This semester's colloquium had a definite theme attached to it. A majority of the speakers had a relationship with the architectural field. This was largely due to the moderators who were the team of Oliver Hess and Jenna Didier of the architectural and landscape research studio Materials & Applications. This was an especially thought provoking colloquium for me because I do not a lot of experience with architects and their practice. The two speakers that had the most impact on me were Stephanie Smith and Ned Kahn.
Stephanie Smith introduced herself to us as an architect that is interested in not being a traditional architect. She also expressed that design is not enough anymore, we need to broaden our definition of what design is. She spoke of the company Wanna Start a Commune which she started. There were unsuccessful communes in the 1960's and she was convinced the reason that these communes were not able to exist was because they were trying to start a counter culture, not remain in culture. Stephanie was excited because her commune program was just starting to take off, and she was starting to receive press on her company. Her hope was that by encouraging people to start their own version of communes in their community, that people would be able to work together and share resources. She is inspirational to me because she has a vision to create community and is able to use her skills as a designer to bring it to fruition.
When I lived and worked in the Washington, DC area I would frequently walk by a building that appeared to have moving water on the outside of it. I didn't know at the time that this building was the work of Ned Kahn. Ned was another gifted architect that presented for us at Colloquium. He had the work in his presentation divided in to the sections of fog, water, fire/light, wind, and sand. Each piece was beautiful, innovative, and unique in its own right. My favorite pieces were in his "wind" category. By using thousands of small stainless steel discs that ripple in the wind, he creates an astounding effect of capturing the wind, sunlight, and colors of the sky. Ned has a strong love of nature. He is an inspiration to me because uses his work to help the viewer remember and recognize the beauty that is all around us. "The wind has amazing, intricate structure to it, an amazing assortment of textures," he says. "My whole life, summed up, is a matter of seeing something beautiful like that, really taking it in. Then when I have indulged in that for a while, I think someone else has to see this too... Then I talk someone into putting it on the side of a building." |
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Stephanie Smeith: Wanna Start a Commune?
Ned Kahn: Wind Portal - San Francisco International Airport BART Station, San Francisco, California. 2003
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