Locovisual

The St James theatre located along Courtney place is a historically influential building in the middle of one of the busiest areas in Wellington. Originally called “his majesty’s theatre” later to be renames St James theatre; it was constructed in 1912 and was well known for being the largest theatre building in Oceania at the time. Designed by Henry White it is obvious by the ornamental features and pillars that he was heavily inspired by the classical (neoclassicism) and has touches of ornamental rococo like movement. However functionality was also key, as Henry wanted to create a good theatre, this including “a clear vision line from every seat in the auditorium; perfect acoustics, and a scheme of ventilation that will ventilate” [Henry White, cited from St James Theatre Courtney Place, Wellington Cochran, Christopher] he also made it clear that he focused on comfort, making sure there was enough leg room, and the seat were well padded. Similar to the Parthenon it has column like features decorating the outside of the building and grand interior ornamental structures reflecting the curvature of the rococo movement. the 2 storey high pilasters support a cornice with an arch above to really exaggerate and help ad a luxurious and elegant feel. The original materials used were concrete inside steel framing, with plaster being used for the embellishments in the interior as well as marble, brass, rimu and glass with the building taking only 9months to complete at a total of 32,000 pounds. During 1980s the building faced destruction however with help from Wellington residents the building was saved and 19.6 million was put in to refurbish and bring the building up to safety standards. It still stands today, a grand historical building and is still currently used by the public every day.

Mishayla Retimana

Reference list

Images retrieved from http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2283/2289740452_88a9a98aca.jpg 2012

http://www.conventionsnz.co.nz/MetaPicHandler.ashx?JPEG=_1539_4_1_6_4_0_.metapicx 2012

Mc Gill, David.1998, Full circle: the history of the St James Theatre.Phantom House, Wellington NZ.

Cochran, Christopher [conservation architect]. 1993, St James Theatre, Courtney Place, Wellington: Cultural Heritage Assesment.New Zealand Historic Places Trust/Pouhere Taonga. Wellington NZ

St James Theatre, 2012.  retrieved from http://www.stjames.co.nz/about-us

Holdings Information"About This Book"

Curatorial- Design 111 critique for 171

Cosmic Leaf-  Ross Lovegrove

Rising Chair- Robert Van Embricqs 

"Art is but an imitation of nature". -Lucius Annacus Seneca.

The quote directly relates to the flowing fluid movement which is obvious in this piece. The curved petal -like structures repeats the motion which is created in nature by leaves. Like most organic forms the influence of nature and its shapes come from the Art Nouveau movement, with smooth lines contrasting with the straight lines, much like the interaction between humans and nature. The interaction in some places is obvious, contrasting to the smooth transactions between structures and joins to create one whole shape and flow. The simple shape with no harsh edges and small detailing in Cosmic Leaf is reflected into the fluid form design. The technique of using textured materials to create volume and interest to the otherwise smooth simple shape is a basis of design for both pieces .Cosmic Leaf serves a function, a lamp that is suspended or standing, and because of this in the materials used needed to be economic and safety conscious. Whereas the fluid-form design is purely for the aesthetics, so there was no limitations on material and so rhino-paper and thread were chosen because of their classic contrast creating interest. The interactions between the straight lines in Rising Chair draw the eye in and throughout the piece much like the lines in the fluid-form. The contrast between the straight lines and curve are really successful and create drama while keeping a fluid design shape. The contrasting lines and interactions between the different shapes are an obvious reflection towards the precedents working for an overall successful sculpture.

Mishayla Retimana.

References.

Feb 27th 2010, Rising Chair by Robert Van Embricqs, Retrived from http://www.pangpong.com/rising-chair-by-robert-van-embricqs

Jimmy M, April 18th 2009, Cosmic Leaf| Ross Lovegrove. Retrived from http://plusmood.com/2009/04/cosmic-leaf-ross-lovegrove/

www.brainyquote.com

DSDN 171 Antiques hunter

On Trademe I came across 3 McAlpine jugs being sold as a set. These jugs are Crown Lynn and were made in 1950 in New Zealand.  Crown Lynn pottery was incredibly popular, in the 1960s and was found in many typical New Zealand homes. The popularity of Crown Lynn was due to the fact that it was often seen as unbreakable, and very functional due to its factory and commercial background (being used on trains). Crown Lynn products were originally 'factory' design, and only started being designed in the late 1940-50s. The type of person that would’ve owned these would be any middleclass New Zealander, and was purchased and used with its functionality in mind. Crown Lynn was one of the largest producers of household property in the southern hemisphere at that time and so because of this was very easily accessible. However since then Crown Lynns popularity has only increased, and is now a highly sought after collectable brand, increasing in value over time. 

These jugs are art deco style, even though they are dated as 1950 and the art deco style died out after the war. The art deco style is proven by the rounded edges, simple shapes, functionality, colours and materials used. The popularity of Art deco was largely influenced by the war and became popular once the role of women changed, as art deco had an essence of sophistication, elegance and simplicity. Art Deco designs is made up of geometric shapes, and simplicity, which is reflected in the design these jugs, as well as the simple colour palette and the functionality. 

References

Auction- Listing #: 469936979 

http://www.trademe.co.nz/antiques-collectables/art-deco-retro/home-d%C3%A9cor/vases-jugs/auction-469936979.htm

Websites- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crown_Lynn

http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/media/interactive/crown-lynn-pottery

http://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/ObjectDetails.aspx?oid=70200

Reference Statement and Annotated Bibliography- Bauhaus

Bauhaus.

The design field I researched was Bauhaus, as it was highly influential throughout its design era.  

Book-Bauhaus

Author- Kennedy, Andrew John

Bauhaus is organised into 5 sections, these being Movement Overview, Society, Places, Influences and Styles & Techniques, so it covers all areas of the Bauhaus design movement making it helpful for overall information on Bauhaus. It also contains full page examples of work with the opposite page stating the key facts and other additional information on the piece/s, helpful information for specific pieces.

Scholarly Journal article- Bauhaus Modern and Bauhaus Culture: From Weimar to the Cold War

Author- Lucy M. Maulsby

This journal article condenses the information available in many books, the main one being Bauhaus culture this is helpful as it provides many of the basic ideas and information needed to get a grasp on the general idea and design movement. It also provides information on Bauhaus modern, two papers that also would be helpful in providing another opinion on the design movement.

Edited book- Bauhaus twenty-21

Author- Watkinson, Gordon. Jaeger, Falk. Cachola Schmal, Peter, 1964-  Siebenbrodt, Michael.

Bauhaus twenty-21 it’s a compilation of many different authors. This is helpful as it offers many opinions and points of view on the style. It focusses mainly on the modern features that are being used currently in design, and provides examples of what “future Bauhaus” designed houses will look like. This book would be helpful for anyone focusing on the modern reflections in current designs.

Website- http://anneserdesign.com/Bauhaus.html

This website gives a good insight into the history of Bauhaus design covering the Bauhaus design school (1919) in Germanys curriculum/history, and providing many examples of sample work and artists. It covers graphic designs and typography giving a wide range of styles to choose from.

Image- 

I choose the image of the first Bauhaus poster, as it has a lot of history and was the starting point of this design movement, this image is helpful in researching Bauhaus history as it contains all of the main aspects of Bauhaus design e.g graphic, rounded and geometric shapes. Because this was the first Bauhaus poster, it is also probably the most famous image related to Bauhaus design.

References

Kennedy, Andrew John. (2006). Bauhaus. retrieved from Victoria University Wellington Library.

Maulsby, Lucy M. (October 2009). Bauhaus Modern and Bauhaus Culture: From Weimar to the Cold War. Journal of Architectural Education Volume 63, Issue 1, pages 145–147. Retrieved from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com.helicon.vuw.ac.nz/doi/10.1111/j.1531-314X.2009.01040.x/full. DOI: 10.1111/j.1531-314X.2009.01040.x 

works cited within article. Koehler, Karen (September-December 2008). Bauhaus Modern. 

Koehler, Karen. (2008). Bauhaus Modern

James-Chakraborty, Kathleen. (2006) Bauhaus Culture.

Watkinson, Gordon. Jaeger, Falk. Cachola Schmal, Peter, 1964-  Siebenbrodt, Michael.(2009). Bauhaus twenty-21. Retrieved from Victoria University Wellington Library.

Webpage. History/Bauhaus. The Bauhaus. retrieved from http://anneserdesign.com/Bauhaus.html

Image. Schmidt,Joost (1923)The First Bauhaus Poster. Recieved from http://www.bauhaus.de/aktuelles/neuerwerbungen+M52087573ab0.html

Design Persona- Mishayla Retimana

Do not seek to change what has come before. Seek to create that which has not.

—DAVID AIREY

Mishayla Retimana: I seek to create and design new, exciting and inventive products that focus on improving standards of living worldwide. I am a loud and friendly personality who likes to be remembered and I believe this characteristic comes through in my designs as I want to create unforgettable, creative, unique and timeless designs much like my favourite designers Gaudi and Frank Lloyd Wright. The work of Gaudi inspires me every day. I love the organic forms and repetition of shapes created in the foreground and background. The flowing shapes create harmony and balance throughout his designs, and the unique style means the design is timeless and cannot be categorised. However I believe my personal designs are usually more similar to Frank Lloyd Wright these being clean, geometric and modern, so much so that the style is timeless.  So I am trying to create new and try organic shapes for a change and repeat some Gaudi inspired elements. I am a strong believer in sustainable products, and eco-friendly designs as it adds extra functionality as well as preventing environmental harm. I decided to go to design school as my mum is a sculptor and so I have been raised in a creative environment continuing this throughout my school life, and loving the creative subjects so design school was an obvious choice. Victoria University was my first choice as I found the university courses a lot more flexible for what I am hoping to succeed in compared to other universities. I am currently planning on studying for a Bachelor of Design Innovation- Industrial, with my goal being a designer of playground equipment or child toys because I am still a child at heart.