Dewi's research

TO APPROPRIATE NATURAL PHENOMENOLOGIES OF THE INTERFACE BETWEEN PURUSHA & PRAKRITI, FOR TRANSLATION INTO SPATIAL DESIGN (Geoffrey Bawa, Alvar Aalto, & Le Corbusier)

Ira's research

PROCESS OF UNFOLDING AND EXPERIENCING NATURAL AND CONSTRUCTED LIGHT PHENOMENOLOGY- Artworks of Dan Flavin, Mary Temple, Tadao Ando and Own Personal Site Researches as References

ABSTRACT

Research are systematic and organized, it systematic because there is a definite set of procedures and always done in order to get the most accurate results. In the way we done research there is a structure or method in about how doing the research, because it is planned procedure. It is also focused and limited to a specific scope.

In this research methodology will covering some areas:

1. Collected or generated information

2. Analysis of Information sets

3. Translation to Constructive Design Practices

These three steps are important things to do in research; these will help the researcher further in the application to the design. The relation between all of them will be examining further in the next chapter.

CONTENTS

First of all, it will explain about the Purusha and Prakriti, Purusha are the center of consciousness and considered to be the human mind and Prakriti is material world which contains all of our organs, matter, and energy.[1] Purusha and prakriti is come from Hindu philosophy and related with the Balinese ritual and nature. Balinese ritual in ceremony and daily activity become unity, thus in ritual of Balinese people showing the spirit thankfulness. Ritual purpose is balancing, god gives everything to us and we used it, and in the other hand we believe to give after we take as thankfulness of everything in the world.

Nature it self as a passive area, how it will become an active and invited them into the space where human is alive will become attention for the next chapter.

Knowing some approaches from some architect which is dealing with nature, as one of the approaching to the nature. As the first step of methodology is collected and generated information from that related with some architect who deal with the nature, there are three architects that will be examine as the case study. In these step not merely collected the information but also analyse the information and engage with the theme of the research.

Here are there architects that approaching with the nature as their methodology:

1. GEOFFERY BAWA

At first bawa was a lawyer, but his attention to the nature makes him changing his mind and decided continuing his study in Architecture Association in England in his age of 33.[2] Once upon a time when he did a trip, suddenly he realized that there are so many instances when his eyes was caught by a landscape, a small unimportant but beautiful building, or a large and splendid one, sometimes seen for a moment from a swiftly moving car or train. The beauty of some of these buildings, gardens, and landscapes leaves a considerable residue of subconscious understanding in the mind-a help to solve some present needs, for the right placement of a building on the site, for the need to frame and emphasise a view or to open or construct a space.[3]

According to him, framing the Vista is important; vista is a view or prospect, especially one seen through a long, narrow avenue or passage, as between rows of trees or houses. The prospect is the phenomena of the site which is as the character of the site.

The plan is very linear and symmetrical, use very much courtyard as open space inviting the light and air into the space, the sequence is created linear for making easy in roof arrangement and creating the vistas.

The plan not much in path, because the space inside is very open, so the architect just used the linear path as framing the view outside.

Vista is related within the eyes, eyes that related with the nature itself, whereas people will be engaged with the site at first they arrived. The approaching way is to the point within the linear line and stiff way. The purpose of linear shape is to catch their subconscious understanding directly, and this framing will be repeated several times.

In creating vista Bawa used several approaching, by the repetition of column, window, and doors, and in the some way he also used water.

Some approaching of Bawa’s design in creating vista.

Bawa also invited nature as courtyard inside the house plan. It is such a handsome way inviting the wind and light freely into the space, we can see from the site plan of his design. In some cases the materials like stone bring inside the space when the space lack of opportunity to enjoy the outdoor space. He is also using high polish floor, to make the outside and inside spaces become unity from the lobby floor, pool, and the sea water, as can be seen in the images below.

Character is not merely physically but also metaphysic such as the light and wind. To achieve these aims, he conveyed ancient Ceylonese culture within deployment some components. The patterns is using in railing or window, so when the sun light cast the window it produced shadow in the floor or wall.

The older allegorical presentation serves Bawa’s investigation into contemporary configuration of image and pure sensation, or feeling.[4] In this sense, he was using salvaged ancient artefacts, columns, a window or a jar in the landscape component. This presentation is a transposition of the concept into an altered context and time.

Allegory is a figurative mode of representation conveying a meaning other than literal. It is generally treated as a figure of rhetoric, but an allegory does not have to be expressed in language, it may be addressed to the eye, and is often found in realistic sculpture or representative art, and appeal to imagination.[5]

Conclusion

In the way he served vista is developed by linear and straight line, he never trying to serve the vista using circular or free line.

He didn’t use the preparation area for constructing spaces; the space that he created is to the point or directly to the nature landscape to catch the human perception when they entered the space for the first time. His Floor and wall is not much using texture but for the column he used the deployment components to evoke the human perception.

2. ALVAR ALTO

Alvar Aalto as one of the master of Modern Architect was born in Kuortane, Finland. He studied architecture at the Helsinki University of Technology from 1916 to 1921.[6] Through out his career Aalto associated nature with the capacity to facilitate material and psychological health.[7] He is very curious in creating design in closer with the natures, he translates the nature with the new language on his building.

In the way he trying approaches the nature is within the semantic and deep meaning of the tree and timber.

Nature as world’s standardizationà the blossoms on an apple tree are standard, but yet they are different à nature standardization is practiced almost exclusively in the smallest possible units (the cells) with the organic form immeasurable shapeà therefore he found a flexible standardization and it will create a new nuances in every design.

If it is summary, he believe in the way nature grow, it organic but also regular this is the point of the flexible, not freely but still in the proper way.

For instance, there are two of his design will be examine, he is very respect in humane behaviour related with the building as inhabitant. Therefore in designing approach he is also trying to combine with the human psychological.

This building is a church in the Vuoksenniska, Finland, he design the plan within combination of organic and linear shape. He made the flexible design as the way incorporated with nature. He invited the nature from the plan form and then continuing in the ceiling. It design organic with domination of curve line, he also invited the light inside the space through the window, thus people inside feeling bright and the sun light become a spiritual joy as it cast the ceiling.

Increasing of the ritualistic spirit, Aalto who was renowned with his humanism, creating in-between spaces, it translated as the preparation space before the visitor enter the main building, he used long passage before the main entrance.

Organic shape as ceiling giving him idea in the next design, the flexibility translated into the flowing shape for ceiling.

Retreat of Muuratsalo is created by Alvar Aalto when his wife was died, the design is full of linear shape and the one single slanting roof. The organic translated become a different pattern showed in the pattern of the stone as the façade. Aalto used a transition area in the entrance area, he translated it into from ‘doorstep into living room’, it’s one of his approach incorporated with nature. The courtyard becomes only doorstep or living room depends on the seasonal.

Courtyard, as the transition part.

From this design he is starting using vertical timber as a decorative elements. Timber with the modern appearance or design. Wood was central to these ideas: it’s ’biological characteristics, its limited heat conductivity, its kinship with man and living nature. Generally he did not build wooden buildings, but utilised the semantic richness of wood to enliven his architecture.

Timber which shape is circular, giving influences in Aalto design in using circular or curve column, because the stem as the main support of the body of plant has a curve shape, as we can seen in some his design.

Material

Although architectural is an art based on material, but how the most beautiful examples are born of the interaction of the immaterial elements of light and space. But all of this is also related with the humanism, because too much of rational lighting is inhumane.

For Aalto it appears that the importance of nature grew from its capacity to lend form to architecture, through the examples of cellular growth, its material impact upon the built environment, and its capacity to maintain and even enrich life in the psychological realm.

Too much of light made the human inside feeling uncomforted and this is not human or inhumane way, and it also cast the standardisation that he already found.

Conclusion

His design is very close with nature, he translate nature in semantic way, and it is influenced much of his work. He is admired with timber, but somehow there is something less from his design, he didn’t used water inside his design.

3. LE CORBUSIER

Le Corbusier is also one of the Modern Architect that really appreciated within his nature surrounding; it started since he was a student. Continuing time, he admired within the philosophies of the ancient Greeks and the Italian Renaissance, theologians in the middle aged, Pythagoras, and Plato.[8]

Le Corbusier had begun to see the world in terms of patterns, of lines, and of geometry that would, ideally, be linked together in a cohesive whole, that unity that he perceived in nature. Pythagoras took it upon himself to discover a way to express his view of the cosmos rationally, by means of mathematics. It seems more than likely that the young architect was influenced by Pythagoras believe that the contemplation of harmony and order within the soul. Mathematics would provide the means to create a link between man and nature.⁸

It showed up in his early painting, where he was interested in his search for organization of the represented figures on “regulating traces”, geometrical grids with which he would establish dimensional relations of harmonic proportions. It is a procedure that he used to adopt in architecture as well as in painting.[9]

Just like music, which is organized on mathematical patterns among sounds, their repetitions and cadences, which give it rhythm and harmony.

He is an architect that loves things that are proportionate not in term of design but in term of mathematical explanation. Which can be clearly seen in almost all of his architecture and painting.

The picture shows the combination of circle and square

Material

Visual linkage with nature as the one who will he take for the approaching to nature. He translate this into the clarity, the clarity of exterior nuances, thus he used glass material to describe the clarity.

Human live inside the spaces that enclosed with wall and also ceiling, ‘ceiling is the sky’ he used this language to draw external spaces to be conceived as an interior space. It showed in his design of cave in the pilotis and also roof garden.

Le Corbusier very admired in natural materials (stones), but for creating the harmony he used concrete as the opposition materials. He also very concern in inviting light into the space, because as his philosophy from the ancient culture that the light as a spiritual joy, the brightness divided into male ‘strong objective of forms’ and female ‘limitless subjectivity rising’. These collaborations will create the Psycho-Physiology of the feeling.

As can be seen, the male brightness is stronger than the female one. These collaboration create different shadow, the shadow is resulted also from the building shape.

Conclusion

Le Corbusier measurement is very nice in the way he trying to harmonious the building and the nature from the mathematicians ways, although it’s measurable but yet it is looked immeasurable, he also made the repetition and rhythm of pattern in the proportion way. He used much of stone and also timber, but in the other hand he lack of using water as the natural materials.

BIBILIOGRAPHY

http://www.reference.com/search?q=allegorical

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alvar_Aalto

http://archnet.org/library/parties/one-party.jsp?party_id=73

http://blog.miragesturdio7.com/2006/02/le-corbusier-paintings/

Curtis JR William (1998). Le Corbusier: Ideas and forms, Hongkong, Phaidon Press.

Menin Sarah (2003). Nature and Space : Aalto and Le Corbusier, London, Routledge, pp. 111-125

Reed, Peter (1999). Alvar Alto : Between humanism and materialsm. London, Thames and Hudson.

Mantra, Ida Bagus. (1987) Bhagawad Gita : Alih Bahasa dan Penjelasan. Indonesia, Parisadha Hindu Dharma.

Taylor, Brian Brace. (1995) Geoffrey Bawa. London : Thames and Huson.

Robson, David G. (2002) Geoffrey Bawa : the complete works/ London : Thames and Hudson.

[3] Robson, David G. (2002) Geoffrey Bawa : the complete works/ London : Thames and Hudson.

[4] Taylor, Brian Brace. (1995) Geoffrey Bawa. London : Thames and Huson.

[5] http://www.reference.com/search?q=allegorical

[6] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alvar_Aalto

[7] Menin Sarah (2003). Nature and Space : Aalto and Le Corbusier, London, Routledge, pp. 111-125

[8] Curtis JR William (1998). Le Corbusier: Ideas and forms, Hongkong, Phaidon Press

[9] http://blog.miragesturdio7.com/2006/02/le-corbusier-paintings/

Research that is conducted in design framework intends to invent new things and bring out new approaches in design. In terms of professional practice, design research is done to develop theories and dialectic process, even on new invention, further analysis and research is still conducted to continuously increase quality of life.

The core of doing a research is working with references from many sources, including the works of masters and their methods and through observation. By doing so, we can apply and develop their research and methods of research, to our own methods becoming a new angle and methods so the outcome will be rich. In terms of light design, we can refer to the artworks of Dan Flavin, Mary Temple and Tadao Ando. Flavin and Temple are contemporary artists who use light as a poetic art in relation with space and architecture. While Ando is well known architect who uses emotive play of light in his spaces. Another method of doing research is through observation about light phenomena that captured in images at specific sites.

1. Case Studies

1.1 Dan Flavin

Dan Flavin (April 1, 1933-November 29, 1996) born in New York City, was an American minimalist artist who is famous for creating sculptural objects and installations from commercially available fluorescent light fixtures.[1] Flavin believed that light is a fact, the fluorescent tube is a fact[2], it is simple, open, straight forward and plainly delivered. He started using artificial light as art since 1961, and the first notable artworks with light is ‘The Diagonal of May 25, 1963’ (to Constantin Brancusi). Flavin described his work as ‘the diagonal of personal ecstasy’, claiming that the work was a tribute to the Romanian sculptor, Brancusi (Vettese, 2004) with modern and simplified sculptures, Endless Column.

Dan Flavin, The diagonal of May 25, 1963

(to Constantin Brancusi)

After that, Flavin continued to use artificial light, color, and dissolving space articulation in his artworks. Throughout his artworks, we can recognize his strong approach in light design is expressed in corner pieces, barrier, and corridor. He articulated the space by dissolving corner of the space with light, make the wall junction disappear. The space has lost its border. As quoted from Flavin himself, “I knew the actual space of a room could be broken down and play with, by planting illusions of real light, electric light, at crucial junctures in the room’s composition.” [3]

Dan Flavin, Pink out of a corner

(to Jasper Johns), 1963

Dan Flavin, Untitled

(to S.A. Lovingly)

The second methodology that is used by Flavin is light barrier, with an intention to intervene the space. He altered the experience of the contextual and architectural space. The light prevents the visitor’s passage across the space. The constructed light makes people subconscious about the space.

Dan Flavin, Untitled

(to you, Heiner, with admiration and affection), 1973

In his third methodology, Flavin blurring the edges of space by illuminated corridors. As seen in his artwork, Untitled (to Jan and Ron Greenberg), how he faded the limit of the corridor, and changed its perspective with light barrier and slight different light color on the edge.

Dan Flavin, Untitled (to Jan and Ron Greenberg), 1973

Another light installation in corridor, Flavin immerses the room with ambience of light. Light becomes immaterial (spiritual) inside the space. As he did in his special site-installation at Varese corridor (1976). The reflection of light makes the polished wooden floor wavy and seems like water surface.

Dan Flavin, Varese Corridor

1976

Flavin’s art inverted the typical museum experience of moving room to room to view pictures. Instead, his installations highlighted the spatial containers where they were displayed.[4] He blurred the border between art and architecture. In overall of Flavin’s artworks also noted that he had strong approach on color. His colorful fluorescent tubes played important rule in his art. He changed the color of the room, using colorful light to change the mood of a space. To Flavin, color is a phenomenal medium that can express emotions that cannot be expressed through words.

This unusual approach Flavin used in sculpture art has changed the visual perception of people, that artwork is not stand alone but it is actually, engage the space surround it. By highlighting, disrupting and interfere the spatial containers, people will be directed to enter inside the art. He changed the experience throughout the gallery and made light become phenomenology, that drive people to encounter with light.

1.2. Mary Temple

Mary Temple is a contemporary artist who captures light and shadows that changes from time to time. She is investigating how experiential memory can be captured in artworks. She works on a lot of site specific-installations regarding light and shadow. In one of her artworks, “Extended Afternoon” that is installed at The Aldrich Museum has a strong effect in the environment. This painting is trompe l’oeil which means, a style of paintings that gives an illusion of photographic reality.[5] She works on this art piece in 3 phases, which unfold the poetic movement of the sun across the museum space.

The strategy she uses, first of all, she took pictures on every corner of the museum, and she drew the imaginary light shaft that cast into the museum space. Then she planned to paint directly on the museum’s wall.

Mary Temple

Extended Afternoon, layout proposal

The first phase on September 2005, Temple started to paint the light on exterior corner wall that cast the shadow of tree branches. In phase two, the light has reached the adjacent corridor, the area around the bridge (inside the museum), and the exterior courtyard wall. Completed on March 2006, the light has seen finally reached the museum’s project space, light and shadow flooding the wall and floor.

Phase 1

Phase 2

Phase 3

Temple’s technique is actually using real plants and light during the painting process. This method will create convincing result in her art. However, her work is dependent on architecture, the materials and texture in the interior. What Temple trying to do is, she freezes the moment in the flow of time, in the form of casting shadow. She interfere our consciousness with the shadow of nearby window and plants. Actually, there is no such window and light in the space or maybe there is only little light. She uses a remembered pattern through the forms of window frame and leaves or branches, and catches the phenomena of sunlight. Because what we usually see is mostly from our memory and rarely a new act of looking. Temple succeeded to interject our visual experience as we see her artworks.

Through this installation art Temple intends to bring the outside phenomena inside in the midst of flow of time. It seems like ‘pause button’ is pressed and the viewer is overwhelmed in the stillness and experienced the whole space as an artwork.

In both Flavin and Temple’s art approaches toward light and shadow, I can learn that to unfold and experience natural and constructed light means interject light and shadow into the space and human mind. The interjection of light and shadow will disrupt the people’s consciousness and habit. So the light and shadow become phenomenology and the viewer able to encounter the phenomena.

Possible application from Flavin’s artwork is, by placing a slit lighting on the junction of walls and makes the light looks like come out from the wall. Another method is, to cut the corner (wall junction) so natural sunlight can interject through the space. Inspired by Temple’s works, shortcoming of the shadow on a surface can be captured with cut mirror or glass, place it where the shadows occupy then put the cut glass there. Everytime the shadow passes by different forms of shadows fill the cut surface, and each time the shadow matches the cutting form the shadow will be alive inside the space.

1.3. Tadao Ando

Tadao Ando is a Japanese architect who works with play of light in his architectural space. Ando’s works mainly expose cast-in-place concrete, simple geometric shapes, and spatial narrative through spaces, that express Japanese purity and simplicity. One illustration of the method that Ando used in terms of poetic lighting, in the Church of Light, is by directing ever-changing light rays penetrate through a cross cut opening and perceptually ‘deconstruct’ the simple geometric volume of the church. Here, dynamic sunlight is the ultimate manifestation of the spirit, and tactile experience is presented within sacred space through space orientation in relation to the sun. His works are poetic ways in play of natural light toward architectural space.

Tadao Ando, Church of Light

2. Observation

Besides conduct case studies from references, research through direct observation about phenomena outside is also important to obtain real experience of light. By doing observation in particular sites and captures the phenomena with camera or video, I’m able to feel the light and study about the phenomena, and then make it as a part in my design approach. Observation also includes experimental study. Building up model experiments help to deepen the research because throughout those experiments, new discovery can be unfolded and found.

Water reflection Shadow of the rain

Sky reflection on water Sky phenomena

Experiment on reflection Experiment on reflection

3. Conclusion

By doing on research about methodologies that are used by these masters, it will build up a base for the design project. The approaches they had applied through unique forms, texture, strong color, changes of light, design that is able to capture the moment, address the viewer’s perception toward design and space. It is the references to my approach in design practices. In the professional practice often that designer just decorating the space without trying to bring out the essence and dematerializing the space. Dematerializing means, to deprive of or lose apparent physical substance; make or become immaterial.[6] Intention of my design project is by understanding the material and space’s characteristics in order to break down the space and make it twist the visual perception.

From these three main references, I can combine and summarize the conceptual approaches into my constructive design practices. The contextual approach is directing and reflecting light into a space poetically, aiming to create diffused light and shadow that make the occupant subconscious towards the space and the space become dematerialized.

In the research practice that I do, what I can learn from these professional artists, I apply experimental methods to conduct my design process about light. By doing direct observations and experiments, the experience of light become sensible and give new means toward the space.

Bibliography

Frampton, Kenneth (2003) Tadao Ando: Light and Water, The Monacelli Press Inc.

Holl,S. Pallasmaa, J. & Perez-Gomez, A. (2006) Questions of Perception-Phenomenology of Architecture, San Francisco: William Stout Publishers.

Mack, Gerhard (2005) Herzog and De Meuron 1992-1996, Switzerland: Birkhauser-Publishers for Architecture

Mende, Kaoru (2000) Designing with Light and Shadow, Australia: The Images Publishing Group Pty. Ltd

Meyers, Victoria (2006) Designing with Light, London: Laurence King Publishing Ltd

Ragheb, J. Fiona (1999) Dan Flavin: The Architecture of Light, New York: Guggenheim Museum Publications

Vettese, Angela (2004) Dan Flavin: Rooms of Light, London: Thames and Hudson Ltd

WordNet® 3.0 Princeton University 19 Sep. 2007. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/phenomenology>

www.aldrichlook2.org/look2/marytemple/

www.artnet.com/artist/424664624/mary-temple.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Flavin

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phenomenology

www.marytemple.com

http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/flavin/retrospective.htm

[1] Quoted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Flavin.

[2] Vettese, A. (2004). Dan Flavin: Rooms of Light. London: Thames and Hudson Ltd. p. 29.

[3] Quoted from http://www. Southbankcentre.co.uk/flavin/retrospective.htm.

[4] Meyers, V. (2006). Designing with Light. London: Laurence King Publishing Ltd. pp. 12-14.

[5] trompe l'oeil. (n.d.). The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Retrieved October 14, 2007, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/trompe l'oeil

[6] dematerializing. (n.d.). The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Retrieved October 14, 2007, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/dematerializing