opus #2

Illuminate- To illuminate is to brighten something or in broader terms to draw attention to something. This week I have studied illumination through different devices such as watercolor in my design drawing class and artifact making in my studio class. Illumination is important to making something stand out there is no design without light. Roth says, our principle receptors for sensing the environment are our eyes, and the illuminating that environments critical for the information we receive. (Roth 85)

Idiom- An idiom is something that appears to be one thing but stands for something else or has an alternative use or meaning. A prime example of something that we talked about for this was in my design history and theory class we talked about how in homes today the front door is rarely used it is mainly there because it is supposed to be because that is what we expect. The front door is made to be used for one thing but it is actually used for something else. Another example of an idiom would be how with the artifacts that we made, the artifacts were completely abstracted from the original story that they were based off of. In my drafting class we discussed how an idiom is additive and subtractive at the same time and that it is something that is shared by all.

Material- Material can be defined in many different ways. The way that we use it the most in interior architecture would be something that is used to make something else. This week I was able to explore materials in just about all of my classes. In my studio class I was required to make a wearable artifact based off of the fairy tale that I read in class my fairy tale being The Frog King. I made a ring for my artifact so I got to work with metal and binding agents it was a challenge. Also in my design history and theory class we looked at different materials from the past the main material we talked about were rocks or stones in reference to Stonehenge. We talked about the very first materials used and the first structure a quote from Roth talks about the materials in these first structures. “De Lumley found the remains of the oldest know fabricated shelter …made of palisade of branches… and pilled rocks. (Roth 161-162)

Commodity, Firmness, Delight- these words are interesting words to be put together. I would interpret them as commodity being something that is needed and used Roth defines it as asking the question of how does the building function “function, therefore, has many components, ….. The accommodation of a specific use or activity in a specific room or space.” (Roth 15) Firmness referred to foundations that were solid and to building materials being used wisely to do there required work. (Roth 11) In design history and theory we said that delight is “the most complex and diverse of all the components of architecture, for it involves how architecture engages all our senses, how it shapes our perception end enjoyment of our built environment.” (Roth 67) the main things that Roth states that bring delight are proportion, scale, rhythm, texture, light, color, ugliness, ornament, visual perception. I have tried to remember these things this week especially as I have been working on my Pats chair assignment in my drafting class. Another example of where I have used this was making the artifacts for my Fairy Tale. I really saw this in all of my classes even in my drawing class in learning watercolor and drawing vignette’s by learning what is important and what isn’t important to included in a piece to make it successful.

Summary- I think that all of these things had good connection this week. I found that illuminate, idiom, and material are all important aspects to design they tie right into commodity, firmness, and delight in the fact that in order for a design to be successful they need to include all of these things or at least the majority of them. This information has been helpful to me already as far as the way that I look at my design I need to make sure that they don’t just look good but they work good to and they included these components.