The reflections unit embodies several major design movements through out the late 18th and 19th century. The nineteenth century was a time of revolution. The revolutions took form politically, socially and economically. All of these changes led to a change in design as well. During the nineteenth century we see a variety of competing design languages as architects struggle to understand what it is to be “modern”
Beginning the reflections unit we began to explore the American colonies. The nineteenth century in the colonies was a time for establishment of a young nation. Designers sought out to create a style that was classical in nature displaying Grecian like structures and facades while at the same time rejecting lavish decoration and ornamentation of the baroque period in order to make a statement of separation from the king. These style structures are most often seen in government buildings such as the state capitals of Virginia, North Carolina, and several others
Moving back to England we see a more varied style of designs. The rise of the industrial revolution let to many new materials such as cast iron as well as engineering strategies. No single structure from the nineteenth century better personifies the industrial revolution as the crystal palace. This structure applies gothic architecture concepts such as verticality and a great emphasis on repetition of like elements to a place of commerce, romanticizing the idea of business and commerce. In the crystal palace we see a break from a holistic design style as seen in the baroque period and begin to see structures in which the shell and the objects contained with in the shell speak two very different languages.
Another competing design concept in England and France during the nineteenth century was the fusion of eastern and western design styles. Chinese, Japanese, and India design styles were all applied to European design concepts. These foreign styles brought a level of excitement and exoticness to traditional artifacts such as bowls, vases, furniture and wallpaper, as well as spaces and buildings. No building of the nineteenth century displays these eastern influences, as thoroughly as the pavilion at Brighton hall. With an exterior of Indian origin and an interior highly decorated in Chinese motifs the pavilion displays culture and worldliness through the lenses of English design.
The final design movement covered in the reflections unit was the rise of English arts and crafts. Headed by the concepts of William Morris two quotes can summarize the ideals behind the arts and crafts movement. The first is “ We wish not to reject the machine, only to master it” and the second “ the right question to ask in respect to ornament is simply this, was it done with enjoyment?” Arts and crafts designers sought to create a style incorporating past design philosophies with a high level of wooden craftsman ship.
This image of an Olympic diver can accurately summarize the reflections unit. Although his impact with the water is the same each time the journey from the diving platform to the water is never identical to the one before. Just as no nineteenth century design style spoke the same language they each have impacted our design languages today as we “reflect” upon them
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