selected works |
2018-2020
PERSONAL STATEMENT When genius melds with aesthetics, emotions are produced. Architecture is thus the art of thinking and feeling, and I aim to explore that art to the fullest. Architecture is ever present around us and lies in much more than one could think of. It is an ever-changing perspective that evolves with the human being and its surroundings, it adapts and innovates. I have had the chance to fuel my creativity from a very young age with limitless museums, art exhibits, and every art class imaginable; from sculpting and fashion design to cake design and flower arrangements. I believe architecture isn’t restricted to buildings; it is the carefully designed structure of any artistic form; the architecture of a space, an environment, a video, an object, a mechanhism, a garment, a game, and the list is endless.
Yasmine Baddoura baddoura.y@gmail.com (+961) 71 61 33 48 Southern California Institute of Architecture B.Arch - Second Year Student
TABLE OF CONTENTS DESIGN STUDIO 2B OBJECTS TO WORLD: GROUND & APERTURE II 2A OBJECTS TO WORLD: GROUND & APERTURE I 1B OBJECT: MASS & INTERIORITY II 1A OBJECT: MASS & INTERIORITY I
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VISUAL STUDIES 2B VISUAL STUDIES II 2A VISUAL STUDIES II
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LIBERAL ARTS 2B HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE & URBANISM II 1B HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE & URBANISM I 1A HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE & URBANISM I
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2A Design Studio: Grounds and Apertures fall 2019 instructor: Karel Klein
The second-year undergraduate studio sequence introduces students to cultural phenomena that activate new possibilities for architectural design and discourse. The first of this sequence, (Grounds And Apertures I), looks at the contemporary workplace, an integral part of urban environments that are evolving to reflect current notions of work and labor. The course approaches this topic through the adaptive reuse of an existing, multi-story building on an urban site,speculating on interior and exterior space, program organization, and new forms within existing conditions. Different typological and formal slants of the same program. Workflows that move between analog (i.e. making) and digital (i.e. modeling) mediums are emphasized, not only to cultivate processes of experimentation and discovery, but to also coalesce students’ sensibilities with their authored intentions. Assignments will focus around the conventions of the building section or cut, as a mechanism to visualize, alter, reveal, and ultimately design an architectural intervention, for an otherwise interior-based program. Subsequently, the the culture of the workplace can be reimagined is articulated through narratives told in the form of animated images, an analog precursor to the second sequence (Grounds And Apertures II) articulating data-based procedures.
The Office Canvas This office design started through adaptive reuse of the existing “blank” building of The Row. After problematizing the design of the contemporary office in different ways, and inspired by Gordon Matta-Clark’s Conical Intersect, I have launched this design approach in which the constructive destruction of the building through different cones create shared and secluded office spaces.
Gordon Matta-Clark’s Conical Intersect. Source: ArtForum International
Exetrior Drawings
The Row DTLA: 747 Warehouse: existing site exterior drawings
The Row DTLA: 747 Warehouse: site plan diagram
The Row DTLA: 747 Warehou
use: proposed site drawings
These spaces unite areas from different floors and separate areas on a similar floor. Additionally, the eccentric circulation in-between spaces animate the office and create a dynamic environment. The physical model below is made out of 80 different long-section cuts of the designed space, and the video narrates how the imagined office is used and occupied. link to video: https://flic.kr/p/2ihto8P
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1B Design Studio: Mass and [Interiority] spring 2019 instructor: David Freeland
Stuff is all around us. It’s limits are ambiguous yet it’s always recognizable. It exists outside, inside, in small or large amounts, and seems to impact everyone. Sometimes that stuff must be stored or transported. This segment will look at critical methods of organizing and storing that stuff through architectural means. This second sequence, interiority, focuses on the storage of abstractly geometric objects.
bounded at their top L-shaped perimeter
bounded perimeter of a box
bounded gravitational system
bounded tight space optimization
A Heterogenous Mix
This mix of 5 objects that have heterogenous asbtract definitions whose form could be described with a single profile and a single geometric operation, such as extrusion, revolution, and piping stems from a homogeneous background: collected from the same home goods store. Subsequently, I created two types of openable cabinet for these objects: a part to part arrangement based on the profile affinities of the objects that relate to one another and a tightly packed bounding box. After picking the first one to reconsider at the scale of a building to develop as a House+ project, the transition from the house to the cabinet explored how features of the object cabinet could be applied to a human cabinet (considering house program, openings, shelter, natural light, circulation, amenities, the inhabitants, adjacent functions of single family Los Angeles housing, as well as defining my plus).
part to part grid stacking
part to part grid stacking
bounded at their top on an L-shaped perimeter bounded at their top L-shaped perimeter
part to part aligned by center part to part aligned by center
bounded tightly packed in a box bounded perimeter of a box
part to part attracted to profile affinities part to part attracted to similar profiles
bounded gravitational system bounded gravitational system
part to part gravitation towards circles part to part gravitation towards circles
bounded tight space optimization bounded tight space optimization
composition exploration diagrams
part to part cabinet iteration 1
bounded cabinet iteration 2
Hybridization of Forms The main concept that formed the geometry of the project is splitting and uniting shapes to create hybrid forms. Another idea explored is h ow these forms interact with one another through profile affinities. The union of the different cabinets was achieved by splitting through objects, creating new cabinet forms. The alignment of shapes after splitting still tackles the idea of profile affinity with similar profiles stacking on one another. Hence, horizontal and continuous lines break into static three dimensional lines
collection of objects
profile affinities organization
profiles offsetting
union of profiles
profiles splitting
union of new profiles
union by affinity
House + The un(stables) A house+ typology consists of homes that have an adjacent space that is used for something other than shelter—it can be connected to the house or separated from it and can have multiple functions . The un(stables) is a three-stories house+ project is designed for a single couple of horseback riders. It consists of a top floor master bedroom, followed by a mid floor living area, kitchen, and pool.
The ground floor base of the project is the connected plus which, in this case, is the horse barn and stables. This explains the plus being a ground access, considering the required adjacencies of the horse stables.
3rd floor plan master bedroom
2nd floor plan living area, kitchen, and swimming pool
1st floor plan + area: horse barn and stables
section A
section B
The interior color legend refers to the transformation of the original cabinet shape; areas of the same color originate fromasinglecabinet.Additionally,theexteriorlightanddark grey colors differentiates between the house and the plus.
exploded axonometric
Apertures were created by the splitting as well as through the union of shapes in an imageprocessed texture of my initial objects, which creates an interesting effect through lighting.
physical model photographs
1A Design Studio: [Mass] and Interiority fall 2018 instructor: Mira Henry
Stuff is all around us. It’s limits are ambiguous yet it’s always recognizable. It exists outside, inside, in small or large amounts, and seems to impact everyone. Sometimes that stuff must be stored or transported. This segment will look at critical methods of organizing and storing that stuff through architectural means. This first sequence, mass, focuses on the perceivable qualities of objects.
A Homogenous Collection Inspired by Claes Oldenburg’s Ray Guns, I curated my own collection of 150 heterogeneous objects sourced through similar profile affinities and specific modality; complex structures composed of a core with multiple limbs eminating from them—thus creating a homogeneous mix of heterogeneous objects completely disregarding function but rather focusing on its physical attributes. The way the collection is chronologically sorted is through the object’s self-similarity to the one preceding it; creating an evolving morphology and destabilizing the legibility of the initial object.
“complex structure composed of a core with multiple limbs eminating from it”
The Copy — A Collection of The Real vs The Unreal The production of a copy emphasizes a close attention to the character of an original and its effects when translated from one medium to another. I thus explored the qualitative effects of copying such as degradation, redefinition, softening, smudging as themes of abstraction and legibility to extend, expand, and give depth to the idea of the original collection.
The object production was done by articulating the formal qualities of four photographed object from the original collection into digital renders and mashups (using Keyshot,recap 360, Qlone 3d scanning), as well as physical models with playful texture and skin exchanges. The model production will roughly move from the construction of low to higher fidelity “copies” of the original artifacts or images. This created a new narrowed down collection of objects that can be architecturally described as self similar objects that are a copy within themselves, composed of repetitive parts forming their surface complexity.
The productive competition between the physical and the digital, realism and abstraction, excess and reduction, working fast and working slow. The goal of the studio has been to move between these modalities and topics swiftly and in a lively zigzag in order to dissipate the authority of any one quality.
Superfake Through physical mediums—plastic bags, paint, clay, plastic gloves, glue, cardboard, foamboard, Magic Nuudles, vacuum former—I have worked on translating the image and texture of the digital surfaces of the narrowed-down collection into a palette of physical materials. I worked around imitating the matte vs glossy elements as well as the rigged vs gooey qualities.
Visual
Studies
VS 2B Bits to Build
spring 2020 instructors: Jackilin Bloom and Soomeen Hahm
TABLE OF TYPOLOGIES Kyoto Central Train Station, Busan Cinema Center, Yokohama Port Terminal, Nanjing Sifang Art Museum
The contemporary architect is presented with ever changing methods of production and representation. Gaining higher control in digital tools through using scripting skills nowadays allows designers to be able to hack into a conventional software platform and customize their own design tools for their specific design tasks. Through this seminar, I have explored designing digital models with code generated geometries. These code generated geometries consist of aggregations of interesting parts extracted and digitally modeled from precedents. These precedents include: Kyoto Central Train Station, Busan Cinema Center, Yokohama Port Terminal, Nanjing Sifang Art Museum. The intricate simulations produced were narrowed down to one further emphasized on, by being explored on the sectional level, as well as through AR. “The Mermaid House” takes its name from the mermaid’s tail scales, which can be seen along the geomety, as well as this fish tail silhouette, seen from the construction’s elevation facade. Some qualities of this model mirror Zaha Hadid’s Antwerp Port House, which sheds light on possible construction procedure, on a building scale.
Bits to Build: Aggregate Models
Busan Cinema Center
Yokohama Port Terminal
Nanjing Sifang Art Museum
Busan Cinema Center (2)
Kyoto Central Station
Kyoto Central Station (2)
Bits to Build: Building Segment 1:16
Bits to Build: Segment Perspective
Bits to Build: AR Simulation
VS 2A Modeling Simulations / Simulated Models
spring 2020 instructor: Damjan Jovanovic and Ramiro Granados
This seminar focused on the production of assets, a collection of digital objects through modelling techniques, followed by the curation of a set of assets from the collection to construct a simulation in the Unity gaming engine towards the production of a “World” as well as setting up interactive, non-deterministic agent behavior models as inhabitants of the World.This World.This focused on how to set up a physics based interactive environment, and design and implement the user interface layer for the simulation. The video is an example of the endless possibilities that can be created in this fully fledged simulated World that inherits the capacity of computer games hosting multiple aesthetic regimes within the same environment.
link to simulation video: https://flic.kr/p/2ihsBRH
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Curve Study: Devel Sixteen Supercar This vase wireframe was constructed by organzing and orienting the traced curves of a 1959 Chevy Apache Pickup Truck. The grid allowed for different scales of curves to create a specfic profile to be arrayed 360 degrees.
YASMINE YASMINE BADDOURA YASMINE BADDOURA BADDOURA
Liberal
Arts
History of Architecture and Urbanism
spring 2020 instructor: Michael Osman
John Lautner’s Chemosphere: a Dichotomous Relationship The Chemosphere, also known as the Malin Residence 1, built in 1960, is a 2200 square feet one-story house2 that takes the shape of a white octagon reached by a gravitating pathway of a similar profile (See Fig. 1). It is a product of a “fortuitous union of architect, client, time, and space”3; built by the American architect John Lautner for his client, Leonard Malin, a young aerospace engineer, this house was the epitome of the stereotypical scientific vision of the future. This house is found to have very contradictory attributes. To begin with, grounded in the middle of the Hollywood Hills, the white UFO-like construction seems like it has just landed, grounding its emanating beams to the ground. From each corner of the octagon, thin beams meet in the center of the construction onto a twenty-ninefoot high, five-foot-wide concrete column4. But hovering 30 feet over the city5, to the people that looking from the city towards the hills, this white capsule has no visible ground from afar. Formerly considered as “the most modern home built in the world” by the Encyclopedia Britannica6, in elevation, the floor to ceiling canted windows are sandwiched with a trapezoidlike ceiling, and inverted trapezoid-like ground, emphasizing its reputation for the flying saucer look. Contextually, the year it was built coincided the year that the US President John
F. Kennedy exhorted his men to reach for the moon . This ignited many people’s curiosity to come and see 7 what this “unidentified” construction was. However, “it was never intended to look like a UFO”, explains Mr. Malin, “‘It was just the best structural application that met my personality.’’8. As a little historical background to this home, its land was gifted to Mr. Malin by his father-in-law9, located on north of Mulholland Drive, near Laurel Canyon10. This plot was leafy and overgrown with sumptuous views of the San Fernando Valley11. However, it proved its engineering challenges due to its slanted location on a 45° slope in an earthquake-prone region12. Because of his scanty salary and his modest 30,000USD budget13, Malin had to find sponsors to fulfill his determination to build on the property14. The innovative design allowing the construction to protrude from the hills with the help of the columns and beams, cost 140,000 USD which, at that time, was equivalent to approximately 1.21 million USD in 201915. The two main sponsoring companies that helped subsidize the cost were the Southern California Gas Company as well as the Chem Seal Corporation . Since the 16 Chem Seal corporation provided the experimental coatings, resins, and polymers, it was rewarded by the building’s name—The
Chemosphere17. After realizing his wish, the Malins and their four children inhabited the house until the costs of living became too expensive for them due to the downfall of the aerospace industry, that they were forced to put the house on the market18. The second owner, Dr. Richard Kuhn, was a victim of a robbery in his home, where the two bandits stabbed him to death19. For the 10 subsequent years, the house’s unique design wasn’t selling well and thus stayed on the rental market20; its interior became majorly damaged and altered due to it being a popular rental location for parties21, events, numerous film shoots such as Charlie’s Angels, Body Double, The Duplicate men, Tomorrowland, and more22. This raises the mirroring contradiction of the image of the Southern California life; the house was built for a family with children, however, it is portrayed in the movies and the media as a party trap house23. After that, in 1998, The Taschens, owners of German publishing house Taschen fell in love with the house and bought it, they have described it as “Authentic, intense, idealistic and full of fantasy, nonconformist.”24. Even Ms. Taschen, explains the counterintuitive sense to the house, by poetically saying that its outside looks like an unreachable spaceship, but from the inside, it feels very “cozy and calming” because of this feeling you get of “floating above the city and the reality”25. The engineering decisions were clearly scrutinized by the architect and the client, considering the client was in this field himself. At that time, the common engineering methods for dealing with uneven lands were either to cut the land to reach a level platform, or to create an open steel framework that would serve as support for the construction26. However, due to the lack of funds, these two common methods were rejected to minimize the cost, and instead, Lautner balanced the entire construction on a single 30 feet column, leaving its environment unaltered, which reduced 50% of the construction cost 27. Perched on a column that was poured into solid bedrock, The octagonal pod required its own “hillevator”, or funicular, to reach it28 (See Fig. 1). As a prevention from this earth-
quake and heavy rain prone area, this concrete pedestal whose diameter measured 20 feet, was buried into the earth and supporting the post29. Additionally, the structure of the residence was made of steel and timber, and the roof is supported by curved portal frames of laminated wood 30. These methods have been proven successful as this house has actually withstood hurricanes and floods31. The architect proposed a dome in his drawings, however, due to lack of funds, Malin had to design and build his own skylight, using fiberglass and steel32. When you reach the street address of the Chemosphere, 7776 Torreyson Dr, Los Angeles, you can’t directly spot it. You need to pull over and look behind you and up. This creates a theatrical aspect to this renowned UFO. However, Lautner did not see the house like that. For him, it was a sensible solution by his pragmatic self. The interior (See Fig. 4) is as challenging as its exterior (See Fig. 3) , also embracing contradictory elements. The main concrete column is not the element supporting the roof of the construction, as it does not even protrude to the interior, making it a fully open space33, which reminds us of one of the Five Points of Le Corbusier’s New Architecture. With the walls entirely being window openings, there are no actual walls to hang anything on, “we can’t have any art because it’s built as a piece of art in itself”, explains Mr. Taschen34. Alan Hess, architectural historian and author of “The Architecture of John Lautner,” points out that Lautner’s perspective on Modernist innovation and his incorporation of organic forms “had a different sense of space, which was flowing” , he described the organic nature of how Lautner’s 35 constructions were put together “like a tree, or a flower, or a cave”36. Contrarily to Le Corbusier, Lautner’s residences weren’t as didactic and theory driven. The Corbusier describes the house as a “machine for living in” but these rigid and prescribed paths aren’t reflected in Lautner’s work which was more amenable and flexible without forcing anything on the inhabitants37. This is seen as a pleasant break from the rigidity of the machinery. At the peak of the house, where the main column would
have reached, is found the circular roof light that Malin had constructed, in which, right under, is built a fireplace38. The location of this skylight is crucial to provide lighting in the deepest part of the plan. The interior plan of the Chemosphere (See Fig. 2) is bisected by the central brick wall containing the fireplace39, into public and private areas. The north, “public”, side of the house40 contains: a kitchen, a joint living and dining area with built-in seatings below the glass window walls41. The south “private” side of the house facing the hills42 includes: a master bedroom and bathroom, storage and laundry rooms, two children bedrooms, and an additional bathroom43(See Fig. 2). The window-opening walls are all around the house’s perimeter, in addition to a special area which is the bottom part of the structure, displaying the car port—the entrance of the house44. This carport is on the pathway leading to the house entrance45. From there, the private funicular joins the slope to a bridge that traverses from the ground to the entrance of the house, located near the kitchen46 (See Fig. 1). Mr. Taschen further emphasizes on this bisection as Lautner’s “dualism about the nature and the city”47. He describes the private north side as very quiet, being more exposed to nature and all kinds of animals who you can always spot48. On the other hand, the public south side faces the Valley’s constructions along the 101 freeway49 (See Fig. 1). “That’s the characteristic of great artists: They can make things simple.” points out Taschen. The Taschens’ remodeling and re-adaptation to today’s time don’t exactly follow Lautner’s built plan: they have instead tried to enhance the spirit of Lautner and Malin’s initial visions while incorporating details that were unaffordable or unavailable due to the lack of technology at the time of its construction . Firstly, the gas company 50 tile has been replaced by random-cut slate, which they didn’t have the measures to cut thin enough back then, despite Lautner’s initial vision for that finish51. Secondly, the thick framed windows were replaced by frameless glass, for which some pieces had to be flown in by helicopter because of their substantial size52. Thirdly, the kids’ bedrooms
were turned into an office. Thirdly, the black vinyl countertops in the kitchen were replaced with ash, following the approval of Mr. Malin who said he would’ve had done the same decision if he had the means53. Finally, they have added some final touches such as replacing the bridge to conceal utility lines, and more54. The Taschens have mentioned that it is hard to get bored with the place with the wide windows flaunting the expansive views on the world. “it’s like a widescreen movie” says Mr. Taschen, “always changing”. They also describe it as “modernism with a character”55 which highlights the opposing aspects of modernism which was seen at the time as very minimalistic, and plain, rid of ornaments, but with a twist making that simplicity a work of art. The Southern California life’s embodiment in the Chemosphere has ties in its character, design, innovation, and imaginative aspects. Ken Bernstein, director of preservation at the Los Angeles Conservancy, which gave the renovation of the Chemosphere a preservation prize, calls it “a space age masterpiece—one of the icons of midcentury Modernism in Los Angeles.”56. Hess considers the Chemosphere as an epitome of Los Angeles’ character because it was an innovative way of defining architecture that “didn’t have to look like a house” and that could morph into any shape it would like57. This displays the optimism of its time: the ability of technology to solve any problem58. Escher, the architect that worked with the Taschens to preserve the Chemosphere, explained that Frank Gehry considered Lautner as “the missing link between the classic Modernism of the Case Study Houses and the work we now associate with Los Angeles — the more expressive, more sculptural forms.”59 The Chemosphere was declared a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 200460 and included in the top 10 houses in Los Angeles in 200861. In conclusion, as previously mentioned, the dichotomous relationships of this architecture mirror LA’s many opposing but similarly dominant aspects of the community. The extravagance of the party scene contrasting the conservative family life. The nature contrasting
the city. The reachability contrasting the unreachability. The stable contrasting the mobile. The zen contrasting the stiff. The foreign contrasting the familiar. The lack of funds contrasting the opulence. The protectiveness contrasting the openness. Grounded yet floating. Public yet private. Minimalistic yet decorative. Always changing yet preserved.
Fig 1: exposing the Chemosphere’s site with the north of the residence facing the nature and the south of it facing the city. Source: Google Earth.
Fig 2: diagram of Chemosphere plan’s private vs public space. Source: ArchDaily.
Fig 3: Chemosphere exterior Fig 4: Chemosphere interior photograph. Source: ArchDaily. photograph. Source: ArchDaily.
History of Architecture and Urbanism
spring 2019 instructors: John Cooper and Elizabeth Hirsch
A Theatrical Adoration of Industrial Power Progressing from the blazing iron to the dark surroundings of the dwelling, the dramatic chiaroscuro of Joseph Wright of Derby’s An Iron Forge (1772) paints a high contrasted warm toned scene. Influenced by artists like Gerrit Van Honthorst and Rembrandt Van Rjin (Fig.1), Wright’s interest in unusual light effects consists of meticulously painted working figures illuminated by a small source of light in dark interiors (Fig.2). The highly detailed realistic painting of An Iron Forge seems very overwhelming due to the amount of detailing that the viewer has to scrutinize with difficulty, due to the dark shadows of the small, but bright, light source. Additionally, the picture is also highly populated in a small area. It is depicting a scene from the 18th century, representing British attitudes towards labor during the Industrial Revolution (1760-1820). This time frame can be recognized through the primitive architecture of the dwelling as well as the typical clothing of the 18th century peasants. A profuse sense of power is attributed to the artwork. Enlightened by the fire of the burning iron, the dark dwelling space gives contrast to the diligent peasants in the act of metal forging. At that time, Blacksmiths were seen as people of a low social status and thus traditionally depicted in paintings as vulgar and crude. However, Wright dignifies these peasants through their power.
This power is firstly characterized by the intelligence and hard work portrayed through the intensely concentrated work in the scene. The warm yellow tones emerging from fire and its sparks illuminate some of the peasants and tools that are present in the middle right corner of the composition. The contrast with the gloomy borders of the painting creates a vignette effect, emphasizing on the only lit area as the image’s focal point. The fact that the work of the peasants is what illuminates the room, enhances the power given to the laborer, which is also represented in all of Wright’s paintings of Ironworkers (Fig.2). From the position of looking upfront at the art piece, it appears that the artist intentionally decreased the amount of light and one can assume that the sun has already set. There are no streaks of light passing through the rather battered roof, on which one there are small holes which would have let light in. However, the funnel and the hot iron are most likely the only sources of light that this family has. This insinuates that through this worker’s only power, arises light to the other members of what can be deducted as his family. Thus, the power of the parents providing for their home. Additionally, the fact that they are still working at night suggests their strong need for providing money for the family. The warm and earthy tones embellishing the image further emphasize the sense of family and the.
peasants’ connection to rudimentary elements. Additionally, these tonalities intensify the viewer’s approach to the burning fire. It sets a searing, but intimate environment. An Iron Forge conveys a sense of admiration at Men’s achievements which was, at that time, merely devoted for religious iconography. However, fascinated by scientific experiments, Wright invented the scientific enlightenment subject consisting of experimental scenes, new machinery, and the leaders of the Industrial Revolution; paradigm shift in the 18th century from traditional religious models of the universe towards a more scientific and empirical perspective. In the painting, the first thing noticeable by the viewer the use of the glowing relatively ‘new’ machinery: the age old craft of Blacksmithing is now achieved through water-powered tilt hammers rather than fully manual labor. In this religious metaphor, this reminds us of a typical image of Christ in Bethlehem, nested in a dim environment, where only the Christ glows (Fig. 1), however, in Wright’s painting, it is the iron that is glowing. This comparison is undoubtedly purposeful because the intimacy of the people in proximity to the light would have been impossible in real life due to the extreme heat produced by the iron. This glorifies the scientific revolution as the start of a qualitative leap in the technical development of man. There is a heroic and powerful nature to the upgrade of the machinery underlying the success of the business and thus the ability to make this upgrade, as well as the progress of the then modern technology. This is echoed by pride seen in the expression of the man ‘in the limelight’ that represents the power embodied in this technological upgrade: he can now take a “break” of his now facilitated task, celebrating his “triumph”. This upgrade of technology now assesses the family as “above” average, letting this limelight man having the “luxury” of relaxing. This is further reflected by the luxury of having a dog for a pet, as well as through the neat and elegant drapery of the clothing worn by the family represented, and the stylish coiffure of the woman and girls. This luxury can also be seen as ironic as it would be trivial to a non-peasant family. On another note, the premises that this activity is taking place in looks like a barn
with a wooden framework acting as roof support. One can notice that the wooden beams are disproportionate, whereas the main support beam is bent out due to the weight on its edges. Due to the brick cladding on the wall contrasting the wooden roof and the fact that the floors are not wooden, but made of stone suggests that the premises were not used for actual living, but were used for work. The rather crude stone wall cladding that is uneven through the middle mirror the curve of the support beam, suggesting that the force on the sides of the building is greater than the somehow damaged building could actually hold. Nonetheless, the whole construction does withstand the load. This can be seen as an allegory to the family’s working and financial situation, addressing the mental power that they have to ‘withstand this load’. In a more abstract way, an interesting spatial perspective to the painting is the abundant use of various line strokes. Firstly, the cross lining of the bricks of the wall and stones on the ground. Secondly, the diagonal wood planks of the roof, intersecting horizontal ones. Thirdly, the straight lines of the machinery. These rigid lines are contrasted with the smooth and curvy lines of the drapery seen in the family’s clothing. This contrast exposes the smoothness and kindness of the family in the rigid environment they are forced into. Power is also personified by the physical features of the characters: the details of the muscles present on men’s body, the well-dressed and well-groomed female figures, as well as through their postures and facial expressions. The figures depicted in the scene consist of three men, a woman, and three children. Considering the fact that at the start of the industrialization of the industrialization process, just as in the process of historical development, the craft was mainly a family business venture, these people can be seen as a family. They are all gathered around the process of the blacksmith ‘pulling’ iron out and leveling it. The first one of them attracting the viewer’s attention, the man in the ‘limelight’, is in a standing position, crossing his arms. His body and facial expressions suggest fatigue, perseverance, but most importantly, pride. Despite looking in the direction of the children, the
expression of the man in the limelight can be seen as less emotional than that of the women. This is also illustrated by his stand-still pose independently from the woman and children in the picture, despite the fact that he isn’t handling any particular task. His poorly tied loose headband as well as his rolled-up sleeves, evince his hard-works. Depicted standing in the greatest proximity to the iron ingot emitting unbearable heat, yet, the man is standing there without wincing, and has part of his body uncovered and unprotected. This makes it obvious that the man is used to the hard work of a blacksmith and suggests that he is the one running the business. His independent strength arises from his confidence in the wisdom he has towards his job providing for his family and thus boosting his ego. The large bicep muscles on his arms emphasize his power and give away that the man has been a blacksmith for some time and has enough knowledge to lead the shop’s business. More so, it is obvious that he is the one in charge because he is overviewing the process of how his helper is working with the hot iron. Furthermore, next to him, a mother and her two children; she is carrying a toddler who is dressed up in a hood, and is being clasped by her older daughter. The toddler seems to grin innocently, non-aware of the difficulties of a peasant’s life, nested in her family’s arms; one can even think she is funnily interested in the shimmering object being the center of attention. The older child, however, seems to have gotten a grip of the situation and wants to protect her mother and sister from this fire, or in other words, the bleak environment that the 18th century peasants are exposed to. The innocent and fragile expressions of the children are empathized not only by the viewer but by all the other figures. The female figures can be seen as a personification of emotional attachment and tenderness, requiring to be protected as well as the mutual support of men. Their power to soften and provide emotional values to the men’s lives are embodied through their gracious femininity, represented through their well-maintained physical as well as their tenderness toward their family. This family bond created by the women —who were, in these times, thought of to have no place in the working field—, expose and solidify the power of their presence. Apart from light, the hot iron and the funnel, which is not entirely visible, produce heat. The women in the family have turned their backs on the scorching heat, seemingly wishing to protect the children from being exposed.
Yet, they cannot leave as it may seem that this heat is the only source of heat, or power —literally and figuratively— that they have. Moreover, the rest of the people in this painting are not as exposed as the others, as they are depicted from the back, where the light from the fire doesn’t strike. Nevertheless, the main activity is performed by the men that aren’t put under the spotlight: the forger and the man handling the iron ingot. In opposite to the man in the limelight that is looking towards the female figures, the other working men depicted in the scene look too busy to do so. is performed by the men that aren’t put under the spotlight: the forger and the man handling the iron ingot. In opposite to the man in the limelight that is looking towards the female figures, the other working men depicted in the scene look too busy to do so. This contrast can be explained by the historical process proposed by John Millar, explaining that the men with the opulence of financial security tend to be prone to grant more affection than their social inferiors. This suggests that peasants aren’t given enough attention to their power and symbolizes their humbleness and induces pity to the viewer. This pity is further emphasized by the kid laying on one of the working man’s lap, staring at the audience. Her facial expression makes us feel pain and empathy towards the endurance of their hardworking family. Additionally, The children are the only people in the image that have direct eye contact with the viewer, forcing this emotional reaction from the viewer. Accordingly, Darwin’s theory suggested that the process of creation was only a matter of warmth and heat, and Wright intertwined these two in the painting. In conclusion, through the glorification of the working class, Wright provides the viewer with an intertwinement of the power lying in the contrast of the labor and that of the sublime. The painting is seen as a metaphor to the 18th century peasant’s life, delineating their difficulties and celebrating their power, especially through the upgrade in the industrial technology. It is a highly detailed
narrative depicted in a simple daily task that they are used to doing, but in a grand theatrical religious almost-exaggeration. The artist’s intents are portrayed through many aspects of the precisely painted scene such as extraordinary light effect, line strokes, physical attributes, dramatic composition, warm tonalities, and architecture. The admiration of the theatrical painting diverts the audience from the grandeur of the religion to that of the science and development of mankind through the work of the peasants. Through An Iron Forge and the rest of his Blacksmiths themed paintings (Fig.2), Wright demands from his audience the recognition of the virtues of the industry.
Fig. 1: A comparison between An Iron Forge and Rembrandt’s religious painting of the Christ. Source of An Iron Forge: Tate Museum. Source of Adoration of the Shepards: The Athenaeum.
Fig. 2: Joseph Wright of Derby’s other paintingsportrayingtheblacksmithswork. Source of The Blacksmith’s Shop: Art Fund. Source of Iron Forge Viewed from Without: The State Hermitage Museum.
History of Architecture and Urbanism
:fall 2018 instructors: Marrikka Trotter and Elizabeth Hirsch
A Multi-planar Labyrinth Julius Shulman’s Bradbury Building black and white photograph is a highly sharpened and contrasted portrayal of an over-dense interior that holistically appears as a complex grid due to multi-directional lines (See Illustration 1) and the repetition of the dominating rectangular shape (See Illustration 2). The homogeneous spatial composition reveals the interior of the Bradbury building, photographed at an eye-level shot. Despite its unity as a whole, the photograph can be seen as a fusion of oppositions: between mobility and staticity between cluster and void, as well as between rigid and curved. The photograph composition is broken up into equal horizontal thirds: the close-up staircases, the central void, and the right and left side hallways, and finally the hydraulic elevators and the distant staircases. Taschen, art book publishing company, highlights that Juilius Shulman’s precise architectural photographs compositions are said to disclose visions of its corresponding population. Whether or not a human figure is obvious in the representation, humane values are seamlessly transcendent. The photograph portrays the verticality as well as the horizontality of the building through a horizontal linear perspective. The eye-level angle to which the photograph was taken seems to have distorted this perspective through the parallax effect. However, this distortion was already present in the building itself since the gap between the balconies increases as the floors go up. This distortion creates a hierarchy of levels and areas permitting the portrayal of the intricate details of the handrails
in addition to the depth and overall view of the interior. The perspective is demonstrated through a multi-directional amalgamation of lines. Shulman purposely. limited his work procedure to black and white shits using infrared film to stress on the clean, essential lines and shapes of the subjects of his photographs. The lines in this photograph create a sort of labyrinth in which Bradbury’s convulsed design is best known for: intertwining walkways, stairs, and ornate wrought-iron composing its interior atrium. To begin with, vertical linesare elongated through columns supporting the infrastructure of the multiple floors and staircases, as well as the mechanisms of the revealed old-fashioned elevators. Perpendicular to those lines are the horizontal handrails of the half-open hallways that are bound to the rectangular perimeter of the structure. Another well-known aspect of the building is its play of light and angles. Breaking the co-planar assemblage, the quarter turn staircases, as well as the roof fenestration, complexify this scaffolding system by adding diagonal planes to the inter-related perpendicular composition. This dramatic design is perfectly fit for noir movies —became a filming star— such as Blade Runner and others, making it a perfect labyrinth for a chase scene.
Through this grid, Bradbury’s interior combines multiple styles in a consolidated way, which can be seen as joining multiple bygone eras into a single unity. This unity is mainly characterized by the highlight of the construction in which all parts of this whole share in common: symmetry along multiple axes and points as well as bounded patterns of geometry. This is found in the mazes of catwalks, stairways, and elevators. Firstly, the repeating concave handrail as well as its underlying ornaments along the stairs and hallways. Secondly, the repeating floor plan and elevator boxing system on the three different floors. Thirdly, the enfilade of the equidistant doors along the floor. Moreover, we can notice the dominance of the rectangular shape which is created by the coherent entity, such as on the stairs, the doors, the roof fenestration, the areas by which the motifs of the handrails are bounded, the elevators as well as their cases. This repetition creates a sense of stacking and organization of space. It is further emphasized by the more detailed, but already present grids that are composed in the picture, such as the grid of the elevator system boxes, the diagonal grid of the elevator itself, the grid formed by the distant stairs, as well as the grids formed by the intersection of the columns and floor. Moreover, symmetry is also a dominant aspect of the photograph’s composition as symmetry axes of the structure form a grid of their own: wherever a symmetry axis can be placed, a perpendicular one passing through its center can follow, which also reminds us of the geometrical property of a rectangle. This can be applied between the two half-opened hallways, diagonally to the elevators, in the middle of the elevator system, in the middle of the hallway, etc… Similarly, symmetry would here create a sense of unity from a part to the whole. Another unifying aspect of the photograph is the grayscale filter: although various—steel, glass, iron, marble, tiles— the textures present in the photographs become unified. According
to California historian Kevin Starr, this material fusion illuminated by skylight was a vision of the material dream of Southern California. Additionally, the somehow rigid structure is juxtaposed with dynamic properties, creating an enlaced sense of mobility and staticity. The relationship between the orthogonal dominant lines and the ornamental spiraling motifs creates a highly complex and clustered atmosphere along with breaking down the staticity of the rectilinear structure. This creates a sense of movement — which contrasts the dullness of a grid, that is even highly accentuated by the mobile elevators that are in motion in contrast to the repetitious static floor plans. In relation to the multiple eras that are combined —bygone and futuristic— theelevators emphasize a sort of travel or displacement through time. The center space was seen as of Victorian style: Italian marble staircases, Mexican floor tiles, French iron work, birdcage elevators, large plate glass windows. Moreover, Bradbury building was seen as part of the Italian Renaissance architectural style at the time of construction, however,it has common characteristics with the
Richardsonian Romanesque style. The ornaments that are used on the handrails consist of spiraling motifs revolving around a shape which resembles the shape of a shield, almost as if it is a replication of the columns’ capital. The beams that are used to attach the handrail to the stairs shape an exaggerated curve with blooming “petals” emanating from it. Consequently, the slender fluted ornate columns that are decorated with a sort of leafy capitals suggest that it is of the Corinthian order. Additionally, The ceiling is seen as futuristic, as the building itself, designed by Wynman is said to be inspired by the popular science fiction novel about a utopian society called Looking Backwards by Edward Bellamy. More specifically, a passage from that book which mirrors the Bradbury building’s filtered sunlight, describes a futuristic building “a vast hall full of light received not alone from the windows on all sides, but from the dome.” Furthermore, on the middle left side of the picture, we can find a circular wheel that belongs to the elevator mechanism (See Illustration 2). In the image composition, this wheel that serves as the focal point, breaking the norm of the stiff rectangular agglomerations. This focal point technique suggests that the intention of the artist was to draw attention to this particular contrast of shapes. The contrast between these substantially organic motifs and the stiffness of the infrastructure itself creates an eccentric effect to this interior. Another intriguing characteristic is the way a human can be displaced through this unenclosed space: horizontally, vertically and diagonally. This creates a sort of multi-planar maze that resembles what a giant hamster cage would look like. Furthermore, the rich and detailed perimeter of Bradbury’sinteriorthatisportrayedinthephotographnests amiddlevoid:theatrium.Thesunlightthat’sfilteredthrough the ceiling, filling the void of the atrium creates a mystical feel which is further emphasized by the open cantilevered balconies Stephen Kanner, chairman and co-founder of the Architecture + Design Museum of Los Angeles describes it as ethereal and cathedrallike. Additionally, according to the legend behind it, the mystical feel is well-placed. The architect behind it, George Wynman had no formal training and was approached in the offices of his boss as Bradbury was unsatisfied by the boss’ proposals. An 1963 article entitled Spirit World Tip Was Aid to Draftman in the Los Angeles Times explained that Wynman had used a
planchette—similar to an Ouija Board— to get advice on whether to grab the opportunity from his deceased brother who had told him he would be successful if he did so. In conclusion, the visionary age portrayed by Shulman in the Bradbury photograph envisions multiple eras combined into one where the past, present, and future merge. The careful juxtaposition of opposite architectural elements —in relation to their era, profile, and affinities— ends up enhancing the coherency of the structure itself. The contrast of black and white, dark and bright, static and motion, stiff and curvy, cluster and void, creates an intriguing balance. Additionally, this eccentricity is further emphasized on a threedimensional level due to the multi-directionality and multi-planar positioning of its different components. This sort of three-dimensional grid creates an effect of a moving labyrinth.
Illustration 1: My line study diagram over Bradbury Photograph by Juilius Shulman.
Illustration 2: My geometry study diagram over Bradbury Photograph by Juilius Shulman.