Summaries:

Ornament and Crime:

The first half of this article begins with explaining some childhood developmental stages, and compares Papuan people to children or animals. Calling them amoral and looking down upon them. It continues on by bringing about his main argument, that modern ornament is backwards, and all modern art should contain no ornament. Including ornament in modern times is not only a waste of money, but a waste of time, materials, and labor. Adolf continues by saying that people who enjoy ornament are living in the past, or somehow childlike, and not as enlightened as himself. After this, there is a short letter where Adolf says that architects can’t really draw at all, and only can draw instructions. Then he goes back to discussing ornament in modern times. He continues to talk about how it is unnecessary and backwards. Over time, ornamentation will naturally cease to exist at large, because as a society, we have left it behind. There is some discussion of education, and how classical education has created a common western culture, and as a result should be continued.

Leaving Traces:

In modernity, change is of the utmost importance. That change should be based on a desire for progress, for better lives and societies. Change in modernity also implies a leaving of the home, and a metaphorical homelessness. With this idea in mind, modernity and dwelling are at odds. This can create a sense of uneasiness in some modern buildings, particularly the interiors can feel uncomfortable and uninviting. Modern architecture as a movement pursued ideals of purity, functionalism, and heroism, and focused largely on the home. Walter Benjamin says there are two main modes of dwelling. The first is concerned with enclosure and security, while the second is about openness and flexibility. He proposes that modern architecture is concerned with the latter, and as a result creates cold buildings that don’t feel cozy. As a result of not feeling cozy, modern architecture was at odds with family life. Modern architecture was skewed in a masculine direction without a feminine touch. Modern interiors were seen as simple, bare, and rational. A cozy interior was seen as emotional, and emotions were seen as feminine. For a house to become a home, it must be lived in, and many modern interiors aren’t designed to look lived in. A successful modern home should respect a person’s need for privacy and identification.

Critical Response:

While reading “Ornament and Crime” I couldn’t help but disagree with many of his points. He diminishes culture’s work, and looks down on people that enjoy ornament. I may be trying to sympathize with his point too much here but there is a small point that wasn’t explicitly stated, but I might agree with: cheap ornament, only for ornaments sake. Sometimes I see cheap recreations of old ornaments on buildings that are only to make the building appear grander than it is. In this case I would agree that that type of ornament is bad. But for the most part I don’t think ornament is a thing of the past, especially if it is a labor of love, where a skilled craftsman uses quality materials to make something. Another reason why I disagree with this author is that, as architects, I think we should be empathetic to our clients and customers, and not once while reading this article did I sense a hint of empathy.

Application and Interpretation:

These images are from a house titled AL House completed in 2013 by Studio Arthur Casas, one of the firms I looked at for assignment 5 for studio. I think that this interior is a great example of the idea that modern interiors can be too cold that “Leaving Traces” talks about . Despite having a fair amount of natural materials, stone and wood, the stark white kitchen, and simple layout to me has very little character and doesn’t look lived in. Admittedly it doesn’t look lived in because these photos were most likely taken before anyone moved in, or staged to be at its most simple form. But I still think that the simpleness of this interior doesn’t even encourage the “mess of life” that was talked about in the “Leaving Traces” article. There is a uniformity throughout the interior, and the different spaces and rooms do not have the character that makes a house feel like a home.

Takeaways:

• Ornament in modern times can be unnecessary
• The simplicity and logic of modern homes can make for cold feeling houses
• Modern homes, interiors especially should have different spaces with distinguishable character