Monday 4 January 2016

450 words

From what I have learnt about the architectural course at MSA, it has a diverse range of opportunities to offer. I believe it is vitally important that MSA is able to combine the conceptual research alongside the practical work really well. The fact that the MSA is run by two universities means that a numerous amount of resources is available for research. As well as that, Manchester has always been one of my great inspirations for architecture. Its aesthetically diverse architecture from different time periods offers me a lot to learn from. Moreover, I am sure that MSA will provide me with exceptional opportunities such as learning from world-leading experts and also discussing my ideas with like-minded individuals from different backgrounds. 

The most recent and memorable exhibition that I have visited is Antarctica in a Multimedia Art Museum, in Moscow. The title speaks for itself, it is about the coldest and the southernmost continent on Earth. The part that fascinated me the most is the international project Antarctopia. This project brings different artists to explore present and future models of living in Antarctica, going deeply into the formation of architecture on an uninhabited continent. Fortunately, this exhibition gave me an overall view of how the project may impact the future of Antarctica’s architecture beyond just the scientific, military and industrial missions. I thought of it as of a great opportunity to explore the architecture on a number of different levels, where it is used not only to emphasise history but also to make it.

One of my most favourite architectural works is Santa Maria della Salute. It was designed in Baroque style, which has always been inspirational to me. Alongside its great aesthetic value, it is also the concept behind the construction of this Roman Catholic church that I find very interesting. This masterpiece really touches on one of the most influential subjects in architecture, sociology. A wave of plague assaulted Venice, killing a lot of people. All of the churches had failed in protecting people from a disastrous disease, despite all prayers and processions. Santa Maria della Salute was built as a way to oppose the plague and give people a new source of hope. From a practical viewpoint, the exterior of the building is huge, octagonal and vast. It is densely decorated with over 125 statues alongside the main facade with 4 statues of evangelists, and that is where the architecture reconnects with human life again. Unfortunately, I didn't get to see the interior of it and therefore it partially remains a building that I desire to visit. 

Teshima Art Museum is one of the architectural works that I would like to visit in my future. It is essentially a big shell with two elliptical openings. It is bulbously shaped, influenced by the twentieth century modernism. The shape of the building is repeatedly curved, making it irregular and different from any generic building. It fits in really well with nature by its extensive and continuously changing shape. The museum is free of contents, yet it is able to observe and explore the natural phenomena of light, water and air with a help of its structure, location and shape. It is associated with a blob of water that has just hit the ground or that has turned solid. The concept of it adds up to the rich nature of the island that this museum has been built on.




Interior sketch


Sketch of a building I would like to visit (Santa Maria della Salute)


City sketch



Landscape (primary source photo from above)


Charcoal on paper (distorted dolls)