So, Zenobia - great - I think that's the first from your group. The real challenge of this city, I think, is to get a proper sense of what it means in terms it being 'city-sized' - as there's something about Calvino's text that encourages us to think about it as a sort of settlement or village. Thinking about Zenobia as a CITY is a bit imaginative task, because it's asking you to super-size what Calvino is giving you. In a way, you need to put yourself in the shoes of a Zenobian Architect, who uses bamboo and zinc as his prime material; let's imagine what this Zenobian would do if he was asked to design and fabricate a cathedral, or the royal palace, or some other especial building. You're very quickly going to have to move your thinking from 'huts' to something much more impactful and ambitious...
Another obvious question raised by all this use of bamboo is 'where' is Zenobia - logically, it will have to somewhere where bamboo is readily available, and this means you've got some research to undertake in regards to where bamboo is native and what that might give you in terms of further architectural reference - i.e. what cultural/ethnic influences are going to assist you in thinking about this city?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bamboo
Another big aspect of this city is the sense Calvino creates of it being full of moving parts and aerial transportation - this is much a 'sky city' as it is earth-bound. I wonder what the reason might be in regards to why they decided to get off the ground? Is it because of the fear of flooding... or predators, like tigers. How do these guys get around without touching the floor - maybe zip wires!? And if this place is a busy, populated city, what does the public transport look like? Bamboo cable-cars?! Somekind of vast scenic bamboo railway?!
So yes - this is the challenge of Zenobia - in a way Calvino is very specific about the building materials, but about very little else, so the building materials are the clue to situating your city somewhere specific (from which you can derive further inspiration in regards to architectural influence and cultural influence) and the fact that it is an elevated city is a mystery worth thinking about, as it might hold the clue as to which interior you choose to show us, or which building(s) in particular you might choose to focus on.
In short - this is not a collection of bamboo huts; it's a city that, for some reason, exists out of harm's way, and which is constructed mainly from bamboo (from where?), and which has an elaborate above-ground system for getting around... What's wrong with the floor?!
After some talks, I was advised to step away from my sketch book and try using a different medium on a bigger scale. I then got...
OGR 06/10/2017
ReplyDeleteHey Alfie G,
So, Zenobia - great - I think that's the first from your group. The real challenge of this city, I think, is to get a proper sense of what it means in terms it being 'city-sized' - as there's something about Calvino's text that encourages us to think about it as a sort of settlement or village. Thinking about Zenobia as a CITY is a bit imaginative task, because it's asking you to super-size what Calvino is giving you. In a way, you need to put yourself in the shoes of a Zenobian Architect, who uses bamboo and zinc as his prime material; let's imagine what this Zenobian would do if he was asked to design and fabricate a cathedral, or the royal palace, or some other especial building. You're very quickly going to have to move your thinking from 'huts' to something much more impactful and ambitious...
https://inhabitat.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2016/08/Kim-Boi-Bamboo-Restaurant-by-Tran-Ba-Tiep-12.jpg
http://images.adsttc.com/media/images/58c2/f829/e58e/cecc/da00/0221/large_jpg/Castaway_03_restaurant-interior.jpg?1489172511
https://qzprod.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/lead_sharma-springs-by-rio-6-13-complete-85.jpg?quality=80&strip=all
https://i.pinimg.com/736x/91/43/6b/91436b7b64a6328a5db7567cbcb47bb2--sustainable-building-materials-bamboo-architecture.jpg
https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2017/08/bamboo-sports-hall-chiangmai-life-construction-panyaden-international-school_dezeen_hero.jpg
http://weburbanist.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/bamboo-main-960x347.jpg
Another obvious question raised by all this use of bamboo is 'where' is Zenobia - logically, it will have to somewhere where bamboo is readily available, and this means you've got some research to undertake in regards to where bamboo is native and what that might give you in terms of further architectural reference - i.e. what cultural/ethnic influences are going to assist you in thinking about this city?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bamboo
Another big aspect of this city is the sense Calvino creates of it being full of moving parts and aerial transportation - this is much a 'sky city' as it is earth-bound. I wonder what the reason might be in regards to why they decided to get off the ground? Is it because of the fear of flooding... or predators, like tigers. How do these guys get around without touching the floor - maybe zip wires!? And if this place is a busy, populated city, what does the public transport look like? Bamboo cable-cars?! Somekind of vast scenic bamboo railway?!
https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/660/cpsprodpb/FCD2/production/_86122746_dsc_0006.jpg
So yes - this is the challenge of Zenobia - in a way Calvino is very specific about the building materials, but about very little else, so the building materials are the clue to situating your city somewhere specific (from which you can derive further inspiration in regards to architectural influence and cultural influence) and the fact that it is an elevated city is a mystery worth thinking about, as it might hold the clue as to which interior you choose to show us, or which building(s) in particular you might choose to focus on.
In short - this is not a collection of bamboo huts; it's a city that, for some reason, exists out of harm's way, and which is constructed mainly from bamboo (from where?), and which has an elaborate above-ground system for getting around... What's wrong with the floor?!