My Final Textile Samples pictured at location of The Barbican
When going back to the Barbican I was excited to photograph my samples back in location because I could see whether my work over the week and has been effective to replicate the brutalist architecture. I was focusing on areas in the building which had pattern as in my research at the Barbican and Alexandra Estate I was interested in the fact that the concrete pattern in the building was disrupted by satellites and plants.I found this grid pattern which was a vent on the floor; this was a perfect pattern to place my uniquely shaped textiles samples to break up the pattern. The little circles within the pattern also reminded me of the bobbles from the grey background of the samples.
Group Project using the surroundings of the Barbican to create textile samples
When looking for areas around the barbican to use we wanted something with holes and a sculptural shape. Therefore it would give us the opportunity to weave and stuff material into the holes. We found this bench which thought would be a good substitute even when photographing having a person sat on the bench. I love how there are intimate areas of the piece which contain texture and detail; however, when zooming out you can see the whole weave. To improve I think as a group we could have worked more cohesively so the weave and details did not look so separated.
Barbican Centre, Moorgate, London
It was nice to draw on location at the Barbican without rushing so you could really take in every detail. I had a go at doing some drawings detailed which worked well but was suggested by Kate to do some more abstracted drawings identifying blocks of shapes in the buildings. I did this using acrylic paint to really make my choices on the paper bold. It was also a really bright blue beautiful day which meant the contrast between the buildings and the sky was immense. I decided to look for areas at the barbican where patterns occurred and then find areas which disturbed these patterns. For example the scaffolding, this idea links back to Alexandra Road Estate.
Alexandra Road Estate, Chalk Farm, London
I chose Alexandra Road Estate because of its fame for being in many drama series I have watched and its repetition in the building which would create interesting drawings and even allow for patterns to be created. Once at the estate I was shocked to discover the sheer scale of the flats all running along a single pathway. When walking down the flats I also noticed how from each angle a different shape or silhouette from shadows were created. Areas of repetition were disrupted by stains on concrete and signage/street lights/poles.
Brutalist Architectural Flats in Southwark
Annie Albers Exhibition at Tate Modern, London
When walking into the exhibition I loved how each individual piece big or small had subtle colour nuances making my eyes wonder from one piece to another. The images of Albers at Bauhaus working on her pieces also really intrigued me ; I think its because you could see how she worked and created art using tolls I have not seen before. A particular piece which inspired me had to be the thin individual stranded piece (image 3) the transparency of delicate lines moved and reacted with you when walking past and effortlessly stood out from her other works. This technique could be easily incorporated onto collage/drawing of my brutalist architecture.
Notes from Channel 4 Grand Designs Programme : Experimental Brutalist Architecture
- A use of experimental concrete which is mixed with 3ml shards of metal fibres for insulation
- Each area was poured into place with original markings kept onto the concrete and not smoothed down
- Open planned with small cubby holes throughout the building
Seb Patane
To me Patane's collages and work is not safe but at the same time so tentatively placed. The ink has been pushed into the image taking its identity; making me want to work with ink again and be less safe with materials like ink as at the moment I am scared to use it.
Image Resource: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/167477679867297052/
Hannah Höch
Carefully cut collage material allows for you to layer the pictures over and over each other in a way that doesn't seem to heavy. I could try this with my barbican pictures by cutting holes into the pictures around un-important information and layering.
Image Resource: https://www.ecosia.org/images?q=Hannah+hoch#id=A53C263720780E8BB6DF88C5B9649C9CD94CA7E8
John Stezaker, Film Portrait, 2005
John Stezakers collages are often a very simple layering of two images sometimes even with a single cut in half however there is always a narrative which is portrayed through his work with a context to the project. Here Stezaker's techniques used includes placement and composition.
Image Resource: https://library-artstor-org.arts.idm.oclc.org/#/search/John%20stezaker;page=1;size=24
Utopia Dystopia: Construction and Destruction in Photography and Collage
These collages show information being taken away and either left empty or information being added back, in a different way. I particularly like the creepy aura the image below has as the statue heads blend seamlessly into the rest of the body.
Christian Holstad
This work in particular has a huge variety of techniques from rubbing information away, stitching and adding information back in with shading. In a way Holstads work is erasing history and key elements of vintage photographs then working back into them. Also using stitch to add texture; something I could interpret into my own textile samples and photographs of the barbican.This gives the viewer the opportunity create a narrative which they think the photograph should have; something which can be very difficult to do effectively. To me this collage has a very strong effect on me-as if they are looking into my soul.
Urban Interventions: Personal Projects in Public Spaces By Gestalten, 2010
To me this book and the images it holds are particularly inspirational for this tactile structures project. The materials used are really unique and sort of surreal; for example this huge pink substance connecting two buildings looks like bubblegum. This idea of materials being surreal is something I could have a go at applying in my own textile samples even going into a local hardware store to find materials.
Hayward Art Gallery, Pink boards by Gary Hume, Whitechapel Art Gallery Book
Here I like the contrast of the huge concrete blocks with ever so slightly pale pink boards. This softens the building and has inspired a possible colour palette I could go with for this project.
Collage makers ll By Carolina Amell
A style of collage I have never experimented with before but would like to. A very accurate mix of photographs as if someone has taken a wooden spoon and mixed the image around; however I still like how you can still make out what the image is and its narrative.
'Brutalist style buildings being called eyesores' by Associated Press, Youtube
I find it interesting how there are such contrasting views on these buildings based on their looks and function. Personally I think brutalist style buildings can be effortlessly elegant. For example when visiting Alexandra Estate even though the inside of the building was very chaotic its architecture stood out. A different effect with the Barbican where it was more of an experience; everywhere I walked I was exploring new small areas of fascinating architecture.
Video Resource: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCJ3lPl_ZNU
Cast-In-Place Concrete
"The concrete slab-on-grade is an economical and durable structure, suitable for a variety of floors and foundations. The slabs are usually reinforced, and various types of joints are used to control cracking due to shrinkage of the concrete. The tendency to shrink also leads to curling (distortion of a slab in a curved shape), primarily at the joints and at the slab's perimeter"
Quote resource: http://buildipedia.com/knowledgebase/division-03-concrete/03-30-00-cast-in-place-concrete/concrete-slab-on-grade
Notes On Concrete
- making concrete cast in place
- making brutalist building video
- concrete shrinkage
- visual stepping stones
- satellites disrupting
- curling (distortion of a slab in a curved shape)
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign by Paul Rudolph,1962-1965, destruction date: 1987, Chicago, Illinois, United States
Image Resource:
Plaster, Render, Paint and Coatings by Alexander Reichel, Anette Hockberg and Christine Köpke
For this textile project I wanted to explore a diverse range of materials to see where my textile samples could go and to explore a bigger range of techniques. Plaster is a material I was excited to use especially when seeing the mixture of plaster and chicken wire where plaster has begun to bulge through the holes.
Concrete Design by Sarah Gaventa
VillaShodan by Le Corbusier, 1951-1956, Ahmadabad, Gujarat, India
This image stuck out to me for its chaotic arrangement of windows with thick frames normally unusual for windows. Decay has occurred in the seams of the concrete this could be an interesting area to focus on for mark making.
Image Resource:
Jacksonville University, 1972-1974, original construction
“The cast-in-place concrete and harsh sculptural forms are typical of American Brutalist architecture.”- Mrs. Lucy Goodingwho donated funds for education and medical buildings and programs.
This quote interested me for the words ”cast in place” describing a type of concrete technique often used for creating brutalist architecture where concrete is set into a cast - something I could develop and research further.
Material:
Foundation: concrete slab
Walls: cast-in-place concrete; brick
Roof: flat, rolled roof with tar
Quote and Image Resource:
Architectural History London by Anthony Sutcliffe
This Brutal World By Peter Chadwick
A book full of brutalist buildings which helped to give me a full introduction into the brief and what brutalist architecture is. I understood from these pages the variety that brutalist buildings can encase however the material of concrete and a large amount of windows varying in size are consistent throughout. Leonard Cohen's quote from this book in my own words means an over the top version of a stark; plain building something I agree with and think that this idea of severe concrete contrasting against blue sky is enticingly graceful.