“Architecture is basically a container of something. I hope they will enjoy not so much the teacup, but the tea.” Yoshio Taniguchi
Some call it art, other find this idea absurd. It is the aesthetic approach that differs architecture from a primitive building as well as the thorough understanding of functionality that draws the boundary between it and art. Either way, it is not only a state of artistic fundamentals but also a profound practice, tying ends of various disciplines, as both art and technology being main factors for shaping architecture. As Mies van der Rohe once stated ‘Architecture is a will of an epoch translated into space’. Architecture develops with the contemporary craft and technology advancements, also acting as an inspiration for the progress. It is vital to investigate the course of architectural history and heritage, though in a way to understand principles of needs and solutions that have driven the fundamental development. There are countless examples on how different practices combine or blend together e.g. use of rhythm in musical compositions and ancient proportions or orders; facture of a sculpture or painting piece and materiality of the design; or would it be any worse to tell a story through a thought-through division of spaces than to write about it in a book? Yet, what defines architecture is certainly its ability to shape the reality in which we live. It is the value of human comfort and conveyed atmosphere as a part of shaping the design. The real art of architecture is how its fundamental spine is invisible and abstract. It is usable in a way which we can move through and live in, but the shape of the atmosphere within building is the most vital in driving the visitor’s perception and experience. It’s one of the fundamentals that decide on the success or failure of the structure. In my further research I’d like to investigate the relationship between architecture and art, specifically in terms of film and theatre. How it inspires and affects one another and how techniques and strategies developed within those can be used to shape others.
Dominika Rakoczy, w1581449 BA Architecture, Year 2