3.27.2009

Opus 9, [re] Actions

PROMPTS

ROTATION


Rotation is a word I believe you can be very young and can somehow still manage to come up with a general definition. But when I tend to think of this word I think of sadly math usually, dealing with such topics as translations, reflections, slides and such. A rotation is just a term to define basically turning an object keeping some point still on its origin and turning the rest of the object whatever it may be. What I do like about this word is that it can be applied to quite a lot of subjects, such as architecture, history, science, math and more I’m sure. But honestly in the design context I’m not sure how to connect this but I’ll give it a shot! Modernism, the period in which have recently started covering incorporates past styles that were very popular especially the Gothic style. So I think you could say modernism is a rotation perhaps of the Gothic style, because they basically took Gothic style and rotated everything within it but kept the basic principle the same, and thus led to the modernism era. In Roth there is a quote that states, “these revolutions are so interconnected that they can be thought of as operating in a circle, each feeding into the next.” (Roth 439) And everyone knows that all a circle consists of is a 360ยบ rotation.



MOVEMENT


“The most important design reform movement to affect the interior in the nineteenth century was that of the Arts and Crafts. Starting in Britain, the movement had a far-reaching influence on twentieth century design.” (Massey 7) Movement I also believe that it can be defined in many area’s, such as a general movement something that catches on throughout a local scale, or a global scale. Or also I think of it as a general movement, such as a rotation is or a reflection. Those are all different types of movements and architecture experiences all sorts of movements. Some are new, innovative movements but there are movements that are eventually repeated over many years, they might be considered a new revolutionary sort of movement, but it may be something that incorporates the past but also at the same time makes it their own, and something new and beautiful. A movement I think is something that really changes a whole majority in either a good way or bad way, but the majority ruled in whatever it may have been and created within some sense of a movement.


http://media-2.web.britannica.com/eb-media/97/92897-004-5029FF35.jpg


REFLECTION


Well... this term I usually put in every one of my Opus entries at the end of my prompts, because we are required to write a 50 word annotation reflection but I’ll have you know that this actually is a term for our entry! Now I am starting to get why this weeks titles for our prompts is [re] actions, I only feel like I’ve used the beginning -re, like way to many times already. But alright moving on, reflection I also would consider it to be a general movement that can be encompassed many subjects like all the other sort of transitional words we’ve defined thus far. John Ruskin like Pugin in his works said that, “he saw the ugliness which surrounded him as the unavoidable result of the miserable conditions for the majority brought by the Industrial REvolution.” (Massey 10) I think for a time such as the Industrial Revolution, any type of major movement I think it’s super vital to reflect back on what happened throughout this time. You need to see what needs to be improved and what you need to incorporate for future era’s and honestly I love to reflect back on a structure and just its history in its entirety. Such is the example in D.C. at the Capital, when I stood there in the heartland as the sun set I think aligned myself within its center and just reflected on it’s whole history with my eyes closed, just thinking about everything such a monumental building has seen since it’s construction up until its present time.



SOURCE


Once again a word we have defined before, and I don’t think my definition of this term has changed to much I still hold the truth that much of what was the Gothic style was a source as well as the Grecian era were both sources for modernism. “Aside from allusions to the pastoral Roman and Greek past in pavilions, as in Flitcroft’s Pantheon at Stourhead or Stuart’s Doric pavilion at Hagley, and the references to England’s medieval past, all manner of associates were made to places and times far away.” (Roth 456) There were places that were basically REcreated in my mind as a source to remind countries around the world of where we derive some of our ideals we have for things we incorporate within architecture, thanks to past and present design styles.



ILLUMINATION


Probably one of the most important ideals that I’ve had somewhat embedded in my mind throughout everything in this class, is to take into account how lighting will affect its surroundings. Lighting changes throughout the day and can make it one thing during the morning and one thing by the sun set. I’ve learned to consider lighting heavily in design because you can use it to your advantage and really create some quite gorgeous designs when incorporating illumination throughout. Rose windows is where I think illumination really proves what it can do, because when I was in D.C. in the National Cathedral the rose window, well the main one in the nave was beautifully lit and the sun was just shimmering through and seeing the many different pieces of glass work in it was simply astounding. So illumination without a doubt is something I will hold very near and dear to me always throughout my college career.


REFLECTION (again)


So now to my 2nd reflection for this entry, this one however shall sum up. Gwen taught our Friday lecture and it was kind of nice having a different sort of perspective from her view as compared to Patrick’s, but we talked really a lot of the invention of cast iron and how this allowed for new structures such as greenhouses and skyscrapers eventually. I’m pretty stoked for now getting more into modern times but I know we will constantly see influences from the past REappear as they always have throughout the Earths time. “The modern epoch is characterized by several encompassing trends, beginning with a worldwide shift away from centralized, authoritarian governance (whether monarchical or dictatorial) and a move toward democratic republics.” (Roth 439) So until next time in which I shall [re] appear!


CITATIONS

Interior Design Since 1900, Third Edition

Anne Massey


Understanding Architecture Its Elements, History, and Meaning

Leland M. Roth

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