DSDN 171, Blog 5: Locovisual

James Smith’s Corner

The James Smith Corner building on Cuba Street was designed and built by architects Penny & Blake in 1907. It was originally an Edwardian design, but was refurbished in 1932 by architects King and Dawson in the style of Art Deco, though some aspects of its Edwardian design still shine through in the layout and shaping of the windows on the building.

The James Smith Corner building is a good example of Art Deco design as it has many characteristics that are typically associated with the style, such as ‘speed lines’ or ‘speed whiskers’, which are used at the top of the elongated pillars (another Art Deco characteristic), which show and emphasize movement and dynamic in the building. The long pillars are another common Art Deco characteristic: The stretched out shapes emphasize the height of the building, and remind us of skyscrapers, a theme that is commonly found in mid 20^th century architecture.

The lettering is used on the building in a way that is often associated with Art Deco, It is runs vertically down one of the main pillars of the building, and uses a luxurious decorative font that is often seen in examples of Art Deco design, not only in buildings but also on advertisements and posters.

The colour scheme of the building is also an indication of the era of architectural design it is from. Energetic colours (such as the pinks, purples, greens and yellows used on this building) were common in Art Deco; they reflected the booming economy and the bright future ahead now that the First World War was over.

Bibliography:

Craig, R.M. (1995) Atlanta Architecture: Art Deco to Modern Classic, 1929-1959. Pelican Publishing, 1995

ART DECO TRUST. (2012) WHAT IS ART DECO. Retrieved from http://www.artdeconapier.com/pages/what-exactly-is-art-deco

Wellington City Council. (2012). James Smith’s Market. Retrieved from http://www.wellington.govt.nz/services/heritage/details.php?id=189&m=search&building=james%20smith

DSDN 171, Blog 4: Curatorial

“It is, however, only gentle motion that belongs to the beautiful; for when it is very swift, or very forcible, such as that of a torrent, it partakes of the sublime.”-Alexander Jamieson.

This passage (from Alexander Jamieson) implies that beauty is shown through the use of gentle curves and waves, an idea that is clearly shown in one of the designs that inspired my work (Thomas Bruseck’s A Wooden Fluidity). His work shows that a design can have elements of fluidity and beauty through the use of curves and layering in wood, a material that is not considered to be fluid. Another design that inspired my work was Mcbride Charles Ryan’s Letterbox House. The design of this building is very angular and geometric, but it is still elegant. He uses angles and planes to create tension and impact in his design, which makes very effective. I have incorporated elements from both of my inspiring images in my final model.


Through the use of aluminium wire and vellum I was able to create fluidity and motion in my model, as well as tension. This was achieved through the use of arcs and angles. The gentle layering of the vellum arcs gives the model a graceful feel, while the angular wire base creates tension. The combination of these two elements expresses the idea that curves and lines can come together to create beauty in motion, which may not be visible when they are in separate forms. From the combination of two very different elements fluidity is formed.




Buseck,T. (2009). A Wooden Fluidity [Image]. Retrieved April, 28, 2012 from http://www.suckerpunchdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/wooden-fluidity-b.jpg 


Mcbride Charles Ryan (2009). Letterbox House [Image]. Retrieved April, 28, 2012 from http://www.mcbridecharlesryan.com.au/#/projects/letterbox-house/   


Jamieson, A. (1820). A grammar of rhetoric and polite literature: comprehending the principles of language and style; the elements of taste and criticism; with rules for the study of composition and eloquence. A.H. Maltby.

DSDN 171, Blog 3: Antiques hunter

http://www.trademe.co.nz/antiques-collectables/silver-metalware-tins/silver/sterling/auction-469216507.htm

Rococo style is well known for being flamboyant and over the top, and this toast rack found on Trademe is a good example of this. Its swirling lines and excessive ornament make it hard to recognise the rack for what actually it is; its form doesn't fit its purpose.

Rococo style was “inspired by elements from nature – shells, corals, conches and waves.”, and these natural influences are easy to see in this piece of work. We can see the base of the rack, which has clearly been influenced by the form of sea shells, and we can also see evidence of nature in the leaf used to decorate the handle. Neither of these design aspects have anything at all to do with the purpose of the toast rack; they are ‘frivolous’, ‘over-elaborate’ and purely for aesthetic purposes.

Another indication that this object is of Rococo design is its asymmetrical features. The actual rack part only covers half of the object.  This makes it look unbalanced, and the addition of a small handle on the opposing side only unbalances it more.

The  ‘false principles’ of design were considered to be guidelines of how design was to be executed in the 1800’s. This ‘proper’ design style was classical; form was to follow function, and nature was to be used as a model.  Rococo went against all of this: its decoration was inappropriate for its function, it was very ornamental, and it imitated nature. These Rococo aspects can all be found on this toast rack: It’s imitation of leaves and shells make the decoration inappropriate for it’s function, and it is ornamental in an over the top way.

 Lauritz.com.(2011). Characteristics of the Rococo style. Retrieved from  http://intl.lauritzblog.com/2011/11/25/characteristics-of-the-rococo-style/.

 

The Artchive. (unknown).  Rococo. Retrieved from http://www.artchive.com/artchive/rococo.html.

DSDN 171 Blog 2

My chosen topic is French Rococo.

Journal Article:

Gimelson, D. (1990). FRENCH ROCOCO DECORATIVE ARTS. MAGAZINE ANTIQUES, 137(3), 698-705.

This source would be helpful as is about the history of French Rococo, and Madame Pompadour, and how she influenced the spread of the Rococo style. It talks about Pompadour’s view on the style, and it goes into detail about Rococo and Pompadour history, which would be helpful when writing an essay on the topic.

Single author book:

Coffin, S., & Cooper-Hewitt Museum. (2008). Rococo: The continuing curve, 1730-2008. New York, NY: Distributed by Assouline Pub.

This book explores the Rococo style and its’ revivals. It also has many images of furniture, drawings and decorative arts, which would be useful for highlighting and explaining points in an essay or report. It also talks about Rococo in Germany (and how it was affected by chinese art), and how it affected other countries like England.

Image:

My Antique World. (2012). French Rococo style in furniture [Photograph]. Retrieved March, 30, 2012 from http://my-antique-world.blogspot.co.nz/2012/01/french-rococo-style-in-furniture.html

This is an image of a French Rococo style side table. It is a good example of Rococo, as it has many Rococo features, such as over exaggeration of the shape, floral decoration, and swirled patterns. It would be a good example to use when pointing out aspects of Rococo.

Website:

The Wharton Group. (2012). Art Periods: ROCOCO STYLE. Retrieved from http://www.discoverfrance.net/France/Art/rococo.shtml

This website talks about 18^th century French art styles, and how the Rococo style came about, and talks about the main points in its history. It has a brief history which would be helpful when writing an essay or report, and compares it to German Rococo which would also be a good point in an essay.

Edited book.

Boucher, F., 1703-1770, Maloon, T., Watteau, A., 1684-1721, Munro, J., Brugerolles, E., & Ecole nationale supérieure des beaux-arts (France). (2003). Boucher, watteau, and the origin of the rococo: An exhibition of 18th century drawings from the collection of the École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts. Paris: Ecole nationale supérieure des beaux-arts.

This book is about the exhibitions at the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts (the French fine arts school). It has a lot of information about Rococo (as well as other French art styles which I could use in a different report), and would be a good source of information for an essay or report because of this.

 

My name is April Leckie I have just completed year thirteen at Heretaunga College. Throughout my eighteen years I have been attracted to all types of technology, including computer technology, design programs and applications.  With my friends and family in Upper Hutt the decision to attend Victoria University was the most appealing choice for me.  I chose to do a BDI at Vic (majoring in Media Design and minoring in Computer Science) because it offered courses best suited to what I want to do.

I want to go to design school because I have a passion for creating and developing new and exciting things for other people to use and appreciate. At college I have created simple interactive web pages, and attended a basic course at Natcoll on web design which I really enjoyed. These experiences have really captured my imagination and given me a desire to gain knowledge and develop it into a career in web or game design. I love creating things, and showing other people my ideas through the use of Photoshop and other computer programs, as well as drawing (though I haven’t done much in the way of art at school, so much of what I am learning in the design courses is new to me).

My inspiration in the design field has come from ‘indie’ game developers such as 2D Boy and Mojang. Neither developer was well known, but created games from creative ideas with huge success. They are proof that you don’t have to be a big company to make a difference. I want to show that an individual can be just as successful if they have the creativity to design something that hasn’t been done before, something that will change the way people think, while giving me an exciting career.