Perspective

This was my perspective project. I have included where I started at the beginning so you can see my design process, if ever so slightly. My thoughts on this project, especially since it was a 'perspective', was that the Neuschwanstein castle was to be the main focal point, the inspiration and symbol, if you will, for Walt Disney's Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella castles. They both were Disney's perspective of Neuschwanstein castle, capturing the fantastical and romantic aspects. As you can see, I included Cinderella and Prince Charming in the final. Prince Charming has already thrown a snowball at Cinderella (you can see it on her dress) and now he has another one, so she is running away. I thought this would be a cute antidote, considering that at one point the castle was used for a getaway, to relax and have fun!

Unit Alternatives Point

Throughout the alternatives unit, I felt as if the cathedrals were a very important topic and focus (good cocktail party conversation!). We saw how these buildings, structures, or art pieces illustrated what was happening within the time periods there were built. Many of them, specifically the Amiens Cathedral, were designed according to the golden rule and then added to in what seemed complicated, but truly was not. Watching the animation, it seemed as if the layers of the structure just continued and continued. Just looking at the now standing structure, you would not be able to say this is how it was designed (layout wise). You would however, be able to look at it from the ground up and see exactly how it fit and worked together. It is just amazing. I feel that the design of these complex structures eluded and translated to what was happening within society. Things were starting to happen, just as the artists/architects/designers on the outskirts of the Roman towns put their own spin on it, the same thing was happening here. The designs of the structures were branching off from what the normal architecture would have looked like. The religious people were attempting to make the church beautiful to draw people in. They did not rely on just what was taught to bring in people, but were enticing people with its beauty. They were changing or altering the way people viewed the church. Several key points about that enticement are as follows: there was an upward lifting sequence transforming to infinity, flickering fragmented glimpses, and the crossing square as the organizing geometric matrix. The organizing geometric movement was seen virtually everywhere in the cathedrals, but it was also used in other buildings as well.

Basic shapes are extremely important in everything. They are so simplistic, but when they are played with and altered from the original form, can turn into something very interesting. This is true not only in the Cathedrals we saw, but in other buildings as well. The Chateau Chambord is a nice illustration of this idea. On the bottom, Roman influence in seen everywhere your eyes travel. This is pure, simplistic shapes. On the top though, what you can see from far away, shows the gothic, the newer architecture. Putting them both together though, is a statement all its own. This takes what has already been done and (here’s that word again) alters them into something that has a completely different meaning than before, when they were used originally.

Shapes continued again along with stacking at the end of this unit when we discussed the Palazzo Medici. I learned from class and outside, how this was a nice transition to the reflections unit. First of all, the home defined society and its movements quite well. The most vivid example was how there were three floors or layers to the building. Each one served a different purpose and you could tell that by the stones, the material used for the structure. The stones at the bottom were very rough, where the peddlers and servants (working class were) but as you traveled heaven wards, the stones were smoother and more refined, as were the people. This elevated process showed that refinement or alteration was on its way!

http://www.usolution.com.sg/images/thinking_out_of_the_box_3_1_01.png

I thought this picture was a great illustration of this unit. It was all about thinking out of the box, and coming up with new things to try. Designers thought of alternate ways to show something in a different light. They put a new spin on things and I know it will continue.

Reading Comprehension 4

I will unfortunately not even attempt to describe the questions; just look as you will:

1.

2.

3. My interpretation of Girolamo Frescobaldi’s Balletto Terzo. Labeled as requested.

4. I believe that the Baroque period was a show. It was directed by wealthy people that wanted to boost their importance within social circles. Do not get me wrong, I enjoy the Baroque style, with its flamboyancy and naturalism, but it can be a little much. As Harwood states, "this time period flourishes with extravagant balls, receptions, and entertainment. Manners grew more refined in this age of great theatre, music, and opera." I bet it was fun to live in those wealthy circles and enjoy all of that wonderful entertainment, though it would have been horrible to be at the other end of the spectrum.

Reading Comprehension 5

1. Picking an artifact and relating it to the evolution of design:

During the beginning of the Renaissance, architecture and design were transitioning from the Middle Ages where private spaces were sparse. This affected artifacts as well, like the candlestick. It began as purely simplistic, made out of iron, brass, and other materials, not having decorative features. It was used for light mobility purposes, since the interiors were fairly dark.

The times flowed into the Rococo experience, which is hardly considered a style phase, except towards interiors and accessories. The candlesticks definitely went with the flow of this and evolved more. These newer ones were smaller, curvilinear, and more naturalistic than those of the Baroque or Renaissance before it.

If we were to travel a few more years up the road to the present day, the candlesticks are almost obsolete. We have candles, but not to deliver light to carry around. They are more for the aroma they give off. We do have a modern day candlestick, which I think is much safer; you won’t get burned! It is the flashlight.

I believe the further you travel in time the more light is needed or wanted within the home. We have advanced our lighting fixtures to the point where we rely on electricity and things that are battery-operated. We are continuing to expound more and more on technology that soon we might do away with the candle all together. We have done so already, at least with its original intent, to provide light.

2. Choosing an artifact, a building, place and space of the Eastern 19th century and relating that to Western architecture/design.

Artifact: women's dress-

http://blog.aurorahistoryboutique.com/images/early-1800s-fashion-2.png

The fashion changed dramatically during the 19th century. At the beginning of this century, the dresses were padded, had fluff, and corsets (much like the architecture). Then they came to be about the moral beliefs at the time; being formed more to the body, but graceful and light. People were in general more open and free, not bogged down as they were before. It was influenced, some say, by nature, but was all together meant to be more visually appealing than before. It became easier for goods and ideas to travel across the sea and therefore more women were dressing like the English; they received much criticism for that. So even though we were an independent country, we still looked like the people we separated from. The women did not know where to turn for new design, so they fell back on the English way. If I would have been there, I would have done my own thing and had a completely different look and style.

Building: Monticello-

http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/family-vacations-monticello.jpg

Monticello was obviously inspired by Palladio's work. The structural columns being shown relate to his style as well, but show Thomas Jefferson's interpretation of them. The whole building was Jefferson's interpretation of various designs. Since this was built over 40 years, there were many changes and different styles that came into the spotlight influenced the building's architectural details. The dome on top of the structure has been greatly influenced by Europe and the previous design styles. It is seen in many, many structures in America.

Place: Pleasant Cove, Diamond Island

http://www.tfaoi.com/musimage/port9.jpg

This port illustrates the early settler's way of life. Maybe in this area there had not been much growth and building yet. I see that there are people from every facet in life, showing that there was a wide variety that would have lived here. There is not much else to say about them, except to comment on the scale of the place and the people. This is a vast area. The people look quite small compared to the land and the trees. This is different than in England, possibly, where there were more people and crowds.

There were not too many ships coming into this port compared to those in England, at least in this image. The ships from England, come to think of it, would probably not be able to pull up to the shore. You can see that the small vessel in the background needed a paddle boat to get passengers or goods to shore. Maybe the people here didn't want this port to be huge, like the ones across seas. They might have possibly liked the small scale venue; it's less crowded. It would stay less crowded as well, if there were not ships coming and going constantly.

Space: Biltmore Estate Banquet Hall

The banquet hall is a prime example of the Americans stealing from the English. This is also right in our backyard. The furniture is done in the same style as the English, including the lavish extremes of the wood around the space. The tapestries as well were popular in England at the time. I am quite surprised though that the table is not round. I suppose it is a large table, but it seems to me that these people that came over to America and formed this new nation wanted to be treated as equals instead of lower class individuals. This table does not reflect that thinking. I think that they got away from the portraits on the walls, and instead have the animal heads. This could possibly represent the new worlds morals, everyday practice. They had to get food somehow. They did incorporate the portraits like the English with the figures along the top of the wall, I cannot tell if they were carved into the structure or a painting of sorts.

Unit Foundation Point

A foundation is the most important aspect of anything that requires continual process and growth. Without one, whatever is coming next will crumble. I believe this with all my heart, which is why I tried my best to learn as much as I could with this unit, so that I could get the most out of the ensuing ones. I appreciated that we began with the definition of stacking and how that presents itself many times throughout this unit. The pyramid is full of the stacking concept. The whole structure is stacking stone upon stone. Along with that, the physical exertion of climbing to the top represents the difficulty of rising up the social ladder, a near impossibility during this time. These pyramids established the axes; horizontal and vertical. The horizontal illustrates the life cycle here on earth and the vertical axis relates to the relationship between earth and gods. During this time the Egyptians believed the earth had four corners. The gold that adorned the top of the pyramid threw the light down each of the four corners, traveling to the ends of the earth. I thought of this concept again with my Eiffel Tower project in studio. The structure is actually positioned so that the points are at each North, South, West, and East. I wonder if Gustave Eiffel pulled from this same idea (concept?) when designing the placement of the Tower. I really saw how male and female concepts were attributed to architecture this early in history. I felt that this idea was apparent wherever you turned beginning in Egypt, continuing with the Grecians and then the Romans (the wu-wu!). I am excited to learn if this is incorporated within the next centuries. We learned as well that there were three ingredients that are always included within architecture; these are a porch, court, and hearth. I have seriously debated these over the course of the last few weeks and it is true! They really are an integral part of architecture! What really astounded me when we traveled to Greece was their sense of detail. In everything they did, nothing was forgotten. Every jot and tittle were thought about and made important. Where this made an impact for me was at Athens. The Parthenon is such a significant feat. The columns here were not placed exactly the same distance apart. They had slight variations between them so that the distance looked the same when seen from the entrance into Athens. Also they were not perfectly plumb either. If they were extended above the framework of the structure, they would all meet at a point 1.5 miles above the temple stylobate. I cannot believe someone actually thought about these things and then proceeded to carry them out. Absolutely amazing. Hall states why such care exercised for this building: “…arête, for the home of the goddess required the most excellent materials and most exacting workmanship. It was done because the Greeks could do it.” He goes on to say that yes, the structure is now in ruins, but not by fault of construction. It was all to do with human calamity. Of the ten structures presented to us, included in the cities around Rome, I realized that I could not choose just one I appreciated the most because they are all integral parts of this time period. I look forward to seeing many more of the themes we learned in the following segments: stacking, male and female, elements and principles of design, three ingredients of architecture, and sense of detail.

http://www.planetware.com/i/photo/pyramids-of-giza-gzgrtpy.jpg

I feel that the Pyramids of Giza are a great representation of this unit. They are at the very beginning, first of all, and have many relations to the afore mentioned main themes within this unit.

First Project

We were asked to do many things for this first project. We were given four buildings to describe and illustrate using 4 methods: 2D, 3D, a word and a paragraph. All of these were to be within the confinements of four 8 1/2 in squares. I am speaking now after I finished the project and I did not include the things I needed to at the time of turn in. That being said, the rest of the assignment was to also include within each one how people, material, symbol and nature are involved. My four structures were

The Baths of Caracalla,

Viipuri Library,

Providence Arcade,

and Bleinheim Palace.

I made a tray out of a frame and used an artifact of the Providence Arcade for the handles. The other ones definitely needed to be more creative, so the next few projects will make up for it. Here is the final...

Reading Comprehension 3

[1] Look at http://www.uncg.edu/~pllucas/Gothic%20Cathedrals/website%2003.31.08/timelineNEW.html to find the questions. Great graphics!

The architect had high ambitions for Florence Cathedral. If the physical collapse of the building really meant the failure of the church as well, there was pressure to make sure this went according to plan. The people that were a part of this process wanted to see the Church and Christianity rise again. They played a vital role towards the church eventually becoming an integral part of society by continuing to design and reevaluate again and again to make the cathedrals the best. This design included commodity, firmness, and delight. Those that go to church today in huge structures want them to look pretty and be able to accommodate the needs of the congregation. As far as lessons learned, we need to make sure ten times over that our designs can withstand.

Cologne Cathedral is much like Amiens, especially to the plan and height as well as with the flying buttresses and the two towers. The one thing that is different though, is the spires that are entirely Germanic in style. This shows there is a slight variance between the two region styles. All of the similarities unite them together but the small different details make them unique. I feel that the number of towers go back to the male and female concept. With two, you walk through the middle of the towers, which could also signify insignificance while as with one, could signal importance.

The Salisbury Cathedral was able to be built however long or wide the architect wanted because there was nothing preventing it to be so. They were able to have free rein; to not have to be concerned about fitting in with the area around it. I think Amiens was stuck inside this town and it was then the designer’s problem to figure out how it would look best. Salisbury makes more of a statement and is much more regal and majestic because of its landscaping, whereas Amiens is a part of the city.

[2] This illustration from A Medieval Home Companion depicts woman at work in a medieval interior. Unfortunately, the image is closely cropped so we don’t see much of the rest of the dwelling in which she works. Using Harwood and Roth, complete the rest of the scene using words and images to demonstrate your understanding of the domestic medieval interior.

These spaces were not as grand as the cathedrals by any means. As this image shows what looks to be the kitchen, it would probably be less decorative than any other part of the home. The interior of a secular dwelling would have the following: much color, decorated with hangings on the wall, and had (if any) box-shaped furniture. There would have been a patterned stone floor, small diamond-pane casement windows, a wood beamed ceiling, and a large stone mantel. The image I am including is from Harwood and depicts a kitchen, though this one does have a good deal of furniture.