Student: CLYDE CARUANA
Design tutor: Ms.
Sharon Abela
Constructivism
Constructivism was one of those later movements which
emerged from Cubism such as Futurism and Expressionism at a time when society
was changing. After the 1917 Russian Revolution, the Constructivists had to
adapt a new design movement in order to re-build Russia
Since society was becoming more industrialized,
technology was making it more possible for the Constructivists to come up with
more abstractive ideas and hence developing them into unusual structures and
architecture. Cubism was a very great influence. It depicted objects from
multiple perspectives rather than a single viewpoint. Then Russians moved to
Suprematism which is a result of Cubism; it is a philosophy that sought to move
art and design to represent the physical world and making things look as a pure
form. In fact, many of the key
principles of Constructivism came from Suprematism.
When building architectures, there are certain ideas
that keep on going through the mind of the Constructivist; these are the use of
flat colours throughout the surfaces and the geometric shapes. These are the
two fundamentals which I intend to use for my visual product in order to
capture the impression of the Constructivism movement combined with the other
two from the Art and the Film aspect.
From some previous research done on modern architecture, I can say that nowadays’ architects and designers are still being influenced from previous Constructivist aesthetic values. It’s a matter of acknowledging the fundamentals of architecture so as to build stylish buildings such as the Mid Valley Tower, 60-storey office tower, located inKuala Lumpur , Malaysia
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From some previous research done on modern architecture, I can say that nowadays’ architects and designers are still being influenced from previous Constructivist aesthetic values. It’s a matter of acknowledging the fundamentals of architecture so as to build stylish buildings such as the Mid Valley Tower, 60-storey office tower, located in
Ricky's
Memoirs, n.d. Mid Valley Tower
My
idea is to create something from scratch made from construction lines; the very
basics to construct any shape using specific instruments such as the
protractor, set squares and compass points.
The Constructivist
visual style is still identified in today’s design through the use of straight
lines, pure shapes and the formal order which is very important to have good
foundations. This effect can also be seen in the production of photography and
film making. Perhaps one can notice such flat design in the way digital
designers manipulate their work. Or maybe the exaggerated structures we may see
in movies and the unrealistic environment full of abstraction. These outcomes
were once ideas inspired from previous elements which belong to a
particular movement in the course of
time.
This
is the Zuev Workers' Club found in Moscow
(we can notice the
geometrical shapes, straight lines and flat colours)
Russia-
Ukraine-Travel, 2010. Russian Architecture. [ONLINE] Available at: <http://www.russia-ukraine-travel.com/russian-and-ukrainian-architecture.html.>
[Accessed 09 March 2014].
Other
examples outlining these elements mentioned above can also be today’s rooms;
the way they are being done. Interior Design like furniture, carpets,
ornaments, lighting etc are all being simplified and not necessarily made to
measure like old times. It’s like rules can be broken and space is cleverly
manipulated. In old times, space wasn’t a problem but today since the
population is increasing fast; for example architects have to plan well how to
use the land when constructing blocks of flats, hotels, offices, schools,
factories etc.
To
sum up, Constructivism has influenced
many different areas in our society mostly the physical environment. Scale and
precision is also essential for buildings to appear solid and large and hence
giving the idea of the pure form. I believe modern architecture absorbed most
of the ideas the Constructivists once used to develop their own abstractive
ideas when making them three dimensional. Yet, there is much more to discover
and ideas to come to practice in order to build for a more creative
environment.
References
World
of Level Design, 2009. Constructivist
Architecture . [ONLINE] Available at: <http://www.worldofleveldesign.com/categories/architecture/constructivist_architecture/constructivist_architecture.php.>
[Accessed 09 March 2014].
Creative
Bloq, n.d. The easy guide to
design movements: Constructivism. [ONLINE] Available at: <http://www.creativebloq.com/graphic-design/easy-guide-design-movements-constructivism-10134843.>
[Accessed 09 March 2014].
