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Art. Fashion and Architecture
by Replica Louis Vuitton
Louis Vuitton has partnered with artist Camille Scherer to present
the new <em>"Louis Vuitton : Art. Fashion and Architecture"</em>
book. The book will be available in stores this Friday, September
11th. Now you can watch the animated movie of the book coming to
life above.
I employed to possess like merely a tiny child through the 80s. That
jeweler experienced glitter collectively with other tiny, shiny
treasures floating through the brightly-colored goo inside, the
arrangement near to the LV logos and stars on this scarf actual
physical appearance like somebody has squeezed each of the floating
goodness in the direction of the edges. It is casual, glam, and
several fulfilling - wonderful to the sort of rag-swinging that TI
appears getting advocating. purchase by method of eLuxury for $340.
The internet and luxury have consistently been sort of mutually
exclusive. The internet is broad, democratic, and welcomes all
kinds; it has altered the way in which those purchasers interact
with companies in basic methods that take place to be continually
evolving. Luxury producers are narrow, elitist, and concentrate on
the really particular clientele. They need a little of secret and
aloofness so that you simply can acquire aspiration and make their
conventional brand identities work, and they are typically not
thinking about altering how their companies interact with...well,
anyone. "The way it has consistently been done" is idealized and
worshiped in an almost religious way, as well as although a terrific
offer of below-the-surface methods have evolved in current many
years (most notably, manufacturing), the way in which that producers
want one to perceive them has remained largely untouched for Louis
Vuitton Replica.
But the trouble with this whole internet thingamabob could be the
actuality that it is type of insidious also it is altering the way
in which that guys and girls of the assortment of incomes and
interpersonal standings store and inform by themselves about
potential purchases. Style exhibits are no lengthier individual
activities for an elite set of celebrities, editors, and clients;
they are presentations of products that will normally be witnessed
within their entirety by common people within minis of the
completion. There could possibly be exclusivity left inside the
invitation to show up at a show, but not inside the details that
just one gains by attending.
Beauty in Architecture
By Frank Lyons
'Conceptual Art' that dominates the world is locked substantially
into the realm of thinking which is why we are required to learn
about the individual particularity of the artist and her ideas.
Conceptual art by its own definition has moved substantially into
the cerebral realm, and minimised the experiential dimensions of the
works. In 1941, the architectural historian Sigfried Giedion,
discussed a split which he perceived to have opened up between
society's thinking and feeling; a split which he described as being
one of the illnesses of our age. It was a schism that he felt
society we were leaving behind with the onset of modernism, but as
we are seeing, that was a premature conclusion. That split has not
yet been resolved; indeed it seems to be wider than ever and the
fragmentation of the artistic disciplines and their respective
audiences seems to be for ever increasing within the context of our
post-modern world. The relativity and inclusiveness of
Post-modernism is to be welcomed and celebrated but the fact that
everything should be tolerated does not mean that everything should
be equally valued. The post-modern condition does not suggest a way
out of this situation. In the post-modern world everything is
different but equal; to introduce value into such a relative world
we need to transcend the relative, engage the qualitative, and thus
enter the world of excellence, the theme of this conference.
The reason I feel that excellence is a way out of the post-modern
maelstrom is because it requires us to transcend the relativity of
variety, difference and interpretation. 'Excellence' we find defined
as "pre-eminent in quality", and 'quality' defined as "Degree of
excellence". It is one of those words whose definition seems to be
cyclical. Its meaning appears to turn in on itself, it becomes
difficult to pin it down, it is elusive rather like the phenomenon
itself. It seems to me to belong to another realm, another
dimension. If the relative world operates in the two dimensional
plane of everyday life, the life of variety, change and difference,
the qualitative world of excellence potentially cuts vertically
through that dimension at every point. We could perhaps also imagine
it as a series of qualitative planes stacked one above the other
with the pre-eminent plane suggesting excellence. But the
pre-eminent plane is never wholly grasped because the vertical
transcendent dimension is infinite. Although this qualitative axis
cuts through the relative world and is experienced in terms of the
relative world, its characteristics are wholly different.
If the relative world is understood in terms of the relationships
between objects, forms, colours, textures and ideas the qualitative
dimension is distinguished by the nature of those relationships. If
the relative world is described by 'what', the qualitative dimension
is described by 'how'. We could almost say that in the qualitative
realm it matters less what objects, forms, colours, ideas are
related in a work, but more importantly how they are related. When
we talk about 'what we relate', we talk about the type, the size,
the number, the cost; when we talk about 'how we relate', we talk
about taking time, about taking care and even about loving what we
are doing. When we are in the qualitative realm we focus on the way
that things are brought together. The precision with which colours,
forms, textures and ideas are balanced and composed becomes all
important to the artist and architect. It is because these creative
individuals are concerned about the way things are brought into
relationships that the work as a 'wholly integrated ensemble'
becomes more important than the individual parts. Beyond that, the
way that that ensemble is stitched into the greater whole of the
discipline or more generally the culture, is also of equal
importance. Wholeness and balance are therefore central phenomena in
a consideration of the qualitative dimension of architecture and the
arts.
Architecture - Is Originality Always Feasible Or Desirable?
(Notes on the Avant-Garde)
By Michael A. Vidalis
Architecture as an art is required to be original, or at least it
should strive to be. In the pragmatics of architectural practice
though, one realizes that a host of conditions or determinants often
interfere or intervene, so the resulting project is a far cry from
it. Let alone that so called signature projects are equally
unattainable for most designers.
It is rather uncontested, that a work of architecture in order to
stand apart requires the simultaneous existence of two conditions: a
gifted designer, as well as, a receptive or visionary client. It is
very rare for excellence to be achieved otherwise. One of course can
analyze this ad nauseam, thinking of all possible variations or sub
conditions, but of no avail.
On occasion an architect has been successful in steering a client
towards his philosophy, or convincing him of the merits of his
ideas, but this is an entirely different subject, opening Pandora's
Box. It is the debate having to do with the role of the architect,
or his "obligation" to steer the uncultured masses... See Adolf
Loos' "The Poor Little Man" and the notion of Gesamtkunstwerk.
Interpersonal relationships are indeed rather complex. The
architect-client relationship is deemed pivotal to the success of a
project. Historically, patrons of the arts and architecture such as
the Medici family in the Renaissance were instrumental in the
creation of great works of art. To a lesser extent, men of great
vision are still found today, providing the much needed impetus to
grand or original works.
It is often expressed by architects that a limited budget presents
an impediment to creativity or their uninhibited artistic
expression. To see how erroneous this view is, we need only bring to
mind acknowledged architectural marvels that were accomplished with
limited means, such as the little Schullin Jewelry store in Vienna,
a project that was identified with the post-modern movement (Hans
Hollein, architect, 1982). Or plenty of contemporary projects in the
L.A. area, by architects employing humble materials in the
elevations of the structure (For instance, see the Container House
by Peter Demaria - 2006, the M House by Xten architects - 2004, or
the Schmalix residence by Fung + Blatt architects - 2000).
Another objection raised has to do with the limited time allowed to
design or construct the project. What about though fast-track design
or fast-track construction? Lastly, an additional objection by
architects has to do with the limitations presented by building
codes. Again, being forced by limitations or constraints one has to
reshape, reinterpret, reinvent or rethink the problem or its
parameters at hand, thus presenting an opportunity for the new to
surface.
The list of architects that have achieved excellence in original
artistic expression is long: Sant' Elia, Frank Lloyd Wright, Le
Corbusier, Mies van der Rohe, Philip Johnson, Robert Venturi, Tadao
Ando, Zaha Hadid, Saana...
Analyzing the work of the above, or that of other architects -
acknowledged leaders of a fresh approach in the 'arts' - pioneers in
their own right (not only in the mind of critics but by general
acclaim), we may try to analyze the underlying common factors, if
any. How did these men develop, why did they stand out, and how did
they contribute to a valid architectural discourse? How did they
leave their indelible mark? How did the avant-garde come about?
Some support that uniqueness is the reward, the eventual fruition of
many years of plain hard work and insistence, questionable though as
far as architecture is concerned, or for the arts as a whole as we
shall later see (isn't the invalidity of this reasoning apparent
when we attempt to justify the artistic success of many young or
'inexperienced' creators? As an example, one of the most monumental
edifices ever built, La Grande Arche de la Defense (1982- 1989), in
Paris, was the result of an international architectural competition
with 400 entries from 40 countries. Winner, an unknown Danish
architect, Otto von Spreckelsen, whose only experience was limited
to designing his own home and two churches in his country! Or, the
enigmatic house Venturi designed for his mother, Chestnut Hill,
Pennsylvania (1962), his second built work).
It is deemed necessary to refer to Professor Pavlos Mylonas. During
his reception at the Academy of Athens and awarding of Membership,
Mylonas said: "...in the most creative 20th Century, the Greek
architectural family has treaded a path just parallel to the Modern
Movement, as happens with most other not large [small] countries.
Worth mentioning not because remarkable Greek designs have not
entered the International Pantheon, but because - the subject
tonight being Theory - since the days of the late Greek
architectural aesthetician Panayotis Mihelis, basically no
noteworthy Greek contribution has been made to contemporary
international architectural thinking. And this, perhaps due to the
fact that in our country the presuppositions were not in place
timely, that could lead to the realization of an innovation
["modernism"]". (1.)
What are perhaps the presuppositions stated, irrelevant perhaps of a
country's size? Akin perhaps to a 'greenhouse', that may foster the
growth, development and export of ideas? Indisputably, rarely the
avant-garde just happens, as lightning on a clear day, the
presuppositions not being there, or the conditions not being ripe
for change, not having the proper climate so to say (lets attempt to
define the 'avant-garde' as essentially the questioning and
rejecting or denouncing of the status quo. In its meekest
manifestation though the avant-garde is simply a reformation). At a
personal or artistic level, it is the result of a journey or a
stance, and a process affected by external conditions. The artistic
stagnation or stalemate, affected both by internal and external
conditions, doesn't really lend itself to change. The 'climate' is
not right to foster growth.
Therefore, attempting to understand how the "avant-garde" was born,
we observe that its manifestation requires certain conditions;
conditions, that when these occur concurrently, enhance the
possibility of its happening. These are:
A. The social and political infrastructure (Including the
'economy').
B. The picture in the art world at large.
C. The educational system, with an emphasis on technology and the
arts.
Collectively, the above determinants synthesize and define the
factor 'environment'. Although 'technology' as a determinant played
a major role in earlier developments, its almost universal
accessibility today, in the age of information, especially in the
developed world, weakens its influence relative to the other
determinants (Bearing in mind though that technology in Modernism,
served as the very instrument by which the avant- garde was
achieved).
Specifically, Modernism, the influential 20th Century movement in
architecture and the arts, appears unavoidable in that light, when
one realizes that all three of the above conditions were in place:
the industrial revolution that had preceded it, the 'fertile'
artistic climate in Old Europe, especially in Germany and Vienna,
and naturally the Bauhaus, that came to house the whole undertaking.
Attempting to comprehend the "seminal" and "problematic" work of
Erik Gunnar Asplund, a work that defies easy classification that has
puzzled critics and historians alike, the contribution of
"environment" is often overlooked. Kenneth Frampton states it
eloquently: "Most commentators have missed the point that Asplund's
whole achievement was set in a particular cultural context of which
he was the primary but by no means the sole representative". (2.)
Often the avant-garde attempts to peer through or establish itself
through the writing of a manifesto, while at times, the manifesto
itself becomes a 'crutch', a substitute of built work, as in the
case of futurist Antonio Sant' Elia (His dream like sketches
constitute a de facto manifesto). In Italy, futurism emerges through
Sant' Elia's vision, Citta Futurista (1914). While at times, a
single sketch becomes the springboard for an entire movement, as in
the case of Vladimir Tatlin. His sketch, a proposal for a large
steel building-monument to the 3rd International in Moscow (1920),
effectively defined Constructivism. While Robert Venturi's landmark
book, 'Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture' (1966), became
a manifesto for a critical look at modernism that evolved into
historic eclecticism.
Art 'converses' with architecture as we saw, offering its critical
input. Although art today is in a protracted period of flux, with
the coexisting of many trends (often contradictory), it does have a
lot to contribute to architectural thought, as it historically did
on occasion (The collectivity or interdependence of Gesamtkunstwerk).
According to Jacques Paul Grillo "... art is often the result of a
masterly flouting of the rules". Were we to adopt this statement, in
effect a definition isn't then all art considered avant-garde, as
dynamically changing within a framework of continuous questioning
and rejection? In its most extreme version, does the adoption of an
avant-garde become utopian?
In the 21st Century, architecture seems to have forgotten the
contribution of the social sciences, contribution that effectively
shaped the architectural morphology during the 1960s. The computer
generated 'distortions', and, the 'artsy' or 'nebulous'
presentations, apparently leave no room for the social dimension of
architecture...The freeing from the 'sirens' though requires the
input of information unknown to the architect, specifically,
information that stems from the method of short-term psychotherapy
(Method of Watzlawick, Weakland και Fisch.). This multidisciplinary
approach is very relevant here. Considering the changing of the
status quo as Second Degree Change, since external forces realize
it, First Degree Change appears more familiar as it is realized from
forces within the system. Subsequently, the prescribed changing of
the status quo leads to the avant-garde. This theory of change
differentiates between "difficulty" and "problem", and stresses
that, not addressing appropriately the first leads to the second
(The difficulty of the artistic stagnation or stalemate if not
addressed appropriately leads to the problem of status quo...).
Second Order Change is 'the change of change', a phenomenon that
Aristotle so vehemently denied to accept... Bearing in mind the
above it is apparent why we so often resist Second Order Change,
perceiving it as odd or absurd. This explains why we resist any
substantive change: its external framework is unfamiliar to us. The
changing of the system, the elevation from one level to the next,
are understood with the aid of this Theory of Change, and through
associated techniques such as reframing, etc. At the same time, we
must warn against the Utopia Syndrome, that is, when change is
sought or accomplished even though it is not needed (Change for
change's sake...). In this light it is apparent how difficult it is
for the artist to create something entirely unique and substantive
("strange"), and for the public to understand or accept it.
As Professor George Sarigiannis, remarks, today we are often
"...basically caught in an agonizing chase of originality,
originality though without meaning and internal structure, the work
produced being far-out, impressive, 'original', but not having any
organic relation to the function, the construction or the structure
of the building" (In Renaissance, the older the better, in
antithesis with the avant-garde where, the newer the better. An
evaluation where the criterion of time is a measure of artistic
worthiness). (3.)
Originality often stems from theory, assuming the role of a beacon.
Originality has to do with the desire as well as the ability to
bring about change. It is uniquely tied to a spirit of
experimentation. It is the desire to envision and produce a truly
creative piece of work, a statement of avant-garde. Ironically, with
the passage of time, the avant-garde becomes the status quo, which
will in time itself be questioned and replaced by the new
avant-garde. This transformation, these dynamics in the arts and in
architecture, is part of their substance, and quite interesting,
especially if we understand the underlying mechanisms.
Granted, we touched upon a few of the issues involved, and those
even laconically. Hoping these snippets of ideas is just a stimulus
for further thought... Is originality or the avant-garde always
feasible or desirable? The architect should ask himself, then, his
client.
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