Week 1
Reflections from the ‘In Praise of Shadows’ book and Lighting Lecture Thoughts
Tanizaki’s essay seems to contrast with the modern western world regarding function, lighting and aesthetics when referring to Japan. I found it a little strange when he emphasised the difference between Western toilets and Japanese lavatories and how he referred to Japanese lavatories as being “a place of spiritual repose”, as lavatories have always been considered unhygienic in the West, but then he also goes on to say, “a degree of dimness, absolute cleanliness and quiet so complete one can hear the hum of a mosquito”, suggesting Tanizaki had positive feelings when referring to the aesthetic and function the lavatory in the Kanto region of Japan. The lavatory had long Windows on the ground level, making it easy to listen to the raindrops falling outside with “a sense of intimacy”, as he put it. It seems Tanizaki appreciated shadows and the lack of lighting when he said, “a degree of dimness”, which reminded me of a term I heard in the week one lecture, “our eyes were built to use light… not to look at light.”
The lecture also discussed the circadian rhythm and circadian system and how the light from our computers and mobile devices and the temperature of the built environment can affect and influence our sleep cycles and general health, such as mood, blood pressure, immune system, heartbeat, weight, and more. Turns out that the different spectrums of light throughout the day work with our bodies so we can wake up in the morning and fall asleep at night naturally, and when this cycle is interrupted by other factors, it can negatively impact our mental and physical health. This could be one of the reasons why some people feel groggy in the morning, have headaches as soon as they wake up, can’t fall asleep at night, or feel sleepy throughout the day due to using so much artificial light.
Winery- Bodegas Garzon- MOT,matias moret, hernan landolfo
This is the image I chose and added to Miro board. We were asked to find an image of a lit space that we personally enjoy. Bodegas Garzon is a Spanish company located in Uruguay, South America, and after looking at many images online, this winery is what stood out to me because of its lighting control when using spotlights in conjunction with candles and how the space made use of the shadows to create a rustic but modern aesthetic.
Bruder Klaus Field Chapel Tonal Drawing
The medium I used to create this tonal drawing was graphite pencils (6B, 3B, HB).
Bruder Klaus Field Chapel Research
Located in Mechernich, Germany, the Bruder Klaus Field Chapel was designed by Peter Zumthorto and built by the local farmers because they wanted to honor Bruder Klaus, their patron saint of the 15th century. The materials used to make this structure were pine logs and reinforced concrete. The pine logs were arranged, and the concrete was poured over the structure leaving out the tips of the logs like a wigwam. The concrete was poured once daily, for 24 days to help with the drying process, and each layer is 50 centimetres thick. Then to remove the pine logs, the inside wooden structure was burnt, leaving the concrete Chapel. There are 350 small boreholes in the concrete walls made by using steel pipes that held the inner structure before being burnt. Daylight and oxygen can enter through these boreholes and the oculus at the top of the chapel.
I think this Chapel has a very interesting design because when the inner wooden structure was burnt, it left the shape and pattern of the pine logs in the concrete, which left a unique texture and added detail to the Chapel, not to mention, that the construction process of the chapel itself was very smart and affordable.
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