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September 28, 2006
Plasticity of Motion (in architecture)
Reading about the exercises those actors were doing reminded me of exercises I have done in pilates classes, where (among other things) you have to bend and stretch your back one vertebrae at a time. Paying attention to the way your body moves, and making it move in a very precise, controlled way that takes you through the whole range of motions your body can go is a great exercise, but you really have to concentrate to be able to do it. It's unfortunate that what comes most natural to us (in terms of walking, moving in general) is a much sloppier version of what we are supposed to be doing.
I thought the mercury exercise was great. Adding some intention to the motion (not letting the drop fall) makes it much more interesting to do. I tried doing the exercise myself, and then I started thinking about how these motions would look in a three-dimensional structure. This made me think of a kinetic sculpture by Calatrava in Athens (built for the Olympics) that is like this giant oscillating wave.
The sculpture is made up of vertical bars that move back and forth and their timing is such that the whole structure has a continuous wave-like motion. It's really beautiful.
Other works of Calatrava in Athens also express this same idea of spinal articulation, and fluidity of motion, even though they are static. This arched passageway is one example of this. I don't know how evident it is in the photo, but it is curving and the curve of the structure reminds me of the curve in someone's spine.
Posted by Kyveli Vezani at September 28, 2006 11:30 AM