us" [11], and all forms of art, in my eyes, behold a sweet and striking harmony of commodity, firmness, and delight.

in summary, we illuminate objects not only to give them depth but to make them stand out as well. Along with the technique of illumination, we're careful with what materials will further enhance our object or design; and sometimes these designs become subtle idioms where the viewer might have to ponder for a while to understand it... and sometimes they can't translate it at all yet still admire it for its mystery or capability of masking multiple meanings. But we cannot give full credit to these illuminated, efficient, idiomatic works of art unless they behold a strong sense of commodity, firmness, and delight as well.

citations

[1] http://dictionary.reference.com/browse

[2] "Understanding Architecture: Its Elements, History, and Meaning" Leland M. Roth p.85

[3]  my art & photography portfolio (click to see more)

[4] "Understanding Architecture: Its Elements, History, and Meaning" Leland M. Roth p.200

[5] "Understanding Architecture: Its Elements, History, and Meaning" Leland M. Roth p.191

[6] "Understanding Architecture: Its Elements, History, and Meaning" Leland M. Roth p.193

[7] Design History and Theory Lecture: Patrick

[8] "Understanding Architecture: Its Elements, History, and Meaning" Leland M. Roth p.11

[9]"Understanding Architecture: Its Elements, History, and Meaning" Leland M. Roth p.17

[10] "Understanding Architecture: Its Elements, History, and Meaning" Leland M. Roth p.15

[11] "Understanding Architecture: Its Elements, History, and Meaning" Leland M. Roth p.55

imagine:design::tell:story

[opus entry one]

S T O R I E S

With very little effort, one can find a story in everything around them.  Of course there are obvious resources like a book, a photograph, a song, a painting or a sculpture, but if you look a little closer at something as simple and mundane as a twig, you could find multiple stories. Maybe that twig came from a tree your neighbor's kid likes to climb in... on the child's way down the twig could have snapped from it's branch, then your dog may have brought it to your yard, but before growing bored with it, he chewed it into smaller twigs.  A bird then could have found a piece of it as the final element to her nest in the big maple tree in your front yard.  And after the nest was abandoned and survived a few summer storms, that same twig finally fell from the tree again and landed where you're standing about to pick it up.

The film A Midsummer Night's Dream was composed of multiple stories of multiple characters.  We tell a story when we design, and in that design, we use objects that hold individual stories so that our final work is like a big story book. 

 [my bowthazarr as a puppy and his love for GIANT twigs] 

A R T I F A C T S

Just like the twig and its story, all artifacts not only tell a story but behold a history and add on to that history everyday. Think about a dollar bill.  I'm sure everyone has wondered where the dollar bill in their hand has been when it feels dirty or looks grungy or has something handwritten on it.  Think about the pockets it's been stuffed in, the hands it's been dealt with, the counter's it's laid on, the number of times it's traveled in a car, on a plane, or on ship, how many times it's been in the same register, and think about just how many things it's purchased.

[link]

M U L T I V I E W 

I interpret this term as opinionated.  The beauty about an artifact is not only found in the story it tells but also in the reactions and thoughts it provokes in the beholder.  The existence of 'multiview' or 'opinion' allows expression.  A song or a painting  becomes successful because it is viewed in many many many different ways by many different people, forcing them to think about it, to express themselves through their opinion or even a painting or song of their own.

[link]

C Y C L E

Like Patrick said during Monday's lecture, "Style starts, gains popularity through time, fades, then later returns or changes".  Like clothing fashion or music - it either comes back decades later, or changes and evolves into a different style.  During the lecture, we talked about the ideal design cycle to be orderly and predictable, but in reality, it's very chaotic and unpredictable, like a bunch of voices screaming in your head.  We also talked about things to consider when analyzing a design cycle like its direct reactions & resonnances to preceding periods, regional influences & variations, views in and out, what becomes standard, and what does 'change' and 'no change' mean.  Personally, I love taking advantage of design cycles - I'm a very eclectic person and I consider myself an eclectic artist/designer as well.  I adore a mixture of clothing, housewares, music, and other objects from the Victorian era, to the retro 1950s and 1960s, and my favorite, the 1970's.  I'm addicted to buying anything and everything from places like Habitat for Humanity, Goodwill, and Antique malls. And I don't just settle for my grandparents old things because I'm broke, I constantly nag them about sending any furniture, vase, comforter, or belt they no longer want because I'm caught up in the middle of a huge design cycle!  One of my favorite reCYCLED things is my grandmother's love seat.  It's straight out of the early 70's with a big bold floral print of browns, oranges, yellows, and greens.  It started out in her fancy living room where no one was allowed in, but once it became out of style, it moved to the den, then to the guest bedroom, and finally to 

her junk room cluttered with most of the treasures I ended up with.  It now sits in my living room and once again gets plenty of attention and compliments.

[the best ugliest sofa!]

T R A N S L A T I O N 

Sometimes an object's history is obvious or somewhat easy to guess, but even when we think we know its tale, we still must look at its every aspect and translate each one to a possible story.  To translate, you must convert. As designers, our job is to translate, or convert, a client's personality, interests, and experiences (each a separate story)  into a space that binds all of those stories together, or an artifact that further helps them tell their tale.  

Like in our first studio project, "FOUND IN TRANSLATION", we're supposed to translate key elements from our fairy tale into a more abstract idea, then translate that main idea or essence into an expressive artifact.  

[my inspiration board]