Dec 13

What I learned about myself is that I have a strong interest in many different art forms. At a very young age design and art has sparked my interest. Doing my auto biography for this class choosing places that most represented me was the most difficult because I have been to so many and they have all had some kind of influence that it was difficult to choose two. Choosing objects materials were simple because I am always working on a new craft that it was easy to pick two that I thought most represented me. I also learned about myself that I like to change up the things I do often and that may because I get bored or possibly because there is a lot of new ideas and diy projects that I want to so them all.

Unit Four Summary

Starting off unit four of reflections we discussed the context of the 1964 world’s fair in a social, politically and cultural dimensions that they presented. This world's fair theme was "Man's Achievements in an Expanding Universe" and "A Millennium of Progress" puts into context that technology was a major part of every household. In a political aspect of design the big globe that was produced I think symbolized that people around the world are working toward one common goal which was expanding what was possible and working together to achieve it. After discussing in class the different aspects of political, social, and cultural dimensions answering this post was much easier to explain those three dimensions than before. Now I have an understanding of the many different ways political dimensions are related to buildings and design. Next class we brought 5 cards to class that represented a significant design idea. In this class we worked as a group to use everyone’s cards to group thing by some similar aspect. Our class ended up grouping all the cards by material, space, object, place, and building. Next we grouped them in a time span of 50 years such as 1900’s, 1950’s etc. At first as a class we had conflicts in the way that we would group them because many people had complicated ideas. Settling for the less complicated idea made it easier to group everything together but using string to connect all the cards as a whole was a challenge. Listening to others ideas on how to group things opened my eyes to ideas and concepts that I didn’t quite think about or thought that they wouldn’t work.  The cards that I chose to start my autobiography were denim, a color guard rifle, a castle, Colorado Springs and my bedroom. All five of these cards have led me to my interest in a=some aspect of design and even more why I ended up in this class and at UK. Next we were tested over the chair cards that we learned about throughout the semester from designers that were incorporated with some buildings that we were shown throughout different lectures in the semester. Our last lecture class we got to look at everyday buildings we see around campus. During this lecture we focused on 25 buildings from campus that ranged from classically designed buildings to mid century, and to modern. We were challenged to group these building by function or design qualities. For the blog post I chose to describe and explain the cultural, social and political aspect of the memorial building because of the popularity and extensive history that it has. Overall this unit has helped me understand how design tends to reflect on the past in what has worked and hasn’t and then continues to take some of those fundamental ideas and builds upon them today. This concept will further be continued in design and will affect newer and more modern buildings that will be continued in future designs.

Retrieved from http://www.health.gov.ws/portals/189/support%20files/water-drop.jpg

Dec 12

            Out of the building described in class I choose to describe memorial hall politically, socially, and culturally. The exterior of the building resembles a classical style of design with the columns, pediment, and the tower like structure above. This building was built after world war one as a memorial for soldiers. The architect used many key elements of classical design when constructing this building which plays into the cultural aspect of this building. The main room inside this building is used for a classroom for learning and during the time it was built it was used for lectures and performances. During this time period education was bringing together different sexes and races in one place and this adds to the cultural aspect of this building. This building’s other purpose was designed for performances given the outside seating, and balcony as well as the huge stage inside. This design feature explains very well the social aspect of the building, bringing people together for entertainment. Politically this building stands for higher learning and as a memorial for the soldiers that passed away in world war one. The exterior of the building represent the soldiers while the classroom inside represent the learning that took place in the past and how it continues to take place in the present.

Image retrieved from (http://inntheheartoflexington.com/parents-of-college-kids-tips-for-visiting-campuses/)

Autobiography

The beginning of my strong interest in the arts and design was when I was moved to Germany as a young child. Visiting all these different castles as a child wasn’t interesting until I visited the Neuschwanstein Castle. I will never forget the entirely gold room in that building and that sparked my interest in buildings. After a few years in Germany we relocated to Colorado springs and in this school was where I learned how to make pottery. I was intrigued in the process and liked making plates and bowls for others. In Colorado I also picked up a hobby and that was photography, mostly of the mountains and landscapes around where I lived. After living in Colorado for a short time I moved back home to Ohio where my interest in buildings grew more. There are many historical buildings around Sandusky and I loved learning about the history of the buildings and what the purposes of the buildings were. Around this age I picked up a strong interest in clothes and design. I had received a sewing machine and used old denim to make things, mostly purses. This strong interest in fashion design carried stuck around for a good time being until I was introduced to architecture. After I moved to Kentucky my mom insisted I join some sort of activity or play an instrument so I did. I learned to play the saxophone in 5^th grade and played until my junior year in high school. If I would have never played an instrument I wouldn’t be where I am today. When I entered high school I got the opportunity to learn to play bassoon with a professor from UK where I was offered a full ride scholarship as a sophomore. I ended up not taking it but from then on UK was a school that I considered for college. In band I learned about color guard and that is when I joined and learned how to spin rifle and flag. At the time I wanted to continue spinning in college and when I found out about Lexington’s winter guard I was even more convinced of attending UK. My stepdad introduced me to the work of Frank Lloyd Wright and some of the buildings he designed and until recently I thought architecture was what my career was going to be. Falling water was one of my favorite buildings that he created because of how visually appealing it is. Ultimately I ended up deciding on attending UK because of the accredited architecture program that they have. This class was the first class that I have taken design/ architectural wise and the reason I ended up here was because of all the influences I have encountered over my years. My room today is a great example of the type of person I am and how I express myself in the way my room is designed as well as the artwork on the walls. Most of my spare time is taking up by my new hobby which is knitting scarves and headbands.

 

 

Dec 5

As a young child I was always interested in design, fashion and buildings. For place I am going to use my room. My room is where I have all of my objects that I have created from jewelry, to scarves, to high waisted shorts and much more. My room is where I can come up with new ideas and create them and my room reflects my creative side. For building I am going to pick the neuschwanstein castle in Germany. As a young child I lived in Germany and this castle is the first building that really sparked my interest in buildings. From then on I would build castle out of Legos along with furniture. The material that best describes me would be denim. Over last summer I designed high waisted shorts and sold them online and this is one of my favorite hobbies. Even though this doesn't relate to interior design it is a type of fashion design and a major part of me. An object that has molded me is my rifle from high school marching band. Being able to do an art form by spinning rifle was probably one of my favorite things and was the reason that I ended up looking into UK.
Lastly I think a place that has influenced my perspective on design was Colorado springs. Living there when I was younger was such an inspiration in the way I view nature. I love photography especially photography of nature and this all began when I lived in Colorado springs.

Nov 26

I have always been the type of person that ends up with a better project or idea when I bounce ideas and concepts off of others. Working with others and their ideas help to develop my ideas better. In this group project I had an idea of how I wanted to do the categorization but listening to other ideas from my classmates along with my ideas ended up in a better project than if I just used my own design. A lot of us had the same idea in categorization of the 5 types of cards so there was an conflict and everyone worked together really well. I think my sense of design shifted in a way that now I am more open to others ideas to help further my ideas. Looking at how others perceive situations helps me to see different ways that I can approach that same idea or concept.

Unit Three Summary

 

http://www.fsusd.org/cms/lib03/CA01001943/Centricity/Domain/778/technology-the-basic-right-of-all-people-6.jpg

The first main topic that we discussed in class with the beginning of unit three was what a world’s fair is. Before this class I had never heard of or even knew about the World’s fair. Now I understand that the World’s fairs are exhibitions used to look at new designs from a global perspective in many different aspects at one location. We then moved onto skyscrapers and how they were able to be produced with the technology of curtain wall construction. With the production of steel and elevators this also helped contribute to making the skyscraper realistic. At this time architects were looking at new materials and ways to build buildings in smaller locations such a cities and specifically new York and Chicago. With the great Chicago fire that happened it helped that city rebuild and expand past the limits that they set for themselves. With the rebuilding of Chicago they developed urban areas where architects then developed new types of housing such as the bungalow, apartments, and country houses. The new type of homes was also constructed from new materials and with new types of design. Houses were starting to represent a more family orientated space which included open floor plans as well as porches on the house. More bedrooms were created to compensate for more children.  With the idea of different locations within the main city of Chicago also lead for new ways of transportation which also improved over time with technology. It was possibly to drive into town from your country house or even ride the train. In cities there started to contain stores where you could buy furniture or products that you needed.  New designs and ideas continued to be represented at the World’s fair. With the invention of the television interiors were arranged to the main focus being on the television. The interiors were not only influenced on where the TV was placed but also how interiors were arrange on different shows. Households wanted to create the ideal American life which reminds me of the video that was shown in class on how to be prepared for dinner during that time. With the further advancement in technology such as the car and having a new model every year that also impacted design. Every year new designs were created to appeal to the public. Lastly home owners and clients are who I believe control where the future of design is headed. Architects and designers design what can be produced but ultimately whatever the client or home owner chooses is the direction that the designer or architect will take. In this unit we have covered a lot of information about the expansion of design and exploration in new materials and ideas and how it has led us to where we are currently. The major thing that I have learned and take away from this unit is technology had a greater impact on the world of design and really has shaped the world in more ways than I would have expected.

Nov 21

This world's fair theme was "Man's Achievements in an Expanding Universe" and "A Millennium of Progress" puts into context that technology was a major part of every household. The time this fair took place was after a major war and technology was rapidly growing which was shown through this fair. In a political aspect of design the big globe that was produced I think symbolized that people around the world are working toward one common goal which was expanding what was possible and working together to achieve it. In the social aspect of design a worlds fair is about showcasing what others around the world are producing and designing so in general a worlds fair has social design but one in particular would be the idea that designers were building residential homes for entertainment as well as for family purposes. Lastly a cultural aspect of design in this worlds fair many building represented many different cultures from around the world in one place.

Nov 19

In my opinion I believe that the client or home owners leads design. When the architect designs a building they use the opinions of their client and what the purpose of the building is being used for to construct their design. If you look at it in a pyramid sense the client would be at the top overseeing the whole project and everything and everyone else would fall under the clients to help reach the ending goal. I also believe that clients also help move design forward by accepting the new designs that designers create and put out. If the clients didn't accept the newer and recent designs then design would be at a steady standstill.

Nov 14

To be international in the 1960's consisted of having a certain object that may be made or designed elsewhere in your house, or to use a style that wasn't made in the United states and replicate it in your own space. It is bringing different culture and ideas into your location. I believe that international is the first step to becoming global. Lets say a newly founded business is opened a location in the United states then decides it wants to also be available in Europe, it then become international. It can share idea from that location and also from the original location. Now to be global is to see that company, business, toys, furniture, design in many locations around the globe. A great example is McDonalds. Everybody knows the symbol of the arch and name. It is a globally known corporation. International is a small step to then becoming global.

Nov 12

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/45/Eames_house_entry.jpg

Charles and Ray Eames designed and built their home in the 1950's. This home was made for the case study project that was going on at the time and reflected what a modern home looks like at that time. The building materials consist of steel and glass along with primary colored glass. Inside it contained furniture that they constructed themselves. This house stood as a model for modern design of the mid twentieth century because if the materials it was constructed from as well as the design.

Nov 7

 

 

I believe that building design in the commercial world echoed what was happening in residential design but also may have influenced the residential design. With technology moving forward so rapidly movement was a major theme seen in both these buildings. The villa sovoye was designed around the movement of the car, while the Chrysler building was made for the car. The movement of the skyscraper was vertical and not horizontal. Both buildings have stripped aesthetics and simple decorations. Another similarity is that both buildings incorporate many windows to let in as much natural light as possible. They both also have a fluid connection between the interior and exterior design. A major difference is that the majority of the weight of the villa savoye is distributed equally and is on stilts while they skyscraper's weight is all at the base. In the end these two buildings are more similar than they come off to be and they both affect each other.

Nov 5

The impacts of the world war one and two had major impacts on modernism with influences from political, social, and physical aspects. after the discussion we had in class we came up with a list of some key elements that helped shape modernism such as, skyscrapers, emigration of key designers to the U.S., World's Fair's, new building materials, and advertising. I believe that after the war that advertising was the major influence that affected modernism and design because it was a major art of the daily consumers home. It started with magazines and newspaper, which developed into the radio and television. These were direct influences to the everyday home and I believe that had more of an impact than any other influence.

October 31

From what we discussed in class about the world's fair and the materials that were used for those buildings steel seemed to be the modern building material of that time. Before those fairs wood and brick were commonly used building materials. Steel gave the impression of something futuristic, it also had that smooth and somewhat shiny component as well. This helped transform buildings not only horizontally but vertically. With stronger building materials it is easier to build upwards and have that structure stay over time. With designers building upwards in steel this portrayed a new territory to the people which gives off a modern ideal. I still believe today that any building built in steel looks futuristic simply because of the composition of steel.

October 29

http://www.homeplans.com/dutch-colonial-home-plans

 

 

This house is a house similar to the one in the ads we seen in class but it also reminds me of the majority of homes back where I live. This is a great example of a modern home in the early twentieth century as well as today. I think to be modern is using materials that are newer and more common among the builders. Also many builders are using eco friendly materials which seems to be popular or modern these days. Also buildings that are abstract tend to be considered more modern. The layouts of the houses, such as open floor plans is considered modern compared to older houses which have an entry way and maybe a living room on one side and a kitchen on the other. Having natural light being able to enter the house is very modern today and in the past. Many of the characteristics that characterized houses of the twentieth century are the same ones that make houses modern in todays society.



October 24

From the magazine adds that we reviewed in class the majority of the houses were quite large. The adds emphasized the large porches that they had as well as the many and spacious rooms. People communicated that they were family orientated which was shown in the many rooms. It also was shown in the layout of the house were dinning and living rooms were considered an open layout. Also having porches the people communicated that their houses were more inviting and family orientated. People also communicated that they were environmentally friendly since many houses were built with natural products. The also communicated  sense of individuality because everyone had an individual bedroom.

October 22

Joanna Merwood- Salisbury shed slight on how the designers perceived their ideas and how their buildings represented them but also the city they were built in and America at the time. She mentioned that the sky scraper buildings in Chicago were very vernacular in appearance which at the time reflected how the designer were perceiving America at the time and as well as the future. The designers saw a dynamic, fertile, and positive outlook about the city and that reflect in the skyscraper's that were designed by them. In a sense they were building for a better society. Other perceived the buildings as a sense of capitalism but that wasn't the objective of the designers. They wanted to show the growth that America was going through.

October 17

Chicago seemed to flourish and expand before the fire torn it down and forced the city to start over. In the article it describes how Chicago built more of their suburbs towards the west of the city. The city was also very big because  of the seven railroads that intersected the city. This made it more accessible to people outside of Chicago. In class we looked at the population of Chicago over the years and at one point in time Chicago had more people than New York. The fire in Chicago destroyed much of the city if forced them to rebuild. I do believe that this freed Chicago because after the fire they didn't limit themselves to just building to certain locations but they expanded their region. They used more of their resources and it is shown in the map provide don the website.

Unit Two Summary

Unit Two started off learning and understanding Proportioning and scale which was explained by Ching. In this proportioning system one concept or idea was the golden ratio which a lot of the cathedrals were based on. Using the golden ratio it helps makes buildings symmetrical and in many buildings built during that time the golden ratio was used. In class we also learned and discussed the impact that Palladio made. The houses that he built called the villa rotunda which featured a rotunda in the center floor plan, was a building block to future building plans. Also all of his work and drawings were used to teach future architects. Looking at the three types of house styles early, Georgian and federal they were all built differently because they were all located in different locations in the US. The south still had a strong connection to England so many of the styles represented houses of England. Compared to the houses up in the north they were drastically different. The houses up north had a monochromatic scheme , very steep roofs, huge chimneys, and were usually made of wood. The building materials in the south consisted mostly of brick. The reason the materials were drastically different is because of the weather conditions. Learning how the design cycle works and what it consists of helped to understand the changes that occurred in design after the American war. The furniture before the war looked more richer and wealthier than the furniture after the war. The furniture after the war was made to represent the working class which Montgomery thought was the case as well. Next we covered how the first national style of America was Greek/Grecian revival. Revival meaning coming again into activity, most buildings built contained a rotunda. Had columns, and also was white or a cream color. The idea that we had at the time was to build another Athens. America wanted to recreate Athens and they tried to achieve that goal by reviving the Greek design and buildings. During this time America was figuring out if they were going to be a factory or agricultural producer. In the end they realized that both was possible. With factories being created so was new ways to produce products. Many other countries didn’t like the idea of factories making products because it was no longer handmade. With these factories bigger sheets of glasses were able to be produced along with cast iron. These were used as new design materials. Last topic covered in class was the art movements between the late 1800’s to 1900’s. during this time period artist such as Picasso, Seurat, and Van Gogh created artwork which reflected the time they were living in. During the depression art worked was very different compared to the artwork made in the later 1900’s. The idea was that as we moved forward into time people set their ideas and goals toward the future to new ideas instead of looking to the past for ideas and designs.

Prompt Eleven

The difference between revival and reform  is that revival is coming into activity and reform is a change for the better. In the readings that we have read so far the text describes that the there was a reform that occurred. The reform was to improve the mass production. In particular the conditions that the workers worked in. By reforming the way production is the goods being produced were be better quality. So in a indirect way the goods were being reformed as well.