Point: Explorations

The Explorations unit has shown me that designers don’t always have to completely look back to history for help. They truly explored new ideas and inspirations. While majority of architects seemed to design very new and modernistic buildings, we can tell that they still looked back to history. This is why there is the question of whether they were looking backward or forward. Old things were brought into thoughts through modern buildings, but in a completely different way than how it was originally done.

Art Nouveau came around in the late 19^th century and early 20^th – an experimental stage in fine arts inspired experimentation in design (that’s new). One of the more popular architects of this period was Antonio Gaudi. When I look at some of his work, I see a very surrealism-like look. The Surrealism style of art was starting in the early 1900s and Gaudi certainly could have been inspired from that style. The facades that he put on apartment buildings show this crazy sort of style and his interest in skin and bones, as well as nature. Casa Batilo in Spain and Casa Mila are both good examples of this. I think art is something, even today, that designers can look upon for ideas. Going to the Weatherspoon Art Museum a few weeks ago helped me remember that art and design are so connected.

Perhaps one of the biggest themes from this unit (in my opinion) would be the idea of the machine and good design for all. As Le Corbusier smartly stated, “A house is a machine for living – it should be as practical as a typewriter, a phone, an automobile”. This quote is so interesting to me, as I’ve written about it a couple times in previous posts. The idea of practicality in a home is something that seems to be a necessity; every house should really have it. For example, in Le Corbusier’s Unite d’habitacion, there includes a coffee shop, grocery store, daycare, and more commodities. Why not make life easier on humans? We are the ones who will be using these buildings. This Idea that Le Corbusier brought upon makes me think about my future designs and how I am able to make it more of a “machine”.

The creation of Chicago, Illinois as the “Second City” is another theme that we talked about. I think this is important of the explorations unit because it shows that people were ready to start something new and truly step away from the box. It’s like Chicago challenged New York City with their innovative skyscrapers and slick aesthetic.

The image I chose to support this unit is a picture of the Villa Savoye by Le Corbusier. This house shows what the architect means by a “machine for living”. It includes Le Corbusier’s five rules: pilotis (building floats off landscape), ribbon windows, free and open floor plan, roof garden to replace the space that was taken off the land, and inspiration from the machine (designed after a 1927 car).

www.cambridge2000.com/gallery/html/PC1913149.html

Portfolio Project

Spinal Repetition: Design Through Folding

Inspired by the spine, this structure utilizes key aspects involved in the spinal makeup. When abstracted, both the spine and this structure have the following characteristic: repetition, linear lines, direction, balance, unity, and units making up the whole. I began this process of design by making origami modules and experimenting with how they connected. This structure was designed to be in a park setting made of glass. The spine is extremely important to the human body, but it cant be seen from the outside. The translucency of the glass gives off a similar vibe and wouldn't take away from the nature of the park.

Counterpoint: Machine

Reading Comprehension 7

The exhibition I was assigned to follow at the Greensboro Collects show at the Weatherspoon Art Museum was the Town + Country theme. This theme is all about good times and how they didn’t only exist in the city, good times happened in the country as well. I paid special attention to the piece titled, “By the Skin of our Teeth #2” by Deborah Grant. This work of art caught my attention because of the use of contrasting colors, emphasis, and direction. The diagram I created explains the use of these principles and elements of design in a simple way. When I first look at the artwork, my eye goes straight to the yellow circle in the top left corner. Then it traces downwards to the different figures in the image. As soon as my eyes recognize the figures it shoots back up to the yellow circle. I believe this has a lot to do with the colors and how it is mainly black and white except for the yellow and tan of the background. This creates a high contrast and emphasis on the yellow. This piece reminds me of the idea good design for all and the machine. Le Corbusier said, “a house is a machine for living – it should be as practical as a typewriter, a phone, and an automobile”. The Town + Country exhibit is the same type of theme - there should be good times for all.

Another piece of art I looked at in the theme is by Walter Barker, “Friday Night at the Ozark Airdrome, Webster Grove, Missouri, 1935”. This piece shows simply that there are fun things to do in the country. In specifically showcases an outdoor cinema that is possible in the country because of the open space and darkness. The artist shows this place very populated and entertaining.

On page 195 (Massey), it says of the post-modern era, “it was recognized that good design could no longer be measured by one mutually agreed yardstick”. This basically describes both of the pieces of work to me. The city and country could not be compared using the same “yardstick”. Each places had good things going for the area in different ways.