Classes: Urban Landscape
Title:Classes
Size:30.5cmx30.5cm
Medium:Wood & Glue
Completed:April
Intentions:Inspired by the detailed skyscrapers of Louis Sullivan and by the circular structures of Oscar Niemeyer I created an urban landscape. In this landscape the rich and the poor are clearly divided. On one side, tall, unique architecture, on the other, affordable, short, and standard living conditions.
Made or Found:Made
Size:30.5cmx30.5cm
Medium:Wood & Glue
Completed:April
Intentions:Inspired by the detailed skyscrapers of Louis Sullivan and by the circular structures of Oscar Niemeyer I created an urban landscape. In this landscape the rich and the poor are clearly divided. On one side, tall, unique architecture, on the other, affordable, short, and standard living conditions.
Made or Found:Made
Artists
St. Louis' Wainwright Building by Sullivan
Nordhauser, Alyssa. "Nickel Collection Gets New Home." The Architect's Newspaper. N.p., 06 Jan. 2011. Web. 06 Apr. 2016. |
Oscar Niemeyer International Cultural Centre by Oscar Niemeyer
Quirk, Vanessa. "The Complete Works of Oscar Niemeyer." ArchDaily. N.p., 04 Dec. 2012. Web. 06 Apr. 2016. |
Louis Sullivan was an American architect who was known as "the father of skyscrapers." He built enormous, rectangular buildings that contained surprising amounts of detail. I imagined that if my skyscrapers were real they would be sculpted with as much detail that Sullivan incorporated, if not more. Oscar Niemeyer was a Brazilian architect that focused on modern architecture. Looking at his work I noticed he leaned towards spherical, cylindrical, rounded buildings. They were very unique. I wanted to incorporate something nobody else would have in their landscapes. His influence over my work is demonstrated with the two round structures, one laying horizontally on its side, and the other completely horizontally on its rim. Both of these artists fueled my imagination when creating the upper class section of my urban landscape. I believed that wealthier people would surround themselves with amazing architectural feats similar to those Sullivan and Niemeyer created.
Tools
Table Saw-used to cut all of the wood to the desired size
Variety of Wood Pieces-used to represent buildings Wood Glue-used to adhere the buildings to the base Tape Measure-used to measure 12''x12'' Piece of Wood-used as the base for the urban landscape Stand with Light at the Bottom-used to light up the urban landscape |
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Process
My process was fairly simple. I began by making planning sketches that followed the requirements of the assignment, which were...
"Introduce a void in the plate by making four incisions that extend nearly the full width and length of the box...Two of the four incisions MUST meet at right angle."
I created fives sketches, four of which can be seen in the slideshow on the right. The image that is before the slideshow was the chosen sketch.
"Introduce a void in the plate by making four incisions that extend nearly the full width and length of the box...Two of the four incisions MUST meet at right angle."
I created fives sketches, four of which can be seen in the slideshow on the right. The image that is before the slideshow was the chosen sketch.
My next step was transferring my design onto the base of my piece. I also gathered wooden materials and measured where I would like them to be cut. My father then used the table saw to cut the materials according to the measurements. After that it was merely a process of arranging the blocks on the base and evaluating what was the most aesthetically pleasing and intriguing.
Each building has a reason why it was placed there. Each building can be described in a way to make the audience envision the potential of the wood blocks. It just takes a little imagination to see what I see. For example,
the side that has the diagonal increase of skyscrapers is the "rich" side of town. The circular buildings are a great, almost futuristic, architectural feat! A little to the left at the very edge of the city you can see the less impressive buildings bleeding into the the upper class side. These connect to what is on the opposite side of the "Great Divide" which is the lower class area. There all the buildings are small, there are no skyscrapers or impressive architectures. However, at the very edge of this side there are a little taller taller buildings, the middle class and their architectural piece.
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Reflection
This was the most challenging assignment of the year, which is amusing considering it seems to be the simplest. What I took away from this project was I do not have the aptitude to be an architect. I honestly had no idea to do. I am still unsure if I gave MIAD what they were looking for. I think I had too much freedom and my creativity fell flat on this one. My urban landscape is unimpressive. However, I did seriously attempt this assignment. I made several sketches. I experimented with different ideas and designs. I also applied the feedback from my critiques into my final.
With all this in mind, I feel as though something is missing. Nothing grabs me and pulls me in. I think my piece could have been improved with a flexible cut of reflective metal or some thread strung tightly in areas to give the appearance of cables. I wish I would have worked with the light more to bring more light to the edges of the landscape.
Something I did well, was the photography of the landscape when it was under the light. My photos highlight the best parts of my piece at all angles. They also show a great contrast between light and dark.
This truly was a learning experience.
With all this in mind, I feel as though something is missing. Nothing grabs me and pulls me in. I think my piece could have been improved with a flexible cut of reflective metal or some thread strung tightly in areas to give the appearance of cables. I wish I would have worked with the light more to bring more light to the edges of the landscape.
Something I did well, was the photography of the landscape when it was under the light. My photos highlight the best parts of my piece at all angles. They also show a great contrast between light and dark.
This truly was a learning experience.