OPUS entry 2 : 2/4/2009
This week we continue our pursuit of design knowledge. Expanding and exploring what we know about the fundamentals in key areas of our craft. We work on our abilities to do technical drawings, illustrate people and things in a simple yet strong way, and learn about the ancient history of architecture and its place in the world. The key words of the prompts for this week’s entry seem to reverberate the basic messages all of us designers must comprehend and control if we are to do our job well. The phrase, COMMODITY : FIRMNESS : DELIGHT as coined by Sir Henry Wotten, builds on Vitruvious’ original statement that "Architecture must provide utility, firmness and beauty.” (Understanding Architecture, p. 11) From my perspective, this is an undeniable truth. There is no debating that it is the job of all architecture to fulfill these three categories. Commodity is present in the sense that there is a need that must be filled, or a job to be done if you will. Firmness is important because it addresses the necessity of durability in design and construction. Delight refers to the job of the designer and the design itself to be both aesthetically pleasing as well as physically pleasing. This idea is put into words well by Roth when he says, “Architecture accommodates psychological as well as physiological needs of the human family, whose basic social institutions are at the very least a million years old.” (Understanding Architecture, p. 160) While I have been talking about architecture, these ideas apply throughout all forms of design. Take for example this boot-
Worn by a classmate, this boot to me echoes many of the same principals of design as architecture. Especially those of commodity, firmness and delight. Commodity - All people need shoes to survive and live day to day without getting injured or sick. Firmness- This boot is made of leather and in a style that has been used for centuries. Tried and true to this day, leather boots are some of the most durable shoes a person can buy. Delight- With out a doubt the angular cuts and stitching of the leather as well as the purple color make this pair of boots very beautiful.
The use of leather in the boots brings up the use of MATERIAL in design. Whether you are designing clothing, furniture or a house, what materials you have available and plan to use always plays a big part in how good your design will turn out. As we are learning about in Patrick’s class, the materials available greatly shaped the course of the ancient Egyptian’s architecture.
This is the “Pyramid of Zoser” as shown on page 197 in Understanding Architecture. It is important for us to learn about this culture because as Roth says, “Egypt is where western architecture begins.” (Understanding Architecture, p. 188) What’s important to notice about this picture is that the pyramid is made of sandstone, the most available material to the Egyptians. It is what they had a lot of and by paying close attention to its qualities, they managed to design and build something that demonstrated firmness for thousands of years.
The Great Pyramids of Egypt were a strong example of another important element of design, ILLUMINATION. Though they do not look like it now, when the pyramids were constructed, they were covered in polished white stone and had golden tops. In a setting of vast flat deserts of sand, the pyramids intentionally stood out. The Egyptians placed the gold tops on their white man-made mountains to catch the always present sun and illuminate their accomplishments. The point of illumination is to be able to see better. I could not help but think of the improvement of sight when I looked at Tristan’s artifact goggle’s he made …
IDIOM is described by some as a characteristic mode of expression in music or art. I do not know what Tristan was trying to express through his art but I’m sure they demonstrate some form of the use of idiom. As Sir Herbert Read says on page 159 of Understanding Architecture, all art is “a mode of symbolic discourse.” Again, the Egyptian culture was a powerful example of the use of idiomatic design. In order to memorialize the traditions of their culture and religion, they wrote stories on scrolls and engravings into their architecture. These stories were written in their language of hieroglyphics. This is an example of such hieroglyphics, found at fontriver.com
Other aspects of idiom are found in the interiors of all buildings in the present day. For example all buildings have furniture. A good piece of furniture typically encompasses the "style" that is inevitably "shared by all" people who are in the space. And if a piece of furniture is liked, it will become multi-generational as it is passed on through family members. This drawing I did is of a girl in class sitting in a chair that struck me a something that encompasses these elements of idiom in design.
This week, I feel we have learned a lot about where architecture and art began with the human race. It is becoming more obvious to me that all aspects of life, art and design are completely interconnected. Also I am starting to realize that in art, architecture and design, sometimes less is more. The use of simplicity in the lines of the designs of the pyramids are powerful. Equally powerful are the simple lines, rather than tons of shading that can be used in the gesture sketch of a person to express the energy of their pose. Of course we have much more to learn, but these elements of design are now a huge part of the catalog of knowledge we will use as designers.
- Jeff
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