Reading Comprehension 5

Question 1:

For my revolutionary artifact, I choose the Iron and Brass bed (1-46, P. 29 Harwood). As one could say a place like the Crystal palace could represent the industrial revolution in its introduction of new building materials, this bed introduces the newfound usage of these materials at a smaller scale. Iron is malleable enough to bend to create beautiful curving lines as it does across this heart-adorned bed frame and strong enough to hold a roof up. The material of this bed is the cue of a revolution in material usage at all different scales.

Question 2:

ARTIFACT (photo)
This dish made by Frenchman Joseph-Théodore Deck (1823–1891) can be tracked to its eastern inspiration though both it's color and other surface decoration. The influence is quite prominint in this french adapted style when analyziing the red, turquoise, and white eastern stylized flowers sitting flatly on the deep blue background. Inpired by Chinese porcelain, this dish is the product of the designers imitation experimentation during the 1870s and is in fact a flambe glaze look-alike of similar. Chinese artifacts. Such artifacts were so popular at the time that Deck developed a modern soft-paste porcelain concoction so that they could be mass reproduced in factories.

SPACE (photo)
This space in London, dubbed the Peacock Room exhibits a great amount of Chinese influence on western interiors at the time. During this point in the 19th century, the fashionable trend cued for a presentation in the home in order to depict one's "worldliness" to guests. Seen here in the Peacock room, the traditional eastern surface treatments are ever-present. Bringing in lattice work and rich gold eastern ornament such as Chinese inspired painted peacocks, that tie together as they wind across the space. Overall, from the lighting treatment to the contrast of the rich green and metallic gold color palette, the Peacock room takes its "worldly" influence cues from China.




BUILDING (photo

The Royal Pavilion is a building I personally had never come across till my search in eastern design influences on 19th century western architecture. The inspirations are certainly clear in its Indo-Saracenic style that took over a great part of India during the 19th century. As a court for the Prince of Wales, the extravagance of eastern mosques can be clearly matched with the Royal Pavilion. A sense of exoticism being fashionable at the time, the oriental approach inside and out of this building is ever prevalent within its layers upon layers of surface decoration. The minarets are what immediately grabs me into associating this structure with a middle eastern temple. This replication brings eastern influence to Brighton.




PLACE (photo)
This British garden depicts a certain essence of Japanese culture. The influence is clear as Tatton park includes many elements of the traditional Japanese tea garden such as a Shinto shrine and a tea house. The British adapt the Japanese intention to emphasize the natural artifacts like plants and rocks. In addition, Japanese garden's were meant to be experienced slowly, in somewhat of a stroll. Paths and Bridges throughout the park work to slow down the occupant bringing awareness of natural surrounding.