audobon park
saints going undefeated
the sound of music
now, interestingly enough these are all interests of mine. the first one grouped is some what of conversation pieces for me and my friends. the second group is ones randomly chosen through a look-away-and-draw method.
Based off of Geoff Manaugh's question, "Is all architecture?" and my own perceptions of the world around me, there must be one common denominator between all four subjects that can be surprisingly established.
Well, here goes (just bear with me).
I was talking to a fellow classmate during design/build studio and they mentioned (meaning to be somewhat secretive, so their name shall remain anonymous) that they have a very unique way of coming up with a design: closing their eyes, sitting back, and listening to Phil Collins. Hmmm, wow! I would have never thought of that, I thought.
So, as usual my analytical self began to think about it some more. What makes us more sensitive to the world around us? What makes us link with certain spaces more than others? Is it really just our personal preferences? I believe that how you feel and how you desire to feel in any space can bring you and move you toward manifesting that feeling through design, writing, art, etc.
Just like we have perceived things to be there, we have also perceived things that are not really there. I can interpret what someone said differently then everyone else and attach a "vibe" to what they said, even though that was not the intent of the speaker. (Have I lost you?) Ok, another example, someone writes a song that hits a heart string in you, but really the meaning of the song was originally meant to be interpreted another way. How i design compared to someone else in my studio class is how i translate things in my pattern of thinking and how i form it into reality. How interesting!
Also, what is it about music that allows us to be responsive to our known world? (known world being our minds and our physical worlds). Ray Lamontagne is a very soulful musician, but an even more, a very rare singer and song writer.
When I listen to his music, I often times wonder how he comes up with them all? Does he sit on the couch and just sing out his feelings to his guitar? Usually, it must be that he walked through something, not necessarily a space, but a space in time and it provoked an array of emotions.
When i visited uptown New Orleans and walked through Audobon Park, an array of emotions, mostly content, ran through me. In the same way a song provokes an emotion just by listening to it (maybe an image of a part of your life that provoked a good orbad experience), this place provoked me to the place where i stopped and was very much in touch with how it was impacting me.
I stared at the people who rode their bikes along the bike path while i walked a long a pond that hid behind large trees and its canopies. What i didn't realize until later is that that feeling came with me and didn't stay on St. Charles Avenue. I have designed in my studio classes based on the feelings i bring back from places and experiences like that.
Speaking of absolute content, i think there are levels of them. The Saints being 12-0 is no news to anyone in Louisiana, just news to those who never really believed in the football program for...well...ever. Why not? Well, because, every person EXPECTS to be content. Just, in the event of the Saints being undefeated, gives us more to talk about. I mean, I don't know about you, but I am talked out. But, hey, when they win again, I will do it all over again. WHO DAT??!
American people love sports and its arenas and its hype. It's big and we expect the best of everything. Our buildings reflect that attitude. Most sports arenas are the most stand-out arenas in large cities. They are placed by massive expressways and interstates. We love BIG!
These players are playing with skills they know and work hard for and love. They just happen to be on ESPN, while our accomplishments may be in small communities or large skyscrapers in Dubai or Shanghai or Dallas.
I have always been curious about the lifestyles in other countries, especially in that of decades before us. What did they expect? Did they expect Saints to win? or the Yankees? (bluh). Or did they expect peace? Did they expect kindness? Did they expect Hitler to shoot himself so then they can rebuild? I loved the film, The Sound of Music, because its setting was mostly a Captain's home in Austria during the 1930s.
Even if you think that you would have punched Julie Andrews for being too peppy, the film was a perfect example of music and contentment in life. The setting of the movie was very interesting in that it spoke of a hope within dictatorship and society's expectations of you.
Is our architecture promoting what they think Society is demanding or is it what they really want? Is Society a she or he? Are we personifying it? I mean who says what is good or bad for us anymore? Like for cuss words, who says what's a good or bad word? A friend of mine told me cuss words were words that explained a person's situation as over-the-top, a tad of an exaggeration on their part. it sounds worse, it sounds big and 'WOW'!
What do we expect? We are society. Say what you mean, and mean what you say.
