I
am fascinated by the way architectural space can evoke different feelings. On a
recent visit to London I visited the Saatchi Gallery, an exhibition space
balancing an historical architectural style successfully with displays of contemporary
art. Much of my own design work is underpinned by a desire to draw and I was
therefore delighted to see so many works of art exploring different approaches
to drawing on a variety of scales.
I
have ambitions to visit many different iconic buildings, which span centuries
of architectural achievement. My interest has recently been triggered by
reading an article about the UK Pavilion for Expo 2010, designed by Thomas
Heatherwick. This piece, also known as the ‘Seed Cathedral’,
was created to hold 250, 000 seeds which are housed in rods which explode from
the centre and merge with the skyline. After reading about the Cathedral I
found that the box is supposed to look like a gift from the UK to China. This
became clear when I saw the environment surrounding it, the crumpled landscape
representing the wrapping paper that the ‘gift’ was sent in, this, along with the glow that the
Cathedral gives off at night, all helps to communicate this concept. The Seed
Cathedral inspires me to study architecture as it shows that the possibilities,
in design, are endless.
I
am constantly amazed by how modern architecture continues to break new ground,
however this cannot overshadow the marvels of historical architecture. An
example of which that I would like to visit is Saint Basil’s
Cathedral in Moscow. As you will see this is one of my pieces I have submitted
for you to view. I am fascinated by the form and decoration of the building.
The history behind the building is just as important to me as the building’s
design itself. I would like to learn more about how, who and why the building
was built along with experiencing the structural design as well.
