Rotation
Rotations and modernized repeats of design have occurred throughout the ages. We have all heard the famous quote, “history is doomed to repeat itself.” Therefore we should anticipate design remakes and revamping in our futures. As we are currently experiencing the interior design influence of the 1950’s, we can see how even before some of us were born, the design influence is still returning to modern day. Roth (pg. 443), "Yet, when 18th century critics looked about them at recent contemporary, late-baroque architecture, they saw walls that were swelling inward and outward, paster masquerading as stone and ornament had to be stripped away; architecture had to get back to essentials." Roth was saying that in the 18th century, people were finally seeing what they were designing and decided to get back to traditional work and simplify work in a modern way. We are doing this exact thing today with design, we have options upon options but we need to simplify and look back in time to when design seemed to have a sense of purpose. A wonderful example of this sense of rotation is the idea of parking lots. In studio we are finishing a year-long project called Pathways+Edges+Boundaries. In this assignment we are designing the parking lot islands, creating crosswalks and making stepping stones for pedestrians to utilize as they walk from car to building.
Pathways + Edges +Boundaries plans for building edge group
Movement---history East to West
Throughout the 16th and 17th century, Chinese and other eastern exports were in high demand. However, eventually European and American people began to take on design methods of the east such the Chinese patterns with cranes and bamboo accents on furniture. The work was initially exotic and extravagant and imported. Then, the west realized they could learn the methods of the east and create similar work in their own country. Throughout the 16th and 17th century, Chinese exports were in high demand, even clothing. There is strong evidence of eastern influence on western culture from balls and weddings having crowds all wearing eastern clothing, palaces built for westerners that look like Islamic palaces and interiors that appear as if one were in Japan. A prime example of this influence is the Royal Pavilion in Brighton by John Nash. It was a resort area for the king to escape the city and the exterior was Islamic influence and the interior was all Chinese décor. The vogue thing was to be “exotic”. This time of extravagant cultural fusing led to a noteworthy movement in design and worldwide history and understanding. Massey (pg. 25), "The other principle inspiration for the Aesthetic Movement was Japanese design. This had first been seen by the British public at the 1862 International Exhibition in London when British Consul in Toyko, Rutherford Alcock, exhibited a collection of Japanese artifacts." This quote shows how the Japanese truly impacted design and created the "exotic" movement in design history. A romance was created between the east and west and it showed in everything from furniture to clothing to architecture.
islamic influence--a european palace
reflection—
In drawing and drafting class we are discovering the different ideas and trial and errors that come with our first room renderings. I have learned a great deal about what kind of design I enjoy along with these marker and watercolor techniques because we were asked to design a kitchen/den/eating area, in a nutshell, a studio apartment loft. I made my entire space a reflection of me and my down time. Although I am an outgoing person and I am always busy fulfilling my to do list and timelines, I also have to have my down time and relaxation. I have cozy, oversized chairs and lots of soft, opaque glass and light rather than harsh or excessive floor lights that tend to overpower studio spaces. I see a reflection of my design flavor and of my collection of portfolio work within my space with the use of linear and layered design. Although this is my thinking as someone from the 21t century. In the 19th century, this idea of choice and no longer about rules and machine or hand made really made an impact. Hand made furniture and so forth really did have its personality and reflected the person who created it and was no so much about being universal but personal. Massey (pg. 62), "But it behooves those who cater for this class to be very careful and only to produce really good things, perfect in design workmanship. If the public is taught how to distinguish true art from the many varieties of false, it will appreciate each at its proper value. True, it costs more to produce superior articles, but the expense is only an initial one, for in this, as in other things, in the long run good articles are cheaper-and, moreover, they often come to have an intrinsic worth of their own." We should have designs that reflect us and our ideas even if there are manufactured items.
interior perspective drawings of apartment of dreamsA source that came up a lot this week was the source of light and shadow. In studio we are completing a project made of MDF (medium density fiberboard) and it must manipulate natural light. I utilized my precedent, a long, palm-tree like leaf and made curves with small marks in them that resemble sections in the leaf. I made the curves go across a squared, spiral base and the illusion is of a person walking through a park with strong, beamed structures above, cascading down like a giant canopy. The source of light is the sun and the sun helped to grow the leaf that became my precedent for manipulating the light. My precedent source was found just off Tate Street in a neighborhood. I was happy with my interesting nature finds and the final result of the project.
A different view of course is stated by Roth (pg. 443), "The philosopher attributed to primative nature an elemental power; they searching for qualities of the primative, the pure, and the uncorrupted in art and architecture." Therefore, Roth calls for us to draw from nature our precedents and return to the basic form. With many of the design movements stemming from basic form and drastically into "cluttered" mass decor, we as a world lost the true essence of a space and were speaking primarily to surface. However, this was not where the 19th century was seeking insight and the design world eventually turned into a source of its own, where anything and everything worked, as long as it had depth.
light and shadow project images. side view and top view.
illuminations---
Advertisements in China and Japan were seen as “just” advertisements, not as art. However, when the western world saw the woodblock paintings and manga art, they were amazed and called it art. Then, came the revolution and illumination of a shunned and undervalued art form that is still around today. Westerns loved how the eastern art was highly stylized and how the facial details were faint (for the women) and the men were more detailed in facial features. Also, new trade possiblities were illuminated when in 1858 Japan opened its borders to trade. The comics the east were producing were considered to be groundbreaking and very different. An example of woodblock art is of a geisha or someone in leisure. Massey (pg. 12) speaks on noticing architecture and how that is art and is different from what else was being done at the time, just as Manga was something new. "The architectural fitments were sturdy and simple compared with mainstream Victorian design." We should seek simple design and stand ou in times of chaos and vice versa when it comes to iluminating an area. When I was searching for something that captured light and was unique in nature, I noticed they were the peices that had color, unique form amongst linear objects or were large amongst small objects. Having change and difference is natural and created illumination.
Japanese geisha on woodblock
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