Weekly posts_2016 – Page 25 – Design in Context: Milan

Sketchbook- Windows into Worlds

I want to preface this post with the fact that I’m not someone who can consistently keep up with a journal or a sketchbook, especially if it is assigned. There is this inherent dislike of regimented cataloguing and documentation that I refuse to do when it is an assignment. So the fact that I have kept up with this assignment, and with enthusiasm that has surprised me, is really an exciting and encouraging prospect. Maybe I am growing out of my childish rebellion, who knows.

Milan has to much to document and draw that at first, I couldn’t settle. I spent the first two days so overwhelmed with what ti draw on the very first page of my sketchbook that I ended up doing nothing for that time period. Finally, I had to just scold myself into sitting and doing SOMETHING. Ironically, I opened up my sketchbook the wrong way, so the scribbled drawings of the arches seen at the roof of the Duomo are at the back of the book. The actual first page is a sparse outline of a display window I drew while waiting for some classmates to finish up shopping one free evening the first week. So much for a good start…

But those two drawings gave me a good starting point for what I wanted to fill up my sketchbook with.Over the course of this study abroad, I decided to catalogue the different types of moulding and decor that adorns doors, windows, and arches. Milan, and Italy in general, has some really beautiful windows and doors, with elaborately carved detailing added to what is essentially a hole in a wall. There certainly isn’t a lack of simple glass windows around the city, but the abundance of old structures drowns out the simpler buildings.

The first spread I chose for this post was the sketch of two windows that I noticed from the window during one of our lectures in basic Italian. The two windows are from the same building, seen one on top of the other, and they’re so very different. The former used more circular motifs, coifs, and has a beautiful little balcony rail. The latter seems to reference the triangular pediment of the Parthenon in Athens. The common motif is the leafy bands that run down the sides of the windows. They are set into the flat facade of the building.

This past weekend in Edinburgh, the window and door vibe was drastically different. Both Milan and Edinburgh are intertwined with their respective old heritages but Scotland hails from a very different time. The history in Edinburgh really begins in the Middle Ages, and that is quite apparent, even through the little windows and doors of places. The windows (as seen in the sketches in the spread below) are simply decorated with linear patterns, and maybe the occasional moulding for decoration.

Windows from a caffè along the Royal Mile in Edinburgh.

The windows at Doune Castle, where certain scenes from Outlander and Monty Python were filmed, had arched windows with a keystone to hold the arch together. But again, these windows were very very simple, set into the corbeled stone walls and not protruding like the windows in Milan.

Doune Castle near Edinburgh in Scotland.

With this bit of comparison and background in mind, I’m looking forward to finding more patterns and history through doors and windows.

Alessi

The Alessi factory and “museum” was quite frankly the most amazing space ever. I’ve said on multiple occasions that as long as I had a supply of food, I could live my life out in an art supply store. The same applies to the Alessi design archive. I bet there wouldn’t be a single dull day there because I’d be finding some small little work of design that had a deeply intriguing backstory to it. Our tour guide for the archive was the cutest little Italian lady who perhaps was the best estimate for a middle aged Luna Lovegood.

One of the central themes in their process of design is functionality and durability while also building an emotional relationship with the user. That primarily seemed to manifest itself through the “cute” aspect whether it be gimmicky and silly or just compact and adorable. As our lovely tour guide started to elaborate on that theme though, the relationship aspect became clearer. She mentioned a project that Alessi had for a group of designers where they were asked to create a tray or object that drew inspiration from memories of comfort and home. The artists involved drew inspiration from childhood memories or things commonly used in places where they grew up to forge a sort of emotional bond with the piece they created.

This concept of functionality and familiarity seems like a rather clever way of denoting their products are worthy of a place in someone’s home. The environment of comfort and warmth that Alessi strives to imbue in their sensible and necessary domestic products really came through.

Alessi Museum

Alessi Reflections

We visited the Alessi Factory and Museum. We had a fantastic and thorough tour of the archives, or what they call the “museum.” They had rows and rows of every product they’ve ever made. Including the prototypes, and final products. There were even some items that never saw production. I loved seeing the process the designers for Alessi go through to get to the final result.

Alessi mainly focuses on home goods, especially kitchen products. Their showroom, which greeted us when we walked in, was vast and full of their favorite collections. It showed the evolution of Alessi products nicely.

One thing that I enjoyed hearing about was their failures. Their failures helped them become the company they are today. Without their biggest flops, they would not be as creative, as design oriented or as innovative. They took leaps of faith and took on projects that were not the usual Alessi projects. For example, they started working with artist’s to make affordable art for the home. They were hand designed objects that were supposed to be put in production, but ultimately never were. Alessi worked with Dali to create a designed object for the home, but the project was shut down before it hit the production line. Failure = future success for Alessi!

Sketching//week 2

My sketch notebook theme has changed a few times since we arrived in Milan. At first, I wanted to focus on shoes. I had noticed that Italians wear nicer shoes on the everyday. But then I thought I might get bored of drawing shoes. From shoes, I decided to focus on children’s clothes. But I felt creepy taking pictures of kids to draw later or staring at kids to sketch them. Children in Milan are also dressed so nicely. The are little fashionistas. I was inspired by Humans of New York’s “micro fashion” segment that he shares every week. After I had decided it might be difficult for me to capture exactly what I wanted about my travels through children’s fashion, I decided to change my theme for the third and final time!

Now, I am focusing on chairs. After visiting a lot of designers studios, I noticed that chairs were very important for design. Many designers, designed their chairs, which I was surprised by. Even architects designed chairs! So I started y sketching so designs from the Castiglioni Studio visit and took off from there. I’ve started to notice chairs everywhere now. Designers tend to think about every aspect of the chair, of course, because they are designers! But I have noticed that the mass produced chairs are less comfortable. Their main purpose other than being sat in is usually storage-ability. That is an interesting way to think about designing a chair. It is an important factor for institutions such as museums, schools, restaurants, and anywhere that could need chairs to be stackable, or collapsible.

The Castiglioni and Terragni chairs, however, were designed with other things in mind. Comfort level being one of them. Castiglioni designed a chair that had one leg, which balanced on a half sphere. It had a bicycle seat for a seat as well. The object of this chair was to be uncomfortable. It was designed to keep people on the phone for less time. Phone calls were expense back then, so he wanted to make sure no one talked for long. Terragni, on the other hand, created dynamic and comfortable chairs. He thought of the curve of the back and the angle of recline for sure. The metal bar in the sketch of the chair below had a nice springiness to it that made it quite comfy. The other sketch of the chair pictured was plush and soft. Shaped like a cube, this chair allowed the sitter to rest their arms comfortably while still supporting the back. A+ designer chairs!!

This past weekend in my travels to Edinburgh, Scotland, I found lots of older style chairs. I took tons of pictures so I can fill up my sketchbook with the royalty worthy chairs of Scotland.

Futurism in Umberto Boccioni’s Work

The first time I had heard of futurism was two weeks ago. Umberto Boccioni is one of the most well known futurists, so it wasn’t too difficult to make connections from his work in the Palazzo Real to the futuristic style. His piece “Twilight” really stuck out to me and exhibits different characteristics of futurism. The factories in the painting portrays the beauty of speed and machine of the futuristic era. Space does not exist in the painting. Due to the dark hues you can’t tell where the landscape begins and where it ends.

"Twilight" by Umberto Boccioni
Another piece of artwork that stood out to me was the beautiful bronze sculpture “Unique Forms of Continuity in Space” also by Umberto Boccioni. The sculpture appears to be of a man running. The movement of the sculpture corresponds to the speed of the fast paced factories in Boccioni’s other painting “Twilight”. The sculpture is definitely unique, following the rule in the Futurist Manifesto that states that all forms of originality will be glorified. The sculpture also portrays movement where you can’t fully tell where the man begins. Another piece of artwork by Umberto Boccioni I enjoyed that was at the Palazzo Real was “Tre Donne”.

Scotland Excursion

Edinburgh, Scotland. land of the kilts, bagpipes, and fine whiskey. All of which should be consumed in moderation.

day 1:

We arrived around noon and decided to take a taxi to a hotel we had previously booked. we were early and decided to have lunch in the bar downstairs. that was when we realized we weren’t in milan anymore, because our waitress and hostess spoke english. not broken english either. after a few weeks of only hearing italian or english with a heavy italian accent, english (albeit with a scottish accent) was quite jarring to say the least.

After checking in we explored the grass market – a tourist-y location. Then we paid 5 pounds for an amazing view; we climbed to the top of Sir Walter Scott’s memorial building, and we were able to see all the way to the sea.

Sir Walter Scott's' Memorial Building — Sir Walter Scott’s’ Memorial Building

13418704_1715174985402300_3900500980492552705_n — View from the very top

We were also able to explore the Scottish National Art Gallery that housed quite a few spectacular pieces of art shown below:

day 2:

We took a bus tour that allowed us to explore 2 castles as well as the Scottish highlands. It was an extensive 10-hour, gorgeous bus ride. We stopped to eat, take photos, and generally enjoy being in Scotland, while simultaneously learning about its’ history.

Campbell's Castle — Saniya ft. Campbell’s Castle

A place called "Rest and Be Thankful" — A place called “Rest and Be Thankful”

day 3:

We decided to sleep in and grab a late breakfast. Where better to go than the cafe that J.K. Rowling spent hours upon hours bringing Harry Potter to life. The place is called “The Elephant House”, and they sell t-shirts that read “the birthplace of Harry Potter”.

The Elephant House - "birthplace of Harry Potter" — The Elephant House – “birthplace of Harry Potter”

Also, the bathrooms are covered in graffiti from people all over the world thanking J.K. for Harry Potter as well as making punny jokes or quoting the book itself.

The view from inside the Elephant House (you can see Edinburgh Castle just outside the window)

It truly was a magical place.

For the rest of the day we simply roamed Scotland, and we tried to take in as much as possible before departing.

Strange to think that after only 2 weeks in Milan and it already feels like home, and I genuinely was looking forward to returning after such a long and eventful weekend. I’ve missed my CA Anna and the already familiar roads and cafes. Oddly enough, I also missed the uncomfortable feeling of not completely understanding what everyone is saying 100% of the time. Being forced out of my comfort zone is what attracted me to Milan in the first place; so, although Scotland was an incredible, English-speaking country, I am quite happy to be able to drink my caffe macchiato here in Milan.

Week 2: Sketchbook + Mapping

Here you can see the transition to Scottish buttons at the bottom of the page

This week I gathered more toilet handles from interesting places. Portaluppi’s creations housed the most handle (often traditional in America) devices. Terrangi’s kindergarten. Alessi’s bathroom. Such famous handles. Out of the roughly 15 photos/drawings I have made only two even vaguely match up. Terrangi’s and Portaluppi’s handles seem to have the same thin silver handle, unfortunately I did not think to ask the tour guide if these were originally there or later altered (something I will be better about in the future). Also branding, in my rushed moments of taking photos in a bathroom stall, the images of the brands often come out unidentifiable. It’s already so easy to identify how much more variation in branding and form Milan has than the US.

Snapshot sketch of some of the Edinburgh views

Taking photos of toilet handles in Edinburgh, Scotland (on our beautiful weekend trip) also showed a change from Italy’s. Most of them were not handles at all, but a circle push. It’s interesting to see the transition in my sketchbook as the variety of the forms single down to circular shapes.

I may have to do background research and match branding up with the handles post image and online. After this I plan to reserve a page each for all of the different brands I learn about, their history and (if any) company mottos of functionality/design. I have also divided up the devices by material (plastic, metal, glass, rubber) and automatic vs manual. I am starting to take more interest in their locations and what establishment they were found in.

As for the mapping, my group and I have lightly established what we find interesting about the project (although we have been unable to walk to the actual path yet). My idea is that since we have been so heavily focusing on the history of the architecture of Milan, I was thinking it would be interesting to pick out little traces of history (ie: an art nouveau window bar, any remnants of rationalism on a street corner, etc). It could be as specific or broad as we wanted. And then creating a sort of ‘timeline’ that includes our present walk down the street + all of these historical moments (could be with simply typography + line mapping + possibly icons).

This historical map could be combined with our own little intricacies. How we feel at each spot. Where gum got on our shoes. Where I may or may not trip and skin my knee. Where the pasta smells good and garbage smells bad. It could be a huge collaboration of time periods clashing (could be shown in different colors or directions of the lines). Walking the area will most definitely affect my vision, but I’m so excited to have an idea I am passionate about to spark ideas from!

Week 2: Palazzo Reale+ Museo Del Novecento

The two musuems, of Palazzo Reale (showcasing Boccioni) and the Museo Del Novecento, offered varying perspectives on the tumultuous time before and during the Futurists. The Boccioni museum gave an indepth account of his life, as a student and then master. Umberto Boccioni, one of the future signers of the Futurist Manifesto, was once a student of Impressionism. In this way, the museum walks viewers through his education, later rejection of this education, and to his new futuristic creations. A piece that struck me was, La madre dell artista (1913). This piece seemed to defy the oft violent nature of the Futurists, and instead depicted a motherly figure (specifically his). Although the lines of the sketch are brash, quick, and bold, the rosiness of her cheeks seem to soften both her face and the entirety of the sketch. It is a moment in which modernity to meets motherhood. One can also note his interest in Picasso’s work intertwined with his own (towards the end of his life) in this sketch..

At the Museao Del Novecento, one can see another female depicted with a Futurist twist in Bambina per Balcone by Giacomo Balla in 1912. The painting is a blur of blocks depicting his daughters motion across the floor. (Interestingly, Balla was a Divisionist teacher of Boccioni’s in 1902 and they later on they both signed the Futurist Manifsto in 1910.) This painting is not the study of a car, or horse, or train’s movement, but that of a little girl. Both pieces showcase a refreshing intervention of femininity into the Futurist movement.

Architecture in Italy

Italy. Just hearing or reading this word, a sign of amazement comes onto our face. Elaborate buildings, food, paintings, sculptures, renaissance, and thousandths of years of history is reminded. Coming to Italy has been a dream and seeing this dream getting fulfilled every morning here in Milan is something that I would have never imagined occurring at such a young age. I still remember the first day when I came to Milan a week ago. Decorated balconies and windows with eye-catching color of the buildings really stunned me. Having seen only the pictures of Italy and now getting the opportunity to experience this country in real, was out of my imagination. During this first week, a lot of exploration was done. Amazement was discovered at every step. The continuous sighting of elegant buildings endlessly kept my attention. Intricate designs, colorful flowers by balcony, expressive paints used outside of apartments kept me immersed into its beauty. While a lot of this week was spent outside to discover Milan, a discussion was also led onto the topic of futuristic movement. Though loathing of old styles and traditions in arts and politics did not receive positive response, futurism did influence new era into discovering new ideas in the fields of technology, arts, and architecture. Architecture today that I have seen so far in Milan, still appears as sophisticated with a touch of ancient times design. Less contemporary designs are seen or at least to me have been discoverable. However, in urban side of Milan neo-futurism designs can be possibly seen. But the chances of seeing antique architecture is higher than contemporary designs. Buildings following traditional architecture form instead of following the futuristic movement, is more admirable for tourists. This particular use of decorative buildings draws every individuals’ sight, including me. If buildings in Milan or any other European city is like western society, there would be no difference left at different points of the world. While there will be admirers for futurism architectural designs, there is nothing like looking at hundreds of year old building to be fascinated by. In western culture, we typically see neo-futuristic buildings at metropolitan cities but getting a chance to see different patterns, colorful, unimaginable buildings here in Europe is something that needs to be kept rather than changed. Yesterday, when visiting Venice, I discovered the same thing. Buildings, streets, little restaurants gave immense fascination to the way they have been for many years. Changing this style and bringing an unsuitable movement in architecture could leave behind the amazement that one gets when discovering years old of architectural design. With my time being here in Italy, I wish to discover more in the fields of architecture and the beautiful city of Milan itself.

From Divisionism to Futurism

Umberto Boccioni, an Italian painter, shaped the futurist movement during the 1900s as one of the principle characters. When walking around Boccioni’s exhibition, a change could be seen directly in his works of art. As time passed over the years he started going from more realistic paintings to creating more of an abstract pieces. During the early 20^th century, art is still in the realm of Divisionism. With focus more on light and color, paintings could be discovered following this concept. Using Divisionist techniques, Giacomo Balla leads Boccioni and other artists to follow this trend. With Balla’s teaching, Boccioni creates a masterpiece called La signora Virginia in 1905. When seeing this painting at the exhibition, the colors and the realistic feeling that I was getting by just looking at it awed me. Divisionist technique is described as a painting with divided colors rather than mixed. In this painting, just this type of technique can be observed. The white color of the bed in the background is separated by the blue and green color of the woman’s clothing. Also, the cream color of the sofa is separated from the blue-green color of the wall. Lastly, the yellow and orange color tiles are also separated from each other. By following this technique, the overall painting is made to look more realistic. Even the facial expression on the woman’s face gives off a subtle yet expressive tone. Later around 1910, Boccioni starts experimenting with shapes and geometry. Passing Divisionism and entering the era of Futurism, Boccioni along with other artists started creating more of a modern art. Speed and dynamics is their motto in creating modern yet heroic images. This type of modern art can be seen when Boccioni creates an abstract piece called Dinamismo di una testa di donna in 1914. From creating realistic pieces before 1910 to designing abstract paintings in 1914, an effect of futurism can be seen. When looking at this abstract masterpiece of Boccioni, a loss of divisionism can be sighted. Additionally, loss of definite lines, shape of the face, eyes, mouth, nose can be easily discovered. Furthermore, the medium of this art piece is also mix media with tempera and collage on canvas. With this type of media, one can tell that Boccioni was experimenting new techniques in this futurist era. When I looked at this art piece, it was hard to tell exactly the type of emotion Boccioni was trying to portray on the woman’s face. Without focusing more on the emotions, the artist instead focuses on the technique to signify the movement that artists of modern society were moving towards.