[Pair]ing Down

To meditate on something is to think deeply and thoughtfully on something in order to understand an idea better while celebration is when you put something upon a pedestal to show off or commemorate. The full process of meditation and celebration is present in the design process in the spaces we as designers design and in the process of getting to that final successful design. Designers meditate upon ideas and models made to create that unique design before they chose to celebrate the design in a critique for the view of viewers and critics. Spaces themselves begin to take on theses properties when certain colors are chosen or even when a space becomes more enclosed and private from a celebration space that is open and vibrant. “The plan allowed for a double-story living room and balcony for each flat. Le Corbusier’s influence was also paramount for the individual domestic interior, notably with his decision to leave internal brickwork and concrete exposed in the Maisons Jaoul at Neuilly (1956).” [Massey 152] Celebration of the more structural elements of Corbusier’s building was notable and different for the time of post-war modernism, rather then just celebrate the space itself, the designer chose to celebrate the simple things like brick and concrete as well rather than just have them covered.

Light and shadow is a pair that is in constant company of each other, sometimes doing battle and sometimes commiserating harmoniously. Light on its own represents a sense of delight in its brightness and how it lights up spaces while shadow can cause a sense of contrast and a more darkening of a space, creating an entirely different mood in a room or area of a design. In many cases shadow cannot be produced without light and light cannot be celebrated as well without shadow, making the pair important when considering a space whether one being more than the other or visa versa. “Inside the chapel [Notre-Dame-du-Haute] the thick concrete walls are pierced by small colored windows to create the dramatic effects of shafts of colored light falling on the congregation.” [Massey 152] Light can be a real dramatic element when it is focused through something as opaque as concrete, the concrete being so solid creates a form of shadow while the light filters through and casts brilliant colors upon the congregation. Just having all the light alone wouldn’t make as big a contrast as the light and shadow together.

The act of transferring something and perhaps changing them in the process and the act of placing something side by side to something else most of the time for comparison reasons are two terms known as transpose and juxtaposition. Both terms mean to move something from one place to another in some way, shape or form.

The two main divisions when talking about categories of design is the difference and similarities between abstract and literal in a design and in idea. Literal meaning a straight forward interpretation of an object or idea that is present, while abstract being the opposite as an interpretation of an object or idea that is more in-depth and not straightforward in answer. “ The interior working-space was opened up, with rows of desks and small dividing-screens replacing corridors and small office rooms.” [Massey 146] In the era of post-war modernism, the spaces created are more abstract because they hint to separate spaces with the dividing screens being used rather than walls while still being literally a place of work in an office or firm like the ones designed and arranged by SOM.

In vocal and written ways, a monologue is an extended speech made by a singular person to anyone and its opposite, a dialogue is a speech or conversation between two or more people where interaction takes place in the form of a discussion. These two ideas can happen in design based on how a design communicates or interacts with people or the designs around it as well as the story it tells.

In conclusion, each pairing made in this week's opus are together for a reason, some of them are opposites like monologue/dialogue and others cannot make a complete composition without the other pair like with light/shadow. Abstract and literal, while being different still need to exist for the sake of comparison when trying to decipher a designs story or true symbolization. Its the same way with transpose and juxtaposition as you move and transfer information or design elements around to make comparison. Finally meditation/celebration are two ways to display a design in order to create a certain effect or function, this can tie into the other four pairings by using them so that a design can be meditative or celebratory.

::Sources::
History of Interior Design and Furniture By Blakemore
Understanding Architecture By Roth
Drawings and Photographs By myself