habituation
shelter
variation
necessity
progression
CREATION
This week in class, we spent time learning to draw ideas as images. Four groups were formed, each representing one of the four chapters in Experiencing Architecture that we were supposed to have read. My group chose Chapter I: Basic Observations. Each person was designated one or two pages and I ended up getting the last page in the chapter. Page 34 basically starts off talking about the way children play games where they build themselves shelter, by hiding under some shrubs or, one of my favorite things to do as a kid, taking a few chairs and building a tent with a blanket. Animals also have a similar need to build shelter, though for them it's a matter of survival. The page goes on to say that man is the only species who builds according to need, given the climate, culture or other parameters. We have progressed from dwelling in caves to building crude log houses to creating the sleek structures seen today. I particularly like the last line: "And this - to bring order and relation into human surroundings - is the task of the architect."
Some other drawings in my group included: an egg in a nest representing a hard object with a soft shape; different types of balls with different textures and weights; a street and the representation of skyscrapers surrounding it. Some drawings from the group drawing Chapter II included: the seam of a pair of jeans (at first glance a man, upon furthur inspection, a young woman - though wouldn't the shoes say a lot about a person?); the interior of St. Peter's, in Rome; flying buttresses - the theme of the chapter is Solids and Cavities.
Our first project will be to pick a building and draw it using the descriptive terms that we've learned. I'm going to choose the MOMA or the Jewish Contemporary Museum, since I work right near both. It will give me time to really sit and contemplate the structures.
