My Thoughts

IAR 333 Graders

2011-12-12T06:45:00.003-05:00

Tina and TAs,

Please go to my new blog. I have had some issues with loading pictures so my Sketch Series, aside from the first one is on WordPress now. Thank you.

Individual Contributions

2011-10-24T13:17:00.001-04:00

During our group discussions, we are still narrowing down our decisions for the proposal. As for what I contributed, Katrina and I collaborated in a layout that created a path in a shape of a star using folding walls, benches for visitors, and the suggestion of how to avoid having visitors go around the wrong way. My ideas for a sign have been three color choices (a brown, a rust orange, and pale yellow) with three possible font options: Asenine, Feena Casual, or Steiner. All of which will have Calibri for smaller print such as the information. The posters that will be near the pieces will include name of piece, name of artist/designer, location, and time period. The colors will be in the posters but probably in an opposite way compared to the banners.

IAR 333: R.L Vanstory Lighting Company

2011-10-06T23:10:00.003-04:00

This morning my Methods, Materials, and Technologies class (IAR 333) went to visit R.L. Vanstory Lighting Company. We were briefed by the types of lighting they focused on - which included cove, interior and flood lighting - and a more in depth presentation on LEDs. To be honest, I was surprised at the size of the company, especially for what they do - I was expecting it to be bigger.

During the introduction of the company by the owner himself, Robert Vanstory, I was surprised at how many manufactures (domestic and international) the company represented - it was about 60 - here in Greensboro. I learned about when to use cove lighting and its purposes, as well as requirements for the types of lighting covered - including wall washing. The other presentation, which focused on products they represent, taught us three categories that lights normally fall under, such as general purpose, specification, and architectural. Aside from learning more about lights, specifically about LEDs, it was a pleasant tour. We got to walk around and look at different lights around the office. We also learned about being careful regarding what lights to purchase since not all manufactures sell quality lights - and, as designers, we always want to have the best quality in all aspects of our design.

Although, I enjoyed the tour overall, I did wish we were able to see more types of light set within spaces. For example, there were lights at the entrance of the office but some weren't working so it was a little disappointing. There were also the different products shown to us and, although they were there and turned on for us to observe - LED lights can be extremely bright!! - it would have been nice to see what kind of effects they could have in different spaces.

Impact of Light in Health and Welfare

2011-09-01T08:46:00.002-04:00

After reading the article Influence on Architectural Lighting on Health, I realized how much consideration should go into lighting. Light can be so impactful to people, from it affecting their physiology and their psychology. The eyes receive interpretations that allow people to transition from wakefulness into sleepiness through the change in the day – from day to night. This transition includes a level of hormones called melatonin which promotes sleep and increases in darkness. There are other physiological effects such as the immune and cardiac system. As for psychological effects, the lack of daylight can affect emotional, cognitive, and behavioral responses. The fact that light can affect so much on a mind and body is a very serious matter.

Daylight has such an importance in people’s lives, it is strange to me that Influence on Architectural Lighting on Health seems to be implying that there is still a continual struggle to focus more energy or effort on lighting in places such as hospitals, where the physiological and psychological are intertwined. However, it is not only in hospitals but in work places, as well, that we should make a stronger effort and really consider light and its effects on people. Why do is there so much focus on light in a residential world but not enough in the commercial world? My mistake was assuming daylight has a big importance in our lives without being aware how detrimental the lack of daylight can be to our health. It is something I will definitely keep in my thoughts.

Light Zones in Studio

2011-09-01T01:22:00.000-04:00

Light Revealing Experiences

2011-09-01T01:18:00.001-04:00

            When people think about lighting, although we are aware of the importance of natural light, we often , although we may subconsciously think about natural light – in this case, the sun – our first active thought goes to artificial lighting. According to the article Light Revealing Experience, humans experienced many types of light. Over the course of our lives, we will experience natural lighting such as daylight, moonlight, starlight, and firelight. Millet’s main ideas including light and place, light and nature, light and climate, light and time, and light and task are a good basis for how we perceive light and how all types of lighting affect us.

            Millet’s first topic of light and place establishes light is natural – that it comes from the sun. From this article I learned the effect of light in a location is based not only on sunlight but on nature and its surroundings. The biggest reason     for this     effect is the material, whether it is solid, translucent, or anywhere in between. After reading the article I felt I had not experienced, while growing up, the effect light has on a natural environment, such as by a lake throughout the seasons. Growing up in New York City, I was not surrounding by nature much. There were plants in my mom’s house and there were trees dotted along the street. Every summer we could go to Flushing Meadows Park, which was a more open and smaller version of Central Park. I have never considered how light interacted with brick buildings or if light was even a factor when these buildings were built. I believe light had a stronger role to play when building skyscrapers, but I do not know more than that. Another topic discussed in the article was the effect of light depends heavily on the cultures, which are both affected by location. Although, I continue to think and compare my experience with light growing up, I cannot help but wonder about the architecture of the city and how its culture influences our interaction with natural light.

            In addition to light and place, light and nature is discussed in Light Revealing Experience. My understanding from the article is that although we want to be protected from harsh weather we do not want to be disconnected from the outside. One way that continually connects us to nature is to manipulate light so that it is symbolically represented – to tie the outside with the in by connecting them so there is a seamless border between the two. One example includes the representation of a forest. This is done through grilles that symbolize tree trunks, colored shutters which filter light and symbolize leaves, but also cast a green hue. Another example is representation of a starry sky through the stringing of fairy lights to a ceiling. An additional example is creating the illusion of water from a mountain stream through a stone screen like in Hagia Sofia and water in general by daylight filtering through colored glass based on a glazed pattern and coloration.

            Light and climate, although similar to the previous topics further discusses light in a different manner. The main focus is that because climate affects people, their habits, and their rituals we need to keep in mind that there are many ways to overcome harsh weather. The importance is to overcome but still be able to celebrate and use light to our advantage without completely shunning it. In the discussion about light and time, it seems that there is again a subconscious awareness. It also seems this awareness that at one point might have been more consciously apparent, has become ignored. The other day I took my dog out on a walk after class and I made a conscious effort to look at the sky – to take notice of what the sunset looked like during this time of the day and season. I am not an expert I was able to notice the difference between a sunset in the middle of summer, with its oranges and reds, and a sunset that is near the end of summer, which looked cooler in pale blues and purples.

            The last topic discussed in this article was light and task. My impression before reading was that light and task was solely focused on artificial lighting – this is not the case. It is the opposite of what I would normally think of regarding light and task. Instead of it being about artificial lighting it is about combining natural light with artificial light for the best result needed for a specific task, such as reading in a library. The library needs light to allow people to comfortably enjoy reading. This resulted aspiration for a shadow less environment where a person can choose any spot in the library to read without discomfort.

The most interesting thing about my experience with natural light is that I did not have the opportunity to truly experience moonlight until I was in another country. I learned a lot of things throughout this article. The biggest thing was that the climate and the culture of a location affect our interaction with natural light, as well as natural light affects the climate which in turn affects the culture. In the end, light is manipulated to satisfy and bring comfort to people.

Point 5: Exploration - Never Ending Cycles

2010-12-10T16:46:00.001-05:00

According to dictionary.com, exploration is defined as an act of exploring or investigating. I would normally lean more towards exploring than investigating. However, based on what we have covered in class, investigating seems more accurate. It appears cycles of style have always been present throughout time but they come in revolutions. Revolutions repeat themselves over time, specifically the idea of completely going against the previous style – usually to make a point – such is the case in the Arts and Crafts Movement.

The Industrial Revolution started in the 18th century and Arts and Crafts followed through a movement that considered the Industrial Revolution as having dehumanized society. In other words, the Industrial Revolution took away the human qualities in design and replaced them with machine which was thought to have led to immorality. The reaction against the Industrial Revolution and the ‘immoral society’ it created, which became known as Arts and Crafts, was to bring back morality through craftsmanship. Just like the Industrial Revolution and Arts & Crafts, there have been many ¬¬¬¬cycles of revolution. There are many other examples throughout time. Some of been in the past, such as Gothic against Classical style, the Renaissance against Gothic, Neoclassic against Rococo, and so forth. A couple of examples of more recent ones have been Art Deco against Beaux Arts, Bauhaus against Art Deco, and Post-modernism against Modernism.

Exploring is based on having something to go either against or further expand on. In the case of design, it is never ending. We will always look back at design that will always be our starting point. The next step is to explore it through doing the complete opposite or continuing to develop it and turn it into something else. Below is a graph that I believe best represents how styles continue on through time.

Ideal cycle of design styles

Reading Comprehension 7 - Greensboro Collection @ the Witherspoon Museum

2010-12-03T16:48:00.000-05:00

The Witherspoon Museum

Reading comprehension 6

2010-11-17T16:25:00.003-05:00

1.
The Arts & Crafts movement started in England around the 1860s with William Morris. According to John Ruskin, he knew what it was “to live in a cottage with a deal floor and roof, and a hearth of mica; and [he knew] it to be in many respects healthier and happier than living between a Turkey carpet and gilded ceiling, beside a steel grate and polished fender” (Massey 10). In other words, the idea behind Arts & Crafts was to move away from the Victorian style period, with its abundance in objects and decoration, and the Industrial Revolution, with its dependence and continual use of the machine. Arts & Crafts was all about simple hand-making of wood and other natural materials to incorporate into the interiors. Although, Arts & Crafts started in England it soon spread throughout Europe – such as Belgium, Austria, and, especially, Germany – and, eventually, the United States.

The Industrial Revolution was considered to have dehumanized society and Arts & Crafts’ was thought to be the way to bring back morality. According to Leland M. Roth, these “ideals of English Arts and Crafts architecture, particularly the insistences on excellence in design and extreme care in craftsmanship, were carried to Germany and Austria by writers such as Hermann Muthesius” (Understanding Architecture 494). To bring morality and appreciation back into society through craftsmanship became popular not only in England but spread throughout Europe, especially in Germany, through interaction with the founders of this movement. The Arts & Crafts movement not only spread through Europe but its influence spread to the United States. However, the spread of Arts & Crafts was a little different from the original Arts & Crafts in England. The American Arts and Crafts Movement followed the ‘principles and tenets’ of English Arts & Crafts but “interprets them in a more individualistic way and integrates more diverse influences” by promoting “similar ideals and social transformation to a wealthy elite as well as an expanding middle class” (Harwood 449). Although, the American Arts & Crafts movement followed suit from the English Arts & Crafts regarding their main ideals, but did not have set rules to follow from. This led to individual interpretations of those ideals.

Harleshausen Villa by Hermann Muthesius

Grove Park Inn, Asheville, NC (Harwood 455)

2.
The Bauhaus style movement originated in Germany and, although the ideals of modernism had already started to arise, Bauhaus became a catapult for modernism. Bauhaus, also known as the International Style, was similar to Arts & Crafts in they both believed in simplicity in architecture. However, that is where their similarities end. Unlike Arts & Crafts, Bauhaus did not turn its back on machines but embraced them and tried to blend fine arts with the machine and industry. The result, according to Harwood, was “emphasis upon function, mass production, geometric form, an absence of applied ornament, and the use of new materials and methods of construction” (590). This focus on function, the use of the machine, geometric forms, simplicity, and the explorations of new materials created products that epitomized the dictum “less is more”. Le Corbusier’s Villa Savoye is the perfect example of this dictum. Le Corbusier simplifies this house by building only the necessary with an artist’s eye. He uses big windows to take advantage of natural light. He has open spaces to appreciate the freedom in the space, as well as creates the opportunity to bring as much as the outside in without feeling exposed. His decorations come in the forms of geometric shapes, such as the winding staircase and rectilinear furniture. Le Corbusier creates a walkway throughout the house so that the walker can truly experience the entire house in its full beauty.

Villa Savoye by Le Corbusier (Harwood 631)

Alternatives Summary

2010-11-12T10:44:00.005-05:00

Charles Carr:

Bernini's David

The Renaissance with its design ideas and Baroque going against static Renaissance design with movement and embellishments is his main idea. Unfortunately, his ideas are not organized well. It is structured well enough that you can follow what is being said but without a flow. This leads to a definite separateness in his composition. Charles first begins with the Renaissance and a brief describes what it was about in terms of design and its rules, along with two wonderful examples of that time. However, he goes into further detail with Michelangeleo than with Palladio. Then he leads into Baroque and briefly describes what it was about in terms of design. His conclusion is not bad but I believe it would be a stronger ending if he was particular about his idea – he could have mentioned how the Renaissance was more static and confined while Baroque was trying to break free from that. Then he could have included how in Palladio’s case, the rules were broken by making a building design that was public into a private home. As well as Bernini and his work, especially in David, which broke the rule and went "outside the box". This would have helped support his conclusion and tie in the alternatives theme.

Ebony Goode:

Valerio Cioli's The Bacchino in the Boboli Gardens

Ebony does a wonderful job in organizing her thoughts and in her composition. She starts off chronologically with the Middle Ages and then moves to the Renaissance and Baroque. Ebony does a good job tying in all style periods together. She made a wonderful choice with Giovanni Pico’s quote but should not have ended her essay with a quote. It would have been great to have her interpretation of that quote. There is also the issue with not including why she chose her image as a representation of alternatives.

Caitlyn Lyle:

Cenotaph for Isaac Newton

Although, Caitlyn did repeat a rule on her list (separation of spaces), she did a good job in organizing her ideas and the structure of her composition. She tied the Renaissance and Baroque together by using artists/architects/designers. She used Michelangelo and Bernini as her examples in design. Caitlyn mentions Rococo in her conclusion but it seems unnecessary since she did not mention this style previously. She could have also said a little more about the Cenotaph to strengthen her essay.

Reflections Summary

2010-11-12T10:44:00.003-05:00

Dajana Nedic:

Daniel Salgado:

Blakeni Walls:

Point 4: Reflections

2010-11-08T11:09:00.002-05:00

The beginning of design/architecture started in the ancient world in Egypt, Greece and then later in Rome. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the Middle Ages arose. During the Middle Ages, design previous to that was referred to as Classical and society during that time wanted to move away from those ideals. After the Middle Ages, the Renaissance arose. During the Renaissance, design in the Middle Ages was referred to as Romanesque and Gothic. Not long into the Renaissance, the city of Pompeii was discovered. This discovery led to a new trend in design. It was no longer trying to change and be different from the past. Instead it was about looking back into the past and bringing it to the present. This idea of bringing a past style back into the present is also known as a revival.

During the Renaissance, the current classicism derived from a current interpretation of the past and not a direct representation, which is why it was not considered a true revival but a new style of design/architecture. Classical design was used in new ways and it continued on into an embellished Baroque and Rococo. After these design periods came Neoclassicism, which also looked into the past for inspiration but with more accuracy – the beginnings of revivals. The rise of Neoclassicism was not only about looking into ancient world of classicism and its ideals but it also included other styles previous to Rococo. The biggest influence of Neoclassicism was Andrea Palladio and his villas and its most devoted disciple was Indigo Jones. An example of Jones’ work is The Queens House in England which has a strong Palladian floor plan. Although, Indigo Jones followed Palladio very closely and brought classicism back into the current trend, he was not the only one. Samuel McIntire and Christopher Wren also brought back classicism. John Vanbrough’s Castle Howard, in England, brought back with Gothic and Baroque styles. The idea behind these revivals was to go against the embellishments of Rococo and go back to a simpler more intellectual time with no excess.

The Supreme Court Building in Washington is a wonderful example of Neoclassicism and the revival of classic architecture. Its inspiration is more Roman than Greek which is more suitable based on the purpose of the building – government. Its entrance has a statue on each side of the stairs leading up to the portico. The portico has two rows of Corinthian columns holding an entablature with swags and a pediment with statues within it. Upon arriving at the main door there are a set of Corinthian pilasters that fall in line with the columns. Except for the title sign on the entablature, which states ‘Equal Justice Under Law, all the exterior details of the Supreme Court Building are from Roman architecture – including the purpose of the building.

Reading Comp. 5

2010-11-03T16:55:00.002-04:00

1. The drawing below is of an Austrian armchair made circa 1825 on page 62 in Architecture and Interior Design from the 19^th Century by Buie Harwood. I believe this artifact represents revolution in design because during the time Germany, including Austria and Prussia had recently come out of a war against France. The revival they chose to follow was Greek revival, which in their case was called Biedermeier because they believed their spirit embodied Greek architecture. Biedermeier attempted to construct seating that looked comfortable and inviting with curves and overstuffed seats. The curves under the arms of the chair are similar to wave motifs from Greece and thick legs are similar to the thick Doric columns.

ARTIFACT

During the 19th century, people needed storage space for the many things they owned. This large chest was built in the 19th century and its decorations are Indian influenced. It is seen through the bold colors and lotus flower motif. It was also directly inspired by double ikat (a type of weaving) textile pattern from India.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/files/images/up%20p22-a_0.jpg

SPACE

The Long Gallery at the Royal Pavilion is an example of an interior space in Britain influenced by China. The soft palette on the wall and reed motifs, along with the gilding and Asian inspired objects and furniture demonstrate how China and other eastern countries became so popular that it influenced European design.

http://www.asianartnewspaper.com/article/chinese-whispers:-chinoiserie-in-britain-1650%E2%80%931930

BUILDING

Fredrick the Great had this garden pavilion, the Chinese House, built by Johnn Gottfried Büring to beautify his flower and vegetable garden. The Chinese House has an exterior Roccoco and Chinoiserie style. Most of the motifs that demonstrate oriental influence through Chinese figures surrounding the pavilion.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b1/Chinesisches_Haus_Sanssouci.jpg

Point 3: Alternatives

2010-10-25T16:07:00.002-04:00

When we think about alternatives we think about choices and possibilities. That is exactly what the architecture of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance were about. The Middle Ages, specifically in Gothic architecture, was about choosing new possibilities instead of following tradition by taking details from Classicism, revamping them and creating new forms. After the Roman Empire collapsed and split into two empires, east and west. The eastern empire was fairing better than the west. Many invasions occurred and traveling became unsafe. Since traveling was so unsafe, the towns and cities became self-reliant. Based on these unstable times, society began to emerge itself into religion and the rise of many religious orders. This new attitude led to the style of Gothic architecture, which consisted mainly on the construction of cathedrals and castles. Gothic architecture was followed by the Renaissance, which was about choosing tradition and creating new forms with them. After the discovery of Pompeii, the focus changed – it was no longer on religion but on the Ancient World. Classical language had emerged.

During the Middle Ages, there were two main architectural styles that emerged, Romanesque and Gothic. Romanesque style still had strong Roman influences because it was after the fall of the empire and was a precursor to Gothic architecture. Some details of Romanesque architecture are rounded arches directly came from Roman architecture, the thick walls were adapted as support for the structure, and barreled vaults came from thick walls that could support the vaults. Romanesque was followed by Gothic architecture, where its main influence was religion. During this time of the Middle Ages, there were many outside invasions. These invasions led to dangers in traveling which caused towns and cities to become self-dependent. Unstable times and self-dependency pushed people to seek answers in religion. Religion became very important to the point that many orders of religion, especially Christianity, arose and Gothic architecture demonstrates this influence. Cathedrals and castles were made during this time, although most of the focus was on cathedrals. Cathedrals demonstrate how important religion became to society. These ideals were illustrated through architectural characteristics and details. Some examples of the architectural characteristics used were cruciform plans, height, vertical emphasis, and light. Some of the details which helped the architectural characteristics are pointed ribbed vaults, flying buttresses, pointed arches, and clerestory windows. Cruciform plans in cathedrals were created through a long nave and transepts which symbolizes the cross of Jesus’ crucifixion. Height, in the cathedrals, was used to support the cathedrals vertical emphasis through towers and spires. Vertical emphasis, or verticality, was used to emphasize spirituality by guiding the viewer’s eye up and was illustrated through pointed vaults with help from pointed arches and flying buttresses. Light was also a way to support the emphasis of spirituality and was expressed through clerestory windows that were made possible because of pointed vaults.

Reading comprehension 4

2010-10-18T16:40:00.003-04:00

Egypt, Rome and Greece are considered the foundation of architecture. They were the beginning and set the standard for everything else that followed. Gothic architecture sets the stage for how during the same time period there can be many differences with minor shared qualities. However, once Renaissance architecture came to along that changed. Although, there were still differences among one another, due to location and the time it took for this wave of new ideas to arrive. During the Renaissance, there was a combination of differences and commonalities based on the revival of the classics – Egypt, Rome and Greece, especially Rome – because of the discovery of Pompeii. Baroque architecture followed the Renaissance, which was then followed by Rococo and Neoclassicism. These design periods – Baroque, Rococo and Neoclassicism – were inspired by the Renaissance, which were inspired by Greece and Rome. Although, they are different time periods, they have common design languages. These common design languages can be seen through different scales, from an artifact to a place, focusing on Rococo and Early Neoclassicism.

Starting off with the smallest scale are artifacts. Examples of these artifacts are the Neo-Palladian/Georgian desk/bookcase with chinoiserie decoration; American Georgian Windsor chair; French Provincial tall clock by Martin Carlin; late English Georgian state bed in Osterely Park; and American Federal Sheraton side chair; they all share wood as a material and classical decorative details. Throughout these artifacts repetition is the strongest design principle seen through its use of wood and its decorative detailing, like swags and gilding as well as egg and dart. The next scale up would be space, seen through Holkham Hall saloon, Gunston Hall stair hall, Marie Antoinette's bedroom in Fountainbleau, Saltram House saloon, Gardner-Pingree House parlor. The common design, within these spaces, is high vaulted ceilings and balance. Balance is seen through floor plan/placement of other essential items and bordering.

Point 2: The Fathers of Architecture

2010-10-06T16:22:00.013-04:00

There are many meanings and definitions to the word foundation. However let us focus on two definitions found on dictionary.com, “the basis or groundwork of anything” and “the act of founding, setting up, establishing, etc.” In the case of foundations, the time periods covered were Ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome. The reason this section covers these eras are because of its significance as founders, or ancestors, to the rest of architecture. It starts off in Egypt, then on to Greece who inherits certain styles and details from them, and lastly to Rome who does the same with Greece. Throughout these times, certain themes surface and design movements occur.

Although Mesopotamia and Sumeria were the first settlements, their main influence to architecture deals with stacking which the Egyptians took for themselves. Life in Egypt of continual certainty was vastly different from Mesopotamia and Sumeria’s continual uncertainty, who were constantly at war with invaders. The Egyptians had a more peaceful life because of their location which did not allow easy accessibility to outside intrusion. The Nile River had an endless cycle which allowed for continuous farming; and this continuous farming led the Egyptians to belief in an afterlife. Egyptians were influenced by Mesopotamia’s and Sumeria’s architectural stacking and created mastabas, which were burial sites for priests made out of mud-brick or stone. The building of mastabas led to the building of pyramids, which were tombs for pharaohs and the royal family. The most commonly known pyramids are the Pyramids of Giza. However, pyramids were not only inspired by mastabas but they became structures with their own implications. Its biggest implication dealt with competition in a masculine way by out doing each other in grandeur. Most pharaohs were men but there were occasionally women who ruled Egyptian, sparingly. Out of the few female pharaohs, Queen Hatschepsut was an example of a pharaoh who did not compete with the other male pharaohs by building a pyramid. Instead, she built a temple that closely emulated mastabas. Her temple was only two stories high, closer to the ground than a pyramid, and had many openings that allowed her people to feel welcomed when they came to worship – that might have been partially due to her peaceful nature and joining of Upper and Lower Egypt during her reign. Another place for worship similar in significance as a precedent for Ancient Greece is the Hypostyle Hall at the Temple of Karnak. The Hypostyle Hall was part of the Karnak temple that contains columns and hieroglyphics, which influenced Greek architecture greatly.

Similar to Mesopotamia and Sumeria and unlike Ancient Egypt, Greece was not as secluded from the rest of the ancient world. Since Greece was mostly surrounded by water and full of mountainous terrain, it was more susceptible to invaders. That vulnerability influenced some of its architecture which included walled cities especially those along the coast. Greece had easy access to the water, which allowed them to sail frequently around the Mediterranean Sea. While visiting new places, such as Egypt, these discoveries influenced the development of Greek culture. The developments encouraged individuality which led a more philosophical and logic state of mind. As previously mentioned, the most influential details the Greeks incorporated into their architecture from the Egyptians were columns and hieroglyphics. In the Egyptian’s case, their columns were inspired by plant materials – for example the lotus bud, stem, flower, and papyrus blossom – and had hieroglyphics carved into them. The Greeks took the idea of columns and put their own touch to them which later introduced three of the ‘Five Orders’ – Tuscan, Doric, and Ionic. Egyptian hieroglyphics became friezes and carved statues in the Greek world inspired by plants and patterns. The encouragement of individual development led to concepts of idealism and perfection which were attempted in its architecture but never truly achieved. The best example of this endeavor is the Parthenon at the Acropolis in Athens. It was meant to be the most ideal building; however it has imperfections, like different sized columns to give an optical illusion of proportion. These architectural details continue to pass along into a new era, Ancient Rome.

The next most influential era that came after Greece was Rome. Greece influenced Rome’s architecture greatly by becoming its revival, as well as a melting pot for different cultures. Unlike Greek civilization with its city-states, Roman culture spread much farther, becoming a collective and leading into an empire. Based on this Greek influence, Rome assimilated its architecture and then adapted to their ideas and concepts. In Ancient Greece, columns were fundamental parts of a building – they had a structural function – but in Rome they became a decorative element to a building, which introduced the Corinthian Order. The friezes and statues from Greece remained during Roman times but frescoes and trompe l’oeil decorations were also added to its decorative element. However, Rome’s architectural forms where not constant throughout the entire empire because of its extensive borders. Instead the farther away from the center of Rome – Athens – you were, the more the original forms were altered to accommodate the smaller cultures on the outskirts of the empire. These alterations influenced other parts of the world and the cycle continued.

Ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome are considered foundations for elements in architecture. Ancient Egypt can be considered the prototype, the beginning model that the Greeks used for their own building. While the Greeks can be seen as the archetypes, an improved model which the Romans continued to improve upon. And Rome, as the hybrid of both with Corinthian columns that are closely related to Egyptian columns in appearance with lotus capitals; and frescoes inspired from Greek friezes. The Colosseum, in Rome, is a great example of Roman architecture as a hybrid. It has Doric columns on the lower floor, followed by Ionic and Corinthian columns, and ending with Corinthian pilasters – as shown in the image below.

Colosseum
http://www.citypictures.net/r-europe-148-italy-222-rome-220-the-colosseum-rome-italy-2569.htm

Reading Comprehension 3

2010-10-01T16:39:00.001-04:00

My drawing of the Salisbury Cathedral

Salisbury Cathedral was built in England during the Middle Ages (1220 and 1258). The building of cathedrals was very popular during that time. Part of that was due to the time. Unlike Greek and Roman times where it was more of a big community, the Middle Ages were of smaller communities – there was no empire. Because of the fact that the community during the Middle Ages was much smaller, there were different influences throughout the land. Although, all the cathedrals have similarities because of its function, there were also differences. Some of the examples that are different from Salisbury are Cologne Cathedral, Notre-Dame de Amiens Cathedral, and Florence Duomo Cathedral.

When looking at the interiors between both cathedrals, it can be difficult to distinguish Cologne from Salisbury. Both have a strong sense of verticality and gothic arches. The differences are noticeable but not very apparent. Both interiors are lightly colored the impression of a long nave. However, Salisbury’s nave is narrower than Cologne’s nave. I believe that the reason both interiors are so similar, even though they were built in different areas and different times is because of its Catholic influence. On the contrary, their exteriors are vastly different. Cologne has a harsher appearance on the outside, mirroring the tight urban setting of Germany that it is placed in. Salisbury has a lighter outward appearance that reflects the Romanesque time period of the light and airy architecture of England. Another apparent difference between these two cathedrals would be that Cologne has two spires at the entrance, whereas Salisbury only has one. This further emphasizes the upward and uptight urban setting and the emphasis of verticality that Cologne has.

In the case of Amiens and Salisbury, their biggest difference is based on the time frame in which it was built. Both cathedrals began construction at the same time, in 1220. However, Amiens took longer in building – Salisbury was completed in 1258, while Amiens was completed in 1410. Salisbury has a Romanesque influence with a flatter façade and repetitive ornamentation throughout its levels, while Amiens has the beginnings of Renaissance in being more decorative which can be seen in its clerestory and stained glass – because of this different in completion, there are visible differences. Based on these differences, Amiens seems to have a longer story due to the different generations who built it. However, it doesn’t necessarily mean it is a coherent story.

Lastly, Duomo is different from Salisbury based on its patronage. In the case of Duomo, the patrons donated money for the construction of the cathedral, unlike Salisbury which was completely governed by the clergy – monetary-wise. Although, it does not necessarily seem to matter who is paying the bill as long as the building remains in tact as a whole, design-wise, some issues may arise. One big issue is on whoever pays will affect the way the structure is arranged, as far as size of space. Unfortunately, the question can arises on whether it is appropriate for a patron to undermine the cost of a building campaign at the expense of using that money for more socially conscious purposes. My belief is that it does not because during that time cathedrals were considered social works for the community. I also believe that the patronage helps to understand the underpinnings of the design profession as one of collaboration and working together because of the monetary help they give. It is important to the churches because collaboration and working together was important to the churches of the Middle Ages because community and religious beliefs were very strong during this time.

Reading comprehension 2

2010-09-15T16:52:00.007-04:00

2. In Macauly’s excerpt, the main character finds meaning in archeological evidence uncovered at the Motel of the Mysteries. However, his interpretations of the archeological evidence are inaccurate. Part of his assessment could be based on his current culture, which is not given. The other part of his assessment could be based on other previous information found or given. One example of this is labeling the television as the “Great Altar”. The reason for this deduction could be that in his culture television does not exist, at least not the box itself, and they could be strongly religious. The information found through other sources might have implied that the 21^st century was ‘glued to this box’. For the main character that could imply that it was a religious artifact and, ultimately, an altar. Unfortunately, misinterpretations happen all the time, especially nowadays. A personal example would be looking for chairs online and, based on the findings, draw the wrong chair instead of looking up the chairs in a book that has more reliability because not just anyone can input invalid information.

3. Queen Hatshepsut was the first female to rule as pharaoh. Of her many accomplishments, two noteworthy ones were her unification of Egypt under her rule and her tomb in Thebes. Although, there were previous pharaohs who built pyramids as their tombs, Hatshepsut was not one of them. Instead, she used Mentuhotep’s tomb as her precedent. Possible reasons for her to use this building form might have come from a mutual ruling with Mentuhotep, being different from other male pharaohs or a symbolic approach to her ruling. Hatshepsut might have felt a bond with Mentuhotep because he was the first pharaoh to unite Egypt under one rule. Although, she wanted to be called pharaoh and his majesty, she created a story of her divine birth to possibly merit her rule as a woman compared to the males that had rule before. She might have used her temple as a symbolic approach to her ruling – she might have wanted to be see as a good ruler who cared and therefore built an approachable temple where the people were welcomed in to worship, unlike the pyramids which denied many entrance.

4. Although, Egyptian and Greek civilizations have some similar building forms and details, they also had differences, all of which were influences by their separate cultures. While the Parthenon, in Athens, and the Hypostyle Hall, in Karnak, have similarities, there are also differences among these structures. Some similarities between these two buildings are its grand size compared to the average person, being completely surrounded with columns, its rectilinear shape, its function as a place of worship, and its use of post and lintel. Even with their similarities Egypt and

Greece

had different live styles. In Egypt, there was little to no fear of outside invasion and because of the continuous cycle of the Nile River believed in the afterlife. While in Greece, there were always threats of invasion which led to wars and because of the instability their beliefs were more focused on the here and now with a hope of a future. Based on these different cultures, some of the differences between them are its admittance – only priests and the pharaoh were allowed in the Hypostyle Hall, while anyone could enter the Parthenon; the shape and design of its columns – the Hypostyle Hall had floral capitals and the Parthenon had Doric columns; its decorative storytelling – Hypostyle Hall had its stories on the columns while the Parthenon told its story along its frieze on the outside and also along the walls on the inside.

Parthenon
http://hermes.ait.gr/dimea2008/?gallery,33

Hypostyle Hall
http://skyline-tours.com/mon.html

5. Many characterize the architecture of the Pyramid of Giza as massive and heavy while Egyptian furniture is lightweight. A possibility for this could be the based on the fact the Pyramids of Giza were supposed to be grand and last forever. Unlike its furniture which, most, were supposed to be adaptable enough for travel. However, there is also the detailing which the was dependant on the owner of the furniture but usually included some detail of certain animals like the lion or duck, this could have been because the Egyptians would worship their gods in animal form.

Point 1: Design is a Story

2010-09-08T17:02:00.003-04:00

To begin to understand design, we must first start with its theories. There are many theories in design and it seems they will continue to grow. However, there are a couple that can be mentioned based on their significance. Those would be Sir Henry Wotten’s theory of three elements to good design and architecture, Roth’s additional triad of elements, and Alain de Button’s theory of architecture causing happiness. All of which would be examples that design is a story.

According to Marcus Virtruvius, the three elements to architecture are stability, utility, and grace. Later on, Sir Henry Wotten rephrased the same concept into commodity, firmness, and delight (Understand Architecture 11). Virtruvius and Sir Wotten both believed that anything well designed needed to have all three qualities. As long as these three qualities were present then good design is possible. For good design to be possible, it must all (as a whole and in parts) have a function and purpose – commodity, it needs to be stable and stand on its own – firmness, and be aesthetically pleasing – delight A balanced amount of these three qualities would be ideal but that is not normally the case.

In Roth’s case, that there is another part to Virtruvius’ and Sir Wotten’s theory of three elements. He believes there are three other elements to consider. Roth states,

             “First, there is the person or group who calls the building into being, the client who provides the
              commission. Second is the architect or designer who gives the client’s wishes physical form […].
              Third is the group of individuals who carry out the construction” (Understanding Architecture 11).

Roth is trying to say that, although the three main elements are important, we must also keep in mind the people involved in design process – from beginning to end. Design cannot happen without people to create it and appreciate it.

Alain de Button has a different take to design. According to his book, “The Architecture of Happiness”, de Button feels that happiness cause by design is based on people seeing their ideal selves within it. He believes that, “the significances of architecture is premised on the notion that we are, for the better or for worse, different people in different places – and on the conviction that it is architecture’s task to render vivid to us who we might ideally be” (Architecture of Happiness 13). By this de Button means, architecture and design are inspirations from ourselves and we should display them.

These theories, along with others, point to how design is influenced. It is a cycle of a design influenced by a designer/artist and others, including designers and artists, are influenced by the design. The one thing they have in common is the fact that they are part of a story. Design, although Harwood refers to art, “is more than decoration, it expresses belief system[s], social order, and science” (Architecture and Interior Design 3). In other words, art, architecture and design in general is an expression of many things within out lives. Design is always built upon something before, whether it is looking into the past or away from and into the future. Design has a history, therefore it has a story.

de Button, Alain. The Architecture of Happiness. New York:Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 2008. Print

Harwood, Buie. Architecture and Interior Design through the 18th Century. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2002. Print

Roth, Leland M. Understanding Architecture: Its Elements, History, and Meaning. 2nd ed. Maryland: Westview, 2007. Print

Karnak Temple (http://www.delange.org/Karnak/EP14.htm)

Reading comprehension 1

2010-09-01T17:15:00.001-04:00

My choice for a building based on Wotton's definition of commodity, firmness, and delight in architecture is the Al Dhana Tower (RasGas Tower) in Doha, Qatar. I believe this tower realizes all the above definitions. Commodity is fulfilled by its height of approximately 30 floors for an office building, which also includes a parking garage. Along with its height is the sphere that hangs in the 20th floor and anchored by two points. Firmness is fulfilled by its construction, it is built with a curtain wall facade system which keeps it stable and allows the appearance of glass exterior walls. Lastly, delight is fulfilled because of the difference in appearance based on the time of day, as depicted below. The one on the left is what it looks like during the day and the one on the right at night.

According to Hall and other people, different cultures have different spatial needs and attitudes. A lot of people consider that citizens of the U.S. generally feel a need for more space. Although, I do agree with the previous statement, the classroom in which we gather for IAR222 might not be seen as an example of this, but it is. I believe part of this is based on the time period that the building was built in. Even though, co-education occurred in the ‘60s and the building was built in the ‘70s, some change and adaptation was still occurring. The classroom was not built with any adaptable features. There were no considerations for students carrying more than a few books. Nowadays it is apparent that citizen of the U.S. feel a need for more space based on how they sit in the classroom on the first day in this classroom.

Alain de Botton believes that there can be an architecture of happiness and based on his work by the same title, I would have to agree with him. In his work, de Botton says, “[b]elief in the significances of architecture is premised on the notion that we are, for the better or for worse, different people in different places – and on the conviction that it is architecture’s task to render vivid to us who we might ideally be.” Happiness can occur when we envision our ideal selves because we only take all the positive and good qualities to make our ideal selves. An example of an object that, personally, exudes happiness is the jewelry set seen below. I believe this set exudes happiness in a few ways through color, material and craft. This set includes two major colors: bluish gray (the pearls) and white/silver (metal piece). However, I believe the materials and craft that really cause happiness. It is made of white gold, black pearls which are rare side, and diamonds. The craft done on this was very intricate and can be appreciated by all because of the work put into it.

Processing Patterns

2010-05-04T17:10:00.000-04:00

This is the second to the 'multitude of perspectives' we were doing. For this one, we had to use what we had done last semester and bring it to this assignment. Last semester, we developed patterns based on sticks and cell phones by zooming in on shapes and patterns within these objects. In this case, we had the opportunity to pick our object, create 25 patterns from our object just like with the sticks & cell phone and develop three favorites. In my case, I picked my Zen-Xi MP3 player (below).

Artist/Designer Studio Assessment

2010-05-02T17:04:00.000-04:00

We are our own worst critic and, yet, we sometimes have difficulty analyzing ourselves. Critiquing oneself is not an easy task, because it is hard to find a balance between being too hard or too lenient on oneself. During this week, we had our presentations for one of our finals. I expect a lot so I will always be hard on myself. Critiquing my work is easier for me to do. There have only been a few occasions where I think I have done well. During my presentation, there were a few things I was not happy with and wished I had done differently. However, presentations there are some things I have learned from my classmates and myself.

Looking back at the work I had done there a few things I am not happy with and things I could have done better. Some of the things I was not happy with come from my board and presentation. My super graphic was one of them. I liked the graphic I had chosen but I was not happy with the size and how it looked on the board. Unfortunately, I had left it for one of my later tasks and did not have the time to have it redone the way I wanted it to come out. That incident altered my layout. Instead of having my super graphic encompass the board and place my images within it, half of my images were surrounding and covering parts of the graphic. Aside from the super graphic, there were the floor plan and elevations that were not good. As for my presentation, I was nervous but I was not as prepared as I should have been. I did not practice to figure out how to organize my thoughts for my presentation. That left me mentioning things at the end of my presentation or during questioning that were important enough where I should have mentioned them beforehand. Although there are a few minor things I would have liked to have done differently, my biggest thing was not making enough time to have done more research on my designer. Although, my intention to not focus my space around my designer would still be present, I would have integrated a couple of his designs into my space. I had an average presentation but I know I could have done better and now I know for my next presentation.

This final took a week for everyone to present. During this time, I have learned a few things. Although, I know I should have practiced my speech, I did not think of using note cards to guide me for a more organized performance. I was also aware of the different layouts created and took note of the ones that were more successful. Along with my own mistake, I learned to “own my space.” If I happen to make a mistake because I was not fully aware of my space during my planning, I can try to correct or supplement it in my presentation. I have learned a few things from this semester’s finals, however, I know that I will continue to observe and learn more over time. Regardless of how much time we spend doing something, we never stop learning new things.

Artist/Designer Studio Process

2010-05-01T16:41:00.025-04:00

One of our finals was to design a temporary lodging area for a possible guest of Gatewood Studio Art Bldg. The class was split into two groups and each group had a space to work with. One space was the administrative office and the other was the loading dock. I was in the second group so I was designing a living space inside the loading dock. After noting all the measurements of the space, we had to draft a floor pan & elevations of our space. After that we had to pick some precedent images. Then we had to pick a couple of designers and then narrow it down to one to guide us through our designing. After that we had to research two materials that we were planning on using for our space. We also had to build a model of our space. Our final came down to a board with images of our redesigned space- which included a floor plan, section elevations, hand drawn perspectives, SketchUp images, our precedent, our designer and materials; a re-made model and to present to our class.

These are some pictures of the loading dock after I had the measurements:

Exterior view of interior entrance

Interior view of south wall --------------Interior view of east wall
(interior entrance)

----Interior view of north wall--------------Interior view of east wall

These are my initial floor plans and elevations for the loading dock:

These are the images of works spaces I liked and became my precedent images, although, in the end I really end up leaning towards the LaboBrain as my precedent.

---Office by Skylab Architecture----------A painter's studio & living space

LaboBrain

LaboBrain is a workplace for Harvard scientist professor David Edwards, founder of Le Laboratoire. Le Laboratoire is, according to its website, a "center where artscience innovation takes place, thanks to the encounter of an artist and a scientist. [It] is the heart of a project which could take many different directions." I think the reason I leaned towards LaboBrain wasn't just because of the design but the purpose of Le Laboratoire.

LaboBrain was designed by Mathieu Lehanneur (above), who-while working on his final project at the National School of Industrial Design in Paris- became interested in medicine. After graduating he worked for the R&Sie agency, although later that year he opened his own agency that specializes in product & exhibition design in Paris.

My two materials were laminate oak floors and porcelain for my biggest piece of funiture which is a combination of the concave Velleda screen in LaboBrain, which is used as a big whiteboard, and a murphy bed that also has a sitting piece.

----------------------------------Murphy Bed inspiration

------------Laminate oak -------------------------------Porcelain

Below are some of my SketchUp images.

-------1st semi-complete interior-----------Interior model w/orginal centerpiece
----------------------------------------------------------furniture

--------------------------------------Final SketchUp
My final board

Storytelling in Perspective

2010-04-21T23:53:00.004-04:00

This is the first of 'a multitude of drawing explorations' that have different themes and are to put the skills we've developed into play. Our first assignment was to pick two public spaces on campus that have meaning to us.

This first drawing is behind the EUC. I was a little worried about a wasp I happen to see when I first placed myself to draw but fortunately, nothing happened.
This one was- as Tommy would say- a happy accident.

My drawings are not in color as I wanted them to be because I happened to have drawn them behind the other and I was planning on using markers. I will fix that this weekend.

Monticello (VA) & Fallingwater (PA)

2010-04-16T15:03:00.009-04:00

Earlier this week, my major had a trip planned. It was to visit Monticello in VA and Fallingwater in PA. I had never been to both and to be honest, had only seen a couple of pictures of Fallingwater and knew the name but nothing else. I hadn't even heard of Monticello til I took my History & Theory for Interior Design class. I must say I had a good time and am in love with Fallingwater. We started our trip on Sunday and headed to Monticello. The pictures below are from there. None of which are complete.

The drawing above was my first drawing. It is of the side of Monticello. I didn't have a lot of time to continue but I think it came out decent for what I have.

This one is of an arch inside Monticello. In the tour, it's the room after the study room used by Jefferson's daughter.

These are attempts at drawing objects in Monticello. The top left is a mirror in his office/bedroom area. Top right are attempts at the circles above the bed that allows fresh air into the storage area full of clothes for the season.

This was after the tour. The group was congrugating by side of Monticello, so I decided to try and draw our small crowd. I got this much done before we were called to get together for a group picture. The top person (you can only see a ponytail is suppose to be Leslie and the guy in the baseball hat is suppose to be Corry)

After that we headed to University of Virginia to check out The Rotunda which Jefferson was in charge of creating. However, before we met up there, we were released for lunch. Since I wasn't really hungry and am legal, I decided to look for a bar near by and have a drink. I stumbled upon Boylan Heights and while drinking and eating I decided to try again and sketch people. On the left is a girl eating at a table with a guy. Unfortunately, they left before I could get to him. On the bottom right were my attempts at drawing the bartendar. However, I'm still not at the level to be able to draw someone that continuously moves all around. About an hour or two later, I left the bar after having two RedBull & vodkas and cheese sticks with marinara.

On Monday, we woke up early (not too early) and had breakfast before heading out to PA. Forutnately, we were far so it wasn't too long of a drive. The seating on the left was the first piece of furniture I loved and felt compelled to draw. It's in the living room as soon as you enter the house. The one of the right was the other piece of furniture I saw that I really liked. That was in one of the bedrooms. I can't remember whose.

There are four this here. The one of the top left, I can't remember what I was trying to draw. The top right is an attempt at drawing the windows along the corner of Fallingwater with it's 'vanishing corner' effect. The drawing on the bottom left is the steps that lead from Kaufman Sr.'s Terrace to Kaufman Jr.'s office. Lastly, the bottom right is a piece of storage furniture in the hallway before leading outside to the guest house. Along with that is the attempt of an enlarged drawing of the details of it.

These were all attempts are drawing on the go but didn't really have to opportunity to do much before we moved on to something else. I'm just not that quick yet. Top left- is the top of the guest house. Top right is piece made of wood at the entrance of the guest house that leads into the living room. Bottom left is trying to draw the pool outside the guest house. And the bottom right is an attempt at drawing the top of the walkway that leads up to the guest house from the main house.

After watching a short clip on Fallingwater we were done with our tour. So I decided to draw the guest house from where we left the building. So far I had only gotten the top left part of the building when I had to go to meet up with everyone for lunch. Lastly, some time after lunch and spending a hefty amount at the gift shop- I went back to Fallingwater to try and get an drawing of the whole this. This obviously not the whole thing but just the begining. Pictures will be posted shortly- probably this weekend.

Storytelling

2010-01-28T01:00:00.004-05:00

For out next assignment, we had to find a two-page spread in a magazine with a format we liked. Using that format we had to create a 'story' about our first week back at school. My 'story' included being back in I.Arch, having to change desks for Studio and drawing, going to the wrong class room for one of my classes because there was a last minute room change, and going for a run with my boyfriend and our dog, Kiowa, at the park. I also included some text about being uncertain how my semester will go but still looking forward to the experience.

This is the spread format that I used:

And here is my 'story':

Illuminated Objects

2010-01-28T00:50:00.002-05:00

For our first assignment, we were supposed to pick five artifacts from studio or home that have importance to us. We could only used a black pen and one colored pencil. So my special objects in order of importance were:
1- My claddagh ring that I got in Ireland- which symbolizes my relationship with my boyfriend.
2- Kiowa- our Australian Cattle Dog, who will a year old the first week of February! She's also my first pet.
3- My airline ticket to Colombia- which I took a few years ago after not visiting for over 15 years.
4- My external harddrive because it has all my music (All approx. 85GB out of 150GB)
5- My laptop, which was the first computer I ever purchased with my own money, and has been to Iraq and back in good condition.

This is how it turned out:

Project 6- Luminescence pt. 2

2009-12-13T14:54:00.005-05:00

After our research, I came up with my idea after severals days of brainstorming. I decided I was going to create both the sunrise and sunset since I couldn't pick between the two. I was going to use yellow, red and blue acetate or lighting gel for the colors of the sun; the light bulb; a box. This was my first try at my luminaire:

After I had my idea I just needed to refine the making of it. So I used matte board to create a box a little smaller than the shoebox I used for my 'model.' My next issue was how I was going to be able to rotate it since that was the effect I wanted. It took several ideas but I came up with using skewers from my Unity project as my third material and cross them to create handles from which I could manually spin/turn the acetate. I had some issues with the length of the skewers because they kept getting caught on the table. The last issue I had was because the light on the side was too heavy and everytime it was rotated it would either fall out or cave in. As a result I used 4 skewers to keep the light bulb side steady by having two of them outside of the box and then having two on the inside to hold the bulb in place.

Below are pictures of the effect my illuminaire causes:

Below is my 'documentation' of it. For our documentation we had to do a composite drawing on an 18"x24" piece of Canson paper (mine was black). We had to have a plan, an elevation, a section and an expressive rendition of the field of light. My plan, elevation and section are the drawings on the top part done in yellow colored pencil. My rendition is the rest of the drawing (the yellow, red and blue mix) which is my interpretation of my light effect and the colors the sun casts when it rises and sets.

The last thing included is a video I took of my luminaire. I didn't think the pictures did it full justice. The effect is just not the same so I included a video so that it can be experienced the way it was meant to.

Project 6- Luminescence pt.1

2009-12-12T15:03:00.008-05:00

This was our last and final project. This project entailed us to design a luminaire using three materials. Two of which were used in previous projects and a new material. Our luminaire "should create a field of light that articulates that surface upon which it is cast." The first part to this was finding an inspiration through design researching. We did this through observations, designers and websites, as well as materials.

I looked at and observed the sun. Every morning when I would walk my dog, I would see the sun rising. I would occasionally see the sun setting. I also had several pictures I had taken of the sun rising and setting in Iraq. I looked at images of the way the sun hit the water and the effects it caused on the sea/ocean floor. Since I was torn between both the water and the sunrise/sunset, I started to think about how to create the effects I wanted. Then my choice was narrowed down when a classmate who sits next to me wanted to work with the effects of water. So sunset/sunrise it was for me!

Below are some of the pictures I had taken in Iraq.

This was during my 1st deployment (in a Humvee):

These two were from my 2nd/last deployment (outside work but inside the base):

Project 5-Dialog

2009-12-10T22:07:00.005-05:00

For this project, there were a lot of similarities to the previous one. For example, using 12 rods (skewers) and 12 planes (4"x6" Bristol). Although, in this case we had to "create two distinct spaces that relate to one another in a mutually supportive way." Except there was a catch. We were only allowed one fold per plane. I had difficulty trying to find a dialog so that I could start working. The thing that stuck with me was about dialog were opposites. So I decided to work with that idea. I searched for different type of opposites. From that I narrowed it down to three types of opposites. I came up with a plan to incorporate all three, which were dark & light, heavy & light, and empty & full. I came up with using light & heavy with empty & full together as one. I created bowl-like shapes with my planes and skewers, which used 8 of each in total. That left 4 of each, which I used to 'fill up my bowl.' This is my first model:My idea was to create a balance or scale in black and white (for my dark & light) where my 'full' bowl would be on the lower end and my 'empty' bowl on the higher end. My challenge with this was again the skewers because of their length. How was I going to make a height difference between both bowls if I couldn't change the height of the skewers? At first, as my first model shows, I decided to adjust the placement of the 'heavier' bowl on the skewers. However, for some reason, it just didn't work. I can't remember if it wasn't visually pleasing or if there was a deeper issue. So, I decided to that I would create the base suited for my height obstacle. In the end my idea was to hide the skewers in the base. Because of the height of the skewers on the lower end and wanting dramatic height difference, I ended up with a HUGE base. One end was 7" high and the other was 14" high. Not only where they tall but were big columns. Each column was 6" wide. Once I had built my base I became unsure of it and I asked for some help. It was said that the base was so big that it became the focal point, which was not the intent. My dialog had gotten lost in my base. So I had to change my base. I had a lot of trouble trying to figure out how to downsize my base but still have my original idea of a scale while hiding the skewers to avoid having extra space. It took me a few tries but I was able to create a base using white and black matte board to make a kind of scale/balance for my 'bowls.'

Project 4- Unity

2009-12-10T17:26:00.007-05:00

For this project, we were supposed to "assemble anything [we] want[ed] with 12 rods (skeweres) and 12 planes (4"x6" Bristol Board) on a 12"x12" base. Along with that we had to have a parti or collage on a 12"x12" format.

I definitely had some trouble trying to figure out what to make. So I started to play around with my skewers and used index cards for my planes. As a started to play around with forms and shapes, I came down to two models. One was a picnic table looking shape, except the problem with that was I didn't use up all the materials. That left me with trying to figure out how to incorporate the rest without changing the idea. The other model was of an airplane. It was the type that were constructed back in early 1900s. My inspiration was the Wright Brother's model planes. However, the model I had set my eyes on as my inspiration was not going to work with my materials since I could only manipulate the form/shape of my skewers and paper but I couldn't cut them. So I continued my research and stumbled upon a few other planes. I narrowed it down to a plane made by Jerome S. Zebre.

Image below of Wright Brother plane.

Image below of Zebre Multiwing No. 2.

From my Zebre inspiration, I used my materials to mimic the multiple tiered wings of the plane.

People in Interior Spaces

2009-10-14T18:46:00.004-04:00

For this assignment, we had to sketch people in interior spaces. Most of my drawings are from my trip to Asheville this 4-day weekend.

Project 3- Structure

2009-10-14T00:27:00.006-04:00

This project was broken into two parts:

1- construct a 4"x4"x4" cube with one open end, using Briston board, articulating the edges to aid assembly and design intent.

2- design an integral structure made from plastic drinking straws that positions the cube four inches above an eight inch square base.

When I tried working with my initial idea, it didn't turn out right because I hadn't cut enough paper. However, from that mistake I came up with the design that I ended up going with. Below are two thumbnail models for that cube. The one of the left is made with regular printing paper and the one of the right is made with Bristol. The one made out of Bristol was to see if the cube design would still work since it is thicker paper.

After the thumbnails, the next step was to do it in full scale. Below is my test cube for the actual size, along with the straws. The tape was just a quick bind to get my idea across, as well as, a way to change it if something wasn't working right without having to use more Bristol. Bristol isn't expensive but it's not cheap either!

Below is my final product. My intent/theme was angles. I decided to go with a trapezoid shape for the sides. Then I used the straws to mirror the trapezoidal shape. I used purple straws because of the straw choices I had (purple, blue, yellow & orange), I was torn between blue and purple. I would have naturally gone with the blue- since it's my favorite color- but I decided against it because I didn't want my blue obsession to take over. So purple it was! For the base, I went with styrofoam because I thought it was the best choice to stick the straws in. After that I needed to design something that would help focus the viewer's eye to the opening and going with my angles theme I carved an angle right below the opening.

Once the creation of our project was done, there was a final step. That was to draw our cube. We had to include a 3-D render, a couple of orthographic drawings (plan & two elevations views), and a detail view of a joint or edge. My first drawing (below) is the 3-D render.

My next drawings include the plan view (left) and 3 detailed views (right), which include an altered drawing, a top joint and a bottom joint.

My last two drawings are the two elevation views. I chose the front view and right view.

Project 2- Intersection pt 2

2009-10-13T23:51:00.005-04:00

After the class critique, I went back to the drawing board. I wondered what pictures could be placed in. After a few ideas, I decided to go with a photo album. I thought about how an album is made and reversed or switched how the materials would be used. So, instead of making the album cover with fabric and the "page" with paper, I used the paper (a type of poster paper) as the cover and felt as the "page." I used the thread to bind acetate to the felt so my dad's picture could be protected. I did 63 stitches to represent the age when he died. When we had desk critques- based on suggestion by Tommy- I stitched the cover title with the same thread I used to stitch the felt and acetate. This is what came out.

After the class critique when I showed my final product, I ended up doing some final refined touches . I redid the stitches around the "page," as well as, I re-stitched the cover so that the letters looked bold and the stitching on the back of the cover was neater. This is what is looked like. I can see a difference but I'm not sure if it is that visable to everyone else.

Project 2- Intersection pt 1

2009-09-14T01:40:00.003-04:00

The assignment for this project was to: design a container for a special object using paper, fabric and thread of our choice. Above was my first idea. I had picked the picture of my dad as my special object. The idea behind my product was to recreate my camera out of paper and use the thread as the tie between the paper (camera) and fabric (camera strap). However, I wasn't using the theme of intersection properly. The theme was to intersection these materials to create the container and I had created the container with just the paper and then adding on the thread and fabric which wouldn't be missing from the big picture if you didn't know there was a strap.

Assignment 4- Pure Contour

2009-09-14T00:58:00.005-04:00

Above are my three attempts at drawing the Foust Building. The first one I tried from the side view of the building because there would be less people and very few would have that angle. However, I realized I was becoming too anal with getting it perfectly measured that I was having trouble putting it all together.
My second attempt was during the weekend. I went to campus and since the whole class wasn't there I was able to pick a view. I think my second attempt was better but I wasn't happy with the scale of it on my page and because the small towers were displaced. So I decided to try again. It took me several hours but I was able to get it to a point where I was satisfied with it. It was a challenging building to sketch, especially for me-since I can't draw. I must say that once I was able to finally get the outline of the building done, the second toughest thing was drawing the cars!

Assignment 3- Blind Contour

2009-09-06T23:31:00.003-04:00

Our assignment was to pick five items. For each item we were to sketch it and do a blind contour on it, as well. However, there was a catch. We had to use the same subject matter or theme (ie if you picked a sneaker than you could only draw shoes). I had a tough time trying to figure out and decide on my five items. It was a tough commitment but, with the suggestion of my boyfriend (Todd), I went with figurines we had at home. This is my favorite one (the draw I liked the most out of the five). Todd bought this owl when we went to Quebec last year for Christmas. We bought it as a boutique owned by an Irish man, who directed us to the nearest bar that had Guiness on draft. We even met a nice Irish couple there. It was a good day!

Assignment 1- Name Tag

2009-09-06T23:20:00.002-04:00

Our first assignment in our Design Visualization class was to create our own name tags to post at our desks. We could do anything we wanted on it as long as our name was visible and legible. This is mine.

Project 1- Joinery

2009-09-06T23:12:00.004-04:00

This was my first project. I had some difficulty trying to figure out what I wanted to use. I stumbled upon a long branch on campus and broke it in three so I could use the middle part. Later that day I found a stone in the park. After I had both my artifacts I still didn't know how to bind them but it came to me last minute. However, I had originally used a thread with the idea of not having the bind so visible but was advised to make the bing thicker and more visible. So I decided to go with some 550 cord and Viola!

My favorite blog...so far

2009-08-26T21:27:00.001-04:00

After visiting a few blogs, I've decided on my favorite blog. I don't know if over time it will change and, if it does, I hope that it will continue to be in my top favorites. My favorite blog is Tommy Kane's. The first thing I saw was a drawing of a young man, who looked to be dressed for the 70s with shaggy hair. I thought the guys name was pretty funny as well. There was a story with the image and it was funny. It made me think of my recent run-ins with people I knew back in middle school and high school. After that posting, the following one cinched the deal! He had a drawing of the Manhattan Bridge, along with insight of his time drawing the bridge. It turns out he's a New Yorker! Since I'm also a New Yorker, I couldn't see anything wrong with that. Of course, the drawing just made me think of home. I haven't been to New York in over a year and I miss it.