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Postcard

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Amazing Thing 5: Dierks Bentley Concert

photo taken by: Alex Turchi

Coming into college, I was excited to finally study something I was passionate about instead of monotonous core classes in every high school. Also, I was looking forward to “college experiences” that a lot of people mention as a staple of the college life. I happen to be a huge fan of country music and one day my mother informed me of a surprise concert that would take place somewhere in Knoxville at a spontaneous date and time. When hearing about this, I thought this would be a once in a life time opportunity and would probably be a spectacular experience. Therefore, I asked my mom to inform me about the concert as soon as possible. Then came sunlight peeking through the window on that Sunday morning and I woke up to the buzzing of a cellphone next to my head. It was my mom telling me the information about the concert. I sprung out of my bed to look at the message and she told me that they would reveal the concert information in about fifteen minutes from that moment. Knowing this my best friend decided she would shower and get ready for the day. However, when the concert information was revealed, I learned that in order to go to the concert, we had to stand in a first come first serve line to attain concert wristbands. I sprinted down the narrow dull hall way and darted into the bathroom to stop my friend and inform her we needed to leave. She then also rushed with me to the room so we could go attain the wristbands. After waiting for our ticket wristbands, we headed back to the dorm with excitement and giddiness knowing that we would attend a very exclusive concert the same evening. For an hour or two we prepared ourselves for the concert and headed downtown. Waiting in a line outside for over an hour once arriving at the venue built much tension. Questions started arising between me and my friend such as, “Will it start soon?” “Can the venue hold this many people?” “Will we get in?”. These questions had fear and doubt beginning to creep in our minds, but then the doors opened and people filed into the small venue called The International which could not have fit more than one thousand guests. Piling into this venue we were squished like sardines that were packed so tightly to fit with any means necessary. The atmosphere when the concert began was contagious. Dierks Bentley felt very relatable to the crowd and made the event feel like a personal party that he threw for all his loyal fans that night. Everyone in the room collectively sang and danced to every song as if the audience was a part of the performance. The spontaneity of the event is what made this night so memorable. Waking up that morning to a normal day and ending with a night to always remember.

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5 things architecture should address

Photo from: www.archdaily.com

1.       Architecture should be a space where people can exist. Early architecture was strictly for shelter, but currently even though architecture has evolved it is still used for different functions and forms of shelter.

2.       I believe a piece of architecture should not be changeable over time. I feel that all architecture has an age and should be appreciated during its time and looked back on after its time has passed.

3.       Architecture should influence a person and have an emotional influence. When entering a piece of architecture, people should feel aware and if designed well, I believe it should emulate a certain feeling of its inhabitants.

4.       Architecture should inspire. Architecture can be used to influence other pieces of architecture, but overall I feel that architecture can inspire the same way as any art can.

5.       Lastly, architecture should provide in some way. Architecture can be used in countless ways, but will always have a purpose and should fulfill that purpose.

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Mies van der Rohe, Friedrichstrasse projects, 1921

This is a perspective piece with the point of perspective towards the lower left corner of the paper. The focal point is the large skyscraper looking tower that extends far into the sky. The muted tones give the scene a sense that it is occurring in the evening during a sunset.

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The Pilgrimage Chapel of Notre Dame de haut lecture

Photo from: www.jerusalem-lospazioltre.it

I found the lecture about The Pilgrimage Chapel of Notre Dame de haut to be extremely intriguing. When I first saw an image of the building, I was surprised that it was designed by Le Corbusier because of the variety of organic curves to this design. Other designs by Le Corbusier I have been exposed to prior to this lecture were less organic like the Villa Savoye. One aspect I especially found uncharacteristic was the arrangement of the windows. They did not seem to follow any specific pattern and were all different sizes as opposed to long, simple, and uniform horizontal windows of other works. I found this design to be very whimsical in some ways. For example, I found it interesting how many precedents could have been relevant to this design. My favorite precedent talked about was the Nautilus shell reference. I enjoyed how Max Robinson described the movement around the chapel in reference to the shell and that each side transformed and held different responsibilities. For instance how the west side was meant to lead people to the north side where people would enter. One of my favorite observations from examining photos and listening to the lecture was how this design had so many different facts to it. Looking from one angle as opposed to another, changes the entire look of the chapel. Additionally, the building from the inside compared to the outside is completely different. Outside, the chapel appears much more magnificent and heavy in mass. However, from the inside, the chapel feels a lot more intimate probably due to the dim lighting and small gatherings that occur there. This lecture helped me learn that designs can take a whole different meaning depending on the view. In light of this I began to examine my model for studio in different views by flipping the orientation and looking at it from different perspectives to see the ways my design changed out of curiosity.

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Max Ernst, Une Semaine de Bonte

Photo from: pinterest.com

The composition is completely in black and white with a staircase, a duck, and a falling girl in the frame. The monotone use of color and the falling girl gives a sense of hopelessness. The stairs could represent a staircase to Heaven and the girl could be a fallen angel.

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Le Corbusier, Ronchamp Door Mural, 1950-1953

This composition turns things into very abstracted forms, for example the two hands. The only colors used are primary colors which is mostly located in the middle section. Both sides seem to be split to show a dichotomy between the two.

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Amazing Thing 4: Lady vols Softball Game

Photo taken by: Alex Turchi

Softball has been a monumental part of my life. I had dedicated ten years of my life to playing softball all year around. With going to school at the University of Tennessee, one of the things I was most excited about was attending Lady Vol softball games. The Lady Vols are currently one of the top teams in the country and I was looking forward to being inspired by their excellent play. When first arriving at the stadium, I felt somewhat disoriented since it was my first time in the new stadium. However, I became acquainted to the stadium quickly, especially because we sat right near third base which was my former position. In the beginning of the game it moved fairly slowly and both teams had solid defense, but in the third inning, Texas A&M drew blood first and scored two runs off a few hits. Friends who joined me at the game had already lost hope and were saying things such as “Oh no, it’s over now,” but I knew they had a great chance to come back. As the game continued, the action grew and the team started hitting more and more. In the bottom of the fifth inning, the Lady Vols had an explosion of offense and were able to score 8 runs. I felt the intensity of the game rise and I remembered what it was like playing on the field and the atmosphere set while hitting a ball off the bat or fielding a tough ground ball to make a much needed out at first base. In the very last inning, Tennessee was up 8-2, but Texas A&M would not go down without a fight. After stringing together a few hits, Texas gained some momentum and began to score. I could easily relate to the exact situation the players on the field were feeling. During times like that, there are feelings of anxiousness and nervousness that you might possibly lose the lead in the last inning. However, as hope began to decrease, one of the players stepped up and made an amazing play. With runners on second and third, the batter hit the ball in the left center gap which scored both runs to get the game to 8-7. Then, when the center fielder retrieved the hit, she fired the ball to second base to get the batter out which ended the game with the Lady Vols winning by a slim score of 8-7.

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Diagram analysis: City Interaction

Image from: tracepattern.wordpress.com

The image selected above first struck me because of the vibrant use of orange and also the heavy contrast with hues of black and white. After further investigation with the diagram I noticed strong geometries used to draw attention to specific details like the homeless person on the ground surrounded by a perfect circle. This image drew a lot of intrigue in the story it tells through different points of view. There are three people depicted in this city setting. The first being a homeless person, the second is a person carrying a backpack of personal belongings, and the third is a person casually walking down city streets. Each person has a different thought attached to them. The homeless person is depicted as thinking “home street home”, the person with the backpack thinks “everything I need is in my backpack”, and the third thinks “food for tonight”. This diagram represents that each person has very different types of life styles even though they all live in the same setting. One person calls the city streets home, while another goes to the city as a luxury and finally the other is simply a visitor passing by. I feel that this diagram displays how all people inhabit the same space and the minute relationship they have to one another especially by placing the phrase “exchange brief” between people to show how they do not really interact. Another thing I noticed was the large graffitied word “JOE” placed in the middle of the composition. The first connection I made was the saying an “average joe” and I also noticed that none of the figures were definitely identifiable as male or female. With this in mind I felt the diagram gave a message that any one of these people could be you. The last thing I found really interesting about this image was the quote at the top of the composition that states “human behavior is hardly ever elegant. The universe has odd bumps and twists, so if you are looking for an elegant solution to human problems you may be up for disappoint.” I found this quote extremely interesting and complex in thought. After reading this quote I felt that it completely tied together the story of the diagram. Human interaction can be unpredictable. It can be random and “odd” and as architects we are given the task to create space for human interactions and somehow dictate how people exist in space.

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Niles-ole Lund, The Future of Architecture, 1979

Everything in the foreground is painted in great detail, while the sky looks representative of collaged pieces of paper. The building and the car are extremely run down and perhaps could be the remains of a city. The sun appears like it is about to rise or set on this run down location.

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April 5th exercise: Caravaggio, Las Meninas

Image from: paintersonpaintings.com

This painting contains a lot of people throughout. Specifically in the foreground, there are mostly children, and further in the background, people are much older. However, one young girl in the foreground is the main focus. Most people have their body language directed towards her, and she is wearing the most red which is used throughout the painting. She is also painted in the most light.

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Barnett Newman. 12th Station. 1965

Image from: pinterest.com

This painting is separated into three parts and is only done with blank and white with most of the painting as a solid black. However, the black is bleeding over the last third of the painting that is white. I believe this could represent innocence being tainted.

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Aaron Copland and the London Symphony Orchestra, Appalachian Spring: Very Slowly, 1944

The beginning starts very softly and was a relaxing sound that slowly ceased. Then in an instant a burst of string instruments disrupted the slow, soft music. The music’s tempo increased rapidly and was reminiscent of a cat and mouse chase.

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Vogue Magazine Exercise: Passion

Photo taken by: Alex Turchi

Why do people do the things we do? Simply because of passion. Passion is always evident in architecture. The notion of passion drives our feelings and acts as a dire need to fulfill or accomplish what we deem important. It can also become so strong that it develops an obsession that can rage within us. Passion can be productive and illuminate our ideas into real life that can cause a mental gasp in amazement. When your surroundings sit like gleaming gold, and that one split second that your mind must pause to take in a breath. Whether you are bombarded with a grandeur setting that is a feast for your eyes or a simple and subtle feel of a stretch of sand brushing against your feet, the passion of that moment is the impression left on someone forever.

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Amazing Thing 3: Starry Flight

Photo taken by: Alex Turchi

Over spring break, I had the opportunity to fly home to visit family for a few days. I had never flown by myself and was a little apprehensive about navigating myself through brand new airports. My flight home was approximately an hour and flew out of Knoxville around 7:30 pm on Thursday March 17th. During the flight, I was lucky enough to have the window seat and the seat so I could gaze out the window as we flew. By the time the plane began descending, it was completely dark and the sun had gone down. However, while above the clouds the scene continued to shine in moonlight, and after descending past the clouds, the ground lit up like the night sky. There were so many lights from the nearby cities of Washington D.C. that completely obliterated the remaining moonlight. I stared out the window in awe of how bright it was even though it was past sundown. Immediately I was having flashbacks to our discussions during lecture about moonlight and night in cities has completely vanished due to the mass use of artificial lighting at night. As far as I could see there was minimal darkness surrounding the area. It was a strange sight to see so much light but it was also mesmerizing at the same time. The ground looked as if it was a pure reflection of the night sky full of bright stars and some even looking like constellations. I found this interesting because, due to the clouds blocking actual stars, the scene became somewhat of a parallel universe to my eyes. The ground became the sky while the sky became the ground. After staring at the lights on the ground for a few moments they started to twinkle like the night sky. I thought this rapid movement of light fit perfectly with the bustling fast paced life of the city. Watching the world resume underneath of you in such a large scope really brings reality back to you at the endless possibilities in the night sky.

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Time

Image from: www.flickr.com

In J.G. Ballard’s “Chronopolis” he writes “Time unfolded at its usual sluggish, half confused pace.” When reading this it made me reflect on how much time affects our lives. People are always concerned about not being late, showing up to an event early, or even setting yourself up to sleep for a certain amount of time. Time affects our perceptions and it changes and controls things such as literature, music, and art. An artist is reflected through their art and as times change so do the artists. Artist always have a purpose to their work and they attempt to reflect that purpose to any spectator. Their art acts as a window into their time, where a viewer should feel as if they stepped into the artist’s creation. For example, as discussed in class, Jan Van Eyck’s “The Adinolfi Portrait” depicts a couple together dressed in fancy clothing. Located in the background is a mirror reflecting straight back to the viewer which breaks the fourth wall and allows them to be a part of the scene taking place and become a witness of this special time. Last week, we were able to experience first-hand how time is a factor in our daily lives here at the University of Tennessee. My partner and I focused on Ped walkway and how that represents the change over time in the built environment. We came to the conclusion that walking on this sidewalk becomes a very contemplative point of time. The dates ascend as you travel and the further you walk the more modern the walkway becomes. For example, the seal at the bottom of the location is a very historical and nostalgic part of Ped walkway and additionally, even further down is where the oldest part of campus, The Hill, is located. This shows most of the very old architecture that is a part of the campus while in the opposite direction, the sculpture and more modern dorms show the change over time. We do not always notice how time is present. However, time will subconsciously affect our society and cause change.

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Joseph Cornell, Untitled (Soap Bubble Set), 1936

At first the image appears to be a shadow box arrayed with random items like a glass, a pipe, a child’s head, four lamps, and a map of the world in the background. These artifacts seem old and tarnished somehow. My first thought is that they were lost pieces found; perhaps relics from The Titanic.