PNEUMATIC WORLD THEATER by Lees Ruoff-Siler Certificate of Fine Art Cooper School of Art Cleveland, Ohio 1974 SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE DEGREE MASTER OF SCIENCE IN VISUAL STUDIES AT THE MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY JUNE, 1987 c Lees Ruoff-Siler 1987 The author hereby grants to M.I.T. permission to reproduce to distribute publicly copies of this thesis document in whole or in part Sjqnature of the author - - es Ruoff-Siler Department of Architecture May_ 15 )987 V ((W-V- Certifiled-by .. . .. . .. . . --- - - -- - - Otto Piene Director of the Center for Ad anced Visual Studies Thesis Supervisor Departmental Committee MASSACHUSETS INSiTrj.T OF TECHNOLOGY JUN 0 8 1987 LBRA.-ES Nicholas Negroponte Chairman on Graduate Students MIT Libraries Document Services Room 14-0551 77 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge, MA 02139 Ph: 617.253.2800 Email: docs@mit.edu http://Iibraries.mit.edu/docs DISCLAIMER OF QUALITY Due to the condition of the original material, there are unavoidable flaws in this reproduction. We have made every effort possible to provide you with the best copy available. If you are dissatisfied with this product and find it unusable, please contact Document Services as soon as possible. Thank you. The images contained in this document are of the best quality available. ii PNEUMATIC WORLD THEATER by Lees Ruoff-Siler to the Department of Architecture on May 15, 1987 Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Visual Studies ABSTRACT My thesis is divided into two parts. I discuss the symbolic architecture In the first part of temples and churches of Asia, the Middle East, Africa and European fantasy architecture that have influenced my artwork and have served as design sources for my inflatable sculpture/building, entitled "Pneumatic World Theater". In addition, I investigate the philosophical and conceptual foundation of my sculpture, making reference to ancient Greek philosophy. In the second part, I highlight the history of pneumatic art and architecture after which I present the working drawings and pneumatic model for my sculpture/buiding. I also describe the structural elements and materials I use in its fabrication. Once completed, the work of art/architecture will temporarily be installed and documented in various environments (deserts, forests, and cities). Thesis Supervisor: Otto Piene Title: Director of the Center for Advanced Visual Studies iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I want to express my gratitude to Otto Piene for his guidance over the years. He continues to be a great source of inspiration. Otto was the first to introduce me to the world of inflatable art and architecture. I feel my artistic direction took a dramatic turn when I began to explore this medium in which I could integrate my diverse interests in painting, drawing, and sculpture. Also, I want to thank my special friend and husband, Todd Siler, whose unlimited support, patience, and guidance has helped me mature as an artist and human being. I am, of course, especially grateful for the fine assistance my sister, Kim Lyon, has provided in sharing her extensive knowledge of the history of art and architecture. To my family, many thanks. Iv TABLE OF CONTENTS TITLE PAGE....................................................i ABSTRACT.................................................... ii INTRODUCTION..................................................1 I. THE CONCEPT AND PHILOSOPHY OF THE PNEUMATIC WORLD THEATER..6 A. Ancient Greek Philosophy as Source for the Concept of the Pneumatic World Theater....................................7 THE DESIGN SOURCE OF THE PNEUMATIC WORLD THEATER..........13 II. A. III. Religious Structures And Expressionist Sources..........19 A DESIGN SCHEME FOR THE PNEUMATIC WORLD THEATER.. ....... A. An Overview B. Models 39 of the History of Pneumatics................40 And Working Drawings..................... ....... 52 BIBLIOGRAPHY.................................................61 1 INTRODUCTION ... out of all things there comes a unity, and out of a unity all things." - Heraclitus 6th. Century B.C. INTRODUCTION My interest in the symbolic architecture of stems from my childhood. Growing up churches opportunity to arch ite cture Wat of the world - Buddha) in Bangko k; t emples style Mosque the in of Djenne in particular, the Temple in Sagrada Familia these structures (Temple in Mali; of Angkor of the Emerald in Agra, the north Indian Khajuraho and Orissa Rome; in India; the Hagia Sophia the Great in Istanbul, Turkey; Sainte Chapelle inspired have the me over the years, stimulating is both philosophically and formally eclectic, encompassing a wide and artistic traditions. Like the which and the mean ing of sculptural architecture. Pneumatic World Theate r Theater - in Paris; i n Barcelona. The symbolism and allegory in explore to further The the Taj Mahal range of philosophies form of the Pneumatic World is amorphic yet structured, abstract yet representational - the ideas represented in it are as diverse and contradictory as Eastern and Western philosophies. Briefly, the concept which spirits my sculpture/building multifaceted. On one level, it I of the great religious of the R ock in Jerusa lem; the Parthenon in Athens; Dom e Saint P eter's me some visit Cambodia; the Wat Phra Keo in in Asia, Africa, (and later returning as an adult), the Middle East and Europe had the temples and involves creating an is sculpture which has both an architectural that the viewer can contemplate dimension such the artwork while This experience "inner into the with with the another about experiencing the inside to parallel is meant world" (2) and vise the Pneumatic World Theater presents particular, they recall rather, my in and of human-nature relationships. I of trying to re-invent the 16th. century Persia or any other I want to present my concept of humankind reflected interpretation of the in the microcosm and (3) three idea which ties together each of the source materials for the design of the Pneumatic World Theater notion of "sacred geometry" which relates the (anatomical) aspects of human beings to crystals, the geometry celestial stars, and other natural (such as the is the structural those of plants, objects. The sacred golden section, harmonic ratios, and movements to name a few) religious structures and ideas ideas seem to resonate the outset that I am not religious architecture macrocosm. journey the ancient Greek concepts of micro-macrocosm, of time, at versa.(1) - a journey which begins and ends insights of the Presocratic philosophers; must state outside of intangible elements of human perception. On level, with the One the one's own personal "dynamic complementarity". These period; interior and exterior (4) instills a sense universal relationships. As used in designing these of proportion, harmony I demonstate in Chapter II, 4 I apply the canons of sacred geometry as a source design of the surface patterns. In discussing the salient the for the features of my design scheme Pneumatic World Theater, I will German architect Bruno Taut and contributed to the Crystal consider the for work of the the artists and architects Chain Letters (5), who together with the Spanish architect Antonio Gaudi, all of whom used sacred geometry in their work. As a prefatory note, Group adopted the Nietzschean model of search for knowledge". united and this union itself.(6) In this model, is reflected the Chrystal Chain "architecture for the the body and soul in the architectural are form 5 INTRODUCTION FOOTNOTES 1. This thought is reminiscent of Wassily Kandinsky's notion: "A work of art consists of two elements, the inner and the outer. The inner is the emotion in the soul of the artist; this emotion has the capacity to evoke a similar emotion in In the observer."From Kandinsky's (Concerning TheSgir itual Art. New York: George Wittenborn, Inc., 1912, p.23) 2. In journeying into the 'inner world', I recommend that one Inward follow the path and road map of Paul Klee. Read lT_ Vision. 2nd ed. (Translated from the German by New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1959. N. Guterman). 3. Read Chapter 12.in S. Sambursky's ThePhysical World of the of The Greeks. (Translated from the Hebrew by M. Dagut.) London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1963. Also, read G.S. Kirk and J.E. Raven, The Presocratic Philosophers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1957. 4. See Chapter 1. "The Principles of Sacred Geometry" in N. Pennick's Sacred Geome try. A richly illustrated and informative book worth perusing is R. Lawlor's Sacred Geometry: Philosophy and practice. New York: Crossroad, 1982. 5. Other important members of the group included: the German architect, Walter Gropius; the Czechoslovakian artist, Wenzel Hablik; the German architect, Wilhelm Bruckmann; the German architect Wassili Luckhardt; the German artist, Hermann Finsterlin, among others. 6. One idea which exemplifies the objectives of the Crystal Chain may be found in the Nietzsche quotation in Die frohliche Wissensohaft: Architecture for the search for knowledge. - We wish to see ourselves translated into stones and plants, we want to take walks in ourselves when we stroll around these buildings and gardens. 6 CHAPTER I. THE CONCEPT AND PHILOSOPHY OF THE PNEUMATIC WORLD THEATER "The unity of things lies beneath the surface; it depends upon a balanced reaction between opposites." - Heraclitus 7 Theater To me, interpretation of my is creations of humankind (from realities of the "present". the "time-space" and experiences and of the 'present' includes all time Pneumatic World most curious aspect of the Perhaps the our earliest evolution to the viewed without chronological future) order or and social context. historical LP ze /, -C,1 In my vision of (e .g. forces, energies) simultaneously converge and structures, diverge pairs of opposites 'the present', this represent I in endless motion and stillness. symbolically by using contras ting-complementary shapes and colors in formal the elements of my sculpture/building. "moving stillnes s" My notion of recalls #neither towards'. The Stoics imagined the concept movement of the present the concept, Stoic continuum. According to this thought to oscillate between the is from nor continuum, like the present, to flow with and by means of complementary forces which were (rather than originally conceived of as be ing contradictory complementary) concepts of in nature. The Stoic continuum "tonike kenesis" tonos" (tension of pneuma), soul). (1) tension of Inherent life - in all a tension is (tensional motion), and "pneuma" (vital these concepts which is is created founded on the "pneumatikos spirit or th is essential by the dynamic 8 complementarity of pairs of opposites. The Pneumatic World Theater embodies these concepts, symbolically representing this essential tension or interlocking symbols arity' by the I 'dynamic complement- intend to examine philosophy on my use of some of the influences of ancient Greek 'pairs of opposites', as expressed in my art/architecture work. I will focus on one intellectual and namely, inspiration of source spiritual in Presocratic philosophy my readers and viewers shall the work of Heraclitus. As see, the presence of this universal felt in the substrate of my work. the thinker may literally be incorporate I mean I actually extant writings of Heraclitus and other aphoristic passages of Presocratic philosophy on the Theater. illuminate for me pertinent questions concerning the nature and life and death, of thinking, loving, and so measuring stick forth. feeling, acting, I regard their wisdom as a kind of crude with which our contemporary views of the dynamics of the world may be measured. For me, still resonates with modern thought on the Presocratic thought subject of - my vision of the towards ancient Greek philosophy to help world. I look fundamental the Pneumatic World Simply, their thoughts express (2) meaning of walls of in Paul The Heraclitian Klee's words - "the nature of fragments from the book On Nature, present below, are critical for understanding the workings and drama of my Pneumatic World Theater. nature" (4) (3). which conceptual I 9 It seems appropriate the that I share with my readers some of surviving fragments of Presocratic thought which I find engaging. My presentation of the actual purposes: first, it allows you fragments this material to examine directly without having to decipher my own secondly, it allows me to cite these confusion) when discussing their following fragments are serves two interpretations; and fragments (without influence on my thinking. The inscribed on the walls Pneumatic World Theater as philosophical of the material for contemplation. Heraclitus (H). Fragment (Fr). 5. They (humankind) vainly purify themselves from blood staining themselves with blood, as if one who had stepped into mud were to cleanse themselves with mud. H. Fr. 10. Things taken together are whole and not whole, something being brought together and brought apart, something which is in tune and out of tune; out of all things there comes a unity, and out of a unity all things. H. Fr. 12. Upon those that step into the same rivers, different and different waters flow... it scatters and... gathers... it comes together. H. Fr. 18. If one does not expect the unexpected one will not find out, since it is not to be searched out, and difficult to compass. 10 H. Fr. 30. This world-order did none of gods or men bring-forth, but was always and is and shall be, an ever-living fire, kindling in measures, and going out in measures. H. Fr. 41. One thing is alone wise, to know the thought through which all things are steered through all things. H. Fr. 54. An unapparent connection is stronger than an apparent one. H. Fr. 80. It is necessary to know that war is common, and justice is strife, and that things come about by strife and necessity. H. The Fr. 84. soul remains by changing. H. Fr. 88. And as the same there is in us living and dead, and waking and sleeping, and young and old: for these having changed round those, and those having changed round are these. H. Fr. 89. The world is one and therefore common to those who are awake; but each one who is asleep turns to a world all his own. The waking share an order one and common... This order - the measuring out of all things and the holding of them in harmonius tension - is itself the great harmony: At each connecting point of the wood and the string in the instruments, there is a fitting-together that is at once a pulling-away: a dynamic equilibrium. 11 H. Fr. 123. constitution of things The real Fr. (E). Empedocles to hide is accustomed itself. 17. Things never cease from continual shifting, at one time all coming together, through Love, into one, at another time each born apart from the others through Strife. Fr. (M). Melissus 2. (Reality) it always was and always will be, without either beginning or end, but infinite. For if it had come into being, it would have a beginning and an end; but since it neither began nor ended; for it is not possible for anything to exist exists. for ever unless it all M. Fr. 4. is either eternal or Nothing that has a beginning and an end infinite. Parmenides (Par). Fr. 8. thought What can be is only the thought that is. (Py). Pythagoras Life is like a festival; just as some come to the festival to compete, some to ply their trade, but the best pe ople come as for fame or spectators, so in life the slavish men go hunt ing gain, the philosopher for the truth. The explore fragments in thoughts (process) the in above listed Pneumatic World terms of the transformation; interlocking the represent Theater. following six I have themes: 2) convergence (or changeable) realities; range of themes grouped 1) my change and divergence; 4) oneness (and 3) I 12 paradox (or contradiction); sameness of beginning/end) 5) I have also organized the unity. For purposes of clarity, fit at of Heraclitian fragments to least one or two 6) lines six of the themes. This thematic content reflects my general philosophy as intimated by the architecture of the Pneumatic World Theater. the beginning and end; ending", nature the relativity of "time"; the of knowledge; living timeless the silence the boundlessness of change; and the beauty of humility and the noise of stillness and motion; beast "beginning and and the meaninglessness of eternity; of 'sameness' of 'oneness' and speaks about the Collectively, it increasing light. These are some increasing darkness, world of in the issues I explore. My work speaks retroactively to the ancients - partly to question their knowledge of nature and partly to question my own pursuit of knowledge in light of their discoveries. The Pneumatic World Theater inform us that the linked to the war unmoveable terror of life is common, and justice is meant to forewarn and order of nature is inextricably (Or, as Heraclitus had said, is strife" Fr. 80.). It presents a view of contemporary human life as being clearly confused; is, in one while moment, in the that we're clear about what we know and possess, next moment, troubling state "that we're painfully confused. of existence is analogous to an driver who nervously drives his This inexperienced or her mind with one foot on 13 the accelerator and the other on to his/her mind and body. causing serious damage stems fact that we want from the bodies the brake simultaneously to "go The confusion forward" (with our creations) but we are constantly and our physical uncertain about where and what we are moving towards, or what 'forward' means. This uncertainty yields only angst and strife. Through the Pneumatic World Theater, I want my viewers to idea that thoughts and feelings can indeed move experience the beyond the limitations of our bodies, while conceding that our in place by the fixed actions remain is precisely because we attach all to the surface, importance to the physical, to what-can-only-be-seen, that finally we see numb to the possibility of that we become Even worse, nothing. It forces of gravity.(5) the mind and spirit existing independently of the body. spiritual center complementary seemingly in whi ch one Like bein g is calm and and the both the moments complementarity. stillness are forward while kind of transient, is directed to see the for ms and sources of philosophical perspectives. experience a work o n our psyches. It brings together forces at disparate relatively is Theate r The Pneumatic World in th e secure - ten s ional when eye combined is when, a hurricane inside my sculpture - where all one can motion between pairs of opposites 'o pposite s' That of overcome their for example, motion and in a single action. Something moves moving backwards simultaneously. Recall T.S. 14 future "The words, Eliot's stops and time watch/ When time fitting-together that (Four is never ending" and Heraclitus' statement, Quartets), morning the before futureless, is a "there is at once a pulling apart: a dynamic this equilibrium" (Fr.89). The Pneumatic World Theater shows "two-wave system' of life and death, day and night, humility etcetera. and arrogance, I have In addition to the ancient "writings on the walls", life, included my own poetic statement-pictures of you the reader and seemingly are, logical "participator" instructed to is follow a "arrive where you sequence of steps only to to where you are not" to get Inside like an axiomatic proof, where statements read nature. These reality, (T.S. Eliot, East Coker). the Pneumatic World Theater, the participator to another only directed to go from one part of the structure to discover that the movements, parts, or places are and contradictory. domain of logic is not an issue. that certain feelings - explore is or hate - go be terrifying letting go and the my sculpture moves logic and logical propositions feelings where of In this sense, beyond rational because sense. idea I wish Empathy, for of one's self-conscious mind - totally exposed to Reality. (In integrated this from the to such as empathy, love instant, in the act when the (6) one can instance, in the process of "feeling", observed are completely illogical domain of pure to the The is observer a person feels is the 15 fragility of one's own of unfiltered feeling, this moment observed, life and the or imminence of death.) In the observer and the 'subject and object'(12), merge as part of the oneness of everything. I communicate this notion of "oneness" by using the spiral like forms which line the Theater. are living By these inner walls of the Pneumatic World forms I mean to suggest that we in a turbulent vortex of life - (humankind) where things are forever 'coming-to-be and passing away' simultaneously, coalescing and splitting without reason or care. CHAPTER I. FOOTNOTES 1. 2. The word "pneuma" dates back to Anaximenes of Miletus who probably used it to explain how the earth "rides on air" or why it "floats in space". I say 'probably' because this thought was not expressly stated in the written records. The Stoics, on the other hand, used this word to describe the melding of fire and air, where the process of heat was seen as the common denominator so to speak of these two elements and their activities. I do not care to elucidate on lexical meanings of the heat process. What fasinates me is the evolution of this idea of 'heat'. The process of heat functioned as a nexus through which the properties of fire, air, earth, and water share a likeness. Sambursky (1963) reminds us that 'the phenomenon of organic growth and biological development were regarded as inseparable from thermic processes'. This fact, we are told, was established or known since the Presocratic era. Sambursky punctuates his remarks with a quote from Poseidonius: "All things capable of nurture and growth contain within them a supply of heat, without which their nurture and growth could not be possible; for everything of a hot, fiery nature supplies its own source of motion and activity; but that which is nourished and grows processes a definite and uniform motion." In my sculpture/building, I interpret the pneuma as the ethereal light which moves in and out of the sculpture freely - flowing with rythmic activity like that of the human organism. I have borrowed the idea of wall writing or "mannered graffiti" from the 17th-Century English philosopher and designer, Robert Fludd. This Renaissance thinker used philosophical and symbolic words on the walls of his Elizabethan stage sets, to convey his views of man as the microcosmic model of the macrocosm. Fludd published two books, entitled Macrocosm (1618) and Microcosm (1619), which present his views on "memory theater". This 'theater' used figures biblical certain various mneumonic devices to recall Fludd's influence on Shakespearean theatre was and stories. significant, as it is generally conceded that the famous Globe Theatre was built after his "memory theater" design. type of The most ancient description of the use of this was described in the memory system, or mneumotecnic, anonymous rhetorical textbook, the AD HERENNIUM, used by orators such as Cicero to memorize his speaches. Another version was used extensively in the Middle Ages and Renaissance in the design of cathedrals. 17 3. See Paul Klee's The Nature of Nature. (Translated by H. Norden and edited by J. Spiller.) New York: G. Wittenborn, 1973. 4. In the first discourse, entitled 'On the Universe', of the book On Nature, Heraclitus expounds on the importance of understanding the Logos - the unifying principle of all things, "the structural plan of things both individual and in sum...co-extensive with the primary cosmic constituent, fire." Both the psychological implications and details of the Logos are explored in my Pneumatic World Theater. 5. This realization, that the mind moves while the body is still, is comparable to the Stoic's vision of "tonike kinesis" - "the co-existance of motion and rest in the same single system" (Sambursky, 1963, p.139). In his book, The Ehysical World of The Greeks (1963), Sambursky elucidates the origin of the Stoic's concept of "tensional motion". The Stoics started from their theory about the two-fold motion of sense perseption from the center of a human being's soul to their eyes or ears and back again, via contact with the object outside him. This picture calls to mind a physical phenomena which undoubtebly known to the Stoics, namely the expansion of a wave in a confined environment such as a pool or tub. Here the waves expand in concentric circles around the stone thrown into the water, until they are thrown back from the sides of the tub or pool; thereupon, the returning waves interfere with those expanding outwards from the center. This interference results in what is called in scientific language a "standing wave" or a "standing This kind of vibration is typical of any vibration". confined body, such as a vibrating musical string or bell... For this vibration they coined the special term "tonike kinesis" (tensional motion)" (p.139). 6. Read A.H. Maslow's article, Known". 7. "Isomorphism, the Knower and the feeling the subject and object are As Eliot informs us, "In Everything, from one point of view, is subjective; one... and everything, from another point of view, is objective; and there is no absolute point of view from which a decision may be pronounced. Hence any history of the process must be of the object it must be a history true: only relatively the subject, or a history of the subject side, postulating side, postulating the object side. For feeling, in which the two are one, has no history. In time, there are the two sides, subject and object, neither of which is really stable, independent, the measure of the other." (From T.S. Eliot's Knowledge and Experience, 1964, p.22) 18 CHAPTER II DESIGN SOURCE FOR THE PNEUMATIC WORLD THEATER "An unapparent connection is stronger that an apparent one... The real constitute of things is accustomed to hide itself." Heraclitus 19 In I chapter this that and expressive architecture information I Theater. I have de signed the Pneumatic World chosen these arc hitectural forms symbolism, structural Concerning the words of an ancient yesterday or the melting pot same tomorrow and comple ted in which past and simultaneously in everything today! As is created kind of to be a time-present view, every timeless this in mentioned I in the fu ture civilizations exist instance. According to this idea exists "history" of "everything always already Indian adage , previous chapter, I consider my Implying,in the 'history'. to add some notion of time, Or, this material: order of interpreted the though there was no of which can buildings. sculptural non-chronologi cal discover that I have architecture as for their design and ornamentation all into air-supported be translated existed". comprise my palette of from which have reader will of religious images the following present thing and "pot' every of the present. My impulse to compare different artistic traditions search for a common sensibility, to representation another. I to juxtapose obvious physical and psychical characteristics different architectures and symbolic forms. reveal my design decisions Pneumatic World Theater. of aesthetic tying one mode intend towards is to of the most these In this way I the construction of the 20 No description of underlying source of inspiration - In juxtaposing Figures nature. in Islamic would be complete without mentioning at architecture immediately sees the as the geometrical patterns namely, the least symmetries of one 1 and 2 with Figures 3-6, organic order and unity of all the one things intimated by the mathematical tesselations of traditional I use the word Islamic patterns. 'organic' to suggest that these non-naturalistic or purely geometrical their roots of abstraction in Figures organisms shown in such things as 1 and 2. What way of design from both these patterns is their repetitive, forms patterns have the living I have borrowed in the in Protozoology and Islamic mirror symmetry. These naturalistic and non-naturalistic forms seem to reflect a energy and lifeforce. fundamental In the spirit of traditional idea of mirror symmetry to I have applied this Islamic thought, the conceptualization and construction of my Pneumatic World Theater. of Ulu Cami In the dome above ("omphalos") with two - At or below. celestial-like appear to the center of to spread out and material (i), this swirling mass of is the Muslem meditational resonating with cosmic energy. interlocking triangles pointing suggests moire-like flowing arms of a galaxy seen from directly the like (Fig.3) the from brick and tile, patterns, made spiral Mosque me some sort of balance symbol This symbol in opposite between oposite - directions Figure I Actinoma arcadophorum after Haeckel. Figure 2 Dictyocha stapedia, HkI. (From Grell, K.L.. Berlin. ,2 Springer-Verlag) Figs. I and 2 Protozoological organisms showing a similarity in growth patterns with Islamic geometries. (From Thompson, 0., Q2 Growth and For. Cambrige: Cambridge University Press, 1961) Figures 3-6 Hexagonal design from which many symmetrical patterns can be through kaleidascopic mirror reflections of the oinal design. (From Doshi, S.,Ib-Rla.2.A2. Bombay: Marg Publication. 1982) Agenraited * AMore hexagonal patterns (also from Bourgoini. Their fundamental region is indicated. The systematic derivation of the subdivision of the fundamental region is shown in the accompanying triangles where the heavy line indicates the minimum module for the generation of their respective Islamic patterns. n 9 Fundamental regions of increasing frequencies, and their breakdown, for hexagonal symmetry. The 'frequency' here, is the number of times the vertical edge of the triangle is divided. C, Vie systemtatic breakdown of the fundamental region of 0. hexagonal symmetry (frequency 9) and its coding. All centres of symmetry and edges within this region can be colour coded with three primary colours. Analogous breakdown for triangular and square symmetry can be obtained. V. Seven types of subdivisions of hexagonal symmetry (frequency 3). The central figure corresponds to (figure 7) from which the other 6 can be derived by removal of edges. e \ \ 0. X \ explore I tendencies. this symbolic the of the in one interpretations of three ceilings of of the mosque in this one momen t are is The mercurial; its grand in the next moment, teased by an array illusions of pleasing perceptual that recall frequently i nlayed tile you gras p while your eyes Fig.9). (see find myself is the Shaykh Lutfullah Mosque a desi gn source Isfahan, I ran intricacy images I compelling o f the most turning t 0 as Figure 7 Cress section of redwood root that bears an astonaShing (From 31 ii1rty to the pattornatien of the Uim Cami Kosqoe. are Is a Straeur for Deslan. Pearce, P., SCatrur lA 197) Ca-ridge: H.I.T. Pre. the illusory star1ight the of con- Pleiades stellation. The geometrical pat- terns on the dome indirectly the interact show ions of microcosm and macrocosm, where % small and the World Thea ter. Pneumatic scheme, impl ications of form, by querying my viewers' a similar design of mine One psychological large -t ?FIsereSI aguei& st~ Nalatya. Turkey. Bellt io 1247 by patterns :ir:i *;g sugest a sges prpose. _setic iFree Sagrr-Ths. S.. Washington D.C.: 111Rt&CU1tAu. Eail Ilya. The s al ad .Wor In in ~L, ~ -4 A r~j~ Figure 9 MasjId-i-Shaykh Lutfullah In Isfahan, Iran, Interior dome. Built by Shah Abbas I, between 1601 and 1618. The Architect was Ride ibo UIstad Husasyn. This dome is one of the best examples of Inlayed tile in existance In wich the geometrical patterns reflect a scaled up microcosm. (From Seherr-Thess, S.. 11a-A -Lar-I I -C l Washington D.C.: Smithsonian Press, 1968) 2 ^-4 tesselated getically I forms intermingle. as particles and light. waves Shimmering patterns of wave forms the sky stretch across mosque with the of the and brightness intensity of forms these interpre t of ener- the sun at desert high noon. In another association - visual less cosmic but perhaps, equally compelling - of smaller colony flowers single one ceiling pattern sees the as a Figure IOA Borobudur Stupa and Temple. Borbudur. Java. Built in the 9th. Century. top view plan. (From Nuttgens, P., Ih Qci. abgliggiet. New York; Excali bur Books, 1980) a comprising sunflower. Lloyd Wright, Frank in writing about his concept of the Guggen- heim Museum which he designed likened t in the 1943, Museum once to ocean waves rising and Figure 1OB Sagrada Fa-illa in Barcelona. Spain. Begun by the architect Antonio audi. Interlor view of the bell tower. (From Mower, D., Qm4. .ondon: Universal Books, 1977) 25 719cr* ii Saorada Vanilla In Diarcelesa.Spain. Front facade *I the SS. thin ws the last I .1othe batiwity. 90,144 ", Parta creation 0 f the architect ".1tast Caui an rebains ant!inisid to thls day. (from Maor, D., Qjjidj.London: lIn cr al Books. 1977) falling, never breaking': "All lines flow, the in uninterrupted plastic into blending one movement, he said. the other", is "The whole building its parts as one with each part the I is one with whole."(2) read I words these think of Whenever the visual echoes- Antonio Gaudi created in his Sagrada Familia (Fig.10) - with its concentric circles of stone in the bell tower of the church. Looking up at one the tower, feels a rush of energy and emotion as though one's been pulled soul has from the "being" center of one's to the "being" of the larger world (and back It P~gur Temple In 3m..svaram. India. the great corridor. ao.swa ni.iha. Now 1th. Costury. (Pro* Sivarsasmrti. C.. The At o 1977) York: Kerry M. Ar.... In again). corridors of matic use of one the Pneu- my World Theater I a similar visual meditational and device receding concentric cles - ii26 - cir- for directing the viewers' The concentration. of' aesthetics concentricity are used towards religious ends in design the ascending, terraces of the circular and square galleries of the Borobudur Stupa (see Fig.11). primeval this energy that explodes from the concentric scheme temple; spiritual an energy that force that imbues the is at once World Theater create the uplifting, effect of one is not physically moving) through a carrying this primeval, if not, in my Pneumatic moving (even if one light saturated conduit universal energy which or Logos and part material. This design whole of viewer with a rare enlightening. The tapering spiral corridors attention There's almost a inward, while experiencing the is is part spirit meant to focus one's outer world with one's sensorium. Viewers are psychically charged as they pass -. ' -, Figure 13 Chaitya (Hall of Worship), cave #26 tArL i 1d Slvaramasurtt, C., Abrams, 1977) at Ajanta, India. (From New York: Harry N. hallways of nature, through the tunnels - tunnels of life, pathways of reality - which are lined with rib-shaped pillars. (Note the design of The Great Corridor of the Temple [Fig.12] chaitya, Cave people, the and the hallway of the Buddhist rock-cut 26 in Ajanta the figurative viewers Like an arborway of [Fig.131.) pillars are animated by the walking through one of the Pneumatic World Theater. If the corridors like the reflections in a experience the inertia. space can also be of observing one's infinite triptych mirror (turned to 90 degree angles). Each reflection searches each reflection of of the this silence and The drama of walking through this spiritual disturbing, movement of viewer stands motionless and the pillars reflect perfectly silent, out Ramesvaram viewer's self-consciousness own reflection ensuing. - searching with extreme for a way 28 tigere 14 west portal. Swilt by 70 In& Cathedral isNolas. Fran. In 1, (Pros Jata. H.. High Gothic Sornard do Sios Prss, 1957) ovratty *rneo Prls om: At the end of each of corridors the three the Pneumatic World passes one Theater, of window-like through doorways (or doorway- windows) which are like as layered and textured as symbols with the entrance to Cathedral Re ims (F ig.14) and the windows of the Taj (See (Fig. 15). Mahal the also the sym bolic ceiling and of windows Shaykh Abd Mausoleum of al-Samad al -Isfahani These [Fig.16a].) refer to the the form. structure the symbols functions of Although one functions as a church and the other as a monument, both celebrate eternal life whether expressed through public 15 Figue Tao Mahel Is Avra, lndio.,iow of the central doeo from a the A samaoloe bou t6for Noet*abel : inaret wdwl mfavorite StierlIa. L.. wite .f S o ahJban in 165 .Free I Figure 16A Maasoleen of Shyth Abd al-Samad al-Isfahan tn Natant. Iran. bell: In 1307. shifting light adds depth to the dim recesses of the modeled ceiling. (From Seherr-Thoem, S., gten and Corl Islamic Architecture. Washington D.C.: Saithsonian Press. 1968) Figure iGs Camera-Lacida drawings of soap bubble cells from Matzk's emperitants showing the predominance of five sided cells. (From Pearce. P., r t.12.*-3 EILta 1-1LJ Cambridge: M.I.T. Press, 1970) Qtlla. Figure 16C Recticulou Plasuatique. a protozoological organism. Is made qp of protoplasm. often floating in large colonies ohich like Cambridge. see foas. CFrom Thompson. D.. Cambridge University Press. 1961) a 30 ceremony prayer. the private or The design of Pneumatic World Theater explores these double-functions ritual (the in church and the monument) integrated in a form single, (3): one multi-domical room with three curved, radiating corridors. the I only wish interior of the dome had the - Ca th dra1 In Chartres France, vie built 1;0 (ZO Iros atteo. A.. Uah Goi Princeton, University Press. 1257) of the chair. . Princeton: Gothic, spacious- ness of Chartres (Fig.17)! Iiar Hsashas Temple Is Sobs.. China,.view throogh the sees gate Into a Taoist garden. (From Uettgena, P.. Wol' ra &hUislAM. wTork: Excal iber Books. IfSO ILI heal Id-I*Jass Is Slsas. Iran, view of the enltry Into the cloister. BvIlt to 1342 by Muohammad ibo 41 CuzaYn Of Demehan. the carved stucco mruts a laCellte filigbe. (Fros Schorr-Thess. S..*~gMoo ..Ian~nan Isic aly1jrcszjce.r Washington D.C.: Smithsonian Press. 196S) Fig.re to Tema Tower in Kharraqas. Iran. north facade. Light aad shadw highten the raised brick patterns making the design nore noticeable. <Fro Soherr-Thoess, S.. PS Lgand..SLlar LaaSi.A cr" ectgr.. D.C.: Smitheoiaa Pes.. Washingten -- --- bS> ) The entry ways and windows in my building are sculpture metaphoric- ally suggestive things: of many infinite regres- sions-progressions microscopic-telescopic views, and other paired relationships. Depending on their they construction, have an either FIgures 21A and 213 inorganic qual ity organic or to them Masjid-i-Jami like the (Fig.18) and the Hansham Temple (Fig.19) respectively. Either they are dense with abstract, geometrical patterns that the form around walls of my pneumatic sculpture or they are representational figurative of an eye passes the like and the pupil through which 1ight of our The white Masjid--Jami a Isfahan. Iran. Iaterior daes. mortar betw*ee the black brick& brings nut the abserest D2Le Ad.lor in.'AA patterns. (rea seherr-Thoss. S., iLt=r. WashingtonmD.C.: Saithsoaian Press, 19 l 9) imagination. Regardless of their form - whether they're irregular and cellular, or mathematically derived and - tesselated entry ways and windows prepare these one the fabric weaves or tapestries, the World Theater bear some resemblance to (Fig.20) and the Masjid-i-Jami Mosque, Jami brick, it moves from mind as the Tomb Tower those of (Fig.21a&b). In the design of similar play of light and shadow on the brick animates I achieve a like the cosmos. light and structure by overlapping octagonal- shaped transparent and translucent materials and materials with various colored lights. technique in detail Other design in Chapter lamps) scheme I in have the pillars between are covered with stem 22b), suggesting like include Pneumatic World Theater these the "genesis" and structures as viewer forms that In my design (Fig.22a). Temple Mahakala which (I discuss this (studded with hundreds of ceremonial incorporated or illuminating III.) sources for the the conical-shaped columns oil in the thereby creating the octagonal-pointed star star pattern which glows these the Pneumatic walls of white mortar contrasts with the black the ceiling. The changing the Namely, same. to another. space Like the the is meaning and effect their enters. resemble "growth". arch-ways The pillars seedlings (Fig. *1 q a 4 Kabakala Temple In Ujaim. India. These two giant candlesticks are cover with hundrods of coremoaial which are lit dring the sacred might of (From Now, J.L.. L gInua. Now York: 1982) Siva. Vilo Inc.. olilaaps 34 Hindu cnhis Tat e p AnkorA CaWbodia. built the 12ti. Ccntory. Teplief t Vishnu and royal sacsalrov Inldeps an rtlihf carving around the calli the pl Inner temple'sesdepicting th, conqust of the founder king and oinds theelfevo eadn Perhaps the most colonades, moats, and concep ofhloy life of temple's concept the fin t inspirational Hindu Temple Ankgor Wat the Allan o (Fig. 23), elaborate growth' -. king. architectural of 'gnomonic The growth' source of with relief carvings tha ismthe&o (gnooni is - o design its courtyards, organizing layout heasage the that "Gnomonic expansion in nature the design of courtyards applied of all principle of the 'gnomon'(4) and the is, and moats the gnomon 1982, 'growth upon growth' Hindu to temples. Although for the Pneumatic its conceptual inner the incremental of makes visible patterns of successive stages of growth" (Lawlor, of evolution - the depicting increenta expansion of forms and substances revealing the passage time. is p.71). This notion is carried I World haven't throughout designed Theater, and physical I have framework. 35 the Brihadisvara Temple organization of The general 24a) exemplifies this evolutionary process, where suffering no alternation build upon one another - they grow'. magnitude when in a distance, f or m a and tapered form s aCrossroads. The bead of a shoot of pearl grass demonstrates goemic*growth pattern similarities with the Blaier ""w Yor: k-LUl .. Lwlor. ':rom Tempta. 1962) shoot-of-pearl grass From be as unified to in its braided a s (5) pyramidal-shaped the temple appears the tiers and ture seem to allegorically layers of symbolic sculp- save (Fig. A (Fig.24b). Bribnlhadara Temple I& Tanjere, India.Wit is the IIth. Costs"g by Rajaea. a Chaim taperer. This strsotur* Is Z*Olt. Is helIghtwith as ermsatal aremon top made of seli grate weighng S0 tens. (From L., Art LfJIda. Harry K. Abreas, 1,77) slwarasamort. h h 36 temple one the inspection, closer Upon takes on another form, diverse with teeming -~ and sculptures figurative surfaces. textural -I The influence of Near Eastern and South Asian Art \C design concepts on European expressionist, fantasy archiCabide no where is tecture apparent o .. ~ Prs. i -~ MS), more than on The Crystal *-2r Wrlds - The Great Nothingness -The Naele&&. by Chain's conceptualizations of futuristic buildings (see Fig.25). For example, Bruno Taut's design poetically for one building, titled "Stars-Worlds Death-The-Great NothingnessThe Nameless", resembles the gnomonic form of a traditional Indian temple from which it was derived. One design feature which distinguishes this group's philosophy and practice use of automatic, action-oriented is the impulsive, design schemes. Figure 26 Do** Project by Wenzel HablIk In 1921. Interior view of a 900ft. diameter multi-leveled city in a dome. (From Whyte, I. B.. I Cambridge: M..T. Press, 1985) ruC26.nJtuA. 37 "action architecture" This is manifested in the chaotic and interior of the Dome Project (Fig.26) - cacophonous with its jagged, vaulted ceilings and columns of discordant dimensions projecting a kind of spiritual energy. their philosophy and spirit was never Unfortunately, concrete and paint, because steel, into stone, 'visible', their realization of ideas was anithetical convictions and goals. However, I injected some of this group's have in creating the sensibility parts of the interior Pneumatic World Theater, while borrowing from another spirited designer of "action architecture" - namely, Simon Rodia and his singular work, The The Watts Towers (Fig.27). (6) upward spiralling forms of twisted- steel and broken tile esque structure imagination sends in this Gaudianthe viewer's into a head spin! The sensation of self-discovery shortly follows, as one glimpses the of art and nature at expressive effect is work forces in this form. Achieving this the reward of my on . Dt e.xpl orat ora i exp io :.1321 Calfornia. 3dm by Simon Los Angel. -In 3150. (Fro. Eltfers, Jost EJAIftIJI Now±t~zt Y. orit:Harry X. Abrams. 1360) an - odia - translated the physical to their aesthetic 38 CHAPTER II FOOTNOTES 1. The Greek term "omphalos" denotes the imaginary axial po int at the center of the world. It was believed to be the transition point between heaven and earth. 2. This quote is taken from Olgivanna Lloyd Wright's book, FrankLloXd_ Wright: His Life, His Work, His Words. New York Horizon Press, 1966, p.165. 3. In Jerusalem, at the temple of the Holy Sepulcher, many at the same different religious ceremonies are conducted all time. 4. As Lawlor (1982, p.66) indicates, 'the gnomonic mandala the floor plan is also used as the guiding element for designing the elevation of a Hindu temple.' 5. I'm quoting Aristotle and his interpretation of gnomonic expansion (in Robert Lawlor's Sacred Geometry, 1982, p.65). of 6. Compare the "visual kinetics" of Rodia's tower sculpture/ building and Tatlin's design for the Monument to the Third International (1919-1920) This work reflects the concerns and aspirations of another expressive work of art and architecture - Ferdinand Cheval's "Palais Ideal" in Cheval, a retired postman, built Hauterive, France (1912). a monument and tomb to himself. It's little wonder how Cheval was inspirational to the French Surrealists. His palace was composed of strange guardian beings, animals, and plants amidst a jungle of jumbled iconography carved on the walls. To many this monument is an exemplar of undisciplined eclectisism. 39 CHAPTER III. A DESIGN SCHEME FOR THE PNEUMATIC WORLD THEATER "This order - the measuring out of all things and the holding of them in harmonius tension - is itself the great harmony: ther is a fitting together that is at once a pulling away: a Heraclitus dynamic equilibrium." 40 the design of the Before discussing Theater, it Pneumatic World is important to highlight the history of pneumatics out of which my sculpture/building has emerged. In this overview, I will concentrate on contemporary uses of pneumatic structures directed towards environmental arts, experimental architecture, scientific experiments and presentation serves three purposes: to discover the diverse structures, perspective my first, it allows the reader applications of air supported providing as well information on the some technical medium; of this unique properties industry. This secondly, own work w ith pneumatics over it places nine last the Ideas and years; and thirdly, it br idges the gap between the the reality fantasy underlining the P neumatic World Theater and of building the structure as opposed to more Historically, can be Egypt tradit ional than the five thousand years ago.(1) in the next form Related scale figurative to sails and balloons were parachutes to design their concepts of which were put forth da Vinci The in such as those which may have been used by pre-Incan Nazca people earthworks.(2) carts used in the evolution of pneumatics was of hot-air balloons and air media and materials. the sailboats and land sail traced back to stage or phase fabric in vention of air supported structures the and China more medium of using the in and Fausto Veranzio.(3) in large the 1500's by Leonardo In more recent times, the 41 creation of the Montgolfier Brothers' hot-air 41 balloons (1783) and Meusnier's design for hydrogen-filled, dirigible airships lead to the modern era of air-supported art and architecture. The first earthbound pneumatic structure was invented in 1917 by the English engineer, Frederick Lanchester. His patented Inflatable building was Intended to be used as a temporary, army field hospital. Although it was never built, it inspired many engineers to investigate this new area of architecture. By 1933, everything from inflatable tents, survival equipment, and military decoys were developed revealing the unlimited design possibilities of pneumatics. In 1946, another pioneer of pneumatic architecture, Walter Bird, fabricated the first inflatable, earthbound structure - a radar atenna dome (called "Radome") - which measured 15 meters in diameter and made of synthetic fiber. Within a few years, hundreds of these installed in extreme climates such as the Arctic, Radomes were showing the versatility and durability of air supported structures. By the early 60's, nearly fifty companies were manufacturing moveable, temporary structures for a wide range of applications, entertainment and the air including: facilities indoor sports arenas and (e.g. the Boston Art Center Theater inflated roof covering the the New York World Fair); 'Brass (USAEC) Pavilion at (e.g. the United portable exhibition exhibition halls States Atomic Energy Commission Rail' 42 storage, the Birdair Corporation); pavilion buil t by factory, and military buildings. In 1962, Frei Otto, a major figure pneumatics, published an the history of important book entitled Zugb2anggrIghte (Tensile Structures), Korstruktionen in Vols.I&II. in which he for designing large scale describes his analytical methods pneumatic and tensile structures. Otto was responsible for the conceptualization of many innovative works of architecture and the Munich Olympic Park [19671 (such as the Montreal Expo [19721). Moreover he contributed substantially engineers worldwide contemplate - such things as architectural Otto, influence artists, architects, and imaginations of all who opening the "parsimonious design". "aesthetic engineering" and Although I cannot point elements or tenets I am nevertheless and the "Fuji of pneumatics include, Yutaka Murata's design for a "Floating Theater" Pavilion" at Expo'70 Fuller's designs Frei ingenuity and schemes. Other architectural developments most notably: out specific I have borrowed from Frei inspired by his design intellectually-grounded research tension structures. His works and development of light-weight and thinking continue to to the for air supported Otto and Ewald in the Arctic", in Osaka, Japan; "floating cities" Buckminster 1967 (4); Bubner's domical-shaped air supported 1970-71; Tamero Oki & Associates mammoth, plant-like "Mobile Roofs" at Expo'70, Osaka; the mirrored, "City 43 domical shaped theater for the Pepsi Pavilion, also at Expo'70, designed by Billy Kluver's group Experiments Technology (E.A.T.) (5); and in Art Arthur Quarmby's ellipsoid, "Helium Lifted Canopy" for covering the Wembley Stadium in London, 1967; Jose Prada's experimental "Instant City" and the (1971) "Solarium" - an air supported greenhouse that uses passive solar technique to control inside environment the In the arts, there are considerably fewer have mastered this medium - creating poetic, that combine art and technology traditional sensitive works boundaries of sculpture or three-dimensional important artist is Otto whose body of work presents a spectrum of abstract and representational, (opera), work with lighting, simple [1972] geometrical and the sophisticated sculptures "Berlin Star" former [1984] with and "Sea Anemones" (e.g. the the five interior its spacious intricately modelled surfaces). other media projection artists, such as systems, forms lasers, (e.g., [1976]) the "Olympic to complex, fifty spiralling cones of headed " Minotaur" and the Each of these later, works [1983] with the collaboration - its integrate photostrobes, and slide/film involving musicians, actors, sound, theater Piene's works range celebration and performance art. from seemingly Rainbow" including some inflatable sculptures brilliant experimental the individuals who in ways that transcend the constructions. The most prominent and Piene (1981). of visual engineers, and a host of other 44 contributors representing a variety of artistic discipl ines. Perhaps the impressive aspect of is the fact artworks inflatable most and scientific involve that they his the viewer encouraging not only private contemplation but directly, (6); participat ion all sorts the y are of visual as sociations and emotions. For me, 'experienc ing' Piene's sculptures one of is qualitatively viewing the floats, airships, and different from simply figurative which evoke "experiential works" inflatables used in major festivals and parades. The illusiv e inexplicab le differenc e, I think, has to do with the characteri stics of his mercurial as cloud vanishing sculptures. masses which They're as ethereal and are momentarily vis ible, into the viewer's Imag ination without not ice. The evocative feelings and aesthetics of Piene's Inflatables are sharply contrasted by another type of air supported sculpture - one that explores the more technological dimensions of pneumatics such as Christo's "5600 Cubic Meter Package, Germany (1968). experimental of the artist 4, at Documenta The only participatory aspect of this sculpture was and engineers This particular work part "pneumatic towers" of Christo's Industries, and the Ministry of Technology free-standing, on the in designing and constructing the earlier experiments of RAVEN Birdair Structures', involving effort the collaborative 85 meter high, colossal tube. builds upon some in Cassel, West (1958), in England "air 45 supported towers" (1959), Briefly, respectively.(7) artworks are Vera Simons' of the two (1960) pneumatic "Floating Platform" (1977) shape resembles - a large the stone Parthenon - and the Eventstructure Research Group's amorphic sculpture, entitled Stedeliijk Museum, in science fine examples, among them: Lift Balloons" developed for and industry, there are RAVEN Industries' p.38); "Heavy the physicist, Walter "High-Altitude Weather Balloon" that reached a record altitude of 150,000 feet (using a minimum amount of helium) to perform various experiments on the stratosphere pneumatic (8); Switzerland Building used (9); site Foster Associates' for Computer Technology, Ltd.", (10); the English air supported warehouses (1970) environments (11 "inflatable Channel "air in Anzere, "Temporary Office in Hemel hovercraft vehicles, for crossing for the Sarna-Hallen AG's for a winter building (1967) England (1970) was Goodyear Aerospace's prototype "STEM Lunar Shelter" (1967); supported hangar" Hempstead, the first (1969); of which Barracuda's designed to withstand harsh hoists" for lifting persons or goods, designed by the Ministry of Technology, Research Development Establishment a 'heavyweight transport over impassable terrain' (Herzog, 1976, Lewin's 600 foot diameter, "Cloud" (exhibited in the 1970). in Amsterdam, Concerning pneumatics number of masts" other exemplary, sculpture whose scale architectural fragments and "inflatable in England, (1970); and Jose Prada's 46 like and having worked with Prada on to comment on one feature namely, the controllable "pitch-and-catch" As a co-inventor of for package handling. technique shute, shute which utilized a air industrial this project, valve systems for regulating air flow which I find particularly interesting. We designed the air shute, a that rate of an object's descent can be the inside varying the pressure incorporated a variation of "Inflatable entitled the wall double is made the two walls, light to dark. attention nine-year The mine, which outer layer of inner wall inflating and deflating the dramatically from In the Pneumatic World Theater, similar point, to lighting details on both I would like of qualifying my knowledge anchoring the theoretical imagination. the interior and structure. "experiment" with this informed in a work of (1985-86), and valve system. and fabricator. I introduce of technique interior lighting can change is given this manipulated by is made of opaque material and the exterior surfaces of the At this transparent material. By of together, so the two pillows. I have Light Tunnel" of a double wall consists the tubular structure vertical pillows that press inflatable, I would of this pneumatic device - and pressure-related dynamics - with two the air to say something about medium as my both a designer this background material of pneumatics and, more aspects of my project as a means importantly, in the domain 47 includes My experience with pneumatics testing the different structural and functional dynamics of urethane coated, polyester (such as polyamide fabric nylon) balloon and aerospace several as other synthetic materials fabrics as well used (12) industries. in the hot-air In addition, I have spent years researching new high strength, lightweight, laminated materials (such as fiberglass, reinforced silicone fabric). One result of this research and experimentation is that I have gained some necessary for material s (e.g insights into the design criteria choosing everything from appropriate .plastic films, coated fabrics, m embrane woven metallic fabrics) t 0 jo inting methods (e.g. sewing, heat seal ing, dielectri and ultrasonic welding, adhesives, etc.). now know based on direct observation - are best s uited for the Also, I what kinds of fabrics types of pneuma tic structures I want to create. M y design decisions are determi ned in part by the scientifi C information available on the strength-weight ratio and flexi b ility of synthetic fabrics un der the different environmental conditions. For of flame-retardant vinyl are very soft when cold; constraints material will this fatique. consistency, when warm and very stiff light under design precision, I have also learned h ow certain react to different of certain kinds example, inconsistency can be di sastrous which require influence and minimal materials sources (natural and artificial). So me elastomer coated fabrics, for instance non-ultraviolet 48 treated fabric, others seem to However, the will fade quickly remain color fast in direct sunlight while for a long period ultraviolet treated materials are time. not fire-proof and thus cannot be used in public spaces. Somewhere the of in between safety regulations and the designer's aesthetic guidelines the work of art struggles to evolve to Its full potential. This technical information is by no means trivial. When you consider the expense of the materials, construction time, and related details, one's design criteria designer needs to know many technical is critical. The things, even before applying their sense of aesthetics. Details like the output of industrial air blowers and other inflation devices, anchoring techniques, and accesses can "make or break" an sculpture. Simply: if a blower is not powerful enough, inflation is not possible; structure is not properly anchored or tethered, if inflatable if an earthbound, pneumatic it will tear; the entrances and exits are not carefully engineered, deflation will one of these occur due to air areas loss. A miscalculation in any leads to a potentially serious design flaw. In constructing the Pneumatic World Theater, I applied all information in one way or another. this 49 The "pneumatikos tonos" (tension of "pneuma", of the Pneumatic World Theater. In presenting my drawings and models of the I ask World Theater, you Pneumatic two previous on the to reflect vital spirit) the in which I discussed my concept, philosophy, and chapters As I will now show, design sources. sculpture/building are a wide Integrated In my forms variety of architectural and geometric patterns that reflect a millennium or more of human thought and creation. I have ancient Greek notions of: change; motion; thematic content of my work The well itself physical to the medium of interconnectedness; the existence of art and architecture fabric - and air of each other. of gravity. In the Massive lightweight Pneumatic are able to enter the artwork - aesthetics sensation. the exploring my inner and outer The is In one which pictorial simple. It consists In interact temporarily supporting structures expand effortlessly to sizes which seem to defy the influences two intrinsicly transformative. elements which are this medium, material and air of these complementarity; and unity. identity; lends incorporate in my artwork which explores the forms and patterns disparate tried to lies adverse World Theater viewers to experience another dimension in ephemeral world of pure one sculpture/building, discovers world of symbols and surface,. vocabulary of spirals, for the Prieumatic circles, World Theater and other standard 50 elements of variational geometry. Spiralling lines sweep across the walls of the conical-shaped corridors like wind driven rope caught in the vortex of a tornado. This sweeping, driving in which motion mimicks the collective action of nature centrifugal and centripetal forces merge to form a single force; the flowing lines painted on the fabric symbolize this state of mergence and oneness. Concerning the interplay of color, light, and sound in my sculpture/building: at the entrance of each of the three corridors, window-like doorways fill the spaces with different concentrations of colored light. The translucent fabrics which make up these natural structures seem to glow as if charged by a rare, inside, the light source. Viewed from the "hard" blue fabric evokes a feeling of tempered aggression. This feeling is complemented by the "soft" blue fabric which elicits a peaceful state of mind. As the intensity of the feelings intensify or wane. comprising the dome - light varies, these By contrast, the vibrant red fabric the heart of my structure - pusates with seemingly endless energy. As one experiences these sunlit spaces during the day, one's sensorium virtually every kind of stimuli. environment is felt in is saturated with The presence a direct way. At night, of the outer the effects and feelings change dramaticly. Some ritual-oriented and participatory activities can be carried out in and around the Pneumatic World Theater. As one 1i might expect, the factors time-space-light I aspects of the of the artwork alone, aspects philosophical the sculpture/building; another that directs attention towards the viewers' only the viewer to contemplate metaphysical inviting the and spiritual and meditation; informal viewer pondering the purely physical and a third that has the aspects of this work of art/architecture. There sensual one of activities: types paragraph. Presently, I envision three that requires the previous in mentioned influenced by be each activity or program will many other engaging exercises that can be explored experimental artforum, any one of which may are in this involve new media technology and presentations. There in various environments Pneumatic World Theater the responses of installing the for are also numerous possibilities using film and video. the participants imagine that each location would yield different impressions, consequently changing the the artwork. would In setting up the sculpture of the of the motion (between the environment) space be warrant less (sensory) in a desert, one the emptiness and to the fullness and visual Pneumatic World Theater. This natural pneumatic would be energe tic landsc ape would in contrast structure the "tension" surround1ing less noticeable or rather subdued of a apparent. and forest. That is, The differences, further exploration. I would viewer's perception of immediately become more conscious of stillness and recording the in visual both in the contrasts cases, 52 +A M "'jA~L O~tIO &APriL - IL-14&TIl Of (A"E C0mixi bols -NLO' C,LWMfS - ttC?~ 53 1' MID. & ;met-_- 0fb~-P 54 IBUI* 5fl RAL ThEME: -Lz- 07- U"AThAAJ6(.OA*D Ri P 5SroP IFAed.L;L .k. Z Cgpa OF .1o-f~~vc C CLL (LiAMr(fiL-ti-3a L~%h-4Ho' I Aft (o Coe DoR "Ei (ol--'-iz/ SAULCQP.~cP-.LEXJ6ThV -LV' 5AALL CartR-!orL irfc(IT- 3"-61' im LAM'6 og-io ti. Ffk. 10' W~t6tkP4I Lo&-iIoA. NAI4'( NvCu F -3 ot 2.4:z Ce(k j1 QLFA. KP4ItIA3(* L4p ieAab14 aP a4~~~ olAPA" 0 G 2J t TRPAA#5PA*,AMr SLi(C5 5- ioo(LWAYS: PLCPZZ6AJC." .1-440' A TrVAAiJr.I -I4-T--W-~ K- &p,,oo~p s(cp-ew5S- 55 a fb~om N)G CAUM)-Vit~EME fmVJAWu mtuG U]MV C9ow &rI~ecok Wi~ LAfL&6 cEQo. jMFf&. 5M-4Og~OZ. Mi f4 " FR- H-V; R. Mv4iJ1vs .I . 5 P'Xr1-tA &6olP 4mb SiUME~ D)ES"",cW3U~i~ (01oAE EAYa6S§OQ. l T4n C tti EM F OF TK 6 C-i(LC.It': If X F&%ADiOJ 7AKeA LElZ;&.TG,-q' C- piPE 56 Li NEAR 71 FME J-IAM View H. 'FA.-Lf H . fp- ". jpj e.AAAIt tt. Je-ON%1 *'o4c NAolH zrL -S ?rjr~ ,AM~ Orlul ?-.get, wtrr t "LI..Pt- F *-s 'AI c4A~ 5QJ1t~Lv OJ - 4 m 57 ke!t> *MOSUP-A-nAAM Cokleo kPS'Mfl rpfwc-,FA. FIAN V (eW POME OAS Th Ck*As F P- 199 IF lk. 2- -IEi(AF(SD 'LV ipls*fordl.%-s GO(O Ak4D PCJAE flooq-ik. I&LU6 RVA Co(kCtp Vl pyL_ &o ( 0 LAewi ?JNt-C FAQAI(- W ATPL*tpL6 <-4>,,j oTeu I ocK t>6 p i P_4.L- 53 -A J Y.I'n LAcA~ ~LA1~ ~-Ac9~t t' O~Th~ X3 x'I' 3'FAPv- "AT)~li c- VN' \I~ R.\ p T HE A& 59 CHAPTER III. FOOTNOTES 1. In Thomas Herzog's book, Pneumatic Structures: A Handbook of Inflatable Architecture, New York: Oxford University Press, 1976, we learn that the sail cart was used some 4,000 years ago when the Egyptian Pharoh, Amenemhet III, drove into the desert "with shafts and sails" (p.32). The ancient Chinese also applied this technique for moving carts across land masses. 2. Some archeologists maintain that this method of flight was the only means of visualizing the immense earthwork figures. In 1975, the International Explorers Society demonstrated how it may have possible for Nazca people to have built their own hot-air balloon to help direct the creation of their earthworks; the members of the Exporers Society - together with RAVEN Industries, a leading pneumatic structures company - constructed a tetrahedralshaped hot-air balloon, using the same kind of fabric, pattern, and shape as the Nazca Indians probably used. The balloon was capable of lifting two men to the height of 1,700 feet. (From Dick Warth and Jerry Young's book, Ballooning, New York: Random House, 1980, pp.118,119.). 3. Aside from conceptualizing the parachute, Leonardo created the first "pneumatic environment" constructed from inflated pigs' bladders. Read W. Sharp, Air Art. New York: Kineticism Press, 1968, p. 7 4. See Bucky Fuller's article, "The Fifty Year Experiment" in Buckminster Fuller: An Autobiographical Monologue/Scenario, New York: St Martin's Press, 1980, p. 2 0 3 . Cf. Michael Schuyt's Fantastic Architecture, New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1980, p.104; note: "Buckminster Fuller, Floating Geodesic Spheres". 5. For further reading on Kluver's Experiments in Art and Technology (E.A.T.) Productions, look at Billy Kluver's (ed.), Pavilion: Experiments in Art & Technology, New York: E.P. Dutton, 1972 (p.32) and Charles Jencks' book, Architecture Today, New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1982, p.278. Note: the Pepsi Cola Pavilion was constructed with a unique vacuum device that uses negative pressure instead of positive pressure for inflating pneumatic structures. The technique involves using an outer rigid shell and a very light-weight balloon (made of metallized plastic) for the inner shell. The air is then vacuumed out between the two layers thus creating a negative pressure. This dynamic tension creates a perfectly smooth, evenly taut inner sphere with a highly reflective surface. What is especially novel about this technique is that no air-lock doorway system is required to maintain the tautness of the structure . 60 6. In most of Otto Piene's "Sky Art" performances, the audience becomes directly involved in the production of the work in an almost spontaneous way. This involvement has a rather magical effect on the audience/participators in that they are actively contributing to the performance itself (as opposed to being passive observers). One of the more rewarding ways to see the work is by participating. For an autobiographical account of the artistic vision behind these works, I suggest you read Otto Piene's More Sky, Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 7. 1973. For an in-depth look at pneumatics in art, architecture, and industry, read Thomas Herzog's Pneumatic Structures: A Handbook of Inflatable Architecture, New York: Oxford University Press, 1976. 8. The extraordinary thing about Lewin's "High-Altitude Balloon" is that the pneumatic structure leaves the ground with only a mere 80 feet of its top section filled with helium - just enough to lift it. As the pneumatic climbs over a period of two and a half hours - rising at 1,000 feet per minute - it gradually expands to a buldging 600 foot diameter. This large scale weather balloon was fabricated by Winzen Industries. 9. See Thomas Herzog's, Pneumatic Structures, Oxford University Press, 1976, p.125 New York: 10. Ibid., 11. See Roger Dent's, Princigle _of Pneumatic Architecture, New York: 12. p.124 John Wiley & Sons, 1972, pp.60, 61. Pneumatic structures are usually constructed from synthetic fabrics, and most of the fabrics are coated (on either one or both sides) with vinyl, neoprene, or other plasticized elastomers. 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