Weaving Architecture & Nature

Landscape from its beginnings has a man-made connotation with associated cultural process values. The idea of having a landscape does not suggest anything natural at all. Yet there are instances of projects where the landscape itself suggests natural connotations as though there is no interface between nature (site) and culture (architecture).In Chichi Art Museum, Today And made a radical decision to create an underground space to create minimal changes to the current natural environment, exposing only very basic geometries as the openings for the underground gallery. He transformed the site into a natural work of art, interfacing with the internal works of art. On the other hand, Frank Lloyd Wright's Billingsgate transforms the original site into a beautiful monumental landscape and brings nature into the house by using materials found on site, creating natural experiences through his architecture.Yet the ideas of the interface between Nature and architecture are translated very di fferently for the 2 projects. Nod's idea of the interface was a stark exposed one while Wright's was more clear and rational. This paper seeks to find out whether one of their interpretations questionable, or it is Just harder to comprehend one than the other. Keywords: Nature; Integration; Art; Landscape; Culture 1. INTRODUCTION Figure 1 . Illustration of the Phases of Museum Development The concept of museums since the late 18th century evolved through 3 different phases (Figure 1).The first generation are mostly built by royalties as part of their collections, the second generation museums are more particular in presenting artworks and collections in their raw form, where exhibition spaces are designed to segregate the works from any context using spaces that is ere and abstract. As art works progressed further, artists evolved to creating works that are more specific, works that interact with surroundings and also visitors.This concept itself brings out the definition of cultura l landscape by Saucer (Saucer 1925, 46), where the art works themselves represents the cultural interference to the surrounding natural landscape. Here, the architect undertakes a special role as the direct influencer to the landscape. The Chichi Art Museum by Today And is one of the first of the 3rd development of museums, specially designed to house the works f Claude Monet, Walter De Maria and James Turrets, or on a higher level, to integrate their works with the natural environment.The way Today And created his cultural landscape, interfacing with nature with his strong use of man made materials concrete and glass, gives us a new perspective on how one interfaces with their surroundings. 2 THE ORIGIN The concept emerged due to a similarity between the artists in the history of art – they question modern art and architecture and the â€Å"quality of aesthetic experience† in a three-dimensional space. By congregating them into one space could form â€Å"a lace for a esthetic experience† (Watchmaker and Mammoth 2005, 83). Figure 2.Mashing, Japan (Source: http://architects. Files. Wordless. Com/2011 /06/chichi_panorama Jpg) The chosen site (Figure 2) was based on the likes of the initial client, Choirs Effectuate whom had a special liking towards the views of Sets Inland Sea and other islands from a place in Mashing (Watchmaker and Mammoth 2005, 83). The site was a good match with a three dimensional space envisioned by Monet – a space that by itself is a piece of art giving birth to the idea of a space that blends art and architecture together seamlessly.Hence instead of a monumental building sitting on the site, the building took the form of 2 an underground building with no apparent form. The visitor world experience each artist's space, one by one independently, and was prevented from looking at the building as a whole. Upon gathering all the experiences, they would then discover the structure in its entirety, and the relationshi ps and arrangements between spaces (Figure 3). Figure 3. Illustration of Separate volumes coming together in the site (Source: Today And at Mashing: art, architecture, nature. )The final museum itself, shown in Figure 3 embodies a mastery of light and materials that seek to reconnect with the elements of â€Å"art and nature†. To maintain the existing environment and aesthetics of the site, And chose to ‘bury' the museum underground. Only a series of concrete openings and geometrical skylights float among the greenery shown in Figure 4. He dedicated a separate space for each of the artists' gallery, bounding them together with a triangular courtyard that connects all the exhibition spaces via a mixed sequence of spaces – light and dark, open and closed. Figure 4.Concrete opening and Skylight 3 THE INTERFACE . 1 Today Nod's Chichi Art Museum Mashing 3 From Section 2, we understood that And made the decision to integrate art and nature as one by placing the buildin g underground thus giving Chichi its name. Yet in his design, we see stark signs of man – made influences to the site, the most obvious being the introduction of concrete volumes that encompasses the entire site. As visitors enters the 27,700 square foot reinforced-concrete Chichi Museum, they will discover the diminishing sunlight taken over by the disorientating semidarkness.The tunnel-like passageway provides a full separation from the external environment ND leads them into a square-sis forecourt carpeted with green stalks of bamboo-like grass (Pollock 2005, 116). This initial experience that And created as his entrance sounds rather intimidating. The uniqueness and unfamiliarity created a rather daunting feeling, and nature is nowhere mentioned or considered when one enters the space. Is the integration with nature only a surface treatment to the architecture by infusing the building underground?Perhaps And was looking more into interfacing art and architecture together rather than interfacing the culture with nature. For our interpretation of a seamless interface with nature seem to be different from Nod's radical representation of nature in his work. Yet where did our interpretation come from? 3. 2 Frank Lloyd Wright's Billingsgate Figure 5. Billingsgate and the terraces (Source: HTTPS://blobs. Alt. VT. Dude/Kristin/files/2012/12/few Jpg) One of the historical buildings that perfectly epitomize the concept of one with nature is Frank Lloyd Wright's 4 Billingsgate.Wild animals live near it; Trees surround it; Water swirls underneath; huge beclouded rest at its feet; the house's terraces echo the pattern of the rock ledges below (Figure 5). Billingsgate seeks to find harmony with nature. Instead of scoping a natural landscape for its inhabitants, the Kauffmann, Frank integrated the waterfalls with the architecture and hence integrated the falls into their lives. Figure 6. Elevation and Section of Billingsgate with materials (Source: Billingsgate: F rank Lloyd Wright's romance with nature. ) Wright furthered the integration with nature via his selection of materials.He kept his selection to merely 4 materials – sandstone, reinforced concrete, steel and glass and integrated them as part of the natural environment (Figure 6). All the stone at Billingsgate was quarried from the bottom of the waterfalls. Beams are designed in an arc shaped Just so to allow tree to grow through the trellis. The chosen concrete was of a pale ochre color to match the back of a fallen rhododendron leaf (Hangman 2011, 40). Exposed steel was painted red to give a raw feeling; reminding people of the red color of iron ore and also of the fiery method used to create steel.Clear glass was used to extend the nature into the interior of the house, sometimes becoming reflective like mirror-like surfaces of a calm pool, and at night, disappears to eliminate any distinction between the interior and exterior. Understanding Wright's design and linking it to integration with nature seemed almost redundant as the building encapsulates the whole concept. It is simple to relate the architecture as part of the landscape, and the concept of integration was strongly showed in every angle, which was not seen for the case of Chichi Art 5 Museum. 3. New Interpretation As a 3rd generation museum, perhaps we should not Judge the interface at its mere surface. Was there more to its looks for the Chichi art museum? From the Periphery of Architecture, And wrote â€Å"Nature in the form of water, light ND sky restores architecture from a metaphysical to an earthly plane and gives life to architecture. A concern for the relationship between architecture and nature inevitably leads to a concern for the temporal context of architecture. I want to emphasize the sense of time and to create compositions in which a feeling of transience or the passing of time is a part of the spatial experience. (And 2005, 465) Nod's interpretation of the interface between architecture and nature showed that it should not be merely a visual effect, but a more in-depth understanding and experience towards nature. It is thus reasonable to feel that what And is doing with his architecture was in particular, to isolate natural elements in blending them with the architecture. Yes one would not feel the natural environment, for we have never experienced nature in its rawness. Our idea of sunlight goes together with landscape, with clouds, with mountains and seas.We do not see light as a unit on its own. Figure 7. A Collage of the Monet Gallery at Chichi Art Museum This ideology was translated rather well in the Chichi Art Museum project. For Motet's Gallery where the 6 tater lilies situate, the experience starts with changing your shoes to soft indoor slippers at the shoebox followed by a vacant room before the exhibition gallery. The dim experience diminishes through the rectangular open entrance, where silky light trickles in. Once we enter the Motet's r oom, the transparent veil of light surrounds us.The completely white atmosphere, the white frames, white walls, white ceiling, and white floors seem to be representative of the raw sunlight, as it fills the environment. This enabled the paintings to have an illusion that it is relieved of its endings to the frame and Joins the space as floating scenery (Figure 7). The gentle ramp that circulates around the central triangular courtyard features a slit in the walls, exposing elements of light into the dim passageway creates a transition of space yet connecting the spatial qualities of the Monet gallery to the other galleries (Figure 8).This triangular courtyard exposes only rough stones at its surface, propelling vision from the visitors towards the sky (Figure 8). In James Turret's Installation of the Open Sky, visitors are given the opportunity to enjoy the natural sky IA a framed skylight and observe the changes where visitors may see sunlight shining through the window, clouds dri fting by or a lingering evening glow. Figure 8. The triangular courtyard (Source: Chichi Art Museum: Today And builds for Walter De Maria, James Turrets, and Claude Monet. The entire approach of Chichi Art Museum in integrating with nature forms a critical questioning of the natural environment. It forcefully brings out nature via the use of concrete envelope. The physical interface here is the concrete building, although man-made, it seems to be the perfect medium to bring the isolated 7 tater into the art and architecture. The Chichi Museum is thus a successful effort between the architect and the artists, people and nature, acting as a specific artwork in itself. Even the form as seen from the exterior, is like an art piece, infused within the mountains (Figure 9). This made the argument in 3. Invalid as the approach took by And in creating a dramatic entrance was Justifiable if his intention of integrating with nature is as discussed. Figure 8. Series of mediums illustrating the building infused into the site. (Source: Chichi Art Museum: Today And builds for Walter De Maria, James Turrets, and Claude Monet. ) The isolation of nature to provide the integrated experience is not a new concept. Even in Wright's Billingsgate, we can see hints of this method used. In integrating the waterfall into the architecture, instead of scoping a view, Wright chose to situate the house right on top of it.

Free Essays on Shakespeare Tragedies

SHAKESPEARE TRAGEDIES William Shakespeare is one of the greatest writers of all time. His plays have been told and taught for centuries and teach moral lessons through its misfortunes. Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Othello, and Macbeth are all tragedies of either love or loss and demonstrate the imperfection of human desires. One of William Shakespeare’s most popular works is Romeo and Juliet. This play tells a story of two young, star-crossed lovers, whose love was destined for destruction. Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet are complete strangers until they meet each other at a costume party. As soon as they see each other they instantly fall in love. That night they encounter a rendezvous and confess their love for one another along with their true identities. When Juliet finds out that Romeo is a Montague she realizes that her love for him is forbidden because of the Montague/Capulet rivalry. Though they both know it is a sin to be together in their families’ eyes, they decide to keep their love a secret. Romeo takes the first steps to being untied by asking Juliet to marry him. She quickly accepts and arrangements are made for their matrimony. After Romeo and Juliet are wedded, Romeo is charged with the murder of Juliet’s cousin and is announced to be banished from Verona. Romeo m ust flee to Mantua leaving his new love behind. The next day Juliet discovers that her father has arranged for her to marry someone else. Pain-struck and heartbroken Juliet doesn’t know what to do. She can’t bear to marry someone she doesn’t love, let alone marry someone at all since she is already a wife to Romeo. And with Romeo being in Mantua she feels more alone then ever. Distressed at the prospect of a false marriage and going mad she turns to Friar Laurence for advice. He offers her a sleeping potion to make her appear dead for 42 hours. During this time, the Friar would send a letter to Romeo to return to Verona in time for Jul... Free Essays on Shakespeare Tragedies Free Essays on Shakespeare Tragedies SHAKESPEARE TRAGEDIES William Shakespeare is one of the greatest writers of all time. His plays have been told and taught for centuries and teach moral lessons through its misfortunes. Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Othello, and Macbeth are all tragedies of either love or loss and demonstrate the imperfection of human desires. One of William Shakespeare’s most popular works is Romeo and Juliet. This play tells a story of two young, star-crossed lovers, whose love was destined for destruction. Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet are complete strangers until they meet each other at a costume party. As soon as they see each other they instantly fall in love. That night they encounter a rendezvous and confess their love for one another along with their true identities. When Juliet finds out that Romeo is a Montague she realizes that her love for him is forbidden because of the Montague/Capulet rivalry. Though they both know it is a sin to be together in their families’ eyes, they decide to keep their love a secret. Romeo takes the first steps to being untied by asking Juliet to marry him. She quickly accepts and arrangements are made for their matrimony. After Romeo and Juliet are wedded, Romeo is charged with the murder of Juliet’s cousin and is announced to be banished from Verona. Romeo m ust flee to Mantua leaving his new love behind. The next day Juliet discovers that her father has arranged for her to marry someone else. Pain-struck and heartbroken Juliet doesn’t know what to do. She can’t bear to marry someone she doesn’t love, let alone marry someone at all since she is already a wife to Romeo. And with Romeo being in Mantua she feels more alone then ever. Distressed at the prospect of a false marriage and going mad she turns to Friar Laurence for advice. He offers her a sleeping potion to make her appear dead for 42 hours. During this time, the Friar would send a letter to Romeo to return to Verona in time for Jul...

How to Write a Solid Film Review

How to Write a Solid Film Review Feature films and documentaries  are sometimes used as research sources. They are also used quite frequently as supplemental learning tools in the classroom. A common writing assignment is a critical review or analysis of films. Your instructor will choose a specific film or documentary for a reason because it relates to the material at hand in some way. A good review will explain how the film has enhanced the learning experience, but it should also provide an account of your personal response. The components and format of your film analysis will depend on the course and your instructor’s preferences, but there are several standard components of a review. Components to Include in Your Review The elements listed here do not appear in any specific order. The placement of these items (or the omission of them) will vary, depending on relevance. You’ll have to decide, for example, if artistic elements are so important that they should be included in the body of your paper (as in a film class), or if they are so seemingly insignificant that they appear at the end (perhaps in an economics class). Title of the film or documentary: Be sure to name the film in your first paragraph. State the date of its release. Summary: What happened in this film? As a reviewer, you must explain what happened in the film and express your opinion about the success or failure of the film maker’s creation. Don’t be afraid to express your opinion, but include specific reasons for likes and dislikes. (You can’t say â€Å"it was boring† unless you provide justification.) Filmmaker: You should do a little research on the person who created this film. Is the director or writer a controversial figure?Is the filmmaker known for a political stance?Does the filmmaker have a significant background? If the filmmaker is known for controversy, this segment of your paper can be lengthy. Devote several paragraphs to an assessment of his or her other works and establish the significance of this work in the film maker’s career. Significance to your class: Why are you seeing this film in the first place? How does the content fit into your course topic? Is this film important for historical accuracy? If you are viewing a motion picture for your history class, be sure to make note of embellishments or over-dramatization. If you are reviewing a documentary for a history class, be sure to observe and comment on the sources used. Is this a motion picture based on a play you’ve read in English class? If so, make sure you specify whether the film illuminated or clarified elements you missed when reading the play. If you are reviewing a film for your psychology class, be sure to examine the emotional impact or any emotional manipulation you observe. Creative elements: Filmmakers go to great lengths to choose the creative elements of their films. How are these elements important to the overall product? Costumes for a period film can enhance a film or they can betray the intent of the film. Colors can be vivid or they can be dull. The use of color can stimulate and manipulate moods. Black and white shots can add drama. Good sound effects can enrich the viewing experience, while bad sound effects can destroy a film. Camera angles and movement can add elements to the story. A jagged transition adds intensity. Gradual transitions and subtle camera movements serve a specific purpose, as well. Finally, actors can make or break a film. Were the actors effective, or did poor acting skills detract from the film’s purpose? Did you notice the use of symbols? Formatting Your Paper The order and emphasis of your paragraphs will depend on your class. The format will also depend on the course topic and your instructors preference. For example, a typical documentary review for a history class will follow guidelines for a Turabian book review, unless your instructor states otherwise. A typical outline would be: Introduction, to include film title, topic, and release dateAccuracy of the depictionUse of sourcesCreative elementsYour opinion A paper for your literature class, on the other hand, should adhere to MLA formatting guidelines. The film would most likely be a feature film, so the outline might go like this: Introduction, with title and release dateSummary of the storyAnalysis of story elements like rising action, climaxCreative elements, use of color, camera techniques, mood, and toneOpinion Your conclusion should detail whether the filmmaker was successful in his or her purpose for making this film, and re-state your evidence. It may also explain how the film was (was not) helpful for illuminating and providing a deeper understanding of a topic in your class.

Summer Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere

Summer Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere June 20-21 is a very important day for our planet and its relationship with the sun. June 20-21 is one of two solstices, days when the rays of the sun directly strike one of the two tropical latitude lines. June 21 marks the beginning of summer in the northern hemisphere and simultaneously heralds the beginning of winter in the southern hemisphere. In 2014, the summer solstice occurs and summer begins in the Northern Hemisphere on Friday, June 21 at 6:51 a.m. EDT, which is 10:51Â  UTC. The earth spins around its axis, an imaginary line going right through the planet between the north and south poles. The axis is tilted somewhat off the plane of the earths revolution around the sun. The tilt of the axis is 23.5 degrees; thanks to this tilt, we enjoy the four seasons. For several months of the year, one half of the earth receives more direct rays of the sun than the other half. When the axis tilts towards the sun, as it does between June and September, it is summer in the northern hemisphere but winter in the southern hemisphere. Alternatively, when the axis points away from the sun from December to March, the southern hemisphere enjoys the direct rays of the sun during their summer months. June 21 is called the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere and simultaneously the winter solstice in the Southern Hemisphere. Around December 21 the solstices are reversed and winter begins in the northern hemisphere. On June 21, there are 24 hours of daylight north of the Arctic Circle (66.5Â ° north of the equator) and 24 hours of darkness south of the Antarctic Circle (66.5Â ° south of the equator). The suns rays are directly overhead along the Tropic of Cancer (the latitude line at 23.5Â ° north, passing through Mexico, Saharan Africa, and India) on June 21. The Reason for Seasons Without the tilt of the earths axis, we would have no seasons. The suns rays would be directly overhead of the equator all year long. Only a slight change would occur as the earth makes its slightly elliptical orbit around the sun. The earth is furthest from the sun about July 3; this point is known as the aphelion and the earth is 94,555,000 miles away from the sun. The perihelion takes place about January 4 when the earth is a mere 91,445,000 miles from the sun. When summer occurs in a hemisphere, it is due to that hemisphere receiving more direct rays of the sun than the opposite hemisphere where it is winter. In winter, the suns energy hits the earth at oblique angles and is thus less concentrated. During spring and fall, the earths axis is pointing sideways so both hemispheres have moderate weather and the rays of the sun are directly overhead the equator. Between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn (23.5Â ° latitude south) there really are no seasons as the sun is never very low in the sky so it stays warm and humid (tropical) year-round. Only those people in the upper latitudes north and south of the tropics experience seasons.

History Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 7

History - Assignment Example Joel Kotkin insisted that cities developed sacred functions as a very deep sign that they represented divine power. This enabled the cities to civilise and develop as much as they could. He gave examples of sacred cities which included Mesopotamia, the Indus Valley and China. Commercial cities included Detroit, shanghai and Carthage. Secure cities can be identified by their overall success currently and they include the cities of London and the United States (Tosh, p 33). Lewis Mumford noted that cities contributed significantly to human civilization. This was by providing the podium that would ensure that the architectural designs that made up cities were a greater representation of what human civilization was all about. He goes ahead to note that the creation of these cities presented a myriad of social problems that continued to threaten the human civilization process. He constantly hoped that over the years the cities would represent the uniqueness of each design and show the deep rooted spiritual values that were practised by the community or society (Tosh, p 19). In the ancient world, cities were places for trade, worship and industrial activities. They developed as a result of the very many needs and expectations that the communities had. They had the overall aim of strengthening these wants and needs. These functions are very similar because modern day cities are also created with the sole aim of meeting specific needs in society. It was therefore very necessary to have specific resources in the form of construction materials, funds and manpower to construct these cities. This had to be coupled with powerful policies that would ensure their overall maintenance from time to time. Hammurabi ensured that he created very simple laws and policies that were to be used to create an orderly atmosphere in urban cities (Tosh, p 43). Romans introduced very many architectural features in their constructions. This included the use of the most modern

French colonialism in Tunisia why did the french want to colonize Research Paper

French colonialism in Tunisia why did the french want to colonize Tunisia - Research Paper Example After the exit of the Ottoman Turks from Tunisia, major European powers were involved in a contest as to who would occupy the North African country. The French had to surpass two other European powers, in order for the former to establish its control over Tunisia. Both the British, Italians lost to the French in the occupation and gradual colonization of Tunisia. Accordingly, this essay will seek to establish the factors that led to the French occupation and colonization of Tunisia. Among the possible reasons for the French interest in Tunisia could be economic gain. At the time France was colonizing Tunisia, the latter was in a serious financial predicament, owing to numerous European debts2. Did France stand to gain economically by colonizing a financially weak country? On the other hand, Algeria, already a French protectorate and its proximity to Tunisia was of significance to the French colonists3. We shall also consider that maybe the French wanted to colonize Tunisia so as to i mpose French culture on the Muslim-dominated country. A final factor that could have motivated France to colonize Tunisia would be the need for the former to re-establish itself as a key power in global politics. The only way for France to achieve this imperialism would be through amassing as many colonies as possible. The topic on the French colonization of Tunisia is very intriguing. This is based on the fact that Tunisia is a country that borders the Sahara desert, the largest dessert in the world4. The leaves one wondering what could be so appealing about Tunisia, in order for it to be a centre of interest for three European powers. Particularly, why would France, a country recovering from major losses in Europe such its crush in the Franco-Prussian war want to colonize a country in economic crisis? France was willing to forego its interests in Cyprus to the British, in exchange

Apple company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Apple company - Essay Example The following are financial ratios for APPLE INCLUSIVE for the year ending 2012, 2013, and 2014. Horizontal analysis compares how a company runs its operation across different segments in different years, and emphasizes on cash allocation and generation (Bull, 2008). While vertical analysis compares the amount allocated to an item against the total that was available in a given year. The current assets for APPLE INCLUSIVE rose by 27.1%; in 2013 and dropped to 18.8% in 2014. It was a result of decrease of short-term investments by 38.8%. Total liabilities increased by 44.2% in 2013 and rose by 107.9% in 2014. It was as a result of the abrupt increased current liabilities by 64.6%. The total stockholder’s equity rose by 5% in 2013 and decreased by 6% in 2014. The revenue for the year ending 2014 increased by 17% but the cost of production too increased by 27% making the net income to decrease by 6%. The value of current assets rose by 35% in 2013 and dropped to 32% in 2014. The value of long term investments decreased from 56% in 2012 to 52% in 2014. Current liabilities moved increased by 7%; this is because of increased account payable by 49%. Gross profit for APPLE INCLUSIVE decreased from 43.8% in 2012 to 38.5% in 2014. The reason to this can be blamed on the increased cost of goods from 56.1% in 2012 to 61.4% in 2014. The net income was impacted by the above increased in cost of production, resulting in a decrease by 5.1%. Profitability ratios are a reflection of how a company is efficient in generating income. These ratios are â€Å"seductive† to investors; an investor would like to know how profitable is the corporation before they decide to invest. Everyone expects to value for their money. From the above ratios, it might look contradicting how the two ratios give a different interpretation of the financial performance of APPLE INCLUSIVE. Profit margin shows the net