Drawing to Learn - Sketches Abroad - sp+su 2014

matthew darmourpaul

DRAWING TO LEARN

[ sketches abroad - sp+su 2014 ]

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matthew darmourpaul

DRAWING TO LEARN

[ sketches abroad - sp+su 2014 ]

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Contents Introduction

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Book One

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Book Two

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Scaffolds

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Book Three

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Acknowledgements

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Introduction

In the spring of 2014 I participated in Iowa State University’s Rome Architecture Program; a semester abroad designed to introduce students to broader issues of cultural design and international urbanism. The four months took us to important architectural sites throughout Italy, and provided us with an opportunity to develop individual field drawing and analysis techniques. Within this publication is an independent drawing study I completed in Rome entitled ‘Scaffolds’, that I believe showcases the potential of these techniques.

Upon completing the Rome Program, I had the opportunity to travel and sketch through Northern Italy, Switzerland, and Germany before arriving in Esbjerg, Denmark; meeting with friends and family along the way. In this period of two weeks I visited over 15 cities and 20 Sacred Spaces that have been the focus of a separate online publication effort.

Finally, towards the middle of June I arrived in Copenhagen for a summer semester with the Danish Institute for Study Abroad. The semester was centered around a Scandinavian Study Tour which took us to Sweden and Finland to see the work of modern masters Aalto, Asplund, and Lewerentz, among others. The semester radically re-shaped my attitudes towards field drawing, and I left with fresh insight regarding manual and tactile thinking.

In general, the drawings completed during these semesters were as generative as representational, and in the following spreads I try to pair inspiring site analysis with speculative architectural environments - recognizing that there isn’t always a clear distinction between the two. Of the roughly 85 drawings and spreads selected, few were completed for studio projects (those will find their way into scanners and portfolios at another time), but rather consist of experimentation and documentation born out of personal curiosity and eager, thinking hands.

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Jyvaskla Noormarkku Turku

Helsinki Stockholm

Granna Arhus Esbjerg Hamburg Bremen

Vaderstad Klippan Copenhagen - 8/3/14

Berlin

Cologne

Luzern Como Milan Turin Florence Siena 1/8/14 - Rome Naples Paestum

Vicenza Venice Verona Bologna Ravenna Rimini Perugia

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Book One

Strathmore Sketch 1/15/14 - 4/15/14

“Home is a sanctuary, where we feel safe. We can express how we feel, confide our fears and dreams. In these same ways, a notebook is something like a home, and it can be taken anywhere. In other words, we can have it both ways: to stay comfortably at home and to adventurously travel out and into the world.�

-Lebbeus Woods, Notebook 97-3

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Book Two

Strathmore Toned Tan 1/8/14 - 4/20/14

“Shadow gives shape and life to the object in light. It also provides the realm from which fantasies and dreams arise. The art of chiaroscuro is a skill of the master architect too. In great architectural spaces, there is a constant, deep breathing of shadow and light; shadow inhales and illumination exhales light.�

-Juhani Pallasmaa, The Eyes of the Skin

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Scaffolds

ARCH 431: Analytical Drawing Drawing Advisor: Gregory Palermo

What happens when the archaeological scaffold is superimposed over the analytical scaffold?

The archaeological scaffold being one that veils, but also breaks up a form, simultaneously shrouding the whole while revealing its parts.

The analytical scaffold being the foundation of western architecture: an underlying order of mathematical ratios that provide a field of human experience.

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Is there a link between the purity of their distinct mathematics?

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Book Three Moleskine 4/24/14 - 8/3/14

“I want to see things in front of me, and this is the only thing I trust. I put them here in front of me on the paper...I want to see, and that is why I draw. I can only see a thing if I show it.�

-Carlo Scarpa

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Acknowledgements

This trip was only posssible through the combined contributions of many family members, professors and friends. Without them, there wouldn’t be any drawings to share. Special Thanks to: -My parents, Tim and Jan Darmour-Paul, for their continual support and routine pep talks regarding health, education and time abroad -My grandma, Barb Sinclair, for the continual educational and financial support; and together with Prentis and Patty for food and housing in Tuscany complimented by illuminating day trips and conversation -Irma Weber, for the endless hospitality in Hamburg -Bente Hansen and Jens Carlsen, for feeding and housing me in Esbjerg for nearly three weeks, showing me all around the city and lending me a bicycle for Copenhagen (two invaluable gifts in one: freedom and mobility!)

-Asger Carlsen, for helping with travel accomodations to and from Copenhagen, great meals and conversation plus a biking preview of the city -Esben and Mette Carlsen, for an excellent birthday breakfast and much needed company -Malcolm Kelly, for sharing a week of travel and company in Germany -Michael Repovich, for recommending DIS and must-see sites throughout Europe -Karen Bermann, for the insightful communication about Rome, Romans, and the joys/challenges of being abroad -Professors Tom Rankin and Pia Schneider, for teaching us to challenge the comforts of tourism, and the importance of understanding contemporary life in Rome -Professor Robert Whitehead, for the DIS recommendation letter and endless enthusiasm -Dr. Courtney D. Coyne Jensen, for the brief but wildly inspirational drawing lecture series and discussions -Professor Gregory Palermo, for offering academic and professional advice throughout Italy -Professor Francesco Mancini, for selflessly sharing his knowledge of all things Rome and architecture -Professor Mark Engelbrecht, for his spirited drawing lessons and sharing with us his last year at Iowa State -Dr. Jennifer Griffiths, for the inspiring walking lecture series and conversation -Bruno Leoni, for responding to my sometimes ludicrous emails with patience and advice -The hard working and frighteningly attractive Students of Roma Tre University

To all my fellow ISU and DIS students: thank you for sharing all the late night studio sessions, gelato trips, harbor swims, crits and collaborations that made my time in Europe simultaneously educational and rejuvenating. I am looking forward to drawing together soon!

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