Introduction to Architectural Design Studio
A piece of my creative work
A
piece of my own work of which I am quite proud is a short film I made in Year
12 as part of a Cartography assignment titled ‘Sense’, with the above photo
being one scene from the film. The assignment asked us to disrupt literal forms
of mapping to which I responded with a digitally documented performance and
installation piece exploring, or mapping, the manner in which our senses are
influenced by and respond to external stimuli. I employed stimuli throughout
the scenes to target and garner a reaction from the primary senses. For
example, flashes of light would cause my subject’s pupils to constrict suddenly
as they scrunched their eyes and faces in response to the situational change or
a sudden popping of a balloon would startle an unaware subject causing them to let
out a short gasp or scream. The work of Bill Viola, renowned contemporary video
artist, was of significant importance for my own as I was inspired by his use
of darkened eerie spaces and singular spotlights on subjects that illuminate
their emotive and often pained expressions. Viola’s work often concerns the
“phenomena of sense perception” and through merging video, projection and
sound, I too employed these elements to greater enhance my conceptual piece. Additionally,
avant- garde performance artist Marina Abramovic, provided great inspiration with
her video ‘The Onion’, 1996 in which that artist continually bites into a raw
onion, her eyes streaming with tears and her face contorting from the pain. In
my film I had subjects eat spoonfuls of vegemite and bite into lemons as I
documented their reactions, as well as up-close shots of my squishing spaghetti
through my fingers with the accompanying audio, all of which received an
uncomfortable and squeamish response from both subject and viewer.
A great piece of architecture
Flint House is a spectacular piece of
architecture commissioned by Lord Rothschild to be the contemporary addition to
the Rothschilds’ Waddesdon Estate in Buckinghamshire, UK. So much about this
building demonstrates why it was chosen to be the winner of the RIBA House of
the Year Award in 2015. Beneath the surrounding fields on which the house sits runs
a chalk seam rich in flint, a cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, from
which the building gets its name. Thus, it was the site’s geology that became
instrumental in informing leading architect Charlotte Skene Catling’s decision
to clad the building in this natural resource as a direct response to the
landscape. The angular stepped wedges of the house, along with the self-contained
annex studio, are engineered monoliths that seem to have erupted to create a
rift in its countryside setting. The gradient of the flint on its exterior appears
to be a geographical cross-section of the earth beneath it as the dark
unknapped lumps of flint at the base fade seamlessly into the refined white
chalk at the apex, a testament to the stonemasons’ craftsmanship. One can
experience this feeling of ascension from the earth’s surface by walking up the
rooftop steps to terraces that allow for a full appreciation for the panoramic
view. An unexpected surprise is a small internal river, an updated answer to
the grotto, that carves out a nook lined by flint in its most virgin form, raw
and still covered in chalk creating an invitingly textural and tactile surface.
This building epitomises juxtaposition, exhibiting traditional materials and
techniques in an uber-modern design, it is both a dramatic structure that demands
attention yet it blends so harmoniously with the landscape.
References:
ArchDaily.
(2015). Flint
House / Skene Catling de la Peña. [online] Available at:
https://www.archdaily.com/771369/flint-house-skene-catling-de-la-pena [Accessed
22 Feb. 2018].
Wainwright,
O. (2015). Flint
House: the building that must be stroked. [online] The Guardian. Available at:
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/architecture-design-blog/2015/jul/10/flint-house-waddesdon-manor-rothschild-skene-catling-de-la-pena
[Accessed 22 Feb. 2018].
Waddesdon
Manor. (n.d.). Flint House - Waddesdon Manor. [online] Available at:
https://waddesdon.org.uk/your-visit/grounds/flint-house/ [Accessed 22 Feb.
2018].
Vogue.
(2016). Inside
Lord Jacob Rothschild’s Monolithic English Country Estate. [online] Available
at: https://www.vogue.com/article/lord-jacob-rothschild-english-estate
[Accessed 22 Feb. 2018].
An original photograph of something beautiful
Last year I travelled for three months along
the southern coastline of Europe and one city that left a lasting impression
was Seville, the capital of the Andalusian region of Spain. The city as a whole
was captivating being so rich in the traditional culture of flamenco dancing
and cuisine, and an overall feeling of vibrancy from the large student
population, but it was the architecture that truly sparked my interest. There
are a remarkable number of striking structures dotted around the city, an
eclectic mix of the Gothic Cathedral, Baroque Del Salvador Church, and the
mixed Mudejár and Renaissance Revival style of the Plaza de España to name but
a few. Walking through Seville allows
one to experience a physical embodiment of the city’s historical evolution. Above
all, it was the Real Alcázar de Sevilla that captivated me most for it was so unique
to anywhere I had visited before. The UNESCO World Heritage listed site is a
monumental complex of a royal palace, gardens, fountains, and courtyards, which
over its eleven centuries in existence, has seen countless renovations that
reflect the respective style of the time. It is an architectural microcosm of
Seville as a whole, demonstrating an amalgam of Islamic, Gothic, Renaissance
and Baroque elements, with the original Moorish influence of Mudejár style remaining
overwhelmingly breathtaking. Every archway, every niche, every surface of this
building is of supreme craftsmanship and provided no shortage of intriguing moments
to capture. This is just one of many photographs I took during my visit and
while the palace is abundant in intricate stone carvings or decorative tiles, I
found beauty in the simplicity of these archways and the pattern created as the
sunlight flooded through. This nook of the complex was one of the few over its
vast area that did not have clusters of tourists streaming through and I
believe the serenity that I experienced in that moment is expressed in my
photograph.
Revival Cycles: Moto Guzzi 850
http://bobberinspiration.com/post/88670444167/moto-guzzi-850-beto-by-revival-cycles
Balance, Approach, Stark
CJ Hendry: Headless Barbie
http://thecoolhunter.net/cj-hendry-bronzed-trophy-series/
Glare, Elevate, Lustrous
Gucci: Fall/ Winter 2016 Collection Campaign
https://www.gucci.com/us/en/st/stories/advertising-campaign/article/agenda_2016_issue05_fall_winter_adv_campaign
Nostalgia, Candied, Luscious
- Nadine Theisz -
