Research Paper_Final

The Characteristics of Fluidity and Transparency in Art and Architecture



Hsiao-Ping Hsu
Intensive English Program
07/FA-ENGL-097-19
Professor: Sang Kim




November 3, 2007

Introduction

Architecture is not only an object to let people stay, but also includes the elements of culture, technique and art. Nowadays the characteristic of fluidity and transparency becomes a concept in architecture or other design works. Fluidity can be regarded as the shape of the art or buildings which is irregular and flowing（Shei ,2006；Steven & Mara,2005）. Architects and designers are not with limited by the traditional order of Euclidean geometries of sphere, cube, or cone and etc. The more softer or natural forms are used in shapes, and theses shapes create some specific atmosphere of the space or reflect the profound characteristics of society or culture. For instance, the TWA terminal of Kennedy Airport in New York designed by Eero Saarinen, the fluid shape express the images of flight and speed. In addition, the feature of transparency in art and architecture can be regarded as the materials or composition of them makes a penetrating characteristic （Shei ,2006；Steven & Mara,2005）. This kind of design is a current trend and also creates several interesting ideas and inspires people’s imagination. This paper will explain the fluidity and transparency first, and then analyze one piece of art and one architecture to demonstrate the characteristic of fluidity and transparency. Finally, the relevance between the features and art works and architecture will be discussed.

The Features of Fluidity and Transparency

Fluidity, in aspect of shape, is known as the free form. Fluidity not only affects the shapes, but creates a fluent route and free using of spaces（Shei ,2006；Steven & Mara,2005）. These days, natural forms have become a thoughtful way for designs to create their jobs. We can observe many shapes existing in the organs of humans or animals and organization of biology. These shapes might be expressed as distorted, twisted, irregular, or convoluted shapes. Arists Steven and Mara（2005） report that in the early period of inventing the design works, these works featured complicated curves that blended into one another, rather than two-dimensional radiused edges that rounded their way into a corner（p.12）. After a few years, this fluid image was used widely by many designers in diverse kinds of works, such as furniture, cars, buildings, etc. The fluidity created a new curvaceous form and design works became more interesting. Steven and Mara（2005） also believe that the fluidity inherent in their art works implies change, dynamism, progress, and thus gives them cause for hope（p.18）. Furthermore, with the progressive materials, design works can be presented in transparency. For example, people are attracted to the iMac because it uses transparent material with a streamline shape and break with tradition. We used to think a design should create a box or a shell to hide and cover all the internal components; however, the iMac has succeeded in doing just the opposite. Relate this idea to an art work or architecture, the concepts of transparency could be a visual experience to present the ideas of artists and architects. We can easily understand transparency with buildings or art works that use glass or some frame structures. And because they are not solid or closed, they can create transparent vision. This feature can communicate outside and inside of the buildings or art works, and express the concepts and communicate with audiences. Moreover, buildings are not only a box, which can keep out the wind and rain, but can create a fluid and transparent form, route, and space organization. The following will be a case study of Gego and Toyo Ito. They both use the concept of fluidity and transparency to design and create their works.

The Art Work of Gertrude Goldschmidt

Gertrude Goldschmidt, who used to be known as Gego, is a modern Latin American artist. The art trends during the time Gego created her works were Op Art and Kinetic Art .One of the characteristics of both these two kinds of art is the communication between art and viewer. The art is arrayed by some order and the elements to present a geometric scene and create a sense of motion. The Op Art is static but because of “optical illusion” there is the illusion of movement. The works of Kinetic Art create the optical illusion because the art work moves（Lancaster, 1973）.Gego created her own style. She believed that the ideas of motion from Kinetic Art are important. When we view her art, we can get a different experience from the different arrangements of the lines. The art work creates its site and area, and let people create a sense of motion to feel a different atmosphere. During the 1980s she used concept of less geometric, more organic in spirit and the connections are nonlinear. “In Gego’s art, her aesthetic equivalence of solid form and shadow may be the most radical. Shadows are, after all, not objects; they depend entirely upon objects and a controlled environment to become visible.”（Holland , 2007）.
Gego was an artist used different kinds of material such as paper and wire to present her concepts of art. She said that the most important result in her work is the idea of transparency. Gego（1981）explained:” I was interested in the transparency of volume so that a form could be appreciated fully from all angles of observation”（p.189）. She didn’t use traditional way to make a valid sculpture but used mediums to create her art work. The mediums express what she made to what the art work gives the audience. Take her work “The invisible dog” (Figure 1) for example. She used a mimetic way to create an animal model. Through the bended lines of steel wire we can recognize the dog corporal relation with the work and see the faint head, body, legs, and the tail. She creates a site which “with an eye to studying its function in the actual practice and theory – the practical theory and the theory and the theoretical practice of her art”（Bruno, 2006,p.21）.

Figure 1. The invisible dog,1965 Photo by Fernando Irazabal

The Architecture Work of Toyo Ito

In the concepts of contemporary architecture, the architects release the form from the propositions of Euclidian geometry. People are used to live in the buildings with regular shapes, but now the shapes and forms from the biology and nature become a source that architects start to consider their elements and components.
Take the famous Japanese architect Toyo Ito for example, he uses a lot of glass as the materials to create a transparent spatial characteristic. Form and shape in his buildings is fluid. He used a spiral form to design the Sendai Mediatheque. We can easily see the shape “spiral” in our living environment such as the organs of biology or human bodies. It is an unceasing opening form and has a transparent property.

Figure 2 Figure3

The interior of Sendai Mediathequ（http://www.smt.city.sendai.jp/en/）

Contrast with the static space constructed by the order of the propositions of Euclidian geometry it presents a dynamic atmosphere. Toyo Ito also believes that the spaces are not closed in a box but can expand without limits. The spaces in Sendai Mediatheque are design by three components: the plates, tubes and skins. The seven floor plates present the different ways of communication between people and people and between people and events. And there are thirteen arborescent elements to support the plates. They are also a way to make a relationship between the vertical spaces and different kinds of energy such as light, air, water and voice will pass through the tubes. Finally, the skin is an element to divide the spaces into inside and outside. There are not formal pillars, windows, doors etc. so it is a free space and can be reconstructed. （Ito & Sasaki,2001；Shie,2006）People in this space can experience unconstrained spatial atmosphere from their feeling.

Conclusion

This is an era that information is widely spread and more communication ways are used to present about the relationship between people to people, people to the objects, people to the events, and etc. Designers use the concept of fluidity and transparency to create a chance to use diverse forms and present their ideas. In the case of Gego, she used diverse materials to make her art. Interlaced lines and frames formed the art in transparent way and create the specific vision experience for viewers. In the Sendai Mediatheque case of Toyo Ito, he makes different levels from outside to inside, vertical and horizontal. Routes of interior and plan organization are fluent, materials of facades and pillars are transparent. Audiences and users can use other ways and thoughts to observe and experience the innovative works but not be restricted with the formal rules. In architecture, the transparent and fluid space could even make a multiple and connectable spatial characteristics to create a fluidity of vision, activities and space using. Designers now can not only innovate and solve the problems externally but can also think deeply of internal components and respond to their concepts and the contemporary life.


Reference List：

Steven, S. & Mara, H.（2005）. Blobjects & beyond: The new fluidity in design.Introduction: a glowing fascination with fluid form.

Lancaster, J.（1973）. Introducing Op Art.
Gertrude, G.（2005）. Sabiduras and Other Texts by Gego .Nine answers to nine questions posed by Jose Antonio Pantin .
Bruno, B.（2006）. 1957-1988: Thinking the Line .Siting the event.
Holland, C.（2007）. Off the Page and in the Air, Drawing Transformed, from http://www.nytimes.com/pages/arts/design/index.html .
Shie, Z.Z. & Shi, F.(Eds.).（2006）. Documents on Architecture issue_06. Garden City Publishers.
Ito, T. & Sasaki,M.（2001）Toyo Ito, Sendai Mediatheque, Miyagi, Japan, 1995-2000. A.D.A. Edita Tokyo.