Centre Georges Pompidou

The Pompidou stands out like no other building in Paris. It quite literally "turned the architecture world upside down", or as I saw it, inside out. This strange building presents the plumbing, electrical and structural system as part of the facade. To be honest, I do not appreciate the exterior aesthetic of the building. It feels cluttered and the color scheme clashes with the building's surroundings. Although, because the interior is used as a gallery space it feels similar to any other modern art museum. It is a strange juxtaposition of the conventional and the outlandish.

Parc de la Villette

Parc de la Villette was  redesigned in 1984 through 1987 by  Bernard Tschumi. This park was an interesting mix of modern and historic aesthetics. Bright red steel follies contrasted the cobblestone walks and landscaped gardens. Walkways were unlike the older parks throughout Paris. Instead of being straight and symmetrical the park is based around an asymmetric plan which consists of curved paths, angular buildings and oddly shaped plots of grass. As soon as I had walked through Parc de la Villett it was clear to me that Bernard Tschumi based the park around deconstructionist ideals. Instead of being a typical park, Parc de la Villette broke down the standard park design in order the modernize public spaces.

Bibliothèque nationale de France

Of all the architecture I had seen in Paris, I was the most impressed with the new Bibliothèque nationale de France. This building possesses an aura of power and authority which was unlike anything I had seen before. My first impression was a view from the street looking up a three story wooden plinth.  Four, twenty-two story buildings stand ominously in the the corners of the property. They loom over anyone who walks onto the wooded decking between the towers. People feel insignificant in this space. They are dwarfed by the buildings and feel no connection to the space because of the sterility and lack of human interaction with the structures. The entire structure is based around the concept of placing the libraries entire collection above the people which are walking around the building. These buildings are a tribute to both knowledge and history.

Tristan Dada!

Walking through the Reina Sofia Museum in Madrid I came across a portrait of Tristan Tzara. It was painted by Robert Delaunay.

I found interesting that we had earlier visited his house in Paris. Also the clash of movements, styles and mediums that surrounded these times. The house of this Dadaist poet built by a Modernist architect and a portrait painted by a cubist!

Zaha Hadid

Paris-The End!

These past 14 days I have spent in Paris have been remarkable. I've learned so much about the history, the monuments, the people, the way of living and getting around. This was one of the best experiences I have had at MIAD. The professors were great and energetic as well as knowledgeable. I couldn't of asked for a greater time as well as great weather.

Thank you Chris and Erik for making it an Amazing experience and a great time.

I cant wait to see everyones projects at the end of the summer.

PARIS 2011!!!!!!

Cinematheque Francaise-L'ange Film

L'ange was filmed by Patrick Bokanowski.

The film was about an hour long and through out the film there were many sequences. Each sequence was arranged in a way where a staircase was always involved. The stairway appreared was in the first sequence and Bokanowski made it that the staircase showed up in each sceen, making it more mythical than literal. Each sequence had its own theme.

It was very hard to focus on this film, having b

eing exhausted through out the day and being in a dark room with very intense dark music playing, but at the same time relaxing becaus

e I kept falling asleep.

I think this movie was a series of dreams. I

think this because I was falling asleep every 10 minutes and then I would wake up again. My eyes sort of went with the lighting of the

movie. When lights would flash I would slowly close my eyes and dose of for awhile and when it got brighter and louder I would wake up to a whole new scene.

This was a scene where there were men charging at a woman

that was naked in a glass box. From what I can remember in

each scene, they repeated alot of the same movements. Some

were faster than others, but most of the time it was like it was

being put on rewind and fast forward.

Finally, a visually stunning passage of projected light reflecting off a series of mirrors introduces The Angel’s final sequence, of beings on a huge staircase filmed from below; the beings seem to be ascending toward some higher realm.

Great film overall and very visually stimulating. All the action and different ways of using light and music through out the film make it 10 times better than if it were just filmed straight through. Very artistic and demented.

A+