IMAGE AND TEXT-MS.ARCH-PRATT INSTITUTE

IMAGE AND TEXT

Isha Shah Semester 01 Pratt Institute MS.ARCH 2022-23

This book is dedicated to my parents Mr. Mukesh shah and Mrs. Vaishali shah and my sister Ms. Rashi Shah, who always support me, encourage me, motivate me to achieve my dreams.

Special thanks to my esteemed Professor Cynthia Davidson for believing in me and always encouraging me to do better.

A view outside my window- Apt 3B, 340 Clifton Place (North facing window) Captured by Isha Shah

A FRAME OF ONE’S EXISTENCE

“A short story is what you see when you look outside the window.”

-Mavis Gallant

As I look outside my window, there are a number of other window frames looking towards me. The window of my room captures so many other window frames with different sizes and orientation. Few of the windows are asleep because I see white blinds on However, the window opposite, matching my eye level, attracts me because of the indoor plants and vines crawling all over the interior of the window This makes the window frame look like a perfect canvas painting.

Furthermore, there is a tree on the right The tree is not entirely part of the view from my window but the attempts to include itself in my window frame is quite interesting to watch. The quality of wanting to be included seems so human to me. The street is always almost quiet. The view from my window is monotonous.

A woman passes by, her tan color winter attire compliments the brick facade of the building. The moment almost feels like a frame that captures an architectural photograph to show the building and its surrounding context by using a human as an object Using humans to understand scales and the architectural features designed for humans Every time I look outside the monotonous view from my window I observe something new which is why I cannot stop looking outside and find myself a new story.

A photograph of a photograph from Wolfgang Tillman’s exhibition

BEHOLD

The light falling upon his chest, hand, neck and on his eye highlights the sweat on the body. The black background allows me to focus on the man who is the subject of the photograph The way his eyes are captured in the photograph makes me believe that words are not required to narrate any story Perception of the same makes the difference.

His ear is pierced with a black stone which makes me think he likes to groom. The marriage of light and sweat on his body makes the photograph detailed enough to emphasize his collarbone The man in the photograph has less hair and an appropriate amount of beard to reflect his masculinity. It gives him a tough look. This photograph reminds me of the painting “Las Meninas”. I wonder if I am looking at the photograph or if the man is looking at me.

I am not feeling connected to this photograph but somehow I am drawn towards looking at it I wonder if it is the intensity of the blue color or size of the photograph

The proportion of the display is huge compared to other exhibits which makes the photograph enter the archive named “The Special ones' ' . The texture of the photograph is not glossy but matt, leaving it to be a subtle portrait

RETAIL SPACE FOR LEASE

It is funny how people see the world with their own eyes yet choose to live with someone else’s perceptions of the world. The most common activity that we do in our daily lives is exchange. It can be materialistic, hypothetical, evidential. It is inevitable I wonder if I lease space to someone in my head? And charge for the same.

If I imagine leasing a space to an old man, would I suddenly become more knowledgeable with his experiences or will I only love to go on morning and evening walks in the park? If I imagine a young lady, would I only care about my beauty or will I be still as ambitious as myself? If I imagine leasing a space to one of the parents of a child, would I only be worried about my child every moment.

Another perspective to this idea is, I will not be able to maintain my privacy. It would be easy to block someone physically but it would be difficult to tolerate someone mentally When I visualize this idea all I see is vulnerability and violation of privacy However, it can be another case around I would be a mere puppet or otherwise The only question I ask is, Is it worth earning money at the stake of my mental peace?

WORK IN PROGRESS (FULL DEMOLITION)

A mother-to-be is screaming, she feels the contractions Doctors ask her to push as hard as she can They ask her to take a break and then push again She is now a mother. But there is a dead silence. The silence in the room is deafening. She is no longer breathing. The only sound is of an infant crying. The doctors try their best but it seems the odds are not in their favour

EXHAUSTING A PLACE ON FIFTH AVENUE- NEW YORK

DATE: 08th October 2022

Time: 3:34 pm

Location: On a bench in Washington square park, looking towards the fountain.

Weather: 13 Celsius – Cold windy.

This place is like an urban square for socializing and has a water fountain in its center.

A couple is having a conversation.

A boy feeds his dog.

Two men sitting beside me are loudly discussing the history of the place.

An artist is painting. Adjacent to him, there is a similar counter selling photographs with brown laminate

A girl is passing by, constantly looking at her phone

Although it is cold, the sun is in my eyes, making it challenging to see well The shadow of my pen falls on the notebook in which I am taking notes.

A few children are roller-skating near a huge sculpture.

A physically challenged lady in her wheelchair is selling chocolates. She is carrying a board that says, “1$ chocolates”

A bunch of green balloons is floating in the air

An old lady wearing a red shirt holds a pamphlet that’s says “Tickets for Central Comedy”.

The main fountain is surrounded by five smaller fountains. Spray from the primary fountain falls outwards and vice a versa for the small fountains The sun is at a perfect angle for a beautiful rainbow to form

An old man sitting on my left approaches me for a conversation. He asks me, “What are you writing? I reply, “I am writing everything I observe”. I have been talking with him for last 40 minutes. Meanwhile, another old man arrives with a camera and asks,” Is this man harassing you?”, to which I reply, “NO” They greet each other; turns out they know each other.

It’s now 5:00 pm, I leave to catch C train to Euclid Avenue since I want to get back home before it’s dark.

PAINT BRUSHES

Artists use paint brushes today to create aesthetic effects but paint brushes were as revolutionary as the effects of war, a tool for recording history that was once witnessed Was it a question of necessity to create the paint brush? If this helpful tool had not been created, would we record the world at all? There would be no visual evidence of how our long-ago ancestors lived, paint brushes are not given much importance, but their absence would have some secrets buried Along with its history, there are some facts that we turn blind eye to

There are some dark facts about the production of paint brushes. Cruel methods for killing animals such as badger, mongoose, pony, squirrel, sable, wolf, goat, ox, camel, raccoon, rabbit are used for paint brush production However, over time, the materials changed, to manmade synthetics which now leads to the question of sustainability. Paint brushes were created by Paleothians, who sought to record events and perhaps to keep the memories of them in present and for future generations as a tool The paintbrush has contributed to the social, political, and cultural development of the world. If it didn’t exist, would the pen still be mightier than the sword?

Frames captured in a frame on Coney Island Captured by Isha Shah

CONEY ISLAND

I arrived on the island on Friday night. I wonder why the island is empty. Restaurants are shut and I see hardly any humans on the island. However, I can identify the island from far away because of the roller coaster and its lights that say “CYCLONE”. It visually acts as a landmark for that area It is cold and the continuous breeze is making it difficult for us to walk and explore.

There are a few seatings on the edge of the pedestrian pathway, which gives people an opportunity to sit and take in a view of the place, to feel its architecture. Three empty frames placed at different heights suggest a place for photos. They create the perfect background for any portrait Alternatively, they point the eye to beautiful scenery without human presence. This object acts as a pause, stopping people for memorable views. The street light in the background gives perfect exposure and shade for the photographs.

I believe each scene that I perceive from my eyes separately has a different story to tell and each fragment of the story has a different angle of perception The object develops curiosity to understand a different story each frame has to narrate. I wonder if I look through the frame placed on lower height and from the frame placed on the higher height, would it change how I perceive the world?

View of Rockefeller Plaza from ground level Captured by Isha Shah

THE MIGHTY 30 ROCKEFELLER

PLAZA.

Understanding a marvel like Rockefeller Plaza requires more than just viewing it as a tourist attraction One needs to measure its verticality visually and then physically One needs to walk along its axis and follow the transitions both horizontally and vertically.

I am facing the northwest area of the Plaza The sky seems crowded with buildings yet the Rockefeller tower standing in the center stands out due to its linearity The verticals rising in the sky make the building appear even taller. The color palate of the plaza is subtle; it blends with the architectural fabric of the surroundings. The building blocks stop at different heights which makes it seem they are in competition to reach the sky The windows, like chameleons, change their color as the reflection of sun travels through the facade of the plaza.

An arrangement of flags makes it look like a legislative building, however the human congestion and Halloween celebration burst the bubble I walk towards the queue that leads to the observation deck. It is dusk. At the top, I can see where I was standing when I was on the ground and how the city glitters. The only thing that comes to my mind is the album “Empire state of mind”, by Jay-Z and Alicia Keys

Image from works of Karl Blossfeldt

SIMPLICITY

One of the greatest attributes of architecture is simple symmetry The image of a flower that blooms and protects the cocoon suggests an architectural idea of preservation. The sense of protectiveness is dense. Architecturally, it correlates with the idea of preserving structures of different eras for the future. It is an act of being rationally conscious

Assuming a plane of reference passing through the middle of the flower horizontally The space that forms with division above and below the plane can be habitable.

Purpose of spaces below the plane can be to provide protection. Another aspect of the plane is its material If the material of the plane is water, the reflection of the structure that is above the plane in the water becomes interesting Water as a natural element allows the merge of tangible and intangible realms of spaces.

Apart from architectural principles and design elements, structural integrity is also essential. The junction where the two spaces meet can also act as a structural member to support both what is above and beneath the plane of reflection

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication”

- Leonardo Da Vinci

Painting by Kerry James Marshall, “OUR

TOWN” from Garden project series

JUXTAPOSITION

“OUR TOWN” belongs to the series called “THE GARDEN PROJECT”, where the artist, Kerry James Marshall talks about President Franklin D Roosevelt signing the housing act of 1937. The motive of the act suggests elimination of city slums, stopping crime and disease, therefore improving the life of urban poor. Unfortunately, the plan fails.1

“Our Town” has a deeper meaning than what is apparent. The figures painted in black do not appear to be flat As amazing as it is, the shades of black Marshall used to portray the figures are dynamic. The figures then become the protagonist of the painting.

In a conversation with Arthur Jafa, KJM mentions organizing the layers and sequence of the painting with a certain perspective and the movement that figures should portray The decision of selecting and organizing the pieces methodically is expressed in a way so that collectively the painting narrates the story to its true potential. Even though KJM paints this painting on the different cut-outs of papers, it does not seem that different parts of the painting are composite They all appear to be in one piece

The painting visually creates juxtaposition by showing history and imagining a happy future for black people. In order to achieve the contrast, some parts of the painting in the foreground are blurry. The painting visually time travels three dimensionally between the idea of the American dream for black people and the preconceived future.

1

Marshall, Kerry J. 2016.. Kerry James Marshall : Mastry / Edited by Helen Molesworth. Chicago : Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago ; New York : Skira Rizzoli Publications, [2016]. Page no-126

A relationship to the painting’s atmosphere and the first half of the play “Our Town” is lucid because the first half of the play depicts just a normal, happy day in people’s lives like the blue birds with ribbons, the trees, the rising of sun and its bright sun rays covering almost forty percent of the canvas space in the paintings except the play does not have black people in it

The difference between the perfectly portrayed first house compared to other houses in the background is evident. The house with details has a swimming pool and swings. The ribbon tied around the trees is a symbol that someone from the family is serving in the military. The letter “O” in the title is partially painted. The motherly figure with an apron is waving her hand towards the children running out of the frame The painting overall is a depiction of positive thoughts.

The boy also wears different footwear in both his legs which can slightly be deviating because it might be depicting the current time. The girl showing her fist seems very symbolic The use of colours like blue, white and red are expressions of passion KJM subtly paints the failure and aspirations of public housing for black people 2

2

Marshall, Kerry J., Terrie, Sultan, and Arthur Jafa. 2000. Kerry James Marshall / Text by Kerry James Marshall ; Essay by Terrie Sultan ; Conversation with Arthur Jafa. New York : H.N. Abrams, 2000. Page-90

Illustration of Dorothea Illustration by

REVELATION

We circumnavigate around the same path in life, including memory lane, yet fail to notice the details. As soon as we start observing them, we realize there are unnoticed, minute variations to it. Should we believe that we lack attention in observing things or the detail wants to keep itself hidden? I still wonder if the incompleteness in observing things is because our present becomes past and our future becomes present, only to make us realize that changes over time are inevitable.

As I think deeper about the camel driver thinking about the door he kept closed, I realized that he was unaware of the possibilities ahead of him. But he then realizes that it's just the first door he opened, and then he knows that the door has led him to many other doors

An image from HA house project from the series “Houses for Trees”

THE RITUAL OF IMPRISONMENT

The HA house project is a residential project that belongs to series of project called “HOUSES FOR TREES”. The most important requirement of the users is a “large green garden” with amenities like a library, swimming pool, etc It is challenging to create multiple spaces along with a “large green garden” in 137 sq m Hence, the architect's decision to go vertical with the design of green spaces is innovative.

The spaces for trees are designed in such a way that, along with a large green garden, each bedroom has a private garden that divides public and private use Although the difference is not significant, the design appears to form a grid and micro-grids created with horizontal and vertical layers of the building.

Built structures appear to be mere containers for trees to fit in, symbolizing tree as an interdependent breathable feature for the built. Users want to live with nature without disturbing their own comfort, thus humans are caging trees under the name of sustainability This simply makes trees a sign of nature I wonder if the representation of particular trees ever refers to the region they belong to? or is the representation just a method to approach for trees to be green.