Create : Design as Tell : Story

In this first week back in classes the key concepts for thought were STORIES, ARTIFACTS, MULTIVIEW, CYCLE, and TRANSLATION. There were some very interesting comparisons and contrast throughout each class dealing with each word.

STORIES:
Architecture in itself is a story. It is a story about successes, failures, innovations places and change, but the end results/functions/purposes are the same. In 221 Patrick talked a lot about how architecture has changed over the years as we have embraced different eras and periods. In the end, the result is architecture. In the movie Mid Summer Nights Dream, there were many stories within one film. Although these stories had similarities and differences the main goal was to convey love with many meanings. Just as in the fairy tales we read, the stories ranged from love to hate but the idea was to communicate morals. The five items that I chose to represent my story for Suzanne’s class held a lot of different meanings, but they all connected to me.
ARTIFACTS:
In Arts as with many things, different parts work together to create a whole. This to me explains artifacts. From composing my inspiration board to creating a table/chair/work station/server for Jan, every separate piece communicated and offered an important part of the end result. In 221 a statement that really tied this together for me was "Artifacts shape our world." This was proven true in Suzanne's class on Tuesday(1/27) in the film by the Eames brother's the Power of 10. From something so small(people) to something so big(galaxy) and everything in between, each artifact is important to create something so beautiful and powerful(universe).
MULTIVIEW:
In the built environment there are different views whether you are refering to different opinions and ideas or exterior vs. interior. I feel as though views coincide with artifacts although they are not necessarily physical b/c each different view can help with the end results. In a literal sense, the multiviews of shots that the film captured helped to communicate emotions, important information, and a better overall feeling for the viewer. Stoell requested that when making Jan's furniture piece we needed to try to make a different view from each angle. Although it would have been simpler to make the object symmetrical, adding variation and slightly manipulating each side made it more visually pleasing.
CYLCLE:
From one period to another one or two things happen: Change or No Change. In 221 discussions about architecture from the stone ages to now lead to understanding that something is always taken from the past in the present. We learn to be innovative and try new things but most is learned from a previous experience. As the scripture says "there is nothing new under the sun." In Mid Summer Nights Dream, the cycle of love was continued throughout the film in different ways. Also there was a cycle of beginning, middle(climax), and end.
TRANSLATION:
In architecture just as in our very lives, there are going to be things that work and don't work, things that change and don't change. On Monday(1/26)Patrick talked about things that don't work well in one interior setting but may very work in another, or how something may start out working in one setting but overtime it doesnt work anymore. There then could be use for it found in some other space at any given time. In Mid Summer Nights Dream, the actual story was translated from time period to time period(Shakespeare to 1999). In constructing Jan's furniture, I learned that where something start's doesn't have to be where it ends.

Tying it All Together!

Artifacts, Cycles, Multiviews, Stories, and Translation all have a common ground. Each distinct word has its own meaning, but they all get to an ending point. They all also repeat themselves in our lives on a day to day basis.
The inspiration board, nautilus shell, seat/table/server/workspace, 5 meaningful artifacts, and the broken chair all tell their own stories.



Although temporarily permanent, they are all capable of change whether it be location, growth, new meanings, different uses or further inspiration. In this first phase of the OPUS, I have learned to take each word and look at it more critically, and really apply them to my designs, work, and life.