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Initial Thoughts

November 2014

 

Light Entrances
Ideas Page

Ideas Page

Ideas Page

Ideas Page

Ideas Page

Ideas Page

Tutorial Thoughts/Results

Tutorial Thoughts/Results

Tutorial Thought/Results

Tutorial Thought/Results

My initial research commenced by exploring factories and found these interesting images relating to fabrics. Fabric is an interesting and vital source which is used every day by everyone, so looking into its factory process seemed like a good was a place to start. After this I decided to go down a different route as I felt I could explore more through a music related option. I have found through my research below the warehouse style of the buildings was interesting in looks and natural lighting, so will explore this more in my next chapter. 

Silk Cocoons

Silk Cocoons

Matches in a match factory

Matches in a match factory

SLEM interior by Dopeel Strijkers

SLEM interior by Dopeel Strijkers

Sayaka Ishizuka's Rice Deity (2014)

Sayaka Ishizuka's Rice Deity (2014)

Knotted Pillar by Shan Hur

Knotted Pillar by Shan Hur

Welcome by Ufocinque

Welcome by Ufocinque

Figures 1 - 6

Life Threads by Sayaka Ishizuka

November 2014

 

Life Threads was an exhibition based at the Pearl Lam Gallery in Shanghai between April and August 2014. The exhibition/installations consisted of 4,200 strings of threaded rice hung from the ceilings. Ishizuka’s work is based around objects that are usually overlooked in life. This project represented the closeness between water, rice and life and was designed so that the rice looks as if it is rain falling from the ceiling and collected in bowls at the bottom. The project took eighteen months to construct.

 

Figures 7 - 12

Other Exhibitions by Sayaka Ishizuka

Water Mirror Exhibition

Water Mirror Exhibition

Water Mirror Exhibition

Water Mirror Exhibition

Water Mirror Exhibition

Water Mirror Exhibition

Water Mirror Exhibition

Water Mirror Exhibition

Connection and Genetics

Connection and Genetics

Connection and Genetics

Connection and Genetics

Figures 13 - 18

Figures 19 - 24

London Exhibitions

November 2014

 

When living in London I tried to visit exhibitions as often as I could. Here are some images from a few of the exhibitions such as Sensing Spaces at the Royal Academy, Momentum at the Barbican, Paul Smith at the Design Museum, and the external exhibition at the Frieze in Regents Park.

Warehouse Conversions

November 2014

 

When researching I found a numerous amount of interesting warehouse conversions. The effect of these is strong through the materials used during the reconstruction, and the creation of natural light entering the spaces. So I want to look further into the why's and how's of their workings.

 

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The Architects Arturo Franco have looked closely at the languages between the new and the old, and how they work together. Keeping the exposure of the existing building and the delicacy of the clear glass. Retaining the existing features gives the building much more character and rawness, the textures from the metals and brickwork create features and panels within the building, without having to add in new ones. 

 

More information on this building can be found here; http://www10.aeccafe.com/blogs/arch-showcase/2011/06/14/the-warehouse-17c-in-madrid-spain-by-arturo-franco-office/

 

The Factory, Berlin

The Factory, Berlin

New York Loft Space

New York Loft Space

Ailaic

Ailaic

Figures 25 - 48

European Buildings 

November 2014

 

Whilst at University I have made a conscious effort to visit as many historical and inspiring buildings as possible. I have been lucky enough to visit places in Europe such as Rome, Switzerland and Berlin. The images below are a few which represent the sites I saw.

Figures 49 - 68

Jewish Museum by Daniel Libeskind - Berlin

 

Visited in September 2014. Some images I took of the building to demonstrate light sources and the effects they can have, drawing you through the building and emotionally. I have attached the floor plan at the bottom as well to show the route through. It has been cleverly designed so you do not even recognise where in the building you are most of the time, going under ground, up and around.

Exterior
Exterior
Ceiling of Cafe
Ceiling of main staircase
The Holocaust Tower
The Holocaust Tower
Void with art installation
Void with art installation
Void tunnel
Window Design
Window Design
Floor Plan by Daniel Libeskind

Figures 69-80

Images taken by myself

I found the layout of the Museum interesting to visit; when I was walking through I could not tell where I was within the building and the use of the different aged zinc created an aged look on the building.

 

The Jewish Museum was designed by Daniel Libeskind, the design was based on three foundations. Berlin can only move forward and have a future if the Jewish citizens and what happened is acknowledged. Secondly to help visitors understand the History of Berlin and the large impact the Jewish citizens had on the city, and finally 'the necessity to integrate the meaning of the Holocaust, both physically and spiritually, into the consciousness and memory of the city of Berlin' [Papadakis, A. (1991), P3]. I am personally not fond of the interior aspects of the design, the large atriums with the light shining through work well, but the smaller areas do not have much character to them, leaving them looking rather bland and un-intimate.

 

The buildings connections and layout are representative of the relationships and connections between people. Daniel Libeskind referred to Arnold Shcoenberg's opera (sadly unfinished) Moses und Aron. The spacing in the score in the second half is represented through the void in the spaces within the Jewish Musuem, in the score there is no more singing. Daniel Libeskind refers to it as music which 'poses an architectural dimension' [Papadakis, A. (1991), P25]. Arnold Shcoenberg was a professor of music close to where the Museum now stands, as well as being a composer, but he was exiled for being a Jew. This is a particular reference to music and architecture that has inspired me to look further. 

 

As you can see in the images, the windows and light traveling through the building have been one of the key design parts. Allowing thin slits to draw you through, and create interesting shards of lines in the spaces. 

 

Dancing House by Frank Gehry - Prague

 

Visited in September 2014. I was only able to visit the exterior as the building was closed for refurbishment. The Dancing House is also known as Fred and Ginger (after the dancers Fred Astaire and Ginger Rodgers) and was designed by architect Frank Gehry and Vlado Milunc in 1996. The buildings design was inspired by the dancers partnership and movement fluidity. The glass side 'Ginger' is designed to cling on to the right side 'Fred'. The interior consists of a restaurant at the top, which is the only floor open to the public, and the rest of the building is office space. The movement influence of the building is clear in the glass side of the design, however the rest of the building looks out of place in the cities classic baroque style architecture.  

Exterior of Dancing House

Exterior of Dancing House

Exterior of Dancing House

Exterior of Dancing House

Side View of Dancing House

Side View of Dancing House

Close up view of Dancing House

Close up view of Dancing House

Underneath Entrance Area

Underneath Entrance Area

Entrance Ceiling

Entrance Ceiling

Figures 81 - 86

Other Buildings by Frank Gehry

 

Figures 87 - 92

Frank Gehry's buildings have a clear consistent style of fluidity. His aim was to create something that has never been seen before, Gehry's focus on 'the interrelationship between democracy in the program and movement in the form' [Gilbert-Rolfe and Gehry, 2013, p. 1] are very important aspects of his design process, creating sculptural forms. His aim is for the consumer to not think about what building (its purpose) they are in, and to enjoy the space, putting practicalities aside. 

 

Below is part of an interview between Frank Gehry and Barbara Isenberg from the University of Southern California explaining his influences of music in his designing;

 

"BI: You're also very interested in music yourself. What is it about music that attracts you?

 

FG: Well, first of all, I'm a dilettante when it comes to classical music, but I certainly appreciate it. Although I'm not knowledgeable about the history of things, I love to go to concerts and listen.

 

BI: Describe how you listen.

 

FG: When I concentrate on music, I listen to its structure. I try to understand the repetitions and evolution, because it evolves spatially for me. Some music tells a story: In Tchaikovsky, the clouds are coming and the rain is coming down. But then the more abstract Mozart, Beethoven, Bach and contemporary music, like John Adams, don't tell a story. So you listen for the structure and you try to understand it. Sometimes you hear some familiar phrases or ideas, and sometimes you can pick up where they come from. Quite often I'll go to a concert, get very tired and sort of float off into some kind of reverie. I'm just sort of semiconscious, and I'll find myself fantasizing spaces and shapes and things.

 

BI: The music will stimulate images for you?

 

FG: Yes. It's very much like architecture. You know architecture has been called frozen music and somebody asked me if that means that music is liquid architecture.

 

BI: You've said that if you could be an instrument you'd be a cello?

 

FG: I love the persona of the cello, the sound of it and the image of it. I've always had a fantasy about playing the cello. I almost signed up for lessons once, maybe 20 years ago, but I realized it would be ludicrous at that point in my life. I always fantasized if I could transform myself into a musical instrument I would want to be a cello. I saw too many Walt Disney movies."

 

http://www.usc.edu/uscnews/stories/16523.html, accessed January 2015

Experience Music Project

Building in Full

Building in Full

Exterior Night View

Exterior Night View

Monorail Entrance

Monorail Entrance

Exterior of Monorail

Exterior of Monorail

Interior Space

Interior Space

Seating Area

Seating Area

Interior Overview

Interior Overview

Design Sketch by Frank Gehry

Design Sketch by Frank Gehry

Figures 93 - 100

The Experience Music Project (EMP) is based in Seattle, USA. It is a nonprofit museum related to contemporary culture, with Rock 'n' Roll routes (the project included the help of musician Jimmy Hendrix) it was built to celebrate America's popular music. Housing galleries, a concert venue (Sky Church, which houses one of the largest LED screens in the world), an interactive Sound Lab, allowing visitors to experiment with music, science and technology to see what to can create, and a collection of over 140, 000 historical music items. The building has the monorail running straight through, which was built in 1962 for Seattle's World Fair. 

 

The curves in the building have allowed to create forms and flow around itself, creating a lack of consistency and no clear start and end between the walls and the ceiling. The inspiration for the buildings design was based on a fish, its streamline features, which come through clearly in the design. The outer of the building is made from over '21,000 aluminum and stainless steel shingles and 280 steel ribs'[http://www.empmuseum.org/about-emp/the-emp-building.aspx, accessed Jan 2015] 

 

"I find in it what I find in Pollock, or Beethoven, where everything is also all there from the first sight or sound. There's no preparatory phase that gets you ready for something elaborate, it's already very elaborate." [Gilbert-Rolfe and Gehry, 2013, p. 24]

 

This is a quote from Jeremy Gilbert-Rolfe's book about Frank Gehry, comparing Gehry's design style to a similar one of composers, which opens up our minds to seeing buildings in a new way, and I can see how the smoothness of the materials helps you to follow the streamline shape, just as you would follow the flow of a music score. 

 

Summary

This first section has allowed my research to begin wide through looking at buildings I have already personally been too. Researching deeper into these, I have found both Daniel Libeskind and Frank Gehry, have taken inspiration from music to develop the Jewish museum and the Dancing House. The Jewish Museum was part inspired by Arnold Shcoenbergs's Opera, Moses and Aron from the spacing in the score being related to the void of spaces in the building and it being built close to where Schoenberg taught music. This was the beginning of my investigation, I found it interesting and clever how an architect can study a piece of music and relate it through a building design. Frank Gehry's Dancing House is inspired by the fluidity and movement of the dancing duo Fred Astaire and Ginger Rodgers. The interview I found between Gehry and and Barbara Isenberg (University of Southern California) was interesting to discover how Gehry also uses music to inspire his design work, in a similar way to Libeskind. Gehry also uses the structure of a piece of music, but rather than reading it, he listens to it. The evolvement of the music gives him a story which he then implements into his design work. Gehry's way is much more conceptual and experimental, which sometimes works and sometimes does not. For example his Experience Music Project, to me, does not have much of a relation to music other than the smooth curves which could relate to music flowing.  

Figure References;

 

1      http://www.flickr.com/photos/adam_jones/7551221394/in/set-72157630353426390/ accessed 8th November 2014

2      http://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/collection/works/159.1989/ accessed 8th November 2014

3      http://www.doepelstrijkers.com/?lan=_uk accessed 8th November 2014

4      http://www.pearllam.com/exhibition/sayaka-ishizuka-life-threads/ accessed 8th November 2014

5      http://aandofineart.com/artist.php?l=en&id=52&c=0&max_w=8 accessed 8th November 2014

6      https://www.flickr.com/photos/ufocinque/ accessed 8th November 2014

7-12   http://www.pearllam.com/exhibition/sayaka-ishizuka-life-threads/ accessed 8th November 2014

13/14  http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/03/28/arts/unearthing-the-seto-inland-seas-social-landscapes/#.VHzvbEst6_I accessed 8th November 2014

15/16  https://arthurjhuang.wordpress.com/tag/water-mirror/ accessed 8th November 2014

17/18  http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/862950.shtml accessed 8th November 2014

19-21  http://www10.aeccafe.com/blogs/arch-showcase/2011/06/14/the-warehouse-17c-in-madrid-spain-by-arturo-franco-office/ accessed 9th November 2014

22     http://www.archdaily.com/537049/the-factory-berlin-julian-breinersdorfer-architecture/ accessed 9th November 2014

23     http://lightbox-ny.com/portfolio/index.php?mode=view&album=LightBox-NY+Studio+Images&pic=LightBox-NY+Studio+A_002.JPG&dispsize=640&start=0 accessed 9th November 2014

24     http://divisare.com/projects/211697-AILAIC/images/3435567 accessed 9th November 2014

25-48  Taken by Myself

49-68  Taken by Myself

69-79  Taken by Myself

80     http://www.jmberlin.de/main/EN/04-About-The-Museum/01-Architecture/01-libeskind-Building.php accessed 10th November 2014

81-86  Taken by Myself

87     http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/arts/visualarts/architecture/article2891137.ece accessed 10th November 2014

88     http://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g60878-d146840-i87610198-EMP_Museum-Seattle_Washington.html accessed 10th November 2014

89     http://designapplause.com/2012/cleveland-clinic-lou-ruvo-center-for-brain-health-frank-gehry/22176/ accessed 10th November 2014

90     http://www.archdaily.com/211010/ad-classics-vitra-design-museum-and-factory-frank-gehry/vitra4/ accessed 13th December 2014

91     http://www.e-architect.co.uk/bilbao/guggenheim-museum-bilbao accessed 13th December 2014

92     Image Taken by Phoebe James

93-95  http://www.empmuseum.org/about-emp/the-emp-building.aspx accessed 13th December 2014

96-100 http://www.arcspace.com/features/gehry-partners-llp/experience-music-project-/ 13th December 2014

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