Martin Filler's "Makers of Modern Architecture: From Frank Lloyd Wright to Frank Gehry" is a biographical survey of mainstream architects, in particular their personal relationships. The true creative lives and breathes their work, learning from those they encounter, and succeeding with the support of a constant, a rock; something familiar. Consciously, but more often subconsciously, we use these influences and comforts to make artistic decisions. Only to find out later, we had a common thread all along.
The familiar was always a foundational argument in graduate school. 'We' as art historians are drawn to particular genres because it is familiar. As humans we draw inspiration from similar areas of thought, concepts, and visual stimulation because it is all familiar; "we like what we know." My struggle as a creative individual is to develop this constant; or at least recognize my constant. I am often so aware of my decisions that any continuous planning and obsession with strategy inhibits what should be an organic process. I tell myself, remain true to familiar thought to find that thread in my creative thinking. BIOGRAPHY (noun): 1) the story of a real person's life written by someone other than that person [ORIGIN: Late Greek biographia, from Greek bi- + -graphia -graphy; first known use in 1683] FAMILIAR (noun) 1) a member of the household of a high official 2) one who is often seen and well-known; especially : an intimate associate 3) a spirit often embodied in an animal and held to attend and serve or guard the person 4a) one who is well-acquainted with something, 4b) one who frequents a place [First known use in 13th century]
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Le Corbusier, primarily known for his contribution to modern design and urban planning of the late 19th and early 20th century, is currently MoMA’s feature architect in the recent special exhibition Le Corbusier: An Atlas of Modern Landscape on view June 15 through September 23, 2013. While the exhibition focuses on Corbusier’s reputation as architectural mastermind through a conglomeration of trace paper sketches, detailed eighth-inch orthogonal drawings, site plans, and white-stained process models all hung salon style, MoMA opted to display a lesser known Le Corbusier as artist, interior designer, and photographer. ARCHITECT (noun): 1) a person who designs buildings 2) a person who designs and guides a plan, project, etc. [ORIGIN: Middle French architecte, from Latin architectus, from Greek architektōn master builder, from archi- + tektōn builder, carpenter; first known use in 1563] CIVILIZE (verb): 1) to teach (a person or group of people) to behave in a way that you think is more polite and gentle 2) to make (something) more gentle, fair, reasonable, etc. 3) to cause (a group of people) to have a more highly organized and modern way of living [First known use 1601] The 42-hour lecture series with Buckminster Fuller covers "his decades-long project of developing and furthering his worldview — an elaborate humanitarian framework involving resource conservation, applied geometry, and neologisms like “tensegrity,” “ephemeralization,” and “omni-interaccommodative” — the man wrote over 30 books, registered 28 United States patents, and kept a diary documenting his every fifteen minutes." The lectures are available for download online here.
First introduction to Richard E. Cytowic, M.D. and David M. Eagleman, Ph.D. Oliver Sacks writes "No one has done more than Richard Cytowic and David Eagleman to bring a careful neuroscientific attention to synesthesia, grounded in decades of research and reports from thousands of patients..." So far this is an easy, interesting, brilliant read. I'm impressed by the attention to detail, level of interest and care with each case. Fascinating stories and easily relatable. NEUROSCIENCE (noun): 1) a branch (as neurophysiology) of the life sciences that deals with anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, or molecular biology of nerves and nervous tissue and especially with their relation to behavior and learning [First known use 1963] Time to travel, travel local. The more I read about organic architecture and its architects, and draw comparisons amongst my favorite designers, the more I decide its time to tour the United States and greater North America in search of architectural design that speaks to the human level. We spend the majority of our lives within a structure; and to most people, this structure is strictly functional. But there are buildings and complexes designed with a concept in mind, intended to instill emotion through experience. These designs exist everywhere, accessible to everyone; its all about one's willingness to observe and experience. Organic architecture provides an obvious, colorful, sensory experience with one's natural and built environment. TRAVEL (verb): 1) to go on a trip or journey; to go to a place and especially one that is far away 2) to go through or over (a place) during a trip or journey 3) to move from one place to another [ORIGIN: Middle English travailen, travelen to torment, labor, strive, journey; from Anglo-French travailler; first know use in 14th century] Photograph: Frank Lloyd Wright, Falling Water, 1964 in Stewart Township, Pennsylvania. First encounter Italo Calvino's Invisible Cities while studying abroad in Rome, Italy in 2007. I originally read it in Italian for a class while there, analyzed various city descriptions for thesis support on Sol LeWitt, and continue to revisit it time and time again when developing projects. Calvino's later (60s/70s) short stories are inspirational pieces for my work. His use of split narrative and understanding for sensory language creates these untouchable dreamscapes and hellish confinements in Invisible Cities. I like to think of him as an architect of the mind. INVISIBLE (adjective): 1a) incapable by nature of being seen 1b) inaccessible to view; hidden 2) imperceptible, inconspicuous [ORIGIN: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin invisibilis, from in- + visibilis visible, first known use in 14th century] CITY (noun, often attributive): 1a) an inhabited place of greater size, population or importance than a town or village 1b) capitalized; the influential financial interests of the British economy 1c) a usually large or important municipality in the United States governed under a charter granted by the state 2) the people of a city 3) (slang) a thing, event or situation that is strongly characterized by a specified quintessential feature or quality Thorncrown Chapel is an exquisite balance of art and architecture that has been on my mind since 2004. Architect E. Fay Jones broke ground in 1979 for this construction and completed the project in 1980. The chapel lives in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. Jones employs a palette of local materials, wood and stone with glass. Despite the materials' innate hardness, this composition of layers, geometries, and transparencies allows the structure to blend seamlessly with its natural surroundings. Like various inhabitants of the Ozarks, Thorncrown is a living object, a dialog of sounds, colors, and scents—interactions at the human scale. Note to self, OBSERVE: Light patterns (both natural and artificial), how natural light filters through the trees onto the exterior and interior, and how artificial light radiates from the structure onto its immediate landscape. Lighting is one of two powerful, colorful aspects of this structure, lending itself to major transformations with each season. Sound (interior and exterior) to understand it's material quality. It is the interaction between the structure and environmental factors—visitors (voice), weather (rain), etc. Sound is one of two powerful, colorful aspects of this structure, lending itself to major transformations with each season. Composition as the integration of layers, geometries, and transparencies that create and affect the powerful, colorful light and sound patterns innate to this structure. OBSERVE (verb): 1) to watch and sometimes also listen to (someone or something) carefully 2) to see or notice (someone or something) 3) to make a comment about something you notice [ORIGIN: Middle English, from Anglo-French observer; from Latin observare to guard, watch, observe; from ob- in the way, toward + servare, to keep; first known use in 14th century] COMPOSITION (noun): 1) the way in which something is put together or arranged; the combination of parts or elements that make up something 2) a piece of writing; especially; a brief essay written as a school assignment 3) a written piece of music and especially one that is very long and complex [ORIGIN: Middle English composicioun; from Anglo-French composicion; from Latin composition-, compositio, from componere; first known use in 14th century] Photograph by Greg Hursley There's something interesting about self-criticism vs. first impressions. Women are too quick to criticize themselves in appearance, in relationships, in ability to grow as professionals. This is a lovely commission by Dove to remind women "You are more beautiful than you think." My drawing for the Silhouette show has been printed and is ready for phase 2 of color/stippling. Looking forward to the final product! Silhouette opening March 1, 2013 at 6pm at Blackburn 20|20. STIPPLE: (verb), -ING (noun, verb, used with object) 1) to paint, engrave or draw by means of dots or small touches [ORIGIN: 1660-70, Dutch 'stippelen' a frequentative of 'stippen' meaning ' to dot', derivative of ' stip' meaning 'dot'] SILHOUETTE: (noun or verb when used with object) 1) (n.) a two-dimensional representation of the outline of an object, as a cut-out or configurational drawing, uniformly filled in with black, especially a black-paper, miniature cut-out of the outlines of a famous person's face; 2) (n.) the outline or general shape of something; 3) (n.) a dark image outlined against a lighter background; 4) (v.) to show in or as if in silhouette [ORIGIN: 1790-1800, French à la silhouette after Etienne de Silhouette (1709-67), French finance minister] |
ABOUT
This is my timeline of thought; a compilation of reminders, questions, inspiration and current events all which affect my creative energy. This blog intends to help strengthen my creative process and reassure my artistic self of a consistency in thought and familiar topics. [Definitions from Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary] ARCHIVES
August 2014
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