module 4.
frame vs. field
This module introduced us to perspective, a common technique in architectural representation, which was developed in Renaissance Italy. This module also emphasis the use of notations, as it makes us able in mapping of movement and figures.
Hidden Cities 1: Olinda
"In Olinda, if you go out with a magnifying glass and hunt carefully, you may find somewhere a point no bigger than the head of a pin which, if you look at it slightly enlarged, reveals within itself the roofs, the antennas, the skylights, the gardens, the pools, the streamers across the streets, the kiosks in the squeares, the horse-racing track. That point does not remain there: a year later you will find it the size of half a lemon, then as large as a mushroom, then a soup plate. And then it becomes a full-size city, enclosed within the earlier city: a new city that forces its way ahead in the earlier city and presses its way toward the outside.
Olinda is certainly not the only city that grows in concentric circles, like tree trunks which each year add one more ring. But in other cities there remains, in the center, the old narrow girlde of the walls from which the withered spires rise, the towers, the tiled roofs, the domes, while the new quarters sprawl around them like a loosened belt. Not Olinda: the old walls expand bearing the old quarters with them, enlarged but maintaining their proportions an a broader horizon at the edges of the city; they surround the slightly newer quarters, which also grew up on the margins and became thinner to make room for still more recent ones pressing from inside; and so, on and on, to the heart of the city, a totally new Olinda which, in its reduced dimensions retains the features and the flow of lymph of the first Olinda and of all the Olindas that have blossomed one from the other; and within this innermost circle there are always blossoming--though it is hard to discern them--the next Olinda and those that will grow after it."
Application to Old Quad Model
As we were given an Old Quad model to work on, I quickly tries to analyse the story. In my opinion, the story's general and straightforward description of Olinda is an initial challenge, as it has no character(s) in it. After further reading, the shape of the city is a concentric circle, which reminded me of a certain animation series that I watched.
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The isometric view symbolism featured several concentric rings in different elevations. In the story, Olinda is described to grow like the age circles on a tree, and the city blossoms new Olindas throughout time. This is represented in the model from different viewing positions. If the model is viewed from the top, it will resemble age circles. If the model is viewed from the side, it will resembles a blossoming flower. A center piece is also featured, which consists of circles and inward arrows. The circles represent people, and if the definition is expanded, it symbolises society, located at the origin point of the city. The inward arrows corresponds to the outwards arrows, as the city expands outwards, a new Olinda is being created in the center, hence a re"birth" or a recreation.
There are two perspective views being produced for the project.
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The first perspective view featured the Old Quad model's interior viewed at an angle. This angle created an "expanding" scene, which started from the vanishing point at the right, and expanded into a bigger space to the left. This symbolises the passage of time as the city grows, or, a 'timeline'. The kids playing and the old man emphasise this. In the story, the newer parts of the city is located in the center, while the older parts are located in the outskirts. This can be seen in the placement of the people, where the kids (newer generation) are located closer to the center than the old man (older generation). The fountain was located in the direct center of the building. It represents the center and heart of the city, as well as the source of life and starting point of the city. The circular tiled floors resembles the shape of the city, a concentic circle, while the ceilings were given a skylight frame texture, which is a feature of Olinda if viewed from above.
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The second perspective featured a visual interpretation of the city. As I was reading the city, I interpreted the part in which the newer parts of the city is in the center and the older parts in the outskirts, as an argument for modernisation. Olinda, just like any other cities nowadays, is affected by the progress of time. For instance, take a look at Melbourne. Melbourne's origin point was the creation of the Hoddle Grid by the Yarra River, and since then it expanded and grows, creating new suburbs and satellite cities around it, bearing the architectural style and buildings from the Hoddle Grid. If we take a look at Melbourne now, the Hoddle Grid, now the CBD, is the most modern looking part of the city, with new high rise skyscrapers and contemporary styled buildings, while the suburbs around it still have that old buildings intact, such as Carlton, with the presence of the University, which is old. This interpretation can be seen in the perspective view. The central part is filled with high rises and modern buildings, a newer part, while the outskirts is filled with classical buildings, churches, spires, an old circular city wall, and small town and villages. This view also seemingly created a model city inside the Old Quad, with the cloud filled ceilings and the wooden columns with leaves as its capitals, trees.
Perspective Views
