Aug 23 – JFK Bound

Today marked the last taste of my European endeavour. Originally, I thought I would be depressed about leaving such a fine continent, but I was content with my stay and felt it was perfect timing to head back across the sea. From Rome we needed to take a bus ride back to Fiumicino airport about 45 minutes away, did some final shopping at the duty free, checked in and boarded for Paris. We got to Paris a little later than expected but made our flight with 20 minutes to spare. It jus so happened we were boarding a double decker Air France air-bus, seating a couple hundred passengers – and very luxurious. All together the trip took 7.5 hours of flight, covering about 3650 miles. It was pleasant knowing we were finally home because I was in need of catching up on rest.

All in all, the Siena program from start to finish was amazing. I had the intentions of  exploring, interacting, and learning a thing or two. Just being present within a foreign environment was a learning experience in itself. Seeing how cultures thrive given the history and urban settings they’ve grown accustom to. Throughout my four years attending NJIT, no semester has taught me more than this summer study abroad. Yes, I’ve learned a vast amount about concepts, precedents, structures, socio-political impacts, sustainability, and the list goes on, but thus far that’s been experienced solely within a classroom through text and visual aid. Until one physically experiences a space with rich history embedded within each building block, it’s all bland information. Until one walks around medieval urban settings, nobody gets a slight idea about the physical reality of such a place.

Despite learning mostly about history, urbanism and the like, the amount of general knowledge from architecture to culture has surpassed any information anybody could possibly attain from a classroom setting. I think the Siena program is not only a fun-filled adventurous program, but an essential endeavour of true architectural understanding. From my professors to my family – Mom, Dad, Grandpa & Grandy, Grandma (up), Grandma (down), Aunt Kim & Uncle Joe, Carol Lerer – I grately appreciate the contributions (instructorial and financial) allowing this experience to happen. . making this a summer experience unprecedented.

Aug 22 – Back home . . in Rome

Our last taste of Barcelona before leaving for the airport to Rome. We hopped on line for Sagrada Familia and did the tour. The building itself is incredible, having an intimidating and cavernous aesthetic, piercing the sky with its 8 slender spires. Remarkably, the building has been in the construction phase for over 125 years. Since 1882 the building has been in the physical realization of its design, making it one of the longest constructed buildings in history. The material of choice was masonry and each individual stone unit was custom in shape and size to accomodate the extravagant building puzzle. The attention to detail varies with this religious dwelling because of it’s monolithic form making it amazing to see.

It was nearing our time to leave if we were to make our flight on time, so we immediately headed towards the elevator which travels up a spire for the upper structure viewing and city viewing. It’s convenient getting an elevator ride to the top but the trip down is through a tight circular stairwell; for those who easily get claustrophobic, should certainly not visit.

After rouding up our group, we set off for the airport, delivered the car back, checked in, and boarded. We didn’t get back to Rome until later in the evening, so we had one final meal, walked around the city, bought essential souvenirs with the little money we had left, checked into our hostel, and called it a night. Tomorrow back to the US of A.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Aug 21 – Last day of Vaca

Today was the second full day of Barcelona and unfortunately our last. There was still a lot left to see and do, so we mapped out three attractions that were a must-see: Casa Mila by Antoni Gaudi, Torre Calatrava by Santiago Calatrava, and The Forum by Herzog de Meuron. Coincidentally, all three were located far from one another, thus forcing us to venture through the different neighborhoods within the city.

Casa Mila was the first desired destination. Edwin, Moe, Joann, and myself left in pursuit of Gaudi’s hot attraction. After some frustration and a couple U-turns we finally arrived. The building facade is phenomenal, featuring a series of waves protruding at each floorplate, decorated with scrap metal looking balcony railings. The entire building takes form by means of masonry building blocks, each single unit varies in shape and size – making this building an absolute modern marvel. The building exterior is unconventional due to its form and monolithic nature, having one to question the environment within the building. Surprisingly, the interior spaces are comfortable, not cavernous which was my preconceived notion.

After waiting a decent 30 minutes in the scorching heat for admittance inside, we entered and were immediately impressed by interior courtyard and subtle interior environment. After hiking up to the top level, all rooms were open to view, each furnished as originally envisioned. The tour continued into the attic space featuring the exposed catenary roof structure, decked with multiple stations depicting his work, precedents, and structural studies. Lastly, we climbed to the rooftop that steps up and down circling around the courtyard openings. Most notably, located on the rooftop are abstract sculptural figures that certainly bring question to its rooftop occupiers. The figures to me represent abstract human forms stationed at random around the rooftop. Despite if my opinion relates to his initial intention, the figures are very interesting and intimidating at the same time.

After a lengthy visit, taking a ton of pictures, and buying a souvenir we left in search of the Torre Calatrava. To much surprise, the tower is not much of an attraction, as it’s located in a large open complex in the outskirts of Barcelona. After snapping some pictures we left in search of The Forum. It was pleasant driving around gazing at the different sights, buildings, and neighborhood developments. After some time driving around, slowing making our way to The Forum, we were all tired and in no position to walk around, so we snapped some photos in the car and headed towards the apartment. All together we captured well over 100 photos, mostly of Casa Mila, in addition to random photos in between destinations.

After getting to the apartment we rested, went to an outdoor Spanish restaurant literally outside our apartment vestibule and indulged on some excellent food. After filling up and refueling from an adventurous day, we made plans to experience the nightlife of Barcelona located on La Rambla. Good times . .

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Aug 20 – Attractions and beach day

After FINALLY getting a decent sleep, I awoke feeling energized and motivated for the day. It was early morning, Matt and I moved our cars to a street with designated free parking spots. On the walk back we picked up some breakfast essentials and prepared a meal for all of us. We all cleaned up and planned our day out to maximize our daily visit.

 

Our first visit was near the governmental section of Barcelona, featuring buildings for the important city officials. Nearby was the Barcelona Pavilion and naturally we ventured inward. This was not the original setting for Mies van der Rohe’s project but after some collaboration and effort, the installation was reassembled and placed nonchalantly next to a regular looking public parking lot in Barcelona. Seeing this building within architectural history so much in school almost makes it pointless to visit in person because of how small it is, but I was interested in the fine craftsmanship put into all the components and its connections. There were other minor attractions around that we glanced at and then made our way to the beach.

 

After finding parking in a small and tight community, we walked along the beach edge checking out Frank Ghery’s fish sculture – a quick glance and we found a spot on the beach. The setting was nice, filled to the max with locals and tourists, but surprisingly the water was a bit dirty. A couple of us manned up and went inward and swam towards an island of massive concrete cubes where several others were jumping from one to the next. We hopped up on one and jumped from one to the other, in all the little island spread across an area of 200 feet long by 40 feet wide – certainly a very cool attraction. Alongside the island there was a kid in a tube dragged by a guy in a small boat both showing off, impressing the crowd. After hitting one too many waves, the two of them flew off, but the boat was still in motion. Fortunately, the boats steering wheel was turned to the right forcing the boat to continually circle round and around. After 10 minutes of circling, the lifeguards got a hold of it by matching the boats speed and one guard hopping onto it. Everybody on the island became a spectator and loudly applauded the lifeguards daring stunt to cease the boat. We them swam back to shore and spent some time relaxing and catching up on some well needed tanning.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Aug 19 – Hola Bar’th’elona

I ended up sleeping about two hours until someone woke me at 4:50 am. Being mostly packed, there was no need to rush, so after getting dressed and consolidating my belongings, I checked out of the dorm and followed the group of 12 others to the bus station. The bus arrived on time, so we boarded and we were on our way to Rome. Within Rome we had to take the subway train to the main station Termini where we caught another train to the Fiumicino airport.

 

Joann, Shannon, and I picked a flight after everyone else, so we stayed within the airport premise for several hours before boarding and departing. After the noisy 1.5 hour flight, we retrieved our luggage and picked up our rental Peugeot 207 5-door 5-speed hatchback. It was nice having our own set of wheels to travel at our own leisure. The car itself was relatively new, good condition, but had very little power. The powertrain features a whopping 1.4 liter 4-cylinder gasoline engine delivering probably fractions of a single horsepower to the wheels. Despite the performance equating to that of a snail, it was interesting to drive within the European styled infrastructure.

 

A short half-hour drive and we arrived to the vicinity of our apartment literally across the street from La Sagrada Familia – a church designed by famous architect Antoni Gaudi, still under construction since 1882. It took some time before getting in contact with the others to get in the apartment and unwind. The rest of the evening involved checking out the church from our balcony, a quick kebab dinner, and getting some early shut eye.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Aug 17 / 18 – Last taste of Siena

The last two days here in Siena was mostly dedicated towards the final project. Our group stayed on course and progressed in a constructive manner, realizing all of the hours flying by. We worked all through the day, into the night and until 10am the next morning – morning of final review. After getting some shut eye for an hour or so, it was time to reconvene and set up the last couple installation props prior to starting presentations. 2pm came around and so did the professors. We were the first to walk through our installation trying to deliver a thorough explanation at each station despite having only a few brain cells operating properly as result of the sleep deprivation.

 

In all I thought our analysis, documentation, and overall presentation was good. Of course there are always areas of improvement, which we understood. As our group stepped down for the next groups presentation, it hit me, that the program was pretty much done – it was a bitter-sweet feeling. After the next couple hours of groups presenting followed by criticism, we did a collaborative studio clean up of the installations.

 

We all had some time to freshen up and relax before heading out as a class to an Italian restaurant – this was our celebration, our last hoorah being in Siena. After dinner most of us automatically planted ourselves within the Campo shell and spent the next couple hours taking in the piazza environment for one last night. Tomorrow, off to Barcelona – bright and early.

Aug 16 – Tartuca Takes the Title!

Originally I planned on waking up early to get a taste of the Palio events, but those dam dormitory beds are way too comfortable – not really. At the crack of dawn the horses and jockies were blessed individually next to the Palazzo Publicco. Not sure if there was much of a turnout but it would have been interesting to watch.

 

It was a scary thought having the final presentation two days from now, so my group met for a couple of hours to continue working on the final installation. Knowing that the crowds were growing each minute made us all eager to get up from the group project and B-line directly to the Campo. We eventually made enough progress where we felt comfortable to call it a day and make our way to the hustle and bustle.

 

When stepping foot outside onto the street, there were little implications of any crowd type nearby. In my head I imagined the Campo to be nearly empty except for the inner fence perimeter – now that it was only 4pm (the horse race being around 7:30 pm). As we neared the main gate into the Campo we got a sense of the crowd and to my surprise it was very dense within the piazza. Immediately, I was accepting the fact that a fence spot was impossible, but I would do my best to lead through the sitting crowd. Even the gates were packed with people standing at the edge to ensure an upclose spot upon final gate closure.

 

We all found a gate somewhat permitting of passerbys, so we walked towards it and squeezed through the cluster of people closing it off. Everywhere you step within the shell you need to tiptoe because all those who have been waiting are sitting spread out to secure their territory. Well, I wasn’t going to resort walking towards the center like any passive spectator would have, instead I found a small spot towards the upper section and stood in front of some people sitting. The rest of the group followed and we scrunched together, standing, hoping for some floor area to open up. Eventually people sitting next to us realized we weren’t going to move so they scootched over and provided some space to sit, so we sat and waited . . and waited . . and waited, until of course a canon shot disrupted the silence. Automatically, everyone gasped for air and chuckled with their neighbors about the explosion happening two seconds prior . . idiots – yes I heard it, no need to ask.

 

It was nearing 6pm and the bleachers were filling up with local contrada members. Groups of about 50 would sit in close proximity with each other and loudly support their contrada – nothing like vocal competition. Hearing the chants from all over truly made the time fly by. The people within my general vicinity all turned around looking up against the nearby building. Surprisingly, the world renown Sting was poking his head out the window – I guess Hollywood has some appreciation for such tradition.

 

The gates were starting to close and at this time, personal space was lacking very much. Had you been standing next to someone with poor hygiene, you wouldn’t just get a smack of odor in the face, you would simply be wearing it. At this point I was maybe 5 feet away from the fence so with some tip-toe action I was able to get decent pictures of the parade that was commencing. The parade starts at one end and finishes at the other, providing a curved train of people dressed in medieval outfits some on foot with tossing flags, and some on horse.

 

The parade features all the current contradas in existence including previous contradas that once thrived within the Sienese walls. Needless to say it took a long time for the parade to finally end, but overall it was a great means of energizing the crowd. After the tail end of the parade left the Campo, the carabinieri circled around the track in similar fashion to yesterdays presence. On the last lap they charged full speed around the track, hovering above their horses, thrusting their swords forward.

 

It was now time for the horses and jockies to made their debut on the track. As they exited the Palazzo Publicco, in a counter-clockwise direction, they passed by their designated contrada bleacher receiving one final good luck chant and pat on the back. Rounding the corner they approached the ropes and the Campo was gradully getting quiet, with people hushing all around. Within a matter of seconds, it was dead silent. Incredibly, in an outdoor space with 35,000+ spectators who were chanting and cheering about a minute ago, were in complete and absolute silence. I was stunned. About fifteen seconds worth of silence ended with the official microphone naming the different contradas for line up. One contrada after another, followed by cheering of each, until all horses with their jockies were lined up for the start. Our professor Jim mentioned to us that its typical for multiple false starts and realigning which, he said can take nearly a half hour until the race actually starts.

 

After all ten horses were in place, there were cries from the crowds nearby because of the taunting among horses and jockies, meaning there were to be another lining up. This instance reoccured again, and again . . and again, until finally some of the jockies were throwing fists at one another – what meant to be a horserace was manifesting into a contrada battle royale. Eventually the jockies cooled down and again they reset along the ropes. I was only able to retrieve glimpses of all the action, capturing some of it on my camera.

 

The crowd finally simmered down and all of a sudden, the horses took off. The entire Campo livened with picture taking, waving of flags, loud chants, and of course a little shoving. After the first lap there were two clear leaders among the pack, Tartuca and Civetta (my contrada). Tartuca remained in first with Civetta nearing prior to each turn after lap two. The last lap these two were one behind the other but Tartuca was able to keep the lead and crossed the ropes as the victor.

 

The canon shot indicating the end of the race and immediately the gates were released and everybody rushed out onto the track. Those within the Tartuca contrada congratulated one another – lots of hugging and jumping for joy. The winning jockey was hoisted onto the shoulders of Tartuca members and several approached and praised him.

 

So what now? It’s tradition among the winning contrada to march to the Duomo, enter inside, bring the jockey to the alter, have him blessed, and march on outward to feast. At this point our group was split up but Joann and myself stuck together and made our way to the Duomo. We waited alongside for the herd of Tartuca members and then marched into the church with them. Hundreds made their way inward and cheered as loud as possible – ironic how the Duomo was transformed from a quiet place of worship to a house of menacing Italians.

 

The atmosphere was simply incredible. Never have I experienced such a celebration for, well, anything. In total the horses lap around the Campo three times, the whole race taking less than two minutes. It’s remarkable how short of a sporting event can have such a large celebration. Nonetheless, the celebration continued for some time. I took my share of photos and videos and made my way back towards the Campo.

 

There was a team of people cleaning up the aftermath of the race, simultaneously restaurants were assembling tables and chairs on the track yet again, bringing in a swarm of festive individuals. Joann and I met up with our long lost group from early in addition to others and we ventured behind the Palazzo Publicco for some Italian cuisine. Great food to cap off a great, eventful day.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Aug 15 – Prova, Prova!

I woke up this morning at an early hour to start some work, now that we were nearing the final review. The sun was finally shining today, meaning that the track would dry for the last general prova. After sifting through drawings and diagrams new and old, I went outside to the Campo to check out the  conditions myself. Apparently, I wasn’t the only with that notion. Several other locals and tourists flocked the piazza and with it being early afternoon, people were already reserving their spots against the inner gates. Knowing that the prova was a “go” for today, I finished the tasks for my group project and gathered a small group to wait inside the Campo shell.

 

Shawntel, Joann, Tim, and I walked in search of an opening near a gate. At this time people lined up against the fences creating a single interior perimeter of people, leaving the entire shell vacant. Myself and Joann brought our sketchbooks to draw and kill some time, but there were spectators constantly entering the gates forcing us to keep ground against the fence.

 

Every 15 minutes there were noticable changes in growth of the people within the shell, mostly forcing up against the fences. Cleverly, street vendors selling Siena apparel including the varying Contrada flags, were stationed within the Campo center. Many people flocked to them prior to aiming towards the fence, equipping themselves with proper attire.

 

A couple times prior to the horses and jockies making their scene, there were canon shots given off. These loud bursts, which startled everyone in the Campo (except myself), signified an incremental amount time before the trial took place – as if a dial tone couldn’t suffice. After a couple were shot off all remained contrada members and tourists within the track were forced into the crowd and the gates were closed. This meant the horses and jockies were coming out shortly and naturally everyone started to chear. Before they came out there was a display by the carabinieri (military) on horses decked out in full uniform where they took a couple laps stirring up the nearly full Campo. As they took a final lap around the track charging towards the main Campo gates the horses and jockies made their entrance.

 

The intensity was certainly in the air, making my heart beat faster and faster. The horses made their way to the starting line, passing Contrada members who each tried to out yell the next. The horses took their marks but several on several occasions the horses and jockies were asked to realign against the starting line.

 

This type of horse race doesn’t start like a conventional horse race, there are in fact two starting lines. The front line is where the horses are positioned against a rope, excluding one who is stationed about 10-15 feet back behind another rope. The process in starting the race is as such: the rope behind is dropped freeing the single horse, when that horse crosses the dropped rope, the front rope is dropped freeing the other 9 horses. Before you realize it, all horses are taking off and rounding the first corner. The crowd was roaring cheering for their contrada. Because this race was merely a practice for tomorrow, only a few horses participated at near full speed – a sudden slip of dirt beneath could send the horse to the ground, injuring them and the jockey. As the horses rounded the last bend (located near us) one of the horses tore up a chunk of dirt from the track and sent it flying directly towards Tim’s face. He was able to retrieve it with much excitement and claimed it as a souvenir – luckily it wasn’t a piece of manuer otherwise he still would have cherished it.

 

After the first place horse and jockey finished the race, the canon shot off designating the winner and the trial runs end. The gates were opened and people flourished onto the track where everyone was in a frenzy to reconvene with their appropriate contradas. Despite the race being a practice, it was a great experience and put me in the mood for the real Palio race tomorrow.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Aug 14 – Uneventful Saturday

I slept in a little to recuperate from the POPup assignment and took some time out of the day to photo document the model. The weather wasn’t pleasant so not many people traveled or did much of anything, so this blog is mostly dedicated towards the upcoming Palio (in two days).

For the past week or so, there’s been a transformation with the Campo, from public piazza to a horse track, accompanied with changes to the overall city look and feel.It was quite evident that there was an excitement among everyone, locals and tourists. The Campo was become more packed each day for all hours, even later than midnight. Throughout the different streets, there were large banners, flags, and medieval looking street lights representing the colors for each individual contrada. Each night, a different contrada hosted parties within their territories for social gathering among their own people. I witnessed a party myself and there were people of all different ages from kids to grandparents all supporting their micro community. A couple days prior to the day of the Palio there are trial runs, called prova’s, similar to the actual race. Had it not been for the rain today, they would have had a trial run. Since the weather is supposed to clear, drying the track, there will be a final prova tomorrow which will be exciting to look forward to. Usually the final prova is nearly as packed as the Palio the following day.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Aug 11 / 12 / 13 – POPup Piazza

Our next big assignment was the POPup Piazza, where everyone was assigned a small piazza and asked to make a popup model using a single sheet of A3 watercolor paper. Much like the analytique assignment, we were paired per piazza but asked to make our own popup model – the purpose being to enable us to work together at the preliminary stages of figuring out how to assemble this model. There of course were restrictions with the model, that being: paper can only be cut and folded, no severed pieces big or small, no tape used, and the facades must be watercolored.

The first step in the assignment consisted of documenting our given piazzas. Mine, shared with two others, was Piazza Quirico. I wouldn’t personally recognize it as a piazza, more like a glorified medieval parking lot, but thats just me. After taking careful measure and sketching out plan and elevations (approximately 2 hours later), I felt it was necessary to take an initial stab at popping up the piazza.

Success in this assignment required lots of test trials with different strategies of folding and cutting, folding and cutting, folding and cutting, and lastly folding and cutting. Trials 1 – 3 dealt with different scales of paper and it wasn’t until the final clean sheet of A3 watercolor paper that it was necessary to get the precise shapes drawn and angled correctly on the full sheet. It is in my nature to challenge myself for every assignment and task given to me, and though it seemed daring, I attempted to model the scaffolding in front of a building located in the piazza. The trial runs showed some success so I figured I would push for it in the final model.

Prior to folding and cutting the final model, all the score lines and cut lines had to be drafted on the full sheet of paper. After everything was drawn to near perfection, I layered watercolor paint to distinguish buildings and details within the piazza. At this time, I began to cut and fold and realized it was already time for the Final Review.

I was not able to finish in the given time frame, but i did position my study models and current model on the desks. I planned to finish the model later after the review and tomorrow, but in the meantime I positioned a piece of paper next to my unfinished popup assembly reading “Under Construction”. Luckily, some humor was taken from it, and I was able to finish the model at a later time.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Aug 10 – Field trip to Florence

As a class, we planned to meet in Florence and tour around the city. I just so happened to wake up later than expected and found myself rushing along with my roomate to the bus station. It was crucial to take the 9 am bus otherwise it would involve waiting a good hour for the next one. It was about 8:45 with the bus station a good 20 minute walk away from the dorm, so myself and edwin jogged the length there (not so easy with the terrain and heat). We got there with a couple minutes to spare and naturally we were in a sweat. The bus ride there was a little longer than an hour, and upon arriving we met at a cafe for breakfast and embarked on the Florentine field trip.

The urban setting is less dense than Siena, offering sun to shine down on the streets. Architecturally, there is a distinction between Florence and other Italian cities which added to my visual library of styles. We hit the main attractions (excluding the statue of David) and included visits to some smaller attractions around the city. Some of the attractions included: Santa Maria Novella, Basilica di San Lorenzo, Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana, Palazzo degli Uffizi, Piazza de Salterelli, Santa Croce, and Duomo di Santa Maria del Fiore.

Throughout our walk around the city, I took as many pictures as possible in addition to sketching what I found interesting. We were given the basic history 101 of Florence and how the Florentines dominated Italy centuries ago (including Siena). The day passed very quickly and ended with a bunch of us getting burgers at a local well-known burger joint. Even the Italians know how to make a decent burger.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Aug 9 – Analytique due

Today was judgement day for the finalized, colored analytiques. Joining us were two new critics from NJIT who would be staying with us for the remainder of the program. Again we lined the desks and placed the analytiques around the perimeter for the entire class to observe. For each Porta there were two individuals, so it was interesting to see the varying display of drawings and organization. Unfortunately we ran out of time for my Porta to be critiqued but it was insightful to hear the others talked about – its strengths, weaknesses, etc.

Because of the new addition of critics, we were asked to inform them about our group project. Thus far we’ve consolidated our diagrams, drawings, and other graphics onto a separate blog that clearly explains the progress we’ve made. After hearing some criticism on our group work, we talked how to further our progress and think in terms of a final installation. The final assembly is responsible to document our findings in a clever way so we could give enlightenment about our territory to the rest of the class.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Aug 8 – Fearlessly painting

Starting early in the morning I prepped myself for the final analytique composition. The first couple hours involved drafting the analytique lightly by hand. Some revisions and additions were made for the final but the basic organizational principles were kept. It took a while to get the overall layout completed but eventually it was all set to watercolor.

I deliberately took an hour to get comfortable with mixing watercolors, brushing, and layering on a separate sheet prior to starting the actual painting. After getting used to the process, I began very lightly with a couple coats giving the sheet a grey tone. From then on, I came up with a number of tones I would use and basically marked which sections were which tones. After several hours, approaching the early hours of monday morning, the analytique had completely dried.

I felt it would be interesting to keep a basic greyscale and vary with tones instead of using a broad range of colors. That way the hierarchy of forms and proportions can read better. In general, it’s hard working with colors because some pop up and read more clearly than others, the tones tend to be misread, so better to keep everything within a scale. In all, what I expected to take the entire day, took a day and a couple hours. I’ve learned that the keys to watercoloring is time, patience, and light layering – if you possess all three, it’s easy.

Aug 7 – Siena attractions

Upon coming to Siena, I was looking forward to visiting the Duomo and Panorama. Because nothing was planned for the day, myself, Joann, Jill, and Jen, walked over and bought passes to visit these attractions including others. We were early so it was recommended to visit the Museum first leading up to the Panorama.

The museum features several frescos (paintings) varying in size and historical content. In addition there are sculptures and assembled metal and glass pieces referencing important people and instances. The detail put into each painting and hand held object is remarkable, I constantly find myself in awe with the skill these crafters possessed. Even the most skilled would need a tremendous amount of time and patience in order to complete such work – kudos to you guys.

From one level to the next, the museum has varying artwork until reaching the top which provides entry for the Panorama. This overlaying platform structure provides 360′ views of Siena and beyond. The very top of it is amazing where you find yourself at eye level with the dome top of the Duomo, so naturally I set my camera to the panorama setting and took 180′ shots capturing wide pictures of the surroundings. After becoming comfortable and catching some sun rays, we were asked to come down so the next group can experience. With the Museum and Panorama checked off our list, we immediately went to the Duomo.

The Duomo’s entry greets visitors with multiple steps to a patio space just prior to the left entry of the symmetrical front facade. Upon entering, there is some pupil readjustment, so for the first couple seconds it’s hard to register the dark interior space. Within a few seconds the interior space becomes readable and every square inch visible is filled with detail and excitement. Firstly there is a relation from the front facade to the interior, obviously the central nave holds highest in the hierarchy of spaces followed by the side aisles. Following the procession forward leads to multiple side scultpures, murals, and intricate stonework on the floor, walls, and above. The most interesting is the alternating black and white stone relating to the historical reference of the Balzana – almost giving the interior a zebra-esque styling. Midway through the procession leads to the transept (cross corridor) and the centrally located dome interior above. The columns supporting the ceiling loads are extremely massive and formed elegantly in plan orientation. I can continue to ramble on about my narrative of the space, but nothing equates to the visual – take a glance at the pictures I took.

After taking picture after picture, and sketching for well over an hour, it was time to leave. As you approach the exit and walk on the entry patio space. the white marble reflects the sun so painfully that it took nearly a minute to readjust and be able to open my eyes wide. I believe there was intention behind doing this, having the sunlight amplified upon exiting the church may have signified a presence of God from above in close proximity to the church – just my guess.

It was early afternoon, and in total we spent 5 hours doing the tour. There were still small attractions to visit, but they were of less importance so we decided to head back to homebase. The rest of the day consisted of refining sketches, organizing, pictures, and thinking more of the analytique which was going to be an all day task for tomorrow. Tomorrow the paint hits the paper.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Aug 6 – Field sketch #2

Today was the start of another long weekend and instead of traveling outside of Siena, I chose to stay within. I started the day off by visiting my Porta for a final time to sketch some fine details needed for the final analytique. The weather was particularly hot today, much like in Rome, so I tried to make this field not as lengthy. After checking off my list of sketches that was needed, I realized it was two and half hours later. Ideally, I wanted to be quick yet efficient, but efficiency has its price in time. The sketches came out nicely and certainly helped me understand the Porta and its surroundings more precisely. Heading back to the dormitory, I found myself out of breath before approaching the Campo. The elevation changes are incredible, making any short distance trip a hefty cardio workout. I see why Italians have little issues with weight control – a simple quarter mile walk is equivalent to hiking Mount Kilimanjaro.

The rest of the day consisted of relaxing and sociallizing mainly because this past week was tiring, so naturally I needed a day take it easy. Later on, myself and 7 others prepped up nicely and went out to eat behind the Palazzo Pubblico. The restaurant was near the edge of a valley so the views were amazing, offering endless layers of mountainside and greenery. After a couple bottles of wine, a great meal, and good company, we ended the night with “lots of Gelats” (gelato dubbed by the graduate girls) in the Campo. What better way to reflect on the day than to be in the Campo? None.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Aug 5 – Analytique iteration #1

Today we had our first analytique iterations due, so prior to the start of class, we assembled multiple desks together so each composition was readable within the studio space on a single surface. I pushed myself to have a complete composition to ease the stress of the final presentation on Monday. After multiple pencil strokes and nearly burning holes with the eraser, I drew up a thumbnail sketch of the organization and hierarchy that would soon translate to my presentation I had today.

The transitional moment when the pencil makes contact with the paper reveals truth (or lack there of) with mental thoughts and images, that can now be measured quantitatively. Sketched out renderings depicting mental ideas often go through a process of drawing and revising repeatedly until our satiation meter reads “full”. Sketches are experimental, thus are considered sloppy in nature, but I believe in every laborious sketch lays beauty with embedded information and intent. My quick mental sketches are nowhere near organized and mannered, but once the physical sketch possesses the accuracy I mentally inscribed, the visual has been achieved.

Relating back to the analytique, my initial sketches had little sense of clarity, but the sketching progressed and eventually lead to a composition with order and orientation. The analytique I posted (or will shortly post) is approximately an 11 x 17 sheet originally drawn up with pencil and finalized with ink.

My first intent was to create four nearly equal quadrants posed primarily by Porta Tufi’s plan with a true north orientation (resulting in a tilted axis). The vertical axis is not literally drawn but exists as the cutoff of the quadrant drawings. As I’ve mentioned in a previous post, the analytique is structured with multiple scale drawings layered onto one another, and naturally the top drawing serves as the most critical. Now that the plan and quadrants have been figured out, the supplemental drawings are positioned within the four quadrants to serve as secondary information. The top left features a residential building in close proximity (in plan view) with a shadow casted by the porta; the top right features a residential building in close proximity (in plan view) in addition to a longitudinal section; the bottom left features a partial entry elevation;  lastly the bottom right features a cross section of the porta and an additional site elevation consisting of the semi circular bus hub and pedestrian sidewalk. The tertiary layer consists of brick ornamentation (located on the left and bottom portions) including a general site plan (located on the right) and a general site section silhouette subtly incorporated atop the sloping porta plan. Even though the drawing seems cluttered and hard to interpret, the composition exists in a logical fashion, thus fitting the criteria of an analytique.

After receiving some criticism about incorporating an urban scale drawing, the next step is to redraft this on water color paper and render the composition with lots of water and paint. I favor using ink at all times when drawing, and unfortunately water coloring is not my comfort of medium. My last trial with watercoloring was “back in the day” of late middle school / early high school which mother-dearest proudly displays . . in the basement.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Aug 3 / 4 – Workshop studios

The following two days was devoted towards progressing with our group project in addition to the analytique. After visiting the porta for a second time, I was able to comprehend more about the site which allowed me to think about the analytique composition later on. The field sketches focused primarly on the immediate gate section and elevation, in addition to a broad site section revealing the topographic nature of the site and existing elevations of buildings near by.

The group projects up-to-date involve multiple mapping exercises that force us to uncover the urbanistic qualities pertaining to Siena’s organization and manipulation. Thus far, all documentation has been visual diagrams sketched by hand, some technical and some abstract that isolate and call out the multi-faceted qualities and syntax of Siena. The development of the city is extremely interesting and in depth, referencing to myth and early civilizations. A simple way of conveying its urban design would be a circle segmented into three parts, representing the early three-way split of the city by means of creating an intersection of three major public thoroughfares. Today the roads are untouched (used by pedestrians and automobiles) and are referred to as the “Terze” which we as a class we call it the city’s belly-button. Adjacent to Siena’s belly-button is the public center, Il Campo, which ties the segmented city into a single entity. The overall design is very well done with intention all within the boundary walls of the city.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

August 2 – Start of Siena week #2

Oh bloody monday, getting back into the groove of studio. Today we met in the morning to discuss the upcoming assignments and events. Firstly, and in my mind most interestingly, was the talk about the upcoming Palio where transformation of the Campo will be underway shortly accompanied by street-wide events (and a hell-a-lot of street drumming). The following assignments consist of: a water color analytique, a POPup Piazza, and a visual collage.

An analytique is a graphic composition that depicts the nature of an architectural feature and its immediate (also urban) context with multiple senses of scale and layering. When documenting an existing structure that has architectural importance and prominence, we as architects (or soon to be) naturally sketch out the crucial sections, elegant elevations, and minute details. Sketching (including field sketching) is an art of its own, with multiple drawings collaged together, close in comparison to a journalist jotting down pieces of verbal information in a hurry. When all essential analysis has been completed, the analytique can be created. The process depends on layering of multi-scale drawings that line up and create a full explanation of the architecture (instead of further verbal explanation, I will let the drawings speak for itself when I compose them). The class was assigned a specific porta (or gate) that are featured at multiple perimeter points, mine was Porta Tufi.

The next assignment called POPup Piazza involves analyzing the physical conditions of a given piazza, and creating a pop-up assembly symbolizing the space as accurate as possible. The final assignment will be a quick collage of magazine images portraying the famous fresco found within Palazzo Pubblico, dubbed Allegory of Good and Bad Government and its Effects on Town and Country.

After wrapping up our class discussion, we were free to find our portas and begin analyzing up the wazoo. The walk involved some steep terrain until turning down a road and following a straight narrow street gradually sloping downwards, offering a picture frame view of the symmetrical, centrally oriented porta.

Before placing the pen/pencil on paper, it’s crucial to walk the entire space and mentally map out the surroundings. The analytique structure is based around the graphic organization and inclusion of the porta as an object, but it’s equally important to document its adjacent conditions, otherwise it becomes a free standing object found with no particular context.

Spending 2.5 hours of sketching and documenting had me beat, so I called it a day with sketching and trekked back to homebase. We met as a class breifly to discuss our analytical sketches, and received additional requirements for more sketching due for tomorrow. Meaning that tomorrow morning was to be devoted to another 2 hours of sketching (maybe even more). For the rest of the evening, I caught up on group work and made my way to the Campo for a nice session of relaxation.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

August 1 – Back to Bibbiena, I mean Siena

Our hotel reservations expired in the morning, so after waking up, grabbing a complimentary breakfast, we officially checked out. Unfortunately we had group work due the following morning so it was crucial for us to get back at a reasonable hour. Before heading to the train station, we made our way back to Piazza San Marco to mingle with the hustle and bustle of the crowd. It just so happened there were a couple packets of bread sticks left, needless to say, we put them to good use.

We fed the pigeons yet again, competing with other tourists for pigeon dominance near the approximate center. The method behind luring a huge crowd of birds is throwing a ton of crumbs around your feet, and once they take note, they immediately come forth. As they peck away, sprinkle some crumbs on your arm and within your cupped hands; before you have time to realize, your arm becomes an eatery bar for the pigeons. I got a little creative and daring by putting some crumbs on my head, and well, the birds didn’t delay.

Pigeons are infamously known for releasing fecal matter on command so you are most likely wondering why I would entice these dirty birds to land all over me. Well, amusement is the reason. Never have I seen the potential joy from in playing with pigeons, but the fact is, it is the most fun you can have little or no cost. After running our of “pigeon bait”, I got a little crafty with my pigeon play, and started catching them while they were feasting on other tourists crumbs. Absolute exhilaration. It wasn’t until the final catch that the a pigeon got a little too jumpy and released “the goods” on my hand. After getting pooped on, you ask was it worth it? You bet your sorry ass it was!

The sun was high in the sky, beating down on all of us, perfect time to head on the train and head home. The same route we took to get to Venice, we took back home, only this time we hopped on the wrong express bus and it was leaving just as we realized. It’s quite interesting and certainly amusing to see an American try to explain “I need to get off” to someone who understands 0% English. After failing a couple times with my limited Italian, I simply said “Siena, no Bibbiena”, the bus driver immediately understood, pulled over, and let us out. We were nearly two blocks away and had to run back to the bus hub in order to get on the bus. Luckily the bus was just pulling into its spot, so after catching our breath, we double checked the destination and got on.

All in all, the trip was phenomenal. Venice was a place like no other on earth and after experiencing it for the weekend, I would not mind venturing back in the future. It wasn’t SO bad leaving Venice, I mean, I was heading back to Siena, so little disappointment was noticeable on my part. After our settling back into the dorms we relaxed for a few and met up in our groups to prepare ourselves for the upcoming studio classes. After exchanging details of the weekend with others and progressing with our work, we immediately didn’t think twice to head over to the Campo.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

July 31 – Faithful Leap to Lido

We were all in need of some color, so we took the water taxi from a stop near the hotel to an island within a mile from the Venetian island. The island is called Lido and has a couple miles worth of beach front. The water taxi took about 40 minutes traveling through the Grand Canal and rounding the outskirts of Venice until finally reaching the Lido station.

The island is more modern, I’m guessing most of the island was developed starting in the 20th century, so much of the Venetian architecture doesn’t carry over to Lido. The beach was located on the other end of the island, so we strolled through the island eventually making it to the beach entry. To no surprise, the beach offered women the choice of tops. Clearly, I’m not in the U.S. “no more”.

The beach was phenomenal, facing a horizon line with no interruption, calm water, and of course plenty of sun rays. Most of the day was spent on the island with an occasional dip and a couple walks admiring the beach (and yes . . the babes too). After getting a decent color, we made our way back to the hotel, cleaned up, and went out to dinner around the corner. Because the sun rays were pelting us all day, we decided to keep it low key for the night, had a couple drinks, and called it a night. Tomorrow, back to Siena.

 

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

July 30 – Venturing to Venezia

Traveling to Venice is a 3.5 hour trip, consisting of a bus ride from Siena to Florence (1 hour 15 minutes) and a train from Florence to Venice (a little more than 2 hours). Our group arrived at the Venice train station midday, picked up a tourist map, and made our way to the hotel.

Our walk to the hotel forced us to walk along a dense road full of natives and tourists, lined with multiple shops full of souvenirs – including hundreds of Venetian mask. Immediately I noticed a large contrast from previous parts of Italy, aside from the water canals / waterways, but the structures were smaller and more colorful.

After checking into the hotel, we cleaned up and made our way to the center of Venice, Piazza San Marco. To much of our surprise, the island is shaped like a fish profile and walking its longest length takes nearly an hour. We figured on holding off on a water taxi and traveled to the piazza on foot. Upon entering the rectilinear space with a clear procession set forth by the presence of the Basilica San Marco (qualities of being a forum), we were astounded by the number of people, pigeons, and a centrally-located fashion runway.

While walking around the vast number of tourist groups (with a headphone device pressed upon their ear of course), we immediately noticed dozens of pigeons flocking to people handing out pieces of bread and table scraps. Some people toyed with the pigeons by placing crumbs in their hands, extending outwards, and letting the birds flock onto their arms. Unfortunately we didn’t have anything to lure the pigeons to us, but myself and Matt agreed to grab some bread sticks from dinner and attempt to befriend the birds later on.

After walking around, still in awe with the presence of waterways replacing motorways, we found a small restaurant with a fixed price and didn’t think twice. Sold! Occasionally restaurants feature multi- dish meals for a low fixed price, and they tend to be very satisfying (for the hunger and wallet). After indulging on a delectable meal and snatching a couple bread stick packets, we headed back towards the pigeons. Myself and Matt crumbled some sticks into our hands and hesitantly the pigeons began landing on us. After a couple pecks and a glance around, they hopped off and went about their business. After being mesmerized for a good half hour, we talked about the plans for the night and decided on getting a gondola ride and coming back to the piazza to watch the fashion show (it was the girls choosing – i swear).

According to the Italy 2010 – Fodor book I bought back in the states, they mentioned that gondoliers charge a decent percentage more as the day comes to an end. So after picking up some wine we walked around and immediately came in contact with a gondolier offering an 80 Euro trip (I know it seems much – and I still think so too – but in comparison to others, 80 is a bargain). After boarding the gondola and setting off, we truly got a different sense of Venice. For much of the day we were spectators looking into the waterways, but now our roles have been reciprocated; we were now on display for the walking population. Traveling through the Grand Canal and its branching-off waterways were phenomenal. We were lucky enough to have such a passionate and humorous gondolier because we learned a lot about its history while exchanging a couple laughs. The ride all together took nearly 45 minutes (which according to Fodor is lengthier in duration than most) and we made our way back to the piazza. The pigeons were still very animate with the tourists so we continued our pigeon therapy until the start of the fashion show.

Before the main emcee took stage, there was an announcement of some Hollywood stars in attendance; Richard Gere and Scarlette Johansson to name a few. The show begin with some singing performances, loud music, and an incredible light / smoke show. Eventually when the smoke cleared, the runway girls made their way to the runway and did their walking – and the mesmerizing began once again. I am nowhere near an avid watcher when it comes to fashion, but I must admit, it was a very cool presentation start to finish.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Random sketches

  

Waving checkerboard banner

The trees all around within the SMdP complex

 

Not really sure . .

 

 

 

 

 

Popular choice of pavers

Another popular paver style

July 29 – Siena week 1: done

After the four  years of  attending NJIT and having pre-set 8:30 classes for most of the week, I am certainly getting used to sleeping in and starting class at 11:00. We repeated yesterdays schedule with the morning lecture, lunch break, and having a studio workshop. The lecture was a continuation from yesterdays history 101 and the workshop was for us to further progress with our group blogs for SMdP. To liven the class from these lengthy workshops, we visited the Palazzo Publicco museum later in the day. Naturally the building displays the history of Siena’s municipality in earlier eras; highlighting the important figures, etc. What struck me most interesting was the actual room where governmental decisions took place, depicting the famous frescos of Good and Bad Government. Within the space,  there are two frescos on opposing sides and a fresco adjoining the two; one representing the effects of good government, the other representing the effects of bad government. Specifically the good government portrays a city thriving, clean, and functional; the bad government portrays a city stricken by war, famine, and sin. The importance of this room-wrapping mural is to remind governmental officials the possible outcomes of decisions towards the city. Careful consideration and attention was given to decisions involving warfare, commerce, etc.

For the past couple days, I’ve been watching my spending money so I am eating solely what I bought at the grocery store. Frosties cereal (or American Frosted Flakes) with chocolate cake for breakfast, pasta with tomato sauce and sausage for lunch, and steak and eggs for an early dinner. Cooking for us is feasible because there are communal kitches located on each floor, where all students share each others dishes and utensils. After dinner, our group met one final time before starting our long-awaited weekend, basically to cover important issues regarding Mondays presentation. When Joann and myself completed our portion for the presentation material, we immediately went walking around the city to do some picture taking. Up until this point I haven’t taken the time to visually document the public realm of Siena, so taking 106 pictures made up for it (pictures will be uploaded either over the weekend of early next week . . don’t worry). After meeting classmates Matt and Shannon, we bought some gelato and socialized within the Campo.

It was nearing sunset so the navy blues and indigo’s were coloring the entire sky. The contrast of the blue skies to the light brown masonry constructs, is one hell of a view. As time passed by, a large cloud was hovering a few miles away lighting up the sky periodically. When the cloud was approaching (yet not in the direction of passing overhead) the lightning was so frequent that it seemed a strobe light was working in overtime. Surprisingly, there was no thunder despite all the lightning but it was obvious that the rainfall was going to be intense.

We took a couple shots while still being in the Campo then quickly dashed to the dormitory to view the storm elevated off the ground. The lightning was illuminating the sky so frequently that it only took a couple lucky camera shots to photograph lightning bolts developing within the clouds.

The remainder of the night was spent hanging around with a group of classmates exchanging each others plans for the weekend. Some people are feeling very adventurous, traveling to Croatia with others. As for the rest of the class, we are staying within Italy for this weekend. Myself and a couple others are heading to Venice where we will be going out for a water taxi ride, heading to a beach, seeing some touristy attractions, and of course wining and dining like a king.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

July 28 – Workshop Wednesday

We started the day late in the morning with a lecture on the general history leading to the Sienese establishment. One of our professors, Peter Lang, animatedly lectured on ancient civilizations including the Greeks, Etruscans, and Romans, all who were influential with the evolution of urban living.

Civilizations typically used urban models as precedent for their own and would manipulate them to best suite their lifestyle. For example, such urban typologies created among some civilizations were the Forum (Etruscans), the Atrium (Etruscans), and the Basilica (Romans). Out of the three architectural terms, the atrium is most recognized today because of its insertion to many large scale buildings. Originally the atrium was not designated with a specific program, it was simply an open space that was used very loosely. Today we too find spaces in buildings that contain no specific program, that we refer to as an atrium.

After our history 101 lecture, we had a workshop specifically on the progress of our Santa Maria della Pieta compilation. We are individually graded by the content we upload to the blog post and essentially these workshops allow us to verify with the professors the type of quality they expect from us. Thus far we have our first full iteration completed that will most likely need some revising this weekend so we can thoroughly present our project on Monday.

I also made a trip to the grocery store, Conad, which is a small walk from our dormitory. Upon entering the store you walk down a ramp to the grade level of the aisles and immediately to the right are shelves of wine (what a surprise). The store itself contains a few aisles unlike the supermarkets I’m accustomed to in the States with several aisles nearly 100′ in length. The supermarkets here in Italy have essential foods which again is unlike the supermarkets in the States which contain a ton of non nutritional foods and meals (it’s no surprise why we have the obesity epidemic at home and not in places such as Italy).

I had the urge to stock up on some birra (beer), so I grabbed a couple 66cl bottles (approximate to 24 oz) and to my surprise, they were 0.75 Euros a piece, which was phenomenal. If I was in search of beer that cheap in the states, that would be nearly impossible. The beer I chose was Tuborg and Peroni which happen to be Italy’s popular selections; why is it so cheap? I have no clue, nor do I care. Stocking up on beer is crucial because most of the social drinking that occurs in Siena takes place within the Campo . . that’s right, out in the streets in the open public. Relying on small shops within the Campo for alcohol purchasing, will force anyone to buy at 4 – 5 times the supermarket price.

Later that night we as a class met within the Campo and spent the night just sitting back, socialized, had a few drinks. All of us behave for the most part mainly because we wish not to stick out as “those Americans”. In addition we also sense the historical significance with the immediate public space and the entire town so naturally we wish to preserve that out of respect.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

July 27 – SMdP Recap

Now that the Santa Maria della Pieta portion has come to an end, it was time to collaborate in our groups and begin our final presentation, blog form of course. We were told to assemble a presentation with graphics and text. Essentially our entire experience, and highlighting our final installation, was needed to be documented in a legible manner.

Since we are not supplied with individual studio spaces, we located ourselves within the study room designated for students within the dormitory. Fortunately the semester is near an end for full-time Siena University students, thus we can practically call the study room our own personal studio space.

After taking the first stab at putting together our SMdP experience compilation, we were assigned our next assingment (which is just dandy how they continue to overlap assignments). The assignment consists of documenting (or mapping) urbanistic qualities in relation to a route we must take from the “belly-button” of Siena to the boundary walls at Fortezza di Santa Barbara.

The first walk-through had us looking for thresholds including: public vs. private domain, exterior gathering spaces, and differentiation between new and old Siena. Because we were carefully routing ourselves, taking notes, and taking pictures of several urban settings, we looked extremely touristy. Regardless of what locals thought, we found some interesting qualities of the neighborhoods that the conventional tourist would overlook. We also came across a parking lot on the valley edge overlooking the greater part of Siena, the views were amazing.

The rest of the evening was relaxing, catching up on blog posts that seemed to have slipped away from me. The weekend is nearing and only a couple thoughts came to mind, but i would prefer to stay within Italy instead of venturing out of the country. Before becoming a EuroRail VIP customer, I hope to have a decent exposure to several places within Italy.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

July 26 – Full day of Siena

Today we were given the entire day of to further our exploration of Siena. Naturally I woke up early around 8 and went for a walk around the town by myself. I walked for nearly an hour not in search for anything in particular, just getting a taste of the town. Most of the people on the streets were locals heading to their shops and stores to open up business for the day. I seemed a little out of place being dressed in my pajamas and Ipod plugs dangling from my ears. What caught my attention were the stores that had the historic masonry facade but inside was completely gutted out and revived as a modern interior space. I think these types of restorations are very intriguing by the huge contrast made in materiality and style. Of course there are several stores that have been untouched and feature the original interior space as it was years ago, which I also appreciate and admire.

After coming back to the dorm and settling in, I began reading my tourist “Italy 2010” book about the background of Siena. There is a great deal of history involved with the town especially the 17 individual contradas, these being mini towns found within Siena. Each contrada acts as their own community passionate about their section and history within the town. There is a horse race every year, named the Palio, that features one horse and rider from every contrada to participate in a 3 lap circuit around the Campo. Technically there are two races (July 2 and August 16) but the more desirable race is August 16, mainly because the winning contrada has an entire year to celebrate. Our class arrived in Siena just as the nightly festivities began among different contradas. These festivities will continue until the eventual race, and after the race there will be even greater festivities congratulating the winning contrada. From what I’ve read thus far, the race lasts nearly two minutes, and many claim it’s the most intense two minutes an even has to offer. Essentially there are 35,000 spectators within the sloping shell of the Campo and several others along the building faces. I’ve only seen pictures so far, but I can only imagine how loud and crazy it gets. When the event comes and goes, I will certainly be making a great deal of it on the blog.

The remainder of the day consisted of sketching, additional walking, and heading out with other members of my class. All in all, a successful day of exploration.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

July 25 – Settling in Siena

Alas, we are free from the insane asylum! Despite the extremely rare cases of members departing from the asylum, we were granted our freedom to enter back into Italian society. Leaving the asylum meant we were also leaving Rome for good. The first two weeks of experiencing Roman life was truly amazing. The opportunity to walk around and visit all of the famous landmarks that I have once wished upon to see was incredible. Even though I wasn’t able to see every attraction and feast on every type of Italian delicacy, I am very pleased with my stay.

Aside from leaving Rome, our itinerary included a couple visits to Tuscanny towns before our Siena destination. We visited two towns (I can only recall the name for the first Pienza) and each were isolated within the country terrain. There was an immediate distinction between the Tuscan and Roman urban settings. Roman has a more modern infrastructure which includes sidewalks, wide streets coupled with the historical aspect of the cities. Tuscan towns, from what I’ve witnesses thus far, doesn’t include the hustle and bustle, because they aren’t the conventional Italian attractions such as Rome. The isolation due to the lack of tourists makes these small country-side towns a desirable location for escape.

After a lengthy afternoon of being bussed to Siena, we checked into our dormitory rooms (or stanzes) and we were free to wonder around for the remaining couple hours prior to curfew (yeah . . curfew). The dormitory is located nearly 100 meters away from the highly recognized and admired Piazza del Campo,(il Campo for short) so without further delay we went straight there. The Campo is comprised of a shell-like semi-circular public gathering space that slopes downward towards the Palazzo Pubblico (formerly the town hall centuries ago). Along the interior curving part of the Campo there are pizzerias, ristorantes, and of course gelaterias. Despite it being a calm sunday evening, there was a decent population of tourists and locals occupying the space, sitting down on the sloped surface facing towards the Pubblico.

In my opinion, this space surpasses any public dwelling I’ve ever occupied. The space is a success because of the vast openness in addition to the sloping nature of the interior shell (accompanied by the multitude of eating venues of course); the space clearly lures everybody within, myself included.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

July 24 – Final project / installation

Today marked the final full day we had in Santa Maria della Pieta. After meeting and briefing in the morning, each group chose a specific site within the complex to revitalize, ours being a small dilapidated garden. The garden we chose for our site held high importance when Santa Maria della Pieta was under full operation.  Since the complex reopening as a public venue, the garden area has lost its luster. We intended to revive the garden and surrounding areas to make it an attraction for public users.

The location is near the boundary so it was crucial for us to grab the attention of users along major paths.  We created a procession through existing spaces that we re-envisioned and re-programmed, leading towards the final destination, being the garden space. The pathway we created also holds high importance and emphasizes the break through of Santa Maria della Pieta’s boundary, symbolizing the reconnection of the interior (SMdP) and the exterior (Roman society). A basic walk through of the site reveals an articulated entry alleyway, patio seating, tree seating, revived gardening space, and a symbolic reference of connecting the interior complex to the exterior society. Originally the garden was small and forgotten about, but after implementing several additions, the spaces linked one another creating a homogenous micro-environment within the complex.

All together, the labor intensive work lasted until 6 pm (18’00) to complete which is when each group and critic gathered and did a walk-through of everybody’s installation. The night ended with another family feast and one final visit into the heart of Rome. After a couple drinks and a decent stroll though the city we eventually came back to our homebase and called it a night.

July 23 – Mental discussion

Today we were fortunate to have a guest speaker lecture about the background of possible patients residing the complex when it was under operation. The man’s name slipped my mind, but his background consisted of being an artist and formerly practicing as a doctor. He mainly covered ideas behind the development of mental disorder. He initially stated that people are not born with mental disorder, rather they are born into a system or environment which leads to the development of mental disorder. The prevention of these disorders would require the detection within the individuals living exposure, whether it being a person, group of people, or a specific series of events, and attempting to alter this exposure. Attempting to change this exposure would require therapy among the individual in addition to others within the system; therapy on just the individual is less effective than the entirety.

My take on mental disorder is that people are inevitably exposed to some amount of dysfunction throughout their life, some more extreme and lengthier in duration than others. To stay sane and free from mental disorder, an individual must be fully cognizant of the system they were ultimately born into and learn to take hold of their own life. Those who are successful in overcoming the mental struggles they inevitably must deal with (while limiting mental grudge) are those who surpass the potentiality of mental disorder development. Then there are those who aren’t able to accept and uncover the meaning behind the system they were born into leading to the possible manifestation of mental disorder. I believe that when an individual is eventually diagnosed with a mental disorder, the likelihood in overcoming that mental obstacle is slim. The people diagnosed with mental disorder reach a level of complacency, accepting of the fact that life is the way it is and cannot be altered.

Patients who were placed into mental institutions, such as Santa Maria della Pieta, were stationed there for life (or until the final closing in 1999). This type of institution was not meant to heal or comfort the patients diagnosed with mental handicaps, instead they were confined within this complex to avoid interruption with normal living outside the gates. The patients in addition to the staff who cared for them, were forbidden to leave the buildings they were originally assigned to. This I find ironic because the design of the complex seems to promote outdoor activity, but clearly nobody was found outdoors. Now that the complex has been transformed into a public park, the exterior space is now more appropriately occupied.

July 21 – Cupola Cardio

Today we got into groups to further our Santa Maria della Pieta experience by breaching the complex boundary and exploring the nearby area. My group consisted of Joann, Dave, Shawntel, and Adam. We borrowed some beaten up bikes on the complex premises and began to follow the route we planned out. It was a little nerve racking to be in such close proximity to the passing traffic in the streets, sometimes getting as close to 8-12 inches from side view mirrors, but no damage was done (to myself or another vehicle). We circled around the town, observing the conditions set forth by the man made urban fabric featuring interesting thresholds such as public housing developments, untouched land, and farming parcels. After our exhausting morning bike ride we stuck together as group and decided to visit Basilica di San Pietro (Saint Peter’s Church).

I have visited the Piazza di San Pietro on numerous occasions occupying the space and taking note of its grand design, but I lacked the aerial experience viewed from the Basilica di San Pietro cupola (the topmost terrace around the dome). After waiting in line and passing through metal detectors we were halted again with another line for tickets. Along the wall where the queue was located, signs made it clear that the escalation was intensive, with 551 total steps to the cupola top. We began our climb one step at a time gaining incredible views of the basilica interior until we made it to an outer roof terrace; half way there. The next series of steps were inside the cupola which included narrow stairways with curved walls (nearing the upper portion of the dome) until finally reaching a series of zig-zag stair runs and circular stairs. 548. 549. 550. 551. We finally made it.

The cupola level circles around the dome providing incredible views outward, displaying the entirety of Rome and distant hillsides. As a group we finally circled around the dome until being completely axial with the piazza located on ground. The aerial view revealed an amazing image of the piazza in addition to the roadway extending outward from the piazza. I now have fully experienced the space. After taking multiple pictures and heading down the stairs, we entered the basilia featuring the 10,000 other visitors flashing their cameras. I was stunned with the grand interior volume in addition to the details and ornamentation on all interior facades. This church truly was an amazing piece of architecture to visit, but mostly, an amazing piece of architecture to experience; from its large scale design intent to its tiniest detail.

July 20 – All about the Asylum

Many of us were questioning the history behind the asylum complex, so we invited a former nurse of the complex to lecture and tour the premises. He devoted more than 40 years of healthcare assistance to the complex and he was able to inform all of us the history behind the asylum. The complex was built in 1913 and was designed to set a precedent among future European asylums for years to come. There is a strong central axis extending the length of the complex acting as the primary circulation for the inflow and outflow movement. This central axis is the divider between male patients and female patients which also became the mirroring axis of the buildings and green spaces from one side to the other. The patients enrolled into the complex were those with mental handicaps including: schizophrenia, depression, delirium, etc. in addition to people who were socially unaccepted including: law offenders and unmarried women with children. What struck me the most was the fact how patients and staff were locked into their designated buildings at all times. Despite the fairly pleasant atmosphere within the confines of the complex, the exterior spaces were hardly ever occupied. This gives evidence that the complex was meant for the ease of circulation and monitoring for those in control, not a series of spaces meant to be experienced by the “crazies”.

July 19 – Museo visit

Today was the official start of the Santa Maria della Pieta session, starting off with an early morning meeting about the week to come. After a weekend of familiarizing ourselves with the complex and the outskirt Roman town, we visited a museum within the boundaries of the complex. Museo Laboritorio della Mente was conceived within the past decade structured to inform visitors about the history and personal interpretation of the insane asylum. What I envisioned to be a pathetic excuse of an artistic display turned out to be an impressive and interesting portrayal of the asylum complex history. I was intrigued by the variation of media and interpretation questioning our perception of sight, hearing, and time. The installment that interested me most was the visual distortion box meant to create a false perception for those looking into a peephole. Essentially the interior of the box featured two sides, one flat grade and one sloping grade and because the visual of the interior volume was controlled and limited to the peephole, the detail and perception was distorted to that particular view. Despite two similar sized people standing within the interior space, the standing points varied in distance thus creating the illusion of visual distortion (until one walks through the contraption they will begin to understand the piece).

Later in the day we were assigned a mapping project that required groups of two to investigate the given complex and map a particular subject. Myself and Joann attempted to make a mental cognizance of the site and do a blind-fold walk to reach a predetermined destination. This was an ultimate failure primarily because the path we traveled featured no progress towards our destination (in fact, lead us into logs and nearly down a flight of stairs). We re-evaluated our intentions and kept the blind folded idea where one of us held the blind-folded “victim” walking through the entire complex and documenting the characteristics (sound, touch, smell, etc.) of the walk. After our mapping exercise, congregated as a class to perform / present our investigations.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

July 18 – Journey to Jubilee

Today, I rallied up a group to visit Richard Meier ‘s Jubilee Church, located in Tor Tre Treste. I had interest in visiting the church because I had the building as a case study last semester and I wanted to see if my bullshitting was accurate. Commonly we rely on published media, printed and digital, to provide the information behind the building but in most cases it’s more accurate experiencing the building in person.  The trip involved taking a couple trains and walking a decent hike, and unfortunately the premises were gated and locked because we missed the morning mass. I wasn’t aware of the gates surrounding the property until arriving yet I am not surprised of the level of security just by witnessing firsthand the poor conditions of the general context. Given the poor site, I am curious as to how and why Richard Meier was commissioned to design this project. I guess that this particular town was in need of a spectacle to counter their poor town conditions. A modern church signifying the importance of Catholicism meshed with strong aesthetic provided a sense of pride among the community. Having a spectacle in such an urban setting makes it vulnerable to vandalism which obviously resulted in the gating of the property. As unfortunate as it is to barricade such a gem, it is a fact of life that not all pieces of creativity and innovation can be honored by those less appreciative of themselves.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

July 17 – Bracciano dip

Despite sleeping horribly, I woke up early with a couple others and found the motivation to finally do some physical fitness. After a quick run and upper body workout, we prepped ourselves and started the day figuring out how to organize the dormitory space to provide a more efficient living space. After consulting as a large group with the joyful Lorenzo, we made our way to a lake located in Bracciano, approximately 30 minutes from our train station, Monte Mario. When we finally arrived and the views of the lake and surrounding towns were incredible, the only unsightly aspect was the steep terrain. After our trek downhill we stepped foot on the very small beach and went into the water. We eventually took a break to nosh prior to our festive dinner, and I was able to try the acclaimed alcoholic beverage, lemoncello. After hearing much about its popularity, I was able to assess the taste myself and I must say it was delectable but it’s a drink where the taste is certainly acquired over time.

For dinner, a group of us went back into downtown Rome, more specifically to Campo di Fiori for a late night bite. All of the interior facing restaurants attracted a large number of locals and tourists making the space extremely busy and THEE place to be at night. The meals I’ve had thus far in Italy was decent, but this dinner (being a highly quality dish and a younger location) had fine Italian eating all over it.

July 16 – Arrivaderci Derby!

Today marked the day of leaving our first home in Italy, the “Derb”. The Derby Hotel was a pleasant stay for the first week, preferably located away from the heart of Rome and conveniently accessible to the Metro. Our next residence for the following week is located north west from the touristy Rome, named Santa Maria della Pieta. Formally, this complex was used for mentally unstable residents of the greater Roman region where treatment (and possibly torture) took place. More recently the complex has been re envisioned as a public community space where visitors utilize the vast array of paths for walking, running, and leisure. The buildings, such as the one we now call “home-base”, has been reprogrammed containing a café, banquet hall, outdoor patios, and upper story dormitory / theater space. Upon our eventual arrival, it was quite evident that the spaces we were to occupy including the sleeping , bathing, and eating spaces needed revitalization. As a collective effort we coordinated with Lorenzo (our laughing hyena authority) to create groups responsible for certain tasks for cleaning, cooking, etc. I found myself jumping from one group to the next helping out with whatever was needed. In all honesty, I was very disappointed with what seemed like a dramatic downgrade in our housing, but when things were progressing among the different groups and tasks, I was very pleased. It may not be a multi-star rated dwelling, but there’s a certain pride coming forth from hard work and team work.

July 15 – Runnin’ to the Ruins

Today we visited the Public Baths located in the heart of Rome. The structure dates back to ancient Roman civilization where locals would congregate and social among one another in multiple pools. Currently the structure is left in ruins but the remnants allow for visitors to assess the architectural qualities it once possessed. The finishes and fine detail work had diminished with most of the building but there are certain instances of mosaic patterns remaining, depicting the vibrancy that once clad the interior volumes. The volumes were massive with interior ceiling heights possibly 50’+ which gives evidence to the public nature of the building. Structurally, the building comprised of massive brick walls which were responsible for distributing the loads from the massive vaulted ceiling. On one end the pools were covered by a partial ceiling whereas the other end had complete overhead coverage. In my opinion this provided a transition from complete exterior exposure to interior volume.

Because my background exposure leans more towards the technical aspects of design, I am constantly pondering about the means and longevity of construction. For several years, I’ve assisted workers on construction sites doing very laborious tasks including demolish, framing, sheathing, etc. The experiences I’ve dealt with were extreme at times, but in comparison to the achievement of Roman I’ve clearly experienced nothing. The labor involved in laying the brick work, carefully constructing the vaulted roof, in addition to the details was tremendous and could only have been achieved by means of several highly skilled field workers. I truly am fascinated when visiting the Roman structures primarily because of the design intent in addition to the execution of construction.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

July 14 – Ciao Zaha

After finally sleeping in and catching up with some REM, we departed out towards Zaha Hadid’s new museum MAXXIS. The building contains the typical syntax of Zaha where many lines of motion interact with the given nature of the site containing an interesting procession from space to space. The materials of choice being: concrete, glazing, and steel here and there. This is my first experience within a Zaha building and I happen to have enjoyed it. My first question was if the building would compete with the artwork within or possibly enhance the work and experience of the user. The spaces are unique and full of motion from one to the next. The art pieces themselves were interesting but I believe if these same pieces were found within a conventionally designed museum, the experience would have been mediocre. I believe the architectural form and transition from space to space is an artwork enhancer and really compliments the pieces. What really engaged me was the overlay of these paths of movement (seen within the initial preliminary parti models) that are present in multiple moments throughout the building (especially emphasized in the gathering entry lobby). What disappointed me most was the abbreviated procession of the exhibitions. It could have very well been an illusion, but I perceived the building as being larger than it was, and due to that, I believed the interior was much lengthier, offering a greater extent of exhibition spaces. Regardless, I enjoyed my experience through the building – or artwork – and I partially take back those muttered words when hearing the entry fee was a whopping 11 Euros.

Later in the day we did a bunch of walking through the “shanty-towns” of Rome. We walked through different sections of the town each portraying a sense of poverty throughout. This section deals with minimal tourism primarily because these sections do not contain as rich a history as the heart of Rome. Instead these towns feature dwellings constructed within the past century and are occupied by an array of immigrants from worldwide. Some similarities were present between our section of Garbatella and the shanty-towns but what truly made them differ from one another was the diversity of culture present in the shanty-towns. I perceived the areas as not 100% Italian in character and I felt it was a little bit disappointing. It was an eye opener to see the present variation in culture despite being relatively close to the heart of Rome.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

July 13 – Villa Visits

Today we ventured out to the country-side of Italy approximately an hour away from the hustle-and-bustle of Rome. We took the freeway from a majority of the trip until exiting off and taking very tight and windy roads. We began escalating up the hillside and the environment completely changed to suburban life. The houses came right to the edge of the road making it somewhat difficult for our group and passing by traffic to fluently travel without obstacle. It was quite clear that this area of Italy is not well known for frequent visitors in such a quantity, so often the locals watched us surprised and unexpected with our visit.

After walking up the winding roads (mainly because the bus reached its maximum travel within) we arrived to the small town center where we had a quick bite and made our way to the Villa Farnese. This particular residence was occupied by a Cardinal upon completion and this building signified utmost importance of him. The building is strategically considered with symmetrical planning and alignment with the town below, including its landscape terracing upward behind the building. The buildings program dealt mostly about the procession of multiple aspects of everyday living which provided a fluid transition from space to space. The level of detail and organization per room was important in depicting the appropriate use of each space. The subtle details I appreciated were the “amplifying room” which gave anybody who talked a voice projected in a god-like manner. I also appreciated the doors that were framed and painted within the rooms to make it seem like each interior room was symmetrical when in fact it wasn’t in plan. The painting and ornamentation surpassed my expectations per room and I appreciated the perspective-like painted columns and features that made the true corners disappear, replacing them with an illusion of decorated columns and an above beam structure.

Later in the day we visited Villa Lante which had some similarities to the previous Villa. The central axis was clearly present and emphasized via decorated gardens, water features, and pathways. A secondary axis resulting in a cross-axial relationship is established by splitting the building into two entities, greatly enhances the central view corridor from the bottom garden to the top level. This move of splitting the building in two was unprecedented and slightly controversial, mainly because the dwelling becomes subservient to the garden. The garden is important and should certainly portray the design of the estate, but in my opinion this project is stressing too much of the theory and less on practicality. Nonetheless, the entire project is pleasant especially the central “water-slide” creating a semi-enclosed corridor featuring the noise of crashing water. I think seeing both villas was appropriate because the two precedents featured many similarities but differed in many respects.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

July 10 – Roamin’ like a Roman

The day mostly consisted of getting acquainted with our precedent studies; mine was Piazza Navona / Sant’Agnese. I including a few others started our route taking the Line B train to Termini (considered the exchange station for Lines A and B) and decided to take the lengthier trip from there on foot. After passing several landmarks including the colossal Monumento a Vittorio Emanuelle II (which turned into a 45 minute distraction) we arrived at Palazzo Navona. When it was first visualized and constructed, it was used for a race track for horses, now it’s used as a gathering public space. The buildings facing within are mostly restaurants and food stops; most notably is the centrally aligned church, Sant’Agnese. The space features an array of public entertainers from: the headless man, the break dancing group, the golden pharaoh, painters, artists, and so on. The significance behind the Sant’Agnese church is the adjacency of its side elevations with other buildings. This differs from the vast number of Roman churches because conventionally churches are free standing from surrounding buildings and structures. The Sant’Agnese church aesthetically fits in with immediate structures but what allows for visual differentiation is the centrality in relation to the Palazzo, the symmetrical order, and the verticality extension of the structure (dome and opposing towers).

After documenting the space and church with pictures and sketches, we departed to the Pantheon which was nearly 5 minutes away. The Pantheon being one of several main attractions visited daily among tourists and locals was a surreal experience for me. What I imagined to have been a long wait was simply a walk-in; through the several tourist groups of course.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

July 9 – The Arrival

Today we eventually arrived in Europe, stopping in Paris and taking a flight shortly after to Italy. The initial flight overseas was a 6.5 hour flight where we covered approximately 3,600 miles. Upon entering Paris, there was an immediate contrast with America. The modernity of design throughout the entire airport terminal caught my eye, where minor implications reminded me of some Le Corbusier’s projects. The use of barrel-concrete walls with penetrations featuring an offset of walls created an interesting sectional quality among the two floors. Essentially all sounds that resonated in the multi-story space reflected down into the first level, occupied by those arriving by plane. The use of glass enclosure, exposed metal framework / paneling, exterior angled sun shading, and concrete “half pipe” walls, truly worked successfully in conjunction with each other – consider it a dialogue worth noting. It was also interesting to see the array of compact vehicles that are extremely rare in the US. To name a few: Peugeot, Citroen, Lancia, Alfa Romeo, and Renault. These cars are not exotic by any means, but seeing these cars dominant over what I perceive as conventional in America is interesting.

After another flight, a train ride, and a few miles of walking, we were introduced to Rome. The bustling nature of Rome was similar to some hotspots within NYC, and needless to say interesting to be among. Of course the roads were filled with compact vehicles, and the “typical survival of the fittest” state of mind was evident among most drivers. The surrounding buildings featured characteristics I had pictured in my head in terms of form, material, detail, etc. We were quite overwhelmed with the queue for the taxi, so most of us decided to walk the 3+ miles to our final destination Hotel Derby. The walk was grueling but the specific route we took passing busy sections of the city including the famous Coliseum made the walk worthwhile. We finally arrived at the hotel around 23’00” and had the walk extended any longer, many of us would not have lasted. After taking a much needed shower (the lack of hygiene had most of us smelling like the Italian natives) we walked around the town a little longer in search of whatever was open. The first day is always the most tiring which doesn’t leave much adventuring for us, but after a decent night sleep, we’ll be exploring in search of what Rome has to offer.

Analytiques

The analytique organization is done by splitting the sheet into three columns. Centrally located is the first floor plan with lined up partial elevation and section. The two side columns feature addition drawings to help clarify the building in both macro and micro aspects. To further emphasize the tri-part composition is the header portraying the titles of: Science, Art, and Industry; this detail is located on the upper front facade.

This analytique portrays the Conservatory Gardens located within Central Park, NYC. The main organizational principle is lining everything among the central axis, featuring plans, elevations, and a section that best describe the park.

Manifesto – graphic

Analytique #2 – Storm King

This analytique is more abstract, lacking the technicality and construct of a conventional analytique. The most prominent graphic emblom is the weaving wall by Andy Goldsworthy (which holds high regard within the complex) and meanders diagonally down the page. As the wall comes in contact with the water surface, the water transitions to the waving terrain installation by Maya Lin. Supplemental drawings include the overall Storm King site plan and a famous piece featured at the entry.

Analytique #1 – Dia Beacon

The organizational principle behind this analytique is dividing the sheet into to columns. The central axis created adjoins symmetrical instances of two main exterior conditions: the main entry and perpendicular side path (drawn at the bottom). The perspectival view is drawn to get a sense of the interior space also symmetrical by point of view. To the right is a cross-section of the building emphasizing the natural lighting set forth by the industrial styled design. Located at the top right is a site plan giving reference of its footprint and surrounding figural gestures.

“Key to the City”

All art starts from an initial intention from the artist, depicted through imagery, physical form, plays, etc. The mastermind behind the piece of work displays opinion, suggestion, or question through their “syntax” of media. The conventional artist displays an exhibit dealt solely on an object as the center of attention, for instance a painting or sculpture, where people focus inward.

Paul Ramirez Jonas, differs from the conventional artist and wishes to have his art being something non tangible, an event, that has the viewer looking outward instead of inward. “Key to the City” is an interactive-art masterpiece envisioned by Jonas demonstrated throughout the five boroughs of NYC. Essentially all participants receive a key to specific destinations scattered throughout the city in hope for discovery, learning experiences, and social interaction. The intentions behind the event is to give the average resident / visitor a chance to have access to the city that typically would not be granted to them at any other time. This event allows people to step away from their routine travel and discover places and instances with guidance and direction. Through this excitement and desire to discover, many experiences, stories, and possible relationships will result. Participants are highly encouraged to document their travels through diary entry, photography, sketching, etc. and this will eventually create a collage of words and images for everyone to view. This potential success or failure for this work of art depends on the participants and their passion for discovery and recording; without us there is no art. (In addition, this exercise is a brilliant economic revival simply because people are willing to come in from all places, using transportation more frequently, keeping the visitors in the city for longer periods of time, resulting in more purchasing of transportation tickets, food, drink, apparel, etc. . . this is a very clever idea . . kudos Paul)