explorations

Sometimes in order to explore new possibilities one must first examine the steps that brought them to your current position before they can look forward. After fixing your eyes forward you can then explore more thoroughly what the future will look like.

 The World’s fair of 1893 was held in Chicago, IL to celebrate the 400^th anniversary of Christopher Columbus discovering North America. Structures were built using classical architecture. “The White City” was constructed in the middle of a city that was changing, growing and exploring building with new materials. It would be the last time a World’s Fair looked to the past for a foundation on which to build. This fair celebrated not only an anniversary but also many cultures coming together. In the city that surrounded the fair were buildings that reached to the sky rather than the past. Architects were searching for a new way to build and in using new steel and curtain wall construction they were able to do just that.

            With city life becoming more congested and fast pace some individuals were lead to explore life outside of its boundaries. American families, many of them young families, were looking for a lifestyle that wasn’t accessible in the city. Known for being simple and efficient, the Bungalow became the style of home preferred by many. The bungalow steered away from the more formal Victorian and offered an interior that was relaxed and catered to a family. Mail order catalogs help to further the popularity of the bungalow, allowing buyers to easily select what home to order.

            As we move forward design starts to explore more deeply what the future looks like. Especially after the First World War, buildings are sleek and streamlined as if they are projecting away from the war itself. Again, the Worlds fair are where most will see these structures for the first time. The New York World’s fair of 1939 was looking forward to tomorrow. Even in a time of depression for the U.S. attendance of the fair was quite high, helping to perpetuate the products and designs being presented. Automobile companies were the most significant of sponsors; thus becoming a central focus of the structures being designed. They focused heavily on movement with the use of circular shapes and their repetition. In other parts of the world houses become less residential and more machine like. The structures were lifted off the land and the interior was designed human movement all throughout. Le Corbusier also considered the automobile and it’s movement when designed the exterior the Villa Savoye.

            The popularity of the television creates a shift, in both the home and in advertising. Televisions become the center of the home; rooms and furniture are arranged around it. Family meals are had in front of the television, while families digest what it is the “All American Family” should look like. Advertising quickly moves to capitalize on all the families huddled around their TV sets. As a result consumerism is booming.

            International style begins to explore the notion of a design that can be the same and be recognizable everywhere. What emerges is a design that doesn’t consider climate as a factor and often doesn’t consider the human in general. This lack of human interest makes way for interior design.  The structure is designed with the intent of being viewed as a work of art. Many architects are exploring thisidea and consider the user of the space less relevant than the design itself.

Villa Savoye

1964 world's fair

In 1964 "the house of good taste" exhibit was showcased at the world's fair. Included in the exhibit were three different types of houses- the modern house, the contemporary house, and the traditional house. Essentially these homes were a way for American manufactures to show off their commodities within the context of their intended use. The exhibit portrayed these american homes and american goods as being elite. An individual visiting the exhibit would hopefully view the designed goods as being essential to creating the perfect home. The designs were portrayed as being within reach for everyone, when in reality there were many individuals who would find them out of reach. Seeing these designs portrayed in this way creates a sense of "need" in a consumer. An individual might assume that their neighbor will have these new designs in their home and therefor they would need to do the same in order to keep up.

modern house

"contemporary house "

who leads design?

Is it possible to pinpoint who or what leads design? Designers are inspired by what is going on around them, it is these surroundings that lead design choices. The discovery of a new material may inspire a slew of designs that use this material. Design in colonial times was inspired by a desire to establish themselves as a respected and powerful. Design can be lead by the desire to create something new and unseen. Design is lead by a complicated and intertwined chain of events. Events that at first glance may seem un related to design, when in actuality that play a large role in design development. Like the intertwining shapes and colors of the mosaic below, factors that lead design are complicated and it is difficult to dissect exactly where a design began.

international style

International style in the 1960's can be explained as something that lacked overt influence from previous periods. The surface of an international style structure is unadorned  promoting an aesthetic that could speak to many. This style made no reference to history and could be placed in any climate or location. To speak of global is to imply that something, be it a product, belief, technology etc.;  interacts all around the world.  To me global is more about how intertwined an object or idea is with the world, and international is more so a notion that has the potential to be placed in various places around the world.

Eames

In 1957 Charles and Ray Eames designed this solar toy. It was meant to draw attention to the sun as an affordable and  renewable energy source.  The toy is made of aluminum and as the shapes twirl and rotate they eventually convert the light to energy. The toy was not made to be sold. The toy was however made to tour in hopes of igniting a change and drawing attention to the potential use of solar machines in future designs. I think that this is a good example of the innovation and creative thinking that was occurring during the mid twentieth century. This was a time when people were longing for change, not only in design but socially as well.

Solar Toy 1957

commercial + residential of 1950's

     During the 50's and 60's a lot was changing in both commercial and residential design spheres. A typical home from this era would look like the one pictured below. People were still ordering from catalogues and were very concerned with keeping up with what their neighbor was doing. This was a time about creating the perfect image of a family and household. What resulted was a great deal of similarity from one home to the next. Although this type of home was certainly not all that was happening in residential design it certainly was a large part of it. 

     Commercial design however was more concerned with being the first to do something, this resulted in a lot of forms that were very different. During the time of the atomic age and the race for space, structures had a very futuristic feel. They were easily differentiated from one another unlike most homes of the era.  

revolutionary material

Iron in it's least processed form, cast iron, is much too brittle to be a reliable material for large construction. The development of iron in to steel created a much stronger material and revolutionized buildings. Steel allowed buildings to form completely different shapes and reach heights that would otherwise be impossible. This revolutionary material allowed designers to execute building designs that previously had only been possible in thought.