Part 2: A Bridge in Passing

Unknown Bridge in the Italian Countryside, en-route to Parma from La Spezia

PERFORMANCE, FORM, & LIMITATION (continuation)
Even as students in the design field, it is not uncommon for us to see the world as those separate from the profession do... 

As the train sped through the early green of Italy's Spring, the scenery was dominated by rolling hills of soft grass; the mountain ranges ruled by right of their sizes, but as gentle giants rather than dictators.  Rounding into a tunnel, we spotted something equally momentous piercing through the landscape -- darkness -  bright white- quickly, we turn back and search for it....weird how we had to look for it, for even at a distance it stood there so clearly:  a megalith of concrete lines shooting across and down into the valley of two hills. At first,  its composition seemed so simple: one straight horizontal line and five vertical columns of varying lengths that plummeted to the ground, piercing and exposing the hard bulk of the mountain with each impact. By virtue of its pure size, the bridge made its presence known; the frame-like nature of its overall form juxtaposed the weight of the land masses surrounding it, furthering its identity.  Upon closer inspection, surprising details became clear.... each column connected to the highway at articulated point connections that seemed so fragile against the concrete masses.  The columns themselves were also structurally fascinating... they were one-dimensional in form, without any exposed lateral supports between.  Perhaps they were standing firmly due to extremely well-established ground connections at each column base and at each end of the bridge; perhaps the inverted tapering of each column also aided in this.  As a whole, I was struck with awe as I wondered about the structural details that enabled its fabrication.  In the context of an equally grand landscape, the bridge was not too brutal... how would it transform if homes were to populated near it?  As destinations at its sides?  At its base?  How would I see it then?  The form could be seen as a direct translation of performance needs and as a reaction to the basest limitations put forth by the natural geography.  It is also a monument in its own right.  Beyond this, driving across the bridge would be a completely different experience and I wonder if the construct would retain its presence from a view upon it...  Performance must then be considered from multiple viewpoints from the eye of the traveler, the form being a reaction that embraces the limitations given by the site to enhance the experience of one interacting with the space and construct.      



Limitation
The given inspirations...

Preexisting site conditions are often blessings, even though they are disguised at times.  They automatically provide the designer with unique characteristics that may lend to ingenuity, aspects that help the project to find grounding and consequently degrees of realism.  Is it naive to think that building codes and traditions are exciting challenges for us as problem solvers?   The more restraints there are, the more possibilities I believe exist for one to focus on certain aspects and work to find the best possible solution to those challenges.  Another question I wonder when I think of limitations is how far into the urban fabric ought an intervention weave itself?  I think an answer to this lies in the program and use that it is intended for, in terms of those who would regularly visit it.



Performance
Theater of Production: a "scene of action and effects" -Michael Hayes

As students, how spaces would actually operate after being constructed and open to the public is often answered with our imaginations and beautiful photo-shopped renders.  Yet, the question will always remain: will it really work the way I intend for it to?  As students, we are taught to think of the various aspects that make up the human experience of spaces, attempting to understand how the mind of the majority thinks to concoct constructs that lend towards our desired effects.  In doing so, we must account for the dynamism of occupants, site conditions, and time in relation to program and use, materiality, and environmental loads among other measures; we must delve into the human psyche.  It is fun to think of the designed as a performance, to see what emotions it could invoke from the observers and what playful games could take place on set.  To be successful though, the performance must be able to sustain itself; the set must be flexible enough to accommodate changes and  its actors must be engaged enough to continue its usage and development over time.

                              

Top Right and Left:  Richard Serra throwing molten lead
Bottom:  Pieces of lead after it has hardened, taken down for exhibition.
source: http://artintelligence.net/review/?p=529

Richard Serras' lead sculptures provide another interpretation of performance: performance as the product. As the lead quickly hardens it solidifies the artist's violent swings and throws as he splashes it upon walls and floors.  It becomes a record for all to see, another layer of information to share.

   

Form
"Form matters, but not so much the form of things as the forms between things." -Stan Allen

Interest in immateriality also arises in the writings of Michel Serres, who expresses his favor of the preposition among language's many components.  To Serres, the preposition offers an infinity of possibilities; it serves neither as a beginning or an end, rather existing in a constant state of becoming.  In the relations between people, the environment, and built environment architecture can be seen as vessels similar to that of the preposition: frameworks for which actions are carried out and ambiances are experienced.  Form is this, a set of designed circumstances that often lean towards certain effects but does not necessarily enforce them upon the observer.  Perhaps it is not a physical object, but form entices and provides for the observer's imagination.