Namratha Gopan

The hand which is a form of extension of our thinking!

Hand and its gestures which run all over the language of art. Hand which takes a persons thinking into reality.

Hand which is the biggest tool of human being . tools and hand is considered as as one thing called tool-hand. They go with each other for a result and now it became a new thing called tool-hand. Hand helps you to put up your thoughts in paper when yours tongue stops working. The working of hand depends on different culture religion and place . The tools like knife hammer axe , all have a different style in different places. Hence hand helps to find out the history. It is clean and specific.

It also shows the power and value of that particular place. The tools like stones which a held tight in the hands and used to make fire,shows the beauty of perfection. Hand the best tool to express things. Hand is not just a part of body, it keeps relationships with the objects which it is in touch with it . A pianist playing music where his hands are moving with the flow of music. A painter who is trying to put is feelings using hand and brush. Here the hand and brush are in relation which helps the artist to reach his satisfaction .

Each of us use our hands for different purposes. Each profession does different things . Doctor using blades and syringes , engineer using computers, carpenters playing with woods, architect with models, brushes and paint. The tool hand brings out the importance of each work which we do. All the things which are existing in this present world is made of hand skills. Different hands come together and help each other . The traditional world is a mixture of so many hands of successive generations. The qualities which should be there in a craftsmanship is experience ,questioning,thinking and personal commitments. He or she should be dedicated enough in the work . Thoughts comes through experiences. So it is important to have experiences. One should also be able to throw questions and solve it. There are two things being considered – the ability to imagine (imagination power) and the knowledge which is within us. The artist should get into the work which he is doing . He used touch and feel the materials he is going to use. Then he starts to like his work . His mind and hand becomes one. Thoughts are put out ,ideas are executed.

Making sculptures and model became an interesting job of Wirkalla . He was inspired by the therapeutic effect. He would always say ‘ eyes are at the fingertip’ . Even if eyes are lost he would experience and see through his fingertip. The movement of fingers , touching and experiencing gives him the same feeling.

Model making is interesting as the textures are felt , the materials are studies, and you have the choice to do what you want to do. But the material should given respect and should not be manipulated . The material characters should be maintained.

After getting the material one should not restrict him or her-selves from trying out more than one model. He should let out all the ideas which comes into his mind . After which it becomes more easier to confirm the idea with less mistakes. Models are not just moulded structures but it is used to study the building spaces, spacial arrangement, enclosures. It gives a more clear view and idea of the real object in future. One starts moving around the spaces and experiencing the texture,space difference. He starts living inside the building . When one is drawing , he is mind is connected to the paper through his hands and pencil . The edges of the building which appear as lines in the sheet , pencil is the medium here. Our mind and thoughts get concentrated which comes out in the sheet.

It is important for us to work together and share each others knowledge . It is not possible for an architect alone to build a house , he need other people who are good at there own skills. Every work have its own value and pride.

Before architects used to work with the materials and work along with craft man in construction work , but now the technology has grown so much that they dont even see the process of building . Everything just came squeezed into a small world of computers. The designs ate given to the workers and are told to build .

The drawings which are made , made into models , which are then made into reality . It is important for and architect to involve in all these process . The dedication and the interest should be developed towards the work . He should be ready to do the work again , redo it again , redo it again untill he reaches his satisfaction. The architect should keep contacts with the craftsman and the artists . The sharing of knowledge and applying it for the success of the project.

Do what yours heart feels like , you have two beautiful hands !

‘An objectification of the subject,

Urbanization, which was a rapid development of semi permanent villages to specialized trades and by extension cities. Modern cities with high density expanded with technology became the current fashion.

Perspective constructs a form for the infinite needs. In a perspective of an ideal city, it expands up to a wide variety of perception and spacial experience. Equal distribution of urban space making it more connectable and experienceable. An ideal city is the creation of a systematic way through variation in urban forms and typology. A city which looks back to the individual perspective, standard of living and economic viability.

According to me, i would like build an ideal city somewhere around the coastal regions having access to warm sea. The city would have people from wide variety of social culture and economic status. Every one living in the city should have equal value and rights to all the facilities. It will be a more sustainable city with zero net energy and less carbon dioxide production. A city having all the spots like parks or markets which bring people together. A clean and healthy city and in harmony with nature. A place where every individual feels home and are comfortable. Each house designed in unique way according to the individuals wish. A city inside a city. The fusion of culture, history, technology and architecture to a form a beautiful home.

As the time is passing, our tradition is getting lost. Modern buildings are rising day by day in this urban world. As the land is decreasing manipulation of modernism and its concepts are happening day by day. Buildings are growing according to the conditioned technology. The conception of culture and its interpretation is changing along with the time.

A critical architecture should move away from today’s fast moving technology and go back to the nostalgic historicism. Culture of the region should be given importance at the same time looking towards today’s techniques. The intention of critical regionalism is to involve the use of elements or ideas taken from a the important features of a particular place and put it in the design. It is the maintenance of a critical self consciousness. The implementation of something taken from the inspiration in such things like the range and quality of materials to the topography of the site. Hence it is really important to keep our culture within.

Architectural designing is a unique way of thinking and experiencing a space. Phenomenology provides a sensory experience by establishing architectural space and experiential elements. It is defined as the manipulation of geometry, light and shadow, materials by providing an impact on human senses. It makes everything look discrete. It creates an integration of senses and abstract architecture. It creates a different kind of involvement with the phenomenon of space, light and shadow. A design depends on its form and function, hence it is important to make the human senses react to it. It reacts to memory of leaves a memory.

Architecture and The Crisis of Modern Science , a book written by Alberto Pérez-Gómez explaining about the importance of human memory in experiencing a place. Also in the book “Thinking Architecture”, Peter Zumthor who talks about the exposed materials which blends with the nature slowly. He defines how a space should be oriented such that it will guide us to a place but also giving the freedom to let us go. Each characteristics play a significant role with our emotions.

Its been always a confusion between what deconstruction and deconstructionism is? To be honest even i m still confused. I think deconstruction is something which is reduced down to its constituent parts in order to reinterpret it. Deconstructionism is the process of deconstruction. Fragmentation can be another best word to explain deconstruction. The whole structure which appears to be or is broken into many pieces still making it look like a whole.

The Wexner Center for the Arts by Peter Eisenman has metal grids which are exposed. He wanted the taste of deconstructionism and incompleteness.

The manipulation of the structure happens leading to distortion, dislocation of the building. The beautiful concept of deconstruction causes a controlled chaos.

Can we imagine a world where everything runs so perfectly? Is it a ‘UTOPIC’ city we are expecting for? There are so many of such questions arising during the process of designing.

Archigram an architectural group started producing drawings in a different way where all the structures where technically represented. They wanted to show new realities through there projects. One of the project named ‘The walking city’ which explains how we can look into the developmet of a city in a technical way. They thought creating a walking structure will help saving the space and also will show the volume of the building it is covering up. Everything depends on their own perspectives. It how you see the world and approach to it.

Architecture is not only about building huge and beautiful buddings but the surrounding around it matters. It play an important role. Archology which is the the study of architecture and its ecology which helps us know the play of nature and climate on a building.

The word diagram which is repeatedly used in the process of our design works. Have we ever thought what a diagram is? Diagram is an abstract means of thinking about organisation. It helps us put our initial ideas in a simpler and easier way. Diagrams gives one the flexibility to think in many different ways. As the Ar Stan Allen said diagrams matters in a design. Toyo Ito another architect whose one of the famous work Sendai library which was made out of so many diagrams explaining the vertical and horizontal structures. The continuous sketching helped him to develop a strong element in his design.

PARAMETRIC DESIGN-It can be said as the repetition or the occurrence of similar elements which forms into a geometry. Taking the example Selfridges Building which has a structural framework on which circular elements are laid repeatedly. Sagrada Familia is also a parametric structure. Looking into the Indian context, Auroville having its beauty spread from Matrimandir. Matrimandir which has repeating disc frames in a spherical shape. Their is also a beauty is the continuous appearance of elements.

How do you think architecture and politics come together? Architecture is something which helps politics to reveal their hopes, struggle, expression and power. Architectural politics is also something which brings out the culture of the society. In olden time beautiful buildings were constructed all over the world which stood out with all strength and pride. Political parties created many huge structures which showed their wealth.

Post modernism which started in the late 19 century. It was a break away from the rigidity of modernity. Its a return of wit, ornament and reference. The reactions of this period was largely against the views and ideology of modernism. It was against the intellectual assumptions but purely based on moral relativism. Robert Venturi, Frank Gehry, Michael Graves were few post modern architects.

Michael Grave one of the best architect of post modern period who came up with the Portland building. The building which highlights the elements used and the simple geometrical way in which it is arranged. It is symmetrical having a rectangular facade. It was considered as a major walk away from modernism.

Post modernism arose with few questions- “what is housing and what if the function of the buiding is not identified from outside?” . Such types of building are know as UNIVALENT buildings. Example: Mies van der Rohe architect’s Seagram building.

An architectural style which started in 20th century . It explains how a building acts or reacts to the surrounding through its structure. The is always an important structure which makes a building stand. It need not be a physical thing but an be a basic idea which will be the main idea or value. Structure helps us exploring space in different manner. Each way of construction or ideas gives varieties of experiences.

Nakagin capsule tower which is made of two basic structures, the main two tower and the small capsules. The precast capsule structures are then later attached to this main two heavy pillers. Other few examples are Kimbell art museum, Habitat 67, Orphanage of Amsterdam. These buildings are designed for the democracy allowing people to make changes it.

It is a complete set of relationships, in which the elements can change, but in such a way that these remain dependent on the whole and retain their meaning.

STRUCTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY

Claude Levi Strauss defines the ideas how structure woks also in culture. He explains how two opposite object can connect of come together to form a whole structure through structural anthropology.

Talking about structuralism there comes another two important terms: signified and signifier. “Signified” is some information of values which are expressed. “Signifier” is the source which expresses. This makes the topic and the concept more interesting and looked into.