unit summary 3 [explorations]
march28-march29
exploration: the act of traveling in or through an unfamiliar area in order to learn about it; thorough analysis of a subject or theme.
we began this unit by looking at the world’s fairs and their different purposes. they were commemorative, commercial, collaborative, and celebratory. commemorative fairs would reinforce relationships between countries or people, commercial were supported by the government and big businesses and focused on industry and art, collaborative fairs were competitive and intensively international, and celebratory fairs were meant for nations to show off and would indicate world events and reflected peoples feelings across the globe. architecture and design was simultaneously looking backward and forward, but particularly forward from the 1930’s on into more futuristic design. the venues the world fairs were held were usually made with temporary materials and were torn down when the event was over. this goes hand in hand with the idea that new architecture isn’t lasting, like older architecture is.
this temporary architecture leads to a more aesthetic movement where everyone is having different conversations and speaking in different languages, but are all looking to create something modern. this is shown in the larkin building designed by frank lloyd wright in 1904. the building has an open atrium where all the secretary’s work and the offices are on the border of the building. the electrical systems are in large columns on the exterior of the building, which allows the open area in the center. this is wrights attempt at creating something modern and that has never been done before.
art very much influenced architecture at the turn of the 20th century. the idea of post-impressionism as the exploration of material and light and the emotion of the image carried over from a canvas into design. this idea is exemplified in antoni gaudi’s casa batllo. he plays with what materials can do and how light is reflected upon the building by using tiles as the surface material.
because everyone is searching for the new modern, this leads to a variety of modernisms. it varies from types of buildings: skyscrapers, homes, offices, etc., and the materials used: glass, metal, tiles, etc. each architect and designer has their own take on what they believe modern is; some think it is all about the design, whether or not it is a convenient space for people, while others believe it is all about creating a space that works hand in hand with people and their needs. there are five major categories of modernism: arts & craft, art deco/art nouveau, bauhaus, classical revival, and decorators.
these more traditional suburban homes lead to a need for decorators. the first generation of designers start out as untrained women who seemed to have an eye for decorating. men then entered the second generation of decorators that went through the 40’s, 50’s, and 60’s. one decorator in particular, t.h. robsjohn-gibbings incorporated scandinavian design into decorating. he used blonde wod throughout his work and re-designed the ancient greek klismos chair to make it more modern.
as designers continued this quest to be modern, some of their work seemed to not fit in with the surrounding area. for example, frank lloyd wright’s guggenheim museum and john johansen’s mummers theater didn’t adhere to other buildings that were in the surrounding environment. they created buildings that were new and different, and that show their take on modernism.
historic preservation, technology, and locality are three challenges in modernism. historic preservation: this was a challenge because designers and architects who were making an addition the a historic building or creating something for it had to respect the history of it and then echo it in their design. locality: this was a challenge because designers had to work with their surroundings. this is exemplified in moore’s sea ranch condominiums. they sit on a cliff overlooking the sea, and even though they create more verticality to the cliff, they still blend in with the landscape. technology: this created a challenge because some designers and architects didn’t know where to but the electronic systems of the buildings so they could still have the space they wanted inside, so many of them showed it on the exterior of the building. others would have dedicated floors for the electronic systems so they wouldn’t interfere with the floors people used.one image I would chose to sum up this unit is that of the capital gate. I chose this image because this unit is very much focused around modern and the quest for the newest form of it, and this is a building that I believe is an example of present day modernism. it represents that this quest hasn't, and will never end.
images:
http://www.alamedainfo.com/seattle_worlds_fair_1962.htm
http://rebirthofreason.com/Articles/Cresswell/What_Is_Architecture.shtml
http://www.perfecttravelblog.com/2009/08/gaudis_casa_batllo.html
http://www.trianglemodernisthouses.com/loewenstein.htm
http://blog.2modern.com/2006/10/modern_oklahoma.html
http://sf.curbed.com/archives/2006/05/17/weekends_the_sea_ranch.php
http://www.cosmoworlds.com/photobase/adnec/adnec-abu_dhabi_national_exhibitions_company-04252008.htm
http://www.alamedainfo.com/seattle_worlds_fair_1962.htm
http://rebirthofreason.com/Articles/Cresswell/What_Is_Architecture.shtml
http://www.perfecttravelblog.com/2009/08/gaudis_casa_batllo.html
http://www.trianglemodernisthouses.com/loewenstein.htm
http://blog.2modern.com/2006/10/modern_oklahoma.html
http://sf.curbed.com/archives/2006/05/17/weekends_the_sea_ranch.php
http://www.cosmoworlds.com/photobase/adnec/adnec-abu_dhabi_national_exhibitions_company-04252008.htm
