My Contribution to [i]Lounge.

As you know, my group's concept is to focus on political and social influences on couches/sofas in the 20th century. So far, we have worked very well as a group. Everyone has had an equal voice and everyone has contributed. I am a part of the artifacts group. My group and I have compiled to different sofas we want to use as well as tie the history of them to our concept as well. I decided to be apart of this group because it has always been an interest of mine in history of design classes to figure out the influence of certain design characteristics. I am good at researching and digging deep to connect the influence to the piece of furniture or whatever it may be. I think I can relate the information and connection of the two in a way non-designers would understand. As for coming up with our concept and the way we'll approach things, it really has been a group effort. Every person has contributed ideas and concepts that has lead us to the next thing. For our recent proposal, everyone was e-mailed and given the opportunity to change it or suggest things. Even though we have separate groups, we do not work completely separate. I have enjoyed being able to work with non-majors and 2nd year students. It has been a breathe of fresh air to have new minds to bounce ideas off of.

Final First Year Project. [late]

This was my final first year project. We had to convert the loading dock into a studio space for a specific designer/artist. We had to design everything from the inside out. After slicing my hand open, this is what I came up with!

Counterpoints

Final Point

First I would like to start with by saying this unit really helped me understand the different concepts of modernism, such as deconstructionism. It really helps explain the time of when these certain places were built. Everything is so linear and simple. They most prominent idea of modernism is that form is all that matters, not function. An example of this would be the sydney opera house. Yes, it is visually pleasing but the acoustics do not work. It has been fixed, but it still does not truly do operas their full justice. Another example is the college life insurance company. It has firmness and delight, but zero commodity.

Another characteristic modernism struggles with is warmth. People dislike modern design because it feels cold. The rise of interior design changes this. It helps interiors feel warm and also makes the clients happy.

Today, people try to combine modernism and classism and it rarely seems to work. There is no longer any language, but more so a conjunction of different ones. People fail to build and incorporate things from history to make them better then they once were. Design has become more disposable now. It has been degraded in such entertainment as HGTV. These 'designers' believe a room can be designed in an hour. True designers such as Charles and Ray Eames design in a holistic way of thought and consideration. We, as interior architecture students, have been taught things such as process. People need to follow Boullee's concept of just simply having an idea. He built a cenotaph for Newton and realized during that time it was impossible to build. Designers need to learn that the first idea isn't always the right one, and they can be simply left alone.

When we talked about these places working like machines, I thought to myself, that that could have never been put more perfectly. I like all of the different relationships of machines. The fact that technology is constantly coming up with new, advanced ideas for machines, and architecture is ever evolving, the two just go hand in hand. The Villa Savoy was my favorite example of being a machine. The car that had been invented during that time was one of the main inspirations for the Villa Savoy. It's radius created the actual shape of the building. I find that so inventive and it truly expresses what is happening in society at the time.

One thing I wanted to also touch on is what I learned as a whole from this semester. This class was taught so differently then any other class I've ever taken. I loved listening to the discussions because they were so interactive. I was taught in such a creative way that I have learned so many new concepts that I can apply through out my career. I look at architecture (and chairs) so different now and I feel like I can truly understand it. I love the fact that I can walk into a present day building and know what inspired certain things. The other day, I was walking with a friend to the EUC and she commented on the design of the library, and I knew exactly what to say. I like watching movies with my family and knowing the chairs that come on the screen. After taking this, I feel so much more rounded as a designer. I feel I have grown this semester more then any other, mainly because of this class. I hope to be a teacher assistant one year so I can listen to it all over again. Thanks for such an eye-opening semester :)

Reading Comp No. 7

My group, the black sea, was chosen to chose a piece from the collection called "In the Studio". This collection was very captivating to me, and laid the idea of studio out. A studio is where people create their own identity, and show it through art. the ideas and perceptions they have of themselves are expressed by contour lines and movement. All of the pieces used the media of pen or pencil and other everyday art utensils, which somehow related back to being a student. We all start off with the easy materials, then work our way into using better quality ones after having some experience. I feel this related to the audience and I on a personal level. The piece that I wanted to study most was Paul Cadmus', "Dancer with the red hairband". The simplicity of the drawing combined with the title itself is what creates the story in this piece of art. It makes your mind wonder. This type of art is what I enjoy looking at; simple, yet touching. The style used in the piece was cross hatching. Cadmus used it for shadowing. The fluid lines make the drawing feel like this moment was a pause in the time of business and that this part of action, was crucial to put onto paper. Again, making the mind wonder of what this dancer could be thinking about. All of the pieces in the studio collection remind me of the beginnings of ideas. Like they are trying to find inspiration for their projects, or just inspiration for themselves. Creating an identity is something that will last a lifetime. Massey said that the accent is placed on process rather then form (pg 216), and I believe this statement fits well into this idea of going through a process to create an identity rather then focusing on the exact form of your work.

My diagram showed the idea of the possible future outline that the dancer will make. I did this because this is how the drawing made me personally feel when I analyzed it. I used simple, swift lines to show movement and dance.

Reading Composition No. 6

[1]

Art Nouveau became a very common theme across numerous nations in the 20th century. Combining art and nature was a designers new way of introducing modernism and new production methods. America was not the only nation to use this declaration of being it's own independent country, but also Paris and Berlin, who countries who have been through many different eras, have also began to adapt the art nouveau style.

In Paris, France, Hector Guirmard, who is known for his metal work in metro stations, began to alter all of the decorative characteristics he was putting in his buildings. He was designing carpets, furniture, wallpaper, mosaic floors, and even door handles. One of his buildings was the Castel Beranger apartment complex. The most exciting space of the house was the entrance. Putting to use his good reputation for iron work, he made the front gate entrance with art nouveau style. The gate is asymmetrical, the ornament was inspired by naturalistic themes, and the 'dynamic whiplash' is used many times (Massey, p. 40). These same characteristics are shown throughout the house. The shapes used in the gate are also placed along the hallways, carpets, banisters, and in the colored glass. This demonstrates the use of stylistic unity by incorporating all of the same art nouveau characteristics throughout many things in the building.

Castel Buranger Entrance

In Munich, Germany, Henry Van der Velde, Art Nouveau was also known as 'Jugendstil', which translates into 'young style'. This fits this style well considering it is new, and is being experimented with. It originates from young designers throwing away the old and just focusing on the new. Van der Velde had designed a bathroom for an art nouveau exhibit, but then moved onto bigger things. He designed the interior of Francios Haby's Barbour shop in 1900. His style is art nouveau, but with a more german take on it' it's different then Guirmard's. He used surface decoration of shapes on the walls, and has swooping cabinets that are completely symmetrical. He always did something people did not entirely approve of; he left light fixtures and pipes completely exposed. (Massey, p. 44) I thought this picture put Henry's view of art nouveau in an interesting way...

[2] When I saw the word "machine", I automatically thought of the Villa Savoy. It was created by Le Corbusier and placed in a suburb in Paris. Not only does this house look like a machine, but it acts as one too. In society, cars were invented and becoming more and more advanced. Le Corbusier used them as part of his inspiration. The actual radius of the first floor is based of the radius of a car. It is interesting that the house function as a machine, just was the car whom inspired it is a machine. The house appears to be 'lifted free of the earth' by the columns supporting it (Roth, p. 531). The roof is made of gardens (p. 532) which gives the appearance almost of the house growing out of the landscape. The floor plan is very open, which allows smooth human movement, just like a machine should run.

This picture shows the new ideas of modernism; straight linear lines, some bold color, ribbed windows, and abstract shapes.

[3] Massey, p. 72

Reflections Summary

Jasmine Jones

Jasmine's introduction to her essay makes me feel very interested to keep reading. Her idea of evolving architecture beginning with a simple thought is so true. She states that fact then once one person thinks of something, other people join in, and these thoughts tun into actions. People produce these thoughts because they are curious of what else is out there. These curiously thoughts then turn into revolutions; a change in what is happening in their current time. People are done with order and classism, and are ready for something new. She states the idea that trading of all different cultures is what put new ideas into people's minds. Everything was new, especially materials. I agree with her thoughts of eastern inspiration on western products, we discussed this a lot in class and in our reading comprehension. She then goes into the idea of the industrial revolution and mass production. To support the growing population and job opportunities, mass production was needed; not this made by hand stuff anymore. The need for craftsman became scarce. Glass and iron were the new materials and they opened many new doors for architecture. I enjoy reading her essay, as along with the others, because we all discuss different important topics of the units. It's nice to hear what stuck out to other people.

Her picture fit well with her essay. She describes this design era as 'overwhelming' in the sense that it is rapidly changing. She states, that as the ferris wheel goes round, it always comes back to where it started to cater to new groups of people. How philosophical!

Ebony Grey

Ebony jumps right into the idea of testing the boundaries of classical design. She begins to talk about the Crystal Palace as the 'kick off' for the industrial age because of the use of new materials, glass and iron. I liked how she put that this era was a time for exploration for designers. The Crystal palace was built for people all over to bring their goods to sell. She states this building as a utilitarian design, and not made for beauty. I disagree. This building was beautiful for the soul fact that people had never seen anything like it before, and that is why people were drawn to it. She then describes the life cycle of iron. It started off with the Crystal Palace, then extended to train stations, shopping centers, and libraries, then eventually led to the building of skyscrapers.

These ideas of mixing design and moving away from the typical classism leads to new design ideas. She ten discusses the idea of eastern influence, which Jasmine previously discussed. She looks at this unit as exploring ideas, and about finding a new language.

Kacie Leisure

Kacie starts off explaining revolution and all the different steps. I believe this is an appropriate intro to the start of discussing this unit. She begins with the gothic revival at Strawberry Hill in England. She points out specific details such as the gothic art, and references heavenward, all characteristics of the gothic style.

Just as the other two people I have summarized, she points out the eastern influence on the west in regards to design language. She references the four aspects of design, which was a good tie to make! She states that these new western designs were an "escape" of what they were used to. Patterns on plates and bowls became used on western carpets and fabric. Silk was also being imported and used for clothing. She then ties all these influences to the Royal Pavilion building in England. This building made her think it should be in India, which I agree. It looks like it came out of the movie Aladin. The reference is made to the banquet hall, where it appears that everything was just shoved into the room and onto the walls, hence, introducing clutter. She then continues to state the presence of gothic style still prevalent in today's designs.