Sketches

SIENA10 | Yarn Theory

Throughout our 4 weeks spent in Siena we came to explore most of the little streets within the city walls.  Our final project assigned us to explore an area outside of the gates, the town of Ravacciano and the area affecting Porta Ovile.  During our investigation of this area we discovered a hidden treasure, and developed our project around bringing awareness and attention back to it.  For more details click the link below for a full explanation of our final project.

http://siena2010.wordpress.com/2010/09/01/siena10-yarn-theory/

BARCELONA

After our final Review on Wednesday we all got together for a big group dinner, spent one last night hanging out in the Campo, packed, and were on our way to Barcelona by 5 am.  A group of 14 of us took a bus to Rome, the train to Termini, a train to the airport, and a place to Barcelona.  The group ended up being on two different flights on the way.  I ended up on the later flight, and am very thankful I did as about 20 peoples luggage was lost from the earlier flight.  When we arrived we got our rental car, and were on our way to find our flat.  We didn’t have much of a clue where we were going, but we knew from the photos we saw online that it was right near La Sagrada Familia.  When we finally found it we couldn’t believe the view we had of this incredible gothic church.  We were on the sixth floor, on the corner of the block with our balcony angled for the most incredible view of the cathedral possible.  Whether it was day or night, there was always someone sitting on the balcony, or standing at the window gazing at it.

We were all so exhausted after a full day of traveling that we called it a night early.  The next morning we were up and about pretty early.  Our first stop was to see the Barcelona Pavilion.  It was incredible to see in person, and to actually be standing in Mies’ building that we have learned about so many times in history class.  His use of simple lines and minimal forms is so powerful that I think it inspired all of us.

Our next stop was to Barceloneta, a beach that was rated #3 in the world by the Discovery Channel.  It was a beautiful beach, with perfect sand and great people watching.

As we were approaching the beach we stumbled upon Gehry’s giant fish sculpture along the waterfront.

As I was approaching this from a distance, it appeared that it was a true, complete fish.  As we got closer we made our way directly in front of the sculpture, and were amazed to find that it was actually just a bent sheet of weaved metal that appeared fully in the shape of a fish from a distance.

After the beach we had a nice dinner and made our way to Las Ramblas, the center of Barcelona nightlife.  The next morning we woke to do it all again.  We went to go get the rental car, and were surprised with a window that had been smashed in.  We tried not to let it ruin our day, and continued to the beach for the day.  The next morning we packed for the final stretch home, and RJ went to go get the other car.  He was also surprised with a matching smashed window.  Nonetheless, we loaded up the cars and stood in line for a last chance to get inside La Sagrada Familia.  It was one of the most incredible things I have seen.  Its amazing to me that construction is still going, and has been since the 1800’s.  We wandered through the cathedral and its museum for a while, before making the long journey back to Rome.  I think our experiences from this entire trip finally sent in when we began talking to a group of people on the plane who were on a post-graduation European adventure.  They had nothing planned, and were asking us all about where we had been and what we would recommend.  We told them about our favorite places, and it finally sunk in that we had just spent our summer’s in Europe, and that it had flown by faster than we could have imagined.  We spent our last night back in Rome, wandering the streets one last time, and purchasing a few last minute souvenirs.  In the morning we began the long journey back to the USA.

popUP Piazza – Prato di S. Agostino

Unfolded popUP Piazza

popUP sketch

Precedent 4: Urban Space Typologies-Porta Fontebranda

Analytique: Porta Fondebrand

Final Analytique

Porta Fontebranda

Porta Fontebranda

Section/Elevation – View from within the walls

Section Through the Wall

Porta Fontebranda Site Plan

Basic Programmatic Diagram

Cameraless in Paradise

This weekend a group of us traveled to one of the most beautiful places I have ever been, Ischia.  This is an island right next to Capri, but much less crowded and a little less expensive.  We took a bus ride to Rome, a train to Termini, a train to Naples, a ferry to Ischia, and finally a cab to our hotel.  Somewhere along the line I realized I had forgotten my camera card in my laptop back in Siena.  It was ok though, since the person I was traveling with had theirs.  That is, until he forgot his entire camera in the taxi.  Needless to say, this blog will be light on photos, but the images of this island will last forever.  This island was made up of a huge mountain, making every single hotel have an incredible view.  Our hotel was up the mountain a ways, giving us all a really intense leg workout over the two days we spent there.  We spent our days relaxing on the stone beaches, and our nights eating one of the best calzones I have ever eaten.  The following day we decided to spend in Naples.  In hindsight, I do wish we would have spent the extra day in Ischia.  Naples reminded me of any other American city, dirty and a little scarey at night.  We did a nice dinner, played with some puppies at a pet store, and then ended up spending most of the night hanging out in our hostel.  Perhaps we were in the wrong section of Naples, it’s hard to find a good location when you’re picking a hotel online.  When the ferry brought us back to Naples it dropped us off by what appeared to be the historic district of Naples, which appeared cleaner and a bit prettier.  We stayed right near the main tran station however, to make our morning commute back to Siena a little easier.  At this point I truly am starting to feel like we have earned the name of ‘Professional Tourists,’ and masters of public transportation.

Overall, it was a great weekend, and Ischia is a place I would love to visit again.  We had also planned to see the ruins at Pompeii this weekend, that will have to go on my to do list the next time I make it to Italy.

This is one image I managed to steal from someone else who went on the trip, who didn’t have camera problems.  This is the view from our hotel, walking down to the beach.

Sketches

The Baths of Caracalla

Today we went to see the Baths of Caracalla in Rome.  We walked through the remains of the baths, photographing and sketching.  Afterwards, we met on the grass in the courtyard and Peter Lang gave us our first watercolor lesson, and we did our best to follow his instructions.  I got so into it I lost track of time and am hoping to get a chance to go back and finish the painting I started.

The Map and the Monument

Villa Farnesina Analytique

Mapping Project

This mapping represents the path we took on the way to find out analytiques.  We grabbed a quick lunch, then took a public bus into the center of Rome by the Campidolgio, then walked to la Feltrinelli in an attempt to get art supplies.  From there we walked across the Tiber River to Villa Farnesina.

Venezia

This weekend a group of us traveled to Venice for a few days of relaxation.  Although I had a preconceived image of what Venice would be like in my head I never could have possibly imagined it to be as peaceful as it was.  This little island is a huge tourist destination, but the feeling of everyone around you seems to disappear the second you walk out of the train station and catch your first glimpse of the city.  We all agreed it felt as if all the drama of everyday life simply vanished.  As we walked through the little streets I started trying to figure out what it was that I loved so much about this place.  Then I realized how the city had a calmness in itself.  It could be that the people here aren’t in any type of rush, but rather are strolling through the streets aimlessly, absorbing the sites and perfect weather.  Eventually I came to realize it was the design and form of the entire city, with every detail seeming to play a role in creating this atmosphere.  The total absence of a ‘street’ ensures that there is not one car or vespa on this entire island, eliminating any loud engines on the streets outside your windows, and allowing you to walk freely through the quaint streets without constantly having to cram to the sides for vehicles to pass.  Even ambulances arrive by way of the canal.  The faint sound of the flowing water in the distance blurs some of the sounds of other tourists, allowing you to get lost in your own thoughts.  As you walk down the main streets you find yourself taking time to notice every side street, peeking down each one to make sure you aren’t missing a glimpse of the canal.

While the city itself is designed to make you get lost in your own thoughts and experiences, there are also several large squares that work to gather large amounts of people together.  St. Mark’s square is perhaps the best of these spaces.  The open space is lined with little cafes, providing excellent people watching opportunities.  This space holds many events to draw crowds to the area.  The night we arrived we found there was a large televised Roberto Cavalli fashion show taking place later that evening.  The square itself also draws crowds for its amazing architecture, from the clock tower, to the church, to its amazing views to the water beyond.  Even the pigeons work as attractors, as little kids (or Matt and RJ) ran around chasing them, making plans to collect bread and come back.  Although there were many things drawing people to this one square you never felt overwhelmed, or rushed, or pushed aside.  It’s interesting to question whether this square would work in a city like New York.  The atmosphere would be completely different, as the culture is very different.  The pace of society in Italy is much slower, with no one pushing you aside to rush by, and people truly apologizing when they bump into you.  It’s interesting that a difference that seems so minimal can truly affect how it feels to occupy a space.

Whatever it is that make tourists feel euphoric, it worked on me, and this weekend could not have been more perfect or relaxing.