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