Parts to a Whole

Archetype: Prototype: Hybrid- Archetype is the model of an idea for a structure, while the prototype is the actual structure after construction. Hybrid encompasses all the elements of the archetype and prototype, which can be more than one specific thing that makes up the whole composition. Much like the Greeks who created the prototype for their buildings then used the natural and physical elements around it and in it to make it into a hybrid. In contrast to Greek architecture, which can be described as sculptural masses set in balanced contrast to the landscape, Roman architecture, as Heinz Kahler has noted, is an architecture of space, enclosed internal space and outdoor space, on a grand scale (Roth 247). The Romans made their buildings into hybrids by combining all the aspects of the building and allowing it to encompass every detail.Source- The Greeks created some of the most prominent pieces of architecture in the world. Major contributors to the development of Greek arts were the Dorians, Ionians, and Aeolians. These groups were at the forefront of Greek culture in the Hellenic period (Blakemore 26). Greek architecture has influenced today’s architecture, such as: the Capital building in Washington, D.C. or the government buildings and churches around the world. Future periods of design were influenced by the characteristics observed in classical Greek and Roman architecture (Blakemore 30). These were reflected in space planning, interior architecture, and furniture (Blakemore 30). Murals and furnishings seen in homes today could be influenced by Greek architecture with the drawings and paintings on walls in Greek homes.
Order- The Greeks and Romans used order mainly in the way they structured their buildings and temples. The role of orders was significant in defining spaces of the Greek interior; not only did they divide spaces horizontally but they were also instrumental in creating visual interest by the attention drawn to them vertically through decorative detail in the capitals and in the entablature (Blakemore 28). The classical orders consist of the column with its base, shaft, capital, and entablature, and are classified by the capital as Doric, Ionic, Corinthian, or Composite (Blakemore 28). Columns for the Greeks and Romans were practically the backbone for the buildings, they made up the frame and structure of many of their buildings. Great emphasis was placed on the style of the columns for different spaces. Proportions of columns, entablatures, moldings, and ornament varied among the orders and in their renditions as practiced by the Greeks and Romans (Blakemore 30).
Entourage- The Acropolis is made up of the Parthenon, Propylaia, Erechtheion, and the Temple of Athena Nike. Every four years a Pan-Hellenic procession hikes from the city to the Acropolis to honor Athena. There may be an entourage that heads up the mountain every four years, but the Acropolis itself can be an entourage. The Propylaia is the elaborate entrance way welcomes the people to the Acropolis. The Parthenon is the largest building and is one of the first buildings that is seen when walking into the Acropolis. The Erechtheion is the connection between the city and the Acropolis by facing the city while facing the Parthenon on the opposite side. Finally, the smallest building is the Temple of Athena Nike which is the messenger to Athena that the people are coming to visit. All of these buildings connect to one another in different ways which creates an entourage of buildings that all interact.

Heirarchy- Heirarchy for the Greeks and Romans was based upon status in society for the buildings as well as the homes. The decorations and building structures were based upon social status and hierarchy. Treatment of floors ranged from the simply utilitarian to decorative (Blakemore 34). Compacted earth floors were used by families of all economic levels, but wealthier homeowners of the classical period often used plaster, painting, or mosaic (Blakemore 34).

Summary- Greek and Roman architecture were influenced by hierarchy. They created orders for columns that represented importance and style taken from the Dorians, Ionians, and Aeolians whom they used as a resource for most of their building projects. They were an archetype and prototype for the modern world by building structures that are architecturally sound and highly innovative. They were also an example of hybrid building by their use of many different aspects in each of their buildings with columns, decorative elements, and use of space within the structure. Their buildings still stand the test of time and bring in entourages of people to experience their wonder.

Cites:
http://www.usborderlaw.com/images/capital%20building.jpg

Opus Prompts for February 4 to February 11

Scale: Architecture is the largest and most encompassing of the visual arts (Roth 75). This is shown by the temple of Hatshepsut versus the Pyramids at Giza and how they compare in their scale. Hatshepsut’s temple is smaller because of her status as the daughter of Thutmose I and Queen Ahmose, but also for her marriage to her brother, Thutmose II. Her temple is compared to the Great Pyramid at Giza built by Khufu. His pyramid is the largest pyramid of four that sit at Giza. The smaller three pyramids are thought to have been for the members of his household, which are smaller in comparison to his pyramid due to their standing in society. Hatshepsut’s temple and the Pyramid at Giza are both intended for worship, but with their massive scale and stone guards, they ward off any potential visitors. Scale is mostly characterized by measurements. How big a building is, relative to the size of the average human being is said to be its scale (Roth 75).
Unity: Unity can be depicted in any number of ways, whether it be by decorative elements or the use of skewers and paper to make a model. Unity was used in the homes of the Greeks preferred a plan in which the emphasis was on distribution of rooms around a court, as revealed in a 2nd Century BC plan (Blakemore 31). The Greeks put great emphasis on the role of orders, which they considered significant in defining spaces of the interior (Blakemore 28). Interior spaces should be unified in a way that the architecture flows and the different parts can make up a whole. Elements should compliment each other and come together in a way that is unified. For the model from skewers and paper, the elements are connected, but are also unified by their construction and physicality.Section: Sections are views of an object or building from the perspective as if it were cut in half. Section views shed a new light on a project by giving a different view that is normally never seen. Section can also be described by the spaces or sections of a piece of architecture. The Greeks used sections to define the porch, court, and hearth of every piece of architecture. The temple, Megaron, is an example of a building with a porch, court, and hearth. The porch is the entrance way into the temple, while the court is the open space between the entrance and altar. The hearth is the altar or place of worship for the priests and to keep treasures.
Boundaries: The Great Wall of China is one of the best examples for setting boundaries. The wall was built over a 200 year period and is about 4000 miles long. (Great). It stretches from ShanHaiGuan in the east to JiaYuGuan Pass in the west, along an arc that roughly delineates in the southern edge of Inner Mongolia (Great). China used the boundary of the Wall to establish borders and for protection, while the Romans used boundaries in a much different way. The boundaries they set were on social standing and architecture that was allowed for each social class, also for what kind of buildings were used for what. The Romans used utilitarian facilities that met their needs for religion, commerce and law, recreation, and celebrating victories. In addition, the type of residence was, to some degree, a reflection of the social position of the resident (Blakemore 47). Differences in material, construction techniques, and decorative processes are evident…despite these differences, similarities existed among the residences representing various socioeconomic levels (Blakemore 9).Vignette: A vignette can be defined as a collection of stories told without words. Vignettes encompass a subject and sometimes the surroundings around it. Multiple parts and objects can make up a vignette. For our drawing class this week, we had to draw vignettes of people and their surroundings in a coffee shop or restaurant. We also had to draw our teacher’s assistants working in at a table with many of the objects that surrounded them on the table.

Summary: Vignettes encompass the boundaries of an area in a drawing with scale figures of people or objects that are unified with the surroundings in their certain section. Each term relates to one another in the way that a drawing or piece of architecture would not be able to be built or drawn without one another.

Cites:
http://www.janisb.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/great_wall_of_china.jpg
http://img.trivago.com/uploadimages/37/79/3779791_l.jpeg

Opus Prompts for January 28 to February 4

Illuminate: This week in studio as well as in drawing with Suzanne, we talked a lot about illumination. With water coloring, lighting is important. Lighting can be portrayed by using different brush strokes or different amounts of color and water. In studio, we used illumination with our stories. For the artifacts we created, we had to illuminate and elaborate on our stories through an object. Some created simple objects, while others became very abstract with the interpretation and use of materials. We also talked about illumination in the way that the Egyptians used gold points on the tips of pyramids to symbolizing the light from the sum coming down to the four corners of the earth, much like a god.



















Idiom: An idiom, I would define as an object or word with a deeper meaning than is expressed. The artifacts from the fairy tales could be characterized as an idiom. The abstractness of many of the artifacts expressed that there is some deeper meaning not shown in just the object itself. For my artifact, I used colors such as: red, black, and white, to represent different aspects of the story.

Material: Materials used in a building or landscape can make difference between appealing and appalling. There were many different materials used for the artifact projects ranging from fabric material to plastic wrap. The different materials and their quality can either make or break a building. In the late twentieth century, architects and engineers took particular delight in making structures do more and more work with less and less material, seemingly a defiance in gravity, while showing the structure more clearly (Roth 25). For the project to build a table or chair for Pat, we only had a 4’ x 8’ sheet of chipboard to work with. We realized that by cutting away from positive space that is unnecessary can give you more material to work with. Stability is key when building something that can be used for many different reasons or that will last for a very long time.
Commodity: Sir Henry Wotten said in his book, The Elements of Architecture: “In architecture, as in all other operative arts, the end must direct the operation. The end is to build well. Well-building has three conditions: commodity, firmness, and delight.” (Roth 11) How is the building or object going to be used is the big question in architecture, otherwise there is no reason to build. For Pat’s table or chair, we had to decide how he was going to use it. Does he need a shelf? Where will he sit? Should he have a work station as well? These are all questions in the building and design process. What should be added and what needs to be taken away?

Firmness: Firmness is characterized by the structure or way that a building or object stands up (Roth 25). Physical structure and perceptual structure are not the same, for a column may be much larger than structurally necessary in an engineering sense simply to reassure the viewer that it is indeed big enough for the job (Roth 25). In drafting, some students realized that the table or chair built for Pat will not actually hold anything without the right support.
Delight: Architecture is the art into which we walk, the art that envelops us (Roth 55). Architecture is meant to be enjoyed. When you walk into a well-designed building, it causes you to marvel at the different elements. The lighting can make a difference in the appearance as well as the materials used. Walking into a cathedral or seeing the pyramids at Giza make you want to know more about the structure. How was it built? How is it possible to add that much detail to a structure with such limited resources and materials?

Citation:
iStockphoto/Karim Hesha
St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague

Fundevogel Artifact

The cube is painted red to show the love as brother and sister between Fundevogel and Lina, also their vow to never leave one another. While the black represents the evil from the cook that surrounds the children as she plans to kill Fundevogel. The white represents the purity that comes from within the children which allows them to change into different objects to escape the cook represented by the cube shape as a trap.

View:Design::Tell:Story (Jan 21-28)

Artifact: According to Jules David Prown's books Mind and Matter and Style as Evidence an artifact corresponds to pattern in the mind of the producer and user and can be assessed by a three step process: description which includes a physical inventory and content analysis of form. Deduction is the link between material and the perceiver's world through sensory engagement, intellectual engagement, and emotional response. Speculation is the creative imaging in the eyes of the perceiver through hypothesis. (IAR 221)


Cycle: The design cycle is the direct reactions and resonances to preceding periods. The design cycle also includes regional influences and variations. Changes in clothing styles and music over the years can be part of the design cycle. The bell curve also characterizes the design cycle in one's life. Near the beginning of life design is growing and peaks near the middle of life, then begins to deteriorate reaching the end of life. (IAR 221)

Multi-View: Vernacular views can be perceived in many different ways depending on the viewer. "Is it a bicycle shed or a cathedral?" A bicycle shed can be architectural as well as a cathedral. They both act as a covering for different reasons, one for a bike and the other for religionalIAR 221) We also learned that stories can be interpretted differently depending on the reader, such as the children's fairy tales read for class this week. (IAR 102)

Stories: Each student was assigned a different fairy tale to read, then create a page of notes and inspiration board depicting the story. Also, we were asked to draw five different things that are special to us individually. The drawings and short statements about them were to tell stories of the history of the items and ourselves personally. (IAR 102)

Translation: The fairy tales assigned could be translated in many different ways depending on the reader. Some students looked at the stories from a phsycological stand point while others looked at them from a child like perspective since many of the fairy tales were read as children. Many of the fairy tales were not appropriate for children even though they were meant to be read by children, but by older individuals can be translated differently. (IAR 102)

Synopsis: Artifacts, cycles, multi-views, stories, and translations all relate to one another through class discussions and assigned work throughout the week. All of the words connect in the way that the viewer or reader perceives the work. The viewer can translate the work in many different ways as well as see it in multiple views. Stories show different cycles in character's or artist's lives, and some can include artifacts like the favorite things drawings done in class to tell their stories. Architecture and history is made up of stories translated in different ways from multiple view-points that cycle from generation to generation and make memory artifacts that will be kept for time to come.