Sensory Overload + Architecture Preview

Sensory Overload Warm-up

1. "I believe that more and more, we are defining our environments not as the spaces themselves, in terms of the buildings or architecture, but rather by the objects and devices that we buy and surround ourselves with. ... I would like that message to carry through universally," Seymour said.

I agree with that statement. The objects and devices that you buy and surround yourself with can reveal the sort of person you are because you're essentially surrounding yourself with belongings that are familiar or comforting. For some people, that might be books or electronics or lava lamps. 
This quote makes me think that when I am taking portraits of myself or of other people, the background can be just as important as the subject, because the objects and devices around them can reveal their interests, their occupation, or their personality.

2. All the pictures were visually appealing and so unique, and I feel as though I am only seeing a tiny fraction of all the booths that were in Commodity City. I definitely would want the opportunity to travel there and view the booths and take photos of them

3. A child would feel right at home at a place like that. Children are already so hyperactive that they wouldn't necessarily be affected by the sensory overload. As a child whose parent is working there, I don't feel as if they'd ever get tired of it. The booths are always changing and there's always new booths and treasures to discover. Plus, a lot of the booths include toys and colorful decorations. It's like a children's paradise. 

4. My favorite photo by far would have to be the photo of the seller surrounded by teddy bears and stuffed animals. As a child, I was always surrounded by stuffed animals from my siblings and my parents before me, so in a way, it's giving me some kind of comfort. I love how the seller is smiling too. It just adds to the cuddliness and friendliness of the photo.

Architecture Preview

(Casa Mila) La Pedrera, Spain

1. The architects of this building are Antoni Gaudi and Joseph Maria Jujol.

2. The building began construction in early 1906 and finished construction in 1910. It took approximately 4 years to build.

3. The building was built in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. 

4.  The building is open to visitors and some rooms can be reserved for meetings and conferences.

5. There is no information on how much it cost to construct the building.

6. The house was originally built for a wealthy business, Pere Mila and his wife, Roser Segimon, who intended to rent rooms out in the grand building. When Pere Mila died in 1940, his wife sold the property and continued to live in the main floor of the building until her own death. Even after the original owners death, the building continued to rent rooms out, however many of the building's decorative elements designed by Antoni Gaudi were lost throughout the years as installations were added to the building. In 1969, the building was declared a "historico-artistic Monument", and the building was restored and had its colors resorted. The building was named a World Heritage Site in 1984 to recognize Gaudi's works.

7. I remember reading about this particular building when my mom and I were planning to visit Europe. The unique and curvy architecture fascinated me and so did the building's extensive history. My mom, who had visited Spain before, had a particular interest in Gaudi's works in Barcelona. Aside from that, the design of the building is very beautiful and not at all like the common architecture in the early 1900s. The interior of the building is also just as grand as the exterior.

Nautilus House, Mexico

1. The architect of Nautilus House is Javier Senosiain from Arquitectura Organica. 

2. The house was designed and constructed in 2006.

3. The house is located just outside of Mexico City, Mexico.

4. The house is privately owned by the family that the home was built for, however they are willing to  make arrangements with photographers who want to visit and photograph and house.

5. There is no information on how much it cost to build the house, but the home would go on sale for $218,000. 

6. The house was built for a family of four who had recently moved out of Mexico City out of a conventional house. The parents wished to move into a new home that incorporated nature into its design. The home's design was inspired by Gaudi's and Frank Lloyd Wright's works, and the house itself had been renowned for its "bio-architecture", in which buildings are based off of natural designs from organic forms. 

7. I chose this house as one of my five because I really liked the exterior shape of the house, which was modeled after the shape of a snail shell, and the rainbow stained glass at the front of the house. The colors and uniqueness of the home sparked my interest, and so did the innovative and natural design of the building. The interior not only has the uniqueness of the house's exterior but incorporates a sort of indoor garden as well, and I really liked that.

Eden project, United Kingdom

1. The Eden project was designed by Nicholas Grimshaw and the engineering firm, Anthony Hunt and Associates. 

2. The project was designed and began construction in 1998-1999 and took 2 1/2 years to build, finished in May 2000 and opening in March 2001.

3. The Eden project was built in Cornwall, United Kingdom.

4. The domes are open to the public and welcomes visitors.

5. The Eden project cost 140 million euros to build, including the cost of the site, the greenhouses, the plants, services, exhibits, and the 83,000 tones of soil needed to grow plant life. 

6. The biomes, designed by Nicholas Grimshaw and Anthony Hunt and Associates was inspired by J. Baldwin's Pillow Dome. The structure was built over a china clay pit that had been used in previous years to shoot film for movies and tv shows. When the project began and was completed, the site was used as a filming location for the James Bond movie, Die Another Day. The project is open to visitors and is home to over 1,000 plant species, which are maintained by artificial climates.

7. The Eden project was a structure that I had read about a while ago for a past environmental project. I already knew a little bit about the project before this assignment, and I wanted to research more when the opportunity came up. Aside from that, the botanical gardens within the dome and around its exterior are appealing to view, and the design of the buildings are innovative and "green". 

Burj Al Arab, Dubai, UAE

1. Burj Al Arab was designed by architect Tom Wright from WKK Architects.

2. The hotel began construction in 1994 and took 5 years to build, opening in December 1999.

3. The hotel was built on the old site of the Chicago Beach hotel in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

4. The hotel is public, but it costs about $24,000 to stay one night in a room in the hotel.

5. Burj Al Arab cost about $2 billion to construct.

6. The hotel has very little history. It was built on beach that was previously known as Chicago Beach on the site that previously housed a former hotel, Chicago Beach Hotel. The design of the hotel was modeled after a traditional arabian vessel called a dhow. Today it is one of most iconic symbols of Dubai other than the Burj Khalifa, the tallest structure in the world and one of the  most expensive hotels in the world.

7. I chose this building because the design really caught my eye. Just as the building was modeled after, the hotel looks like a massive sailboat on the horizon, and this is especially reinforced by the location of the building, which is which right on the beachfront so that the hotel looks like it really is floating on the open sea. I remember seeing photos of this hotel a lot too, since it's one of the most iconic buildings in Dubai, and so I also wanted to find out a little more about it.

National Centre for the Performing Arts, China

1. The architect for the arts centre was Paul Andreu.

2. The structure began construction in December 2001, was completed in July 2007, and opened to the public in December 2007.

3. The centre was built in the Xicheng District in Beijing, People's Republic of China. 

4. The site is open to visitors and hosts exhibits and shows in the Theatres, Concert Hall, and Opera House.

5. It cost about 300 million euros to construct. 

6. Having been built in recent years, the art centre has little to no history. The structure itself was modeled after an "egg floating on water, or a water drop". The intention of the design was to make it iconic and unique so that the structure would be something immediately recognizable (like Big Ben, the Sydney Opera House, or the Eiffel Tower). 

7. I chose this building because the design of the building and the photography I found of the arts centre was just beautiful. I particularly really liked the photo above, which was taken in the late evening. The reflection of the sky on the dome makes it seem like the dome itself is a part of the sky, and the dulled part of the dome has little lights on the exterior to purposefully imitate stars. The structure, combined with its reflection, sort of looks like the yin yang symbol too and I really liked that.