Saturday, January 5, 2008

Meaning in Architecture

Please see description below before clicking on images. Thanks!

5 comments:

Eric Randall said...

Michelle, after I pick my jaw up off the ground I'll leave more meaningful comments.

The gauntlet has been thrown down - absolutely STUNNING presentation.

MCS said...

Thanks Eric! I dont really know about the language and the text portion of the presentation, as I said earlier I'm not very eloquent with my words. I do appreciate the generous compliments though! Dont be afraid to be critical of the language...I wanted to be more expressive, but I guess thats why I attempted to make the presentation a bit more meaningful and "put together." Thanks again for the compliments! You made my night!

Eric Randall said...

So I've managed to collect myself finally with some hopefully relevant comments - I only wish we were in Boston an extra week so you can teach a crash course on Photoshop!

Let me first talk about the overall presentation, and then the substance of your ideas.

The only criticism I possibly have of your brilliantly assembled boards would be the actual description on each as to why you chose those. Something about that text doesn't seem quite right and I think it detracts - just slightly - from the overall presentation. Maybe its a formatting issue, but I would almost like to see even more economy in your descriptions of why you chose each particular group. I think two or three sentences would do it, and leave the "meat" of your reasoning for your blog.

As for the collections themselves: each collection is extremely coherent and I immediately make the connection with each of your emotions described - another reason why I think you can be more economical with your descriptions. While having experienced none of the places you have posted I can easily empathize with the emotions you portray - the most effective being the "love" collection. Everyone of the "love" places I would enjoy visiting - save for the rooftop due to an irrational unease with heights but thats another story, and think there is something special even with the composition of the photos taken.

Your collection is very ambitious, but I'm concerned that may have a challenge ahead of you: how do you translate those emotions, these elements you have chosen as important, into the broader realm of design. Pride I think is the easy one - hopefully you are blessed enough in your career that each and everything you touch generates satisfaction for both you and your client. Love is a tough one - your affection for these places is certainly not the same as mine as you have an entirely different connection to each of these than I would. Connection I think can work with something a bit more encompassing. I doubt everything in your career will be connected to the mountains - but that would be a heck of a speciality if you could pull it off ! Perhaps this could be expand, somehow to a broader sense of connection to nature?

My thoughts for now. Once again, very VERY well done.

Melissa said...

I only looked at your first page for a few minutes because its so beautiful and I don't want to try to copy it! Its gorgeous and I hope I can stand up to the bar you have set!!

Chad R. Kohler said...

First, thanks for leaving the comments you had on my blog. I had trouble getting to the link that you had posted of the house. The entire link did not fit on the page, could you email it to me?

I like your overall presentation of giving definitions and then also your description as to what and why each image is there. More specifically your selections of pride. I think you worded it right in the sense of “pride.” Sometimes pride can be shown in a non-professional way of being arrogant, but not here. Knowing that these are your projects that you have seen “grow” through the entire process is something that speaks clearly. The Sea Captain’s house has my interest.