On Structure, Form, Space, People and Spirit
Too many words for a post title! Yeah, i had too many ideas jumbled up to say and struggling on my start!
I keep wondering how people shape spaces. What i mean by 'people' and 'shape' means - their living enthusiasm mix with various kinds of spaces that have mushroomed in the name of needs and functionality. In previous post Gulzar ji beautifully narrates an 'architectural experience' of certain memories in his poem.
My aunt who is positively spirited endures the space she lives in, which in comfort gets defines as a home not just a house. There is a continuous activity of positive life, of cooking, talking, joking, happiness which gets expressed through her activity. This spirit embodies the space and the house becomes home. Without her there ceases the idea of home. Her spirit defines the positive energy of the house, she mixes life with the created elements.
During our study days of architecture, we spent five years trying to accumulate worldly knowledge of construction, its aesthetics, its constraints and so on. We were trained to be visionaries of peoples habitation, drawing schemes, ideas and revolutionary forms. We were trained to solve structurally, formally and also learnt the tricks of making good looking spaces. Of course with very little clue of the people, plants or animals. They were a mere variable, to go a little deeper a mere organic element in a scheme. The scheme has to 'accommodate' the needs, desires and comforts of people and shall remain flexible to 'accommodate' the growth! I never understood what this word 'accommodate' actually means. Our solutions claim to do so.
Charles Eames announced "Design largely depends on constraints...of shape, size, color, money etc and so forth" Creators deal with these constraints daily and creations are the outcomes of these constraints.
So we solve this by solving the structure/system and its aesthetics (Take any system or structure E.g. Roads system or Social Networks as system - we express the elements of the system clearly to make it work, distinguishable and usable). Solving 'Form' results in delighting, sensual experiences (E.g. Some Alessi's products have beautiful shapes and colors which delight your eye and mind).
People are an extension of their conditioned culture. You see the culture (conditioned activity over a time) responsible of the beauty of an object. E.g. Traditional home, community or object.
Lastly the most interesting part...in absence of a traditional culture existing you can see an individuals spirit mixing with space around. (E.g. My aunt's house, Kuvempu's house, Bendre's house in Dharwad, Aurobindo's Ashram in Pondecherry etc.) This is purely an extension of an individuals spirit into a space. Like the spaces in R K Narayan's stories or Tagore's writings.
The beautiful part here is that the spirit is not driven by any constraints, no conditions apply, you do not solve a problem here instead you 'glow'. You express your true spirit as a human. Space gets decorated with your spirit (A fountainhead).
So what are you solving or expressing? Structural/systemic aesthetic? Formal ? Cultural ? These three are external and easy you may call. On an individual's plane its more of a dive within yourself. To drive your work/idea in love may be. The latter may be harder but may be the only fulfilling route to self discovery.
I continue to wonder.........
I keep wondering how people shape spaces. What i mean by 'people' and 'shape' means - their living enthusiasm mix with various kinds of spaces that have mushroomed in the name of needs and functionality. In previous post Gulzar ji beautifully narrates an 'architectural experience' of certain memories in his poem.
My aunt who is positively spirited endures the space she lives in, which in comfort gets defines as a home not just a house. There is a continuous activity of positive life, of cooking, talking, joking, happiness which gets expressed through her activity. This spirit embodies the space and the house becomes home. Without her there ceases the idea of home. Her spirit defines the positive energy of the house, she mixes life with the created elements.
During our study days of architecture, we spent five years trying to accumulate worldly knowledge of construction, its aesthetics, its constraints and so on. We were trained to be visionaries of peoples habitation, drawing schemes, ideas and revolutionary forms. We were trained to solve structurally, formally and also learnt the tricks of making good looking spaces. Of course with very little clue of the people, plants or animals. They were a mere variable, to go a little deeper a mere organic element in a scheme. The scheme has to 'accommodate' the needs, desires and comforts of people and shall remain flexible to 'accommodate' the growth! I never understood what this word 'accommodate' actually means. Our solutions claim to do so.
Charles Eames announced "Design largely depends on constraints...of shape, size, color, money etc and so forth" Creators deal with these constraints daily and creations are the outcomes of these constraints.
So we solve this by solving the structure/system and its aesthetics (Take any system or structure E.g. Roads system or Social Networks as system - we express the elements of the system clearly to make it work, distinguishable and usable). Solving 'Form' results in delighting, sensual experiences (E.g. Some Alessi's products have beautiful shapes and colors which delight your eye and mind).
People are an extension of their conditioned culture. You see the culture (conditioned activity over a time) responsible of the beauty of an object. E.g. Traditional home, community or object.
Lastly the most interesting part...in absence of a traditional culture existing you can see an individuals spirit mixing with space around. (E.g. My aunt's house, Kuvempu's house, Bendre's house in Dharwad, Aurobindo's Ashram in Pondecherry etc.) This is purely an extension of an individuals spirit into a space. Like the spaces in R K Narayan's stories or Tagore's writings.
The beautiful part here is that the spirit is not driven by any constraints, no conditions apply, you do not solve a problem here instead you 'glow'. You express your true spirit as a human. Space gets decorated with your spirit (A fountainhead).
So what are you solving or expressing? Structural/systemic aesthetic? Formal ? Cultural ? These three are external and easy you may call. On an individual's plane its more of a dive within yourself. To drive your work/idea in love may be. The latter may be harder but may be the only fulfilling route to self discovery.
I continue to wonder.........
Comments