de l'architecture à Paris

Art, Architecture and Walls

Masterful Louvre

Enter

Layers

Frames among many

Battle

Les Illusion Perdue by Charles Gleyre

--

The hegemony of Au Louve can not forsake a mere soul who beckons to study within. To be apart of a toppling collection of master works--some 30 ft tall--bears nails on your back. You see their prestige. You feel it. But can one gain this stature? I can only imagine what time was put forth to craft these marvelous pieces. For every piece is pure time. It is a part of the artist--a piece of their being. They remove a piece of their creative passion and placed it meticulously upon a medium.

Sunday the first of each month is a day for all Parisians to enjoy life in a city of Art. This is a free experience. The public gains access to outstanding wonders of the world. A gift one normally can not obtain. Mountains of pilgrims flock through the city, ready to soak in the world.

Notre Dame de Paris is a spectacle of the mind and soul. The majestic interior can only be held by the monumental exterior. Huge in mass but light in density, the structure reaches to the heavens. A small glimpse into a candle lit interior and coral sung tunes space brings tears to the eyes. It is captivating.

--

Colours

A Place of Style of Northern Cold

Walking Briskly Against Time

And Settling Neatly Beside Bikes

To Rise the Snow Caps Morn

--

 A smoke filled resonance written is black, grey and red 
clicks delicately across the stone paths and brick walls.
Smell of fresh bread intermingles with perfume
and clings to the sides of tall buildings.
A few days of sun and many with clouds
lighting the streets of people walking.
Through the twist and turns of Rue
a lovely church suddenly comes to life.
It sits pointing a cross to God 
drawing a wandering worshiper.
They come to hear, see and touch.
The stone stays permanent 
amidst an ever moving city
The city does not stop 
regardless of the cold.
This is Lille France.

My humble adventure starts with a 36 hour day trying desperately to save energy for my etudes. Once the speedy plane landed I was thrown into a world of mystery, adventure and the unknown. Language is a wondrous and pleasant idea. It creates homeliness and static emotion. Without the soft blanket of language we are trapped vocally by the lack of knowledge. I sit, listen, wander and try to speak but nothing exits. There is little I can do immediately but start to learn and connect. The only kindred love is that of other friends and the anonymous English speaking chap. Language is powerful. 

Architecture on the other hand is ever pronouncing and understandable. It is stable. It sings my language and speaks softly and friendly. I bask in the glory of buildings; I photograph every moment. They are lively and beautiful. With the duality of life, what is obtuse? I was floating without mind and body. It is a new world. Scale is tiny and comforting. You bump people, they bump you back. You look at a crowd, they look back. The streets are filled with tiny cars. The sidewalks are short and angled. Lille is obtuse for beauty and proportions. It sits nicely in my heart though. I do enjoy the unique.

A rare obtuse event followed me from our cold environment back home. Heavy snow filled the city stopping life, I thought. The roads became glazed and sharp. Many people toppled amongst their baggage. Cars piled for miles and a large bus hit a 'stop.' Life did not freeze though. People continued to move.

--

Rosette II - the production

Alas it is but time to find a home for my beloved rosette. With beautiful parchment and the inspirational rose, the masterpiece is crafted. A wonderful layering effect has been produced by the 'petals' which hang delicately above an interior sculpture.

Building the rosette was somewhat a ship in a bottle. I designed in layers to bend the rings and build within. Each layer then was glued in place and built from bottom up. As the layers grew the less room I had to work with. The final layer made a depth of about two inches. To finish I needed guiding wires to pull it tight against the mouth. This was done with wire sewn through the sound holes. Once taught, I held for ten minutes to make certain the piece would hold. The product then was complete and ready to be restrung.

The sound is immaculate. It is warm, light and airy. Playing the instrument is to dance with a queen--beautiful and powerful. Any hand who touches the piece is struck with awe. The audience is flabbergasted by the appearance and  drawn in as if a rope was wound around their ankle. 

A six-string guitar is a rather obtuse instrument to put a delicate rosette within. Normally flamenco is played on this instrument, but I was rather diligent in making it strong. The minimal style of this guitar makes the white lace-like effect pounce. The second collar was removed because it effected the beautiful minimal aura. The rose must be the centerpiece to the guitar. Mise-en-scene must be met with a hand shake.

The Rosette Pieces

Washers

Leaflets

Leaf

Main stay providing sound holes

Laid out

Removing Albert Augustine Concert Strings

Raisers allow sound to pass beneath

More Sound holes

Constructing the flower sculpture

Adding more raisers

Complete

Scale

Notice the middle sound hole

Building the height

Bottom tier complete

Bending parchment to fit inside the mouth

Building a ship in a bottle

29 layers later

Notice the lip--this allows sound to pass underneath

Wire to pull tight alongside outer collar

restringing

Finished and Strung

The Guitar Rosette

The Face

The Body

Rosette I -- a baroque exploration

"My love for antiquity is a shameless venture through time, space and life. Endless lessons of pulchritude clasp your desires for seamless continuity. They revel in your mind. They desire your praise." 

While there seems to be a disconnect with the mainstream market of today, the past plays a wonderful role of designing for the future. It is because of the past we have the present. Never should we forget where we have found our most hidden roots. It creates meaning. Life is but meaningless without the past. Why do we fight so hard to find 'past designs' too distasteful for our stark global modern and post modern thoughts? Why is detail, expression of experience and a love for nature wretched? Why is classicism and decoration so mocked?

{it is because we have forgot where decoration came from--it is just as functional as any piece in a building. Can you tell me why?}

Our corrupt minds have a need for counterpoint. 

Everyone has a bit of renegade within them.

Design is a mere impression in the world of our thoughts. For a designer can not be held in this world without his designs. He is weak without his brain--without his plan. To design is a state of being. Designers design for life. Every aspect is fixated with a willingness to shape details. So let us not forget the past or fight to destroy it. Beauty comes from everything, every style and every person. Shaping the world through a desire to oppose the current might be good. But it does not make the current meaningless. It is a stepping stone to something new.

--For my love of the past I am working to craft something gloriously decorated and detailed--

During the medieval, renaissance and baroque period, the mouth of the guitar or lute was filled with an inverted wedding cake. It is called a rosette based on the inspiring Rose flower. With some work I shall have a beautiful Rosette delicately assembled within my guitar. I hope to create a more traditional sound with the piece. It is decorative, poetic and functional

--why would we be opposed to it?

Quick Sketch of radial pattern

Sketch of interior flower

Placemaking

The Art of designing a space is intricate and thoughtful:
Will you put a sofa there? 
Can people enter through the ceiling? 
Should brick be used rather than gum?

The act of designing a space is called placemaking. During the 70's there was a revival of what Grecian architects and city planners describes. Since then, working with a sense of place became somewhat of a lost art till this revival. Now planners are immersing themselves with spaces. In architecture space is obviously important. It is the latent, the secret, subconscious and voiceless artist that waits for its victim to enjoy. Design for space, experience and beauty rather than form. Create a sense of place.

--placemaking design tips--

+social design.culture.community.market

+scene design.climate.geography.topography

+substance design.material.colour.texture

+scapes design.landscapes.hardscapes.art

+scale design.dimensions.proportions.density

Placemaking Cards

A Little Party

A Cake or two with a Pie on top.

Sepia - A Lovers Gaunt Hunger

Sepia - A Lovers Gaunt Hunger 
by Jeremiah Johnson 
 
Percolating diligently amidst 
the Hair of a Beast 
and a nozzle of metal
comes Apollonian Pulchritude
laced neatly across pale skin

The antiquarian tone bites
nourishing the end of an era
The reminiscing esprit
opens her mind to find totality
in the eyes of dried paint


Frame-less and solemn sits her
abiding to amiable truths,
for the spilling of coffee runs
and opens sores of love
for her dire request

Labefy:
Why must I stop?
I can not muster the strength to go on.
Lifting myself is tiresome
Ich müsse halt und schlaf

aWordPoembyJeremiahJohnson