SEMESTER IN 33 PG (portfolio)

SKETCHES 105 & association game

Final collages:

Little association game with some of my sketches from the collage:

philosophy seminar

tree house

Zaha tyap-lyaps

sun

root beer float

tiny tiny tiny humans

no. ruler. proud.

Mr. Gagarin, architect

Performing Arts - Newbie

I think I had stage fright for most of my life, but out of blue it just disappeared. 

Even quite the opposite - I felt sudden urge to do performing arts: music, dance, theatre (maybe even minoring in it).

The funniest part of filming this monologue was Fady being my acting coach and teaching me this 'bitch please' attitude while I could not stop laughing. He made me say 'you know nothing' for like a thousand times, until I could finally be serious and truly believe that You, Bitch, know nothing!!

Many many thanks to Ben, Radhika, and Fady.

P.S. Screenshots from previous Ben's work where I swam in a fountain while by-passers just starred at me in surprise while hurrying to 8 am classes.

USC SOA: Architorture

It has been two weeks into the semester, and we already see our peers dropping out, scared by what some people call archiTORTURE. Sleepless nights, lack of social life, endless studio hours are awaiting for us, and I can not help but wonder if it will actually be that bad. I heard stories of B.Arch students bringing their sleeping bags into the studio for finals, not showering for three days in a row, working insanely hard. Whenever I told people my major was architecture, they just wished me luck and gave this sympathetic look.

This paragraph above was a draft in the very beginning of the semester. A lot has changed. My whole perception of what this work is like was altered once I went through my first sleepless week experience. Exhausted, at some point I was feeling like zombie listening to my playlist for the hundredth time and cutting museum board into rectangles to build my model. It is really rewarding though. I never imagined that there can be so much work and I never imagined this amount of work can be actually manageable. I mean, come on - it only took on average fifteen hours per day in studio to prepare this midterm project.

The task was to use our analysis of Schindler-Chace house on the Kings road to create our own spatial building and site. Spatial meaning you do not have to consider real world's necessities and restrictions. Having this in mind, I used hedges as columns for my multi-level park - complete fantasy.
The deliverables were eleven drawings and two models. Models, by the way, take forever. Take the approximated time for your work and multiply it by 3 to make it realistic. 

So here is what we got:

                                       

                                         

P.S. Some of us actually finish work in time and do not procrastinate... Big shout out to Fady :)

                                                    

India Ink on Yupo Paper

Purchase Yupo paper which is water-resistant and apply some ink which, of course, won't dry for some time. Use brushes, water, hairdryer, and other stuff you find interesting. Desired chaos on your paper is guaranteed.

Intro to Arch

As I looked forward to this summer, I was so eager to start my internship at Blank Architects in Moscow. Realization that I do not have ANY architectural experience whatsoever didn't stop me from coming here... So, it's my second day, and in between endlessly printing somebody's drafts and folding them, I decided not to waste time: here I will share some of my favorite constructions, projects, and, of course, their creators.

1. Abu Dhabi Performing Arts Center
Zaha Hadid simply drives me crazy with her architectural ideas. When I look at her Abu Dhabi Performing Arts Center, my brain is ready to explode. The smooth shape of the building and vein-like structure make it look alive, constantly moving, unstable. Is it a spaceship that just landed? I stare at it and start to think that there is no limit to Hadid's creativity.

Abu Dhabi Performing Arts Center

Abu Dhabi Performing Arts Center

 2. Central Bank of Iraq
Though building is only in design phase, the model looks impressive. Solitary skyscraper, Central Bank of Iraq may become a new landmark in Iraq. The architect of this fascination is also Zaha Hadid.

Central Bank of Iraq

3. La Sagrada Familia
Even though I admire the examples of deconstructivism mentioned above, Antoni Gaudi's Sagrada Familia remains my favorite building of all times. It is incredibly tall, and as you stand in front of the entrance and tilt your head back, you basically can not see the end of the temple. I can go on and on describing my emotions when I see sunlight shining through the multicolor stained glass or when I contrast fortress-like exterior with welcoming fairytale interior design, but I will just stop there and let you see for yourself.

La Sagrada Familia

4.Palace of Peace and Reconciliation
Norman Foster has created many beautiful buildings among which I particularly like Palace of Peace and Reconciliation in Astana, Kazakhstan. I haven't seen pyramids in a while...

Palace of Peace and Reconciliation

5.Millau Viaduct

Not a building, but a bridge, Millau Viaduct is the tallest construction in France, exceeding the height of the Eiffel Tower. Majestic, pointing at the skies bridge was designed by grandeous architect Norman Foster, and I wish I will drive across it one day.

Millau Viaduct

6. The Seven Sisters
Probably also ones of my absolute favorites, the Seven Sisters were built under Stalin's guidance in 1940-1950s. As I previously thought, there should have been one leading architect behind all these buildings, but I was incorrect: there were many of them. Also, I never thought before that abroad these skyscrapers would be called the Seven Sisters: Russian people call them Stalinskie Vysotki.

Stalinskaya Vysotka

Moscow State University

7. Jubilee Church
Yes, it is a church. When I look at this modern white building with curved walls and windows from the floor to the ceiling, church is the last thing I think of. In my interpretation, church is supposed to be in gothic, baroque, rococo, classical, or other more traditional architectural styles. This creation by Richard Meier just doesn't go with my understanding of religious constructions. I still like the building though.

Jubilee Church

8. The Dancing House

Frank Gehry is Gaudi of the 21st century. His buildings look funky, with curves, unusual windows, extraordinary forms, and if Gaudi worked in Catalan modernism, Gehry took it one step further to deconstructivism. I still see a lot of resemblance between Gaudi's creations and Gehry's. For example, the Dancing House by Gehry and La Pedrera by Gaudi. Both buildings are asymmetric, with odd windows, like a liquid frozen in a funky shape.

The Dancing House

La Pedrera

I can't tell I know much about architecture yet, so Google was my best friend in creating this post. Maybe next time I'll write more about modern from technological perspective buildings - like the one that changes its form (Dynamic Tower by David Fisher)...