[RE] actions

Rotation: Rotation is the act, process, or cycle of change; much like the beginning of Modernism also known as the age of enlightenment. “What precipitated these fundamental social changes was a cycle of interrelated sweeping reorganizations and upheavals that collectively can be labeled “revolutions,” (Roth 439). Looking at rotation and revolution together, one can begin to see how a uniform sequence of events can lead to a drastic change in thought patterns as well as behavior. Roth also goes on to say that, “These revolutions are so interconnected that they can be thought of as operating in a circle, each feeding into the next,” (Roth 439). Although Roth was referring to the Mid-eighteenth century I feel that this statement still holds true today. As populations continue to grow and generations continue to pass, design will persist on rotating through revolutions altering itself to the needs of the people who inhabit it. I use this chair as an example of rotation because the retro style of this chair has rotated both in and out of style.


Movement: When something or someone has been greatly influenced by a series of actions or activities one could say a movement has occurred. When a movement occurs it creates a shift from and old style to a new one, which in the end is better suited for the commodity, firmness, and delight of an object and its surroundings. One way a movement can occur is when a person decides to break the mold and step outside the box. “Such protégés of Peter Behrens as the architects Walter Gropius, Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe, and Charles-Edouard Jeanneret (Renaming himself Le Corbusier) invented a new ahistorical (or even antihistorical) modernism, a movement beginning about 1906 and lasting past 1975,” (Roth 471). In opposition to prior designs, this movement was associated with the idea of industrial production which inspired design material usage and shape. During this movement these designs were considered satisfiable among commodity, firmness and delight in the sense that the designs were thought to be universal. The Crystal Palace is an example of a concept that can be developed during a movement; the idea of mobility was one of the innovative things that made this design so remarkable. It also broke the mold in the sense that it was made up of materials that were being explored differently than ever before, glass and iron.


Reflection: Taking from the past and building towards future; inhabits the term reflection. Looking back to the dominance of past building structures one might conclude decorative significance is important in a building which can be shown through ornamentation such as a dome or the building scale in relation onto the land in stands on such as the Pantheon. “Other buildings in different associations with different historical periods; for example an allusion to Greece was made at Hagley Park in Worcestershire, where in 1758 James Stuart built a Doric garden pavilion with a façade adapted from the Parthenon, which he had just returned from measuring in Athens. Or, the intent might be to induce reflections on local history by showing medieval architecture, an idea that had first emerged thirty or so years earlier,” (Roth 454). Although this quote may have been lengthy in its stance, it embodies the term reflection. The Living/Dining/Kitchen space that I created in Perception and Communication was a reflection on how an 1980’s penthouse can be reborn into the style of mainstream New York.


Source: A source is where a concept is derived from. Looking to the music room at Highclere Castle, Hampshire as an example of source Blakemore said, “The diversity with which walls were treated is typical of the Victorian period and most often related to the sources of stylistic influence,” (Blakemore 398). A source similar to a precedent influences the overall outcome of the design. The Crystal Palace in London built by Joseph Paxton was a source to revision that was built in New York in 1853. In Communication and Perception, I rendered this platform bed in which the source was derived from the bedroom below.



Illumination: Illumination is when an object has been accented through a means of color, manuscript, light, etc. therefore adding a sense of enlightenment to the object. “Bernini re-creates that moment in his moment in his Ecstasy of Saint Teresa, conveying it in carnal terms so that the observer could easily grasp a transcendent spiritual experience through mundane physical counterpart. This miraculous event is illuminated from a hidden source, a window behind the pediment of the stage whose flood of light is embodied by the gilded rays that stream down behind the figures,” (Roth 403). The skeletons used in this piece represent the resurrection, part counter-reformation idea that there will be a heaven and a hell. This piece was also an exceedingly theatrical looking one, almost as if an observer was watching a show. One reason this was able to be achieved was through its usage of linear perspective because it showed great depth. Another illuminating factor is the fact that the orb is not touching her body and yet she still remains floating, in addition to the skin around her neck changing into fabric at a non-specific location. Just as her title stated, her face represents ecstasy in the sense that her lips are slightly parted and her eyes are rolled back into her head. Another series of things are the fact that the angels skin is very polished like porcelain and the hair curls indicating a higher power.


Synopsis: This week’s OPUS words were all about the [RE]action. A designer’s claim to fame lays in the reaction he or she receives. When a designer creates a space, they have to take all of these words into consideration.
What is the current style rotation?
What is kind of movement is society/client experiencing, so that this design will have a successful longevity?
Use the client as a source and reflect back on past designs that a client has had; then deliver something fresh, new, and innovative.
And, always ensure that the moments created in the concept are illuminated so nothing goes unrecognized.