FINALLY

YES, finally I finished my final piece for my last project. So it's not architectural, but it is art so I thought I would put it up here.

What do you think? Only trouble is, now I've got to do some more prep and a second final piece to follow on from it.. yay. I'm joking, I did enjoy doing it, it just takes a lot of time! Then again, most things do if you want them to turn out well.

Hope you had a merry christmas (:

Jess

Long Time No See

So I know it's been a while, but as it's nearing Christmas (and therefore January) I've had a load of lovely deadlines. This also means I've been compiling some portfolios - yes, it's stupid, they all want different ones - so I should have some good stuff too post soon. On top of this I have some photos from a little trip to Italy lined up, so things should be picking up on here (:

But for now, this is a bit of a random post as I have a selection of random photos I thought I'd share with any one who happens to be reading this.

This is a shot of my friend's apartment building, sounds boring I know, but it's a converted textiles factory and the space that it's created is really interesting - like there's a background atmosphere still buzzing around from when it was a factory, it's really easy to imagine the feel it had when it was in action. I really liked the lobby space as that was where it was most open, and the structural beams have a kind of rawness and strength about them (ok, that sounds stupid, obviously they are strong, but they add a lot of character).

This is a painting I found in a restaurant in Cambridge, of a building reflected in the River Cam. The idea that you only see the reflection of the building is appealing to me because its like you're seeing an impression of an impression, and you have to work harder to distinguish what it is you are looking at. I also like the saturated colours, but that's just because they get your attention.

Here is a photo of the Olympic village, a bit old news, but it's an interesting design - it reminds me of the kind of Sicilian cities you get on hillsides, with all the buildings almost stacked on top of each other (just a bit more modern and a bit more blue). Its good how they've tied the colour scheme with the environment of the river though (I'm guessing that's what they intended?).

Finally, this is a building I saw on a walk to the Tate, I thought the geometric style was striking - I just turned around and it was a nice surprise (you can tell I live out in the countryside, surrounded by little stone cottages - don't get me wrong they're nice, but there sure are a lot of them). Really need to get out more so I'm not surprised by interesting things. Hopefully when my exams are over...

Anyway, as I said, a bit random, but a way to get back into blogging.

Looking forward to Christmas? Have to say, those stone cottages look darn cute at Christmas time (:

Jess (:

Here comes the sun..

Back in the early days of summer, dear old Britain managed to get a hint of sunshine (yay), and luckily for me I happened to be in Cambridge to enjoy it. Cambridge is well known for its beautiful, elegant structures - especially with all the old college buildings (though there are obviously modern buildings too). There are also quite a few churches dotted around the sweeping greens, making for a very picturesque day out.

I love looking at the entablature and the majesty of the columns - there's something about them that simply demands respect through the weight that it holds.

Here is the Bridge of Sighs, named apparently because the students would always leave their exams across the bridge, and heave a sigh of relief. Out of all the bridges across the River Cam, I think this is my favourite as when you cross it you feel sheltered, like you are watching the people pass, but you are still part of the atmosphere. Also, there is an exact replica in Venice - which I have seen as well! but more on that another time..

Here are some examples of the detail you find in the archways (there are quite a few). Whilst the detail in some of them is impressive, I prefer the more simple ones (like on the left) as they have a more natural beauty - almost like shells.

It was a lovely day, as we were celebrating my sister's graduation (exciting!). Although I've visited many times before, this time had a brilliant atmosphere and the weather definitely helped.

Jess (:

A Good Book

So here's a book about the history of architecture that I'm gradually reading. It's good in the way that it doesn't read like a stereotypical history of [insert general thing that is made sound much less interesting by this title], and despite the fact it doesn't have a lot of pictures (everyone likes a few photos to look at) it's actually really readable and easy to get into, but not in the way that feels demeaning like you get with some books.

As you can probably tell from the title it basically goes through the 50 main architectural movements, and in chronological order, which is always helpful (:
I would recommend this if you are a beginner like me, and don't necessarily need loads of depth for your level of interest.

Jess (:

Keep your head up

It seems to make sense that I should start my blog with how I first started noticing architecture - this is from looking up. Often in narrow, crowded streets in towns you can only see shop fronts at eye level, which is a bit boring and generic. When you go to larger cities the streets are generally wider and there are more squares and open spaces so you have a better view of the building, so can appreciate it more.
This is why I think it's important to look up because that's where you see the beautiful detail in the architecture.

This is just a photo of a building on the high street, which has some elegant details if you look up, but when you walk along all you would see is the new selection of Christmas cards in Clintons (though I'm not going to pretend I don't love Christmas, even if it's still a bit early).

Jess (: