The thing that struck me most about this plant were the petals, and the fact that it was quite and unusual and pretty flower. When the flower was fully in bloom, it is beautiful to look at, perfect symmetry, the petals were trumpet shape and also quite thick, with flecks of pink.
This flower, though I don't know the name of it, is very similar to a painting by Georgia O'Keeffe, called White Trumpet Flower (1932), below:
Georgia O'Keeffe was a feminist, famous for her paintings of flowers where she would comparatively depict the forms of flowers to female genitalia, drawing on the likenesses within nature. This is an example of one of her less overt paintings - though the connections can still be recognised. Going back to the flowers at Trebah, I took a photo of one these flowers which had not bloomed and the petals reminded me of flesh. And looking at them alongside O'Keeffe's painting, there are definite similarities.
My reason for including this in my blog is that I wanted to show that as humans we are obsessed with our own vision of ourselves, and the need to convey this obsession is apparent in all forms of human intervention, from art, to mathematics, with 'The Golden Ratio', phi: Φ where we recognise symmetry as beautiful, and sub consciously seek it out. We are also able to identify this feeling in designed spaces which reflect this symmetry - an example of this would be Feng-Shui.
Creating harmony and balance by the juxtapositioning of objects so that they compliment each other, in theory channelling the flow of energies so that no object is in opposition to another object.
This and similar tools have been employed in architecture and art and design for years, and we take for granted this ultimate connection to nature and the body which has informed our 'aesthetic, gestalt, habitus' forever.
Looking at images of 'Expo pavilion for Aichi' which was referred to in an article by Peter Higgins called: 'Lines, words, pictures and sound'; http://www.designcouncil.org.uk you are able to recognise the structures as being influenced by nature, they have the organic look of skin, and would seem permeable, which I would think is incongruent to the specific needs of a building. The fact that these buildings exist suggests that the connections between the things that we make and the things that we see are ever present and exploited experimentally and also for definitive results.
http://www.e-architect.co.uk/japan/jpgs/polish_expo_pavilion_ingardenewy210508_05.jpgExpo 2005: Japanese Architecture, Nagioya Japan, was based on 'ecological solutions and sustained development', the Polish pavilion relied on symbols which were recognised aspects of Polish history namely Chopin, the pianist and Wieliczka salt mine. The structure is meant to be both the shape of a salt crystal, and a grand piano. Made from willow using traditional methods 'Notice the Beauty' designed by Ingarden & Ewy Architekci was recognised for it's sculptural qualities, as well as fulfilling the brief by creating a sustainable and ecological solution to the architectural problem: 'reconstruction of the long-deformed relations between man, nature and architecture'. (Expo Pavilion Japan Building : page - Adrian Welsh / Isabelle Lomholt) I think that the structure not only embodies sustainability and technological advancement but also as I mentioned before draws on the relationship between humans (nature) and buildings (human intervention) in that the building itself due to the colour and lighting and texture is suggestive of the translucence of skin, thus lending itself to the comparison; the human body.
http://img.expo2010china.com/expoen/pics/12/12601.jpgA further example of humans mimicking nature would be the 'Japan Pavilion' at Expo pavilion for Aichi 2005, the theme of the exhibition was 'Nature's Wisdom', and as stated in 'An Exhibitor's Impression of Aichi' the piece manifests the notion of 'blood and flesh' and 'skin and hair', essentially through the immediate recognition of the object, we are able to gain this insight.
These examples for me prove that the influence of the body is clearly used as a vehicle of expression outside the territory of art, patently illustrated by these examples at Expo 2005 in which the architects have examined and exploited the structural form ignoring the traditional relationships to material and instead taking their influence from nature.
These examples for me prove that the influence of the body is clearly used as a vehicle of expression outside the territory of art, patently illustrated by these examples at Expo 2005 in which the architects have examined and exploited the structural form ignoring the traditional relationships to material and instead taking their influence from nature.
