Session 3 - October 27

[Ingrid Herskind]

While in Beijing in 2019, (it feels like oh so long ago) I was able to do some nighttime exploration of the Hutongs and Siheyuan near our residence. Strolling through the Hutongs, I was easily brought in to the courtyard life of these early residences. The Hutongs were surrounded by the massive construction and the hustle and bustle of the very busy main thoroughfares in Beijing. I enjoyed wandering these Hutongs and becoming a part of the life in these dwellings. These early dwellings were very organized with public bathing and cooking areas with multi-generational housing surrounding the common space. I really enjoyed this concept and like this type of architectural set-up.  In Shanghai, many of these Lane Houses have been replaced by the modern buildings of progress. 

 

[Vinayak Bharne]

What a delight it is to read all your comments and your personal experiences about some of these places. Please keep them coming. Looking forward to our conversation today. It is a privilege to be engaging with such thoughtful people. Believe me - I am learning so much from the things you have to say. The true education of any cultural enthusiast comes as much from the insights of others as his/her own. So -

Arigato!!!

[Yan Liu]

I was intrigued by the precision and the use of "black" and "whit"e in the "Nolli plan of Rome". As Prof. Bharne introduced in the video, white was used to indicate public places while black was used to indicate private places. This makes me wonder how the concept of "privacy" is perceived and conveyed in the west and in the east. In addition to color, what else can be used to indicate "privacy"? In Chinese traditional dwellings, private places are far from the entrance. But Prof. Bharne mentioned in traditional Japanese house, the first room people entered was not the livingroom and the livingroom is the furthest room from the entrance. This is really interesting. I wonder how "privacy" was conveyed/indicated in Japan? Are there any changes from the past to the present? The "indoor-outdoor transparency" of Japanese houses is also very interesting. Is it just for the purpose of aesthetics? 

[Elizabeth Rosales]

So it looks like there are many reasons that architecture takes the form that it does in any particular area. Whether due to the terrain, the weather, country or city, permitted land use of an area, religion, shopping/livelihood, and etc. What I have been wondering about is the houses that have very thin walls, which are good for letting in air when it is hot, or for opening up a store front, but how do they adapt when it is cold?

[Denis Vovchenko]

I remember reading about the north-south axis in the week 1 reading by Wheatley about early Chinese urban planning. He discussed it as an example of “sacrobiological” space in hoary antiquity (Zhou or earlier) well before Daoism or Buddhism. Is this axis part of some primordial “religion” transcending Asian time and space? Vin mentioned the same axis as a defining feature of Buddhist temples on p. 57 “Core architectural components such as the entrance gate, lotus pond, main gate, Buddha hall, lecture hall, bathhouse and toilet were strictly aligned along a north-south axis, surrounded in less disciplined arrangement by numerous autonomous sub-temples.”

In the video, Vin compared wall lines in Zen monasteries to Mondrian. This idea popped up when I saw lines and circles on the pebble surface of a dry garden (pp. 62 and 70 in A View from the Zen Shoin). I remembered similar surfaces in Ancient Pueblo sites that supposedly influenced Jackson Pollock.

 

[Denis Vovchenko]

My Buddhist misconceptions?

Before the recent anti-Muslim policies in Myanmar, Buddhism was considered peaceful despite warrior-monks in Japan and China. Reality is even more complicated – I did not know that samurai were the main sponsors of Zen Buddhism in the Kamakura and Muromachi periods (p. 57 in “View from the Zen Shoin”). As I understand it now, samurai who embraced Zen Buddhism did not become monks typically, most of them seemed to recharge their batteries in new meditative spaces to return to the fray of feudal battles. This medieval attitude is similar to modern Zen-style gardens situated amidst busy plazas and avenues (p. 79) – as in the original Zen appeal, we are supposed to give ourselves a momentary break without profoundly changing our pace or unplugging from corporate rat-race. What do you think?

Somehow before this assignment I imagined Zen as similar to Daoist aesthetics with the primacy of natural over man-made details. However, Vin seemingly agrees with this quote on p. 71, “In the Sakuteiki, the author considers man-made natural landscapes superior to natural ones. The rationale behind this intriguing statement is that man-made Japanese landscapes emulate only the best parts of nature weeding out all redundancies and distractions, and doing away with “meaningless stones and features.” The conclusion on p. 81, on the other hand, suggests more going with the flow than manipulation in the Zen garden concept. I guess the truth is somewhere in the middle between those two universal poles of human creativity.

From my limited background knowledge of Zen aesthetics, I expected something like a deliberately broken window or plaster intentionally crumbling. But all architectural and landscaping details appear immaculate in the great photos in Vin’s chapter. There is a hint at cultivated imperfection in the choice of rustic materials on p. 75 and of dull interior colors and “imperfect” pottery on p. 76. P. 57 mentioned that Zen temples departed from the earlier “symmetrical” designs. I guess I expected more “imperfections” in architectural and landscaping elements.

 

[Thomas Pineda]

• In terms of sharing this with my students, I think relating the geometry of design in their own work spaces would be a way for them to practice their visual-spatial cognition. They could create distilled drawings of the shapes or design of their rooms and work places- like the examples shown of Japanese interiors in comparison with the the Mondrian painting. From their designs on graph paper, we could name shapes and perhaps label the type of aesthetic they prefer or have in their homes. Of course, for privacy, I would have them focus solely on the shapes and not include any things that would be too personal. But as our workspaces are increasingly at home and of usually one static place, it would ld be a fun way to take a new perspective on perhaps a mundane view.

[Thomas Pineda]

I found that analysis of the architecture and range of use from night to day in Japans machiya very insightful. I recall walking around Kyoto during the Gion Matsuri and being very intrigued by places that seemed to pop up out of nowhere, or disappear entirely at other times. What was also cool was seeing those pavilions, as mentioned in the video, open up and for activity to be happening from ground level all the way up to height of the tall floats above. The cross-section view of various urban dwellings was a great perspective of viewing the flux of activity throughout the day in different sections. It really highlighted the design holistically, versus the regular on-the-ground level view you would see walking about various streets in these places.

[Betsy Telle]

I really liked the comparison of Ryakuchu Ryakugai and the Nolli Plan of Rome. I have been working on creating a lesson plan on City Planning for my students. Seeing the comparison of the two city depictions is a great addition to this lesson. I like the contrast of art versus utility. I would love to have students spend time comparing the two approaches and discuss what they find more pleasing. I coul have the students use the Ryakuchu Ryakugai as an inspiration to create an artistic map of the city they plan for the lesson project.

[Yan Liu]

I found this event on Facebook. Below is a brief introduction. More information can be found at: https://fb.me/e/1dp77fAqo

For more than 500 years, the Chinese Empire was ruled from behind the deep crimson walls of Beijing’s Forbidden City, which was the home of the Emperor and his imperial court. The design of this city-within-a-city reflects China’s philosophical and religious traditions, as well as deep beliefs about man and nature. This year marks the 600th anniversary of its completion in 1420 during the Ming Dynasty. Join us on October 28 for a discussion of the meaning behind its architecture, and its impact on Chinese architecture today.

This event is part of Archtober, the AIA Center for Architecture’s tenth-annual festival of architecture activities, programs and exhibitions taking place during the month of October.

[Kimberly de Berzunza]

I love the way you expressed your thoughts about time here- I think that quite often! I think about it as "telescoping."  And I also agree about the value of even a few moments of meditation- the purpose is to refocus, recenter ourselves. Sometimes this can be achieved briefly.  If I can have a moment or two to look at something beautiful and peaceful, calm my mind and refocus on what matters in the world, or on just being, I see this as a positive.

[Kimberly de Berzunza]

I love this idea, Thomas! Thank you for sharing it.

[Kimberly de Berzunza]

After class I watched the video that was shared in the chat about the New Gourna Village, and I found it really interesting in a couple of ways- I love Hathy's desire to use local materials to build for the people, and I love that they were well-insulated and ventilated to protect people from the intense heat. The concepts are important- why was the material so inappropriate? And it reminds me of the Frank Lloyd Wright homes that are falling apart or kept together only by constant maintenance, and I just wonder, can we ever build in a way that's environmentally sound, good for people, and also sturdy and durable?  And until what point SHOULD we work for the conservation of these sites?

[Jennifer Place]

I visited many different gardens while in China and here in the Northeast.  At first glance, the Zen gardens seem somewhat stark in comparison to other types.  While reading about them I found it very interesting that a land feature in the distance was intentionally a part of the garden.  I often instruct my art students to look into the distance to give their eyes a 'break' when working closely with detail.  I would like to learn more about the intention and meaning of these distant features.  

I also find the manipulation of plants and the environment to be in contrast to other values.  Chinese gardens were often filled with workers who worked diligently to painstakingly manicure each and every little detail in the parks and gardens.   At times there were far more workers than visitors.  In some ways it was a bit unsettling.  On the other hand, I it was lovely to see so many people caring for the parks and gardens.  

 

[Philip Bramble]

We bought our apartment (or "mansion," as they call it in Japan) while the building was still being erected, so we were able to choose what sort of options we'd like to have.  And it was interesting to see what sorts of things might be considered standard in America that we'd have to pay extra for in Japan.  One thing I insisted upon was for our large, southward-facing window to be made of double-paned glass.  In Japan, you see, windows are almost always of the single-paned variety.  We had to pay extra for it, but the cost-savings (because the apartment was that much more insulated from the cold) were worth it.

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