AN ODE TO ITALIAN FASCISMSpring 2016
Academic ARCHUD 123: Technology III Faculty: Jimenez Lai UCLA Dept. of Architecture and Urban Design *Project done in collaboration with partner |
Our project takes a playful look at the works of the era of Italian fascism, such as Aldo Rossi’s paintings and drawings (notably the Gallaterese and Citta Analoga) and other strong imagery such as North Korean propoganda art. While using techniques such as anxious repetition and regularity, the project skewed this type of intensely rigid architecture through use of the jumpcut and doubled programs. While our references possessed a certain intensity and seriousness, we perverted that rigidity through this duo technique.
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Different snapshots tell a story of life living within the confines of this (dystopian??) world.
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THE "JUMPCUT"A jumpcut is defined as a term in film editing where the film is cut in a way where it transitions abruptly from one shot to another, oftentimes the shots of the same subject are taken from the same or slightly different camera positions, evoking a sense of a “slip” in time. In the case of our project, the initial five rigid bars are cut by an arbitrary square (most easily seen in plan view), skewing both the form and the programs that the bars contain. For example, what used to be a regular rectangular pool has been distorted in shape ever so slightly.
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DOUBLED PROGRAMSThe six bars produce absurdly large courtyards, where we implemented “doubled programs.” We applied the same programs in both the bar and courtyard, but expressed them differently in each location. Everything located in the bar form is ordered, regulated, and controlled. The apartment units are boring, standard rooms with no room for self expression. However, programs located in the courtyards are fun, playful, almost odd. To compare, one example of doubled programs is the theater. In the bar form, the theater is expressed as a rectangular, plain blackbox theater. In the courtyard, the theater is instead an open amphitheater that evokes more of a sense of freedom of expression.
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UTOPIA OR DYSTOPIA ??Initially, this seems like the realization of the utopian dream. Everything you can possibly need is on-site: living quarters, grocery market, recreational spaces, and much more. However, there is a strict regulation of spaces and the individual relationship to each one of them is already dictated by the design. Where and how one can use/enjoy the spaces does not allow for much freedom. So is this world a utopia or a dystopia??
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