Macro to Micro [Large to Small Scope View]

Porch: Court: Hearth:

A connecting point between one thing to another is one thing that Porches, Courts, and Hearths have in common. A porch is an exterior attachment to a building, forming an area that usually directs one to a doorway therefore making a connecting point from a building to its outdoor surroundings. A court is an open area usually surrounded by buildings and/or walls that is open to the sky, making a connecting point by pulling outdoor elements into a room like area within the building. Usually made of stone and brick the hearth is the floor of the fireplace which is the linking point between a room and its passageway to the outdoors (the chimney). According to Blakemore, “Family life was highly prized by the Roman’s and women were highly prized by the Romans and women were highly respected. The family hearth was sacrosanct. In fact, in Roman religion, Vesta was goddess of hearth and home,” (Blakemore 74). Stating that the hearth is sacrosanct and that Vesta was the goddess of the hearth and the home it adds another connecting point between the items. It connects them to a higher power in which the items are “inviting” or “directing” them into the home.

“To be admitted to Nature's hearth costs nothing. None is excluded, but excludes himself. You have only to push aside the curtain.”
- Henry David Thoreau [1]

The Amiens Cathedral with an open Floor plan that welcomes the God inward [Hand Drawn].

Composition: Combining one or more portions to work together as a whole ultimately creates a composition. “When a wainscot was the wall application, a molding sometimes designated the dado level with the composition,” (Blakemore 101). As designers we create compositions constantly. When creating a composition it is important for the composition to be well balanced and cohesive.

“A law of composition: If it does not fit do not force it; it is not for it.”
- Jack Bartholomew [2]

Each of the following below exhibit how a space can consist of multiple materials and decorations to create a composition.

Catacomb

Church of Nativity

Diagram: Taking lines and geometric shapes and creating an illustration that demonstrates spatial usage.

“The perceived need for greater privacy influenced the arrangement of interior spaces. The response lay in the sequencing of rooms and greater attention to protocol. With more public spaces nearer the vestibule, a linear arrangement met these demands: Rooms for greater privacy were set farther from the main entrance, as well as rooms as were rooms that could be accessed only by persons of high privilege,” (Blakemore 94).If a diagram had been presented with the description above, I feel that the description would have been more effective to the reader when it came to comprehend. Diagrams are a great resource because they, show context, function, circulation, hierarchy.

Impression: An impression is the emotions that are evoked after something has been perceived by the human mind. “The Gothic cathedral was yet another byproduct of the Crusades, for when the first Crusades, for when the first Crusaders saw Constantinople on their way to the Holy Land, they marveled at the size and wealth of the city and the vast scale and splendor of the Hagia Sophia,” (Roth 328). Its bold impression is due to key details such as, the oversized scale that creates an idea of infinite space.

Hagia Sophia

Amiens Cathderal's bold appearance leaves an overwhelming impression due to it's massive scale.

Detail: A detail is anything that is chosen to be focused upon. Usually details are what make a space effective in its appeal.

“French carving as well as iron mounts for hasps and lock cases can be described as exceedingly detailed and of the highest artistic quality; openwork backed with red velvet vividly highlighted the detail. Figuring prominently in ornamental detail were such motifs as the trefoil, quatrefoil, fleur-de-lis, and grotesque animals,” (Blakemore 87).

“Carving was used on paneling and on structural parts; painting was sometimes used in conjunction with it. Enhancement with paint was through flat color application as well as decorative treatments, among which were simulations of masonry by using colored lines on plaster washes, ornamental detail applied to friezes, and figurative events on such areas as friezes or murals on walls,” (Blakemore 75).

Both examples above focus on how a composition of elements centralizes around one aspect making that the main detail. Linking detail to the OPUS title, “Macro to Micro,” a detail can be as small as a micro and have macro effect on society and/or the individual.

Church of the Holy Sepulcher

Synopsis:
The connecting point for all of these words this week would have to be “impression,” because when a designer creates any of these objects, and diagram, detail, porch, etc. a they will evoke an emotion leaving an impression. Impression is similar to “Macro to Micro,” because society will see a design differently than the designer. I would consider the designers scope to be “macro,” and the normal individual’s scope “micro,” because they aren’t going to see design elements as we do.

[1] http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/hearth.html
[2] http://quote.robertgenn.com/getquotes.php?catid=52

Basilica of Constantine