time architecture – spain.6

i’ve considered the theory that time isn’t real – that it is simply our perceptive distance from the energy imprint of an event, a construct of our human condition that places us in this world in a way that we can comprehend, that it is simply a human limitation, not a reality.

the narrative time confluence that we frame our world and our lives around is simply a fabrication.

the concept of flow is interesting in it’s relationship to this reflection – that we are part of this flow, the vast confluence of an infinite number of occurrences, all interwoven – like an unfathomable cosmic river that we are dropped  into, in our present moment, and if we could simply swim upstream or leap downstream, we’d still be in that flow, just in a different place.

is that why those structures that manifest layers of imprints become magnetic to so many of us? why thousands or millions continue to be drawn to those places  - generation after generation?  is that where we can see this flow and sense the echo of those events that occur upstream or downstream? is that why we want to create that physical imprint – so that we can re-discover it, generations later? i wonder..

world of wonders – soul of place

 what is a place of wonder? why are some places full of wonder. what makes a place wonder full? 

treasure cave - cliffs of taktsang monastery, bhutan

which is more full of wonder – the creations of humanity or natural wonders? how would you choose only seven?

great buddha at kotoku-in temple, kamakura, japan

how do some places capture the essence of a culture,  an era, a civilization, an empire?

great wall of china

do places of wonder hold the power of the dreams, the collective spirit of a people?

holding sun and ocean

where are the energy lines, the intersections of spiritual resonance, epicenters of power?

borobudur and mount merapi - java, indonesia

are there places where your dreams are entwined with those that have come before?

humayun's tomb - delhi, india

i’m wandering in the world of wonders, looking for the soul of place, seeking the spirit held within our dreams.

bamboo forest - kyoto, japan

year of light

seattle space needle - 2010

 

wishing for you 

a new year 

reveling in  light 

x 

dac

the scent of place

how do we create captivating places that hold in our memories – that draw us back over and over, that linger in our minds, pulling us to them again?  in the design of places, i’ve been thinking about captivation and memory.  why places draw my attraction or repulsion, why places pull me in – and what is striking about the nature of memorable places?  

rose window

 

 

the power of the link between memory and scent deepens the connection to the experience of place.  the more i’ve explored the idea, my experience is heightened – like smelling in technicolor.  many of my most powerful memories of places can be triggered by scent.  

last summer, i met lorenzo villoresi in his atelier in florence – surrounded by thousands of essences he has collected from travels all over the world, i asked him about the idea of scent in architecture or place, rather than the personal fragrance that he is most known for creating.  he shared this book with me “invisible architecture, experiencing places through the sense of smell”, a wonderful exploration of this concept.  

lorenzo villoresi - florence, italy

 

in the hills above florence we explored one of the few iris farms dedicated to the production of the essence.  as he explained, the iris essence is nearly 10 times the cost of most essences “notes” as the nose calls them.  the rare iris essence is extracted from iris bulbs – the flower has no scent.  the bulbs are re-planted after shaving off the bottom two-thirds, macerating, drying and powderizing.  

iris bulb harvest - tuscany

 

iris collection arbor - tuscany

 

dried iris bulbs - tuscany

 

 i still remember being stricken by memory through scent when i picked up an old perfume bottle from a friend’s dresser, and was overwhelmed with the memory of my babysitter from preschool years, whom i hadn’t seen or thought of for more than 10 years – her presence was powerfully evoked to that moment through her fragrance.  it wasn’t dragon’s blood – i don’t even know the name of that perfume, but i know that i can recognize that scent again 20 years later. 

dragon's blood - pharmacia in florence, italy

 

i gravitate toward the scent of wood, wet fir, earth, leaves and tangled underbrush from the misted forests of my early childhood – those scents transport me back to the earth in my mouth and leaves in my hair as i tumbled down a fern-covered ravine.

forest path

 

about six months before i travelled to bhutan, bertrand duchaufour created a fragrance for l’artisan, the french perfumer - named dzongkha - that is the national language of bhutan. this fragrance he created was based upon his travels in bhutan - when i found this fragrance i was very intrigued.  dark, smoky, woody – scents that i love, gave me a preview of what i was to experience in the himalayan temples of this small buddhist kingdom.  i fell in love, with both the fragrance, and the place.  i’ve kept that fragrance close since that journey, and it transports me there.

bhutan temple

 

i’ve been imagining a place – a new project, a building made of materials selected based upon their embodied scent. no drywall, no paint, no glues – beyond non-toxic.  pure materials, and their response to wind, sunlight, chill, and rain – the changing of the seasons, the climate, the cycles of day to night.  would that place be memorable? 

a sense of time

spinning prayer wheels - bhutan

architecture is design in at least four dimensions.  there are more dimensions i wonder about, that physicists theorize on – 10, maybe 11 dimensions - though they are not physically evident.  translating the others into concrete, or even words, is an obscured, mystical and magical act –  like the infusion of spiritual and magical powers into layered metals in the making of the keris blade. 

this master keris maker – a national treasure of java (who passed away only months after our time together), told of the final fusion - made during days, maybe weeks of meditation – no eating, no sleeping – a trance-like state where the spirit and magic of the blade is evoked.  it is physically manifest in the intricate layered metal patterns on the finished blade, and serves as powerful protection to the family for whom it is made - it takes about one year to complete the process of folding and fusing metals in the creation of one blade.

javanese keris master - national treasure

keris maker's workshop - java

what dimension is this?  on a neverending exploration into realms only glimpsed, returning to the fourth dimension seems simple.  time is powerfully and clearly the fourth dimension that is embodied in architecture – and when not considered as essential to the foundation of a design – it is powerfully and tragically missing.  architecture defines the passing of the day - dawn to dusk to midnight, the passing of the season – heat, wind, rain, snow, the passing of eras, the rise of empires, the dissolution of cultures. 

bursa mosque

 

bhutan - rammed earth structure

when i look at buildings i see time – forgotten or treasured.  i see the evidence of time – through the weathered patina of materials, the craft and construction of the culture, the purpose of the structure reflecting the industry of its time.  i see the line and wave of people moving from one place to another, mixing across cultures and landscapes - the alchemic mix of east and west, islam and christian, buddhist and animist, merchant and shintoist, dutch farmer and frontier settler… 

skagit valley barn

i see strata of time, layered one over another. of one time, re-made anew, or left to dissolve..

essaouira morocco

palouse agricultural outpost

as we draw, we can move from left to right (width), forward and backward (depth), and upward and downward (height).  in time, we can only be in the present, being taken toward our future.  in our minds, we go back – our memories – in our minds, we go forward – our dreams. 

in studying the sufi concept of time – it’s beyond the inevitable past, present and future line – it’s the whirling, cycling, spiraling continuum, no beginning, no end…it is a connection from the infinite to the present, from the present to the infinite – that is the hand, upward, the body, whirling, the feet, grounded.

whirling dervish - istanbul

my son reminds me that everything we see in the present moment is actually in the past – due to the fractional amount of time it takes for light to move through space.  the idea that our reality is not real – that is well proven – our brains are designed for survival, not reality – and our perception of reality is limited by the capacity of our senses along with the contained past experiences our brain has stored - which means even with the aid of telescopes and microscopes we can still only percieve less than 25% of what actually exists. 

infinite invocation

as we create buildings, we reference what has been known, and anticipate what will be – the act of architecture is fusion of the past, present, and future.  memories, senses, and dreams – together.  if we take great care in that orchestration, it can be beautiful.  it can be perfectly imperfect, wabi sabi, impermanent, organic, cyclic,  temporally ambiguous, time shifting, both of the past and the future.  transformational.

sinan's bath - istanbul

seeking beauty, always.

a sense of place

 

can we tell the story of a place, or does it tell us? can you capture the soul of a place in an image, a story, a memory? how can you share the sense of a place with those who have never been?

moon, island, and cairn

what is essential to sense the soul of a place – where is the power of a place held?  the sound of the birds, the angle of the sun, the scent of the wind, the taste of the water, the trees, the landscape, or the architecture? 

istanbul from the golden horn

is a place made of the land, the people, the imprints of energy of those who have been there? in the spirit of the dreams and rituals of those whose hearts were tied and entwined there? do the people of a place take it with them wherever they go?

temple prayers - kyoto

what pulls you and magnetizes you to a place?  what captures your imagination and draws you toward a place you haven’t been? a sense of unknown, a sense of deeper meaning, a sense of the possibility of transformation through exposure to the unimaginable, unexperienced, unseen, undiscovered? 


night bamboo forest - kyoto

i wonder, if we put all of our passion, heart, care and energy into the places we live, on where our soul lies, what would happen?

offering to the fire

city of contrasts

 over the big blue, to the other side of the earth..

across the pacific

a series of intense experiences in asia during the past few weeks have left me with reflections on the people, the culture, and the work – and on developing a deeper sense about what is meaningful to those that i work with and design for in this community.  i asked a young chinese colleague about her hopes and dreams for her life and her community – her answer was “I do  hope I could leverage my knowledge to beautify our city by building better space for better living, working, make more money to help out more poor people, reestablish Chinese’s image by building a good image of  myself and influence the people that have bias on Chinese people gradually….. I wish my country could be clean like Swiss, sophisticated like French, polite like Japan, open like American…”

flow, chaos and choreography

in this city of energy, a grand chaotic choreograpy of bicycles and carts, motorcycles and people mixing with taxis, buses, cars – 17 million people…somehow a grandfather and child make their way, weaving through an intersection of thousands..

 

temple of heaven

on this cold, sunny – lightly hazy morning, i walk through the gate to the temple of heaven – the scale of the compound stretches out, and on – the grounds full of tai chi groups and badminton players, a gathering of singers at the temple gate

temple gate singers

the ancient places of beijing are not small – the forbidden city, the great wall, the temple of heaven – even the names are big, yet the details are intricate, carved, gilded, and richly painted

heaven's column

a city where the most modern international architecture sits next to ancient ruins, where newly sprung high rise residences tower next to dwindling hutong – the few remaining traditional neighborhoods give a snap-shop of life from another century. 

this is progress, and it is fast - more than half of the construction in the world during the next 5 to 10 years will be in china, and more than half the particulate matter in the air here in beijing is generated from construction sites. it is a city taking shape before our eyes. 

construction site - beijing

in the past 5 years since i have been working on projects here, there has been a great transformation.  it is overwhelming to see the pace and scale – the realization of the vision of developers and architects – while wrestling with the demands – faster, cheaper, bigger. 

heroic collective achievements – yet struggling for relevance and re-purpose less than a year after completion..

bird's nest - olympic stadium

or already destroyed before even being completed – the burned-out shell behind cctv towers..

cctv - construction and destruction

in the old warehouse district 798 converted to art galleries, shops and cafes, the young and fashionable stroll past new imigrants, their sun-drenched skin and large woven-plastic duffle bags holding all the hopes and dreams of their families back home in the country

industrial re-use

beijing 798 galleries

a stunning city of contrasts

the richness of the marketplace

there are places that are powerfully magnetic -

forests, for their dark earthy scents, filtered light patterned canopies and mysterious layered sounds..

kyoto - bamboo forest

java - merapi

java - merapi jungle

mountains for their high view, crystaline air and physical challenges – and the power and force of their creation and ongoing evolution..

himalaya

mt. st. helens - 2008

merapi - march 2006

spiritual places for the sacred energy, celestial light, soaring volume, echoing chants, and feats of architecture - from the mosques of istanbul and morocco, the temples of kyoto and bhutan, and the cathedrals of europe..

istanbul - 2008

instanbul mosque

aya sofia - istanbul

kyoto - kiyomizu temple

bhutan - takstang monastery

duomo di siena

and in all this exploring that i love to do, i am always drawn to the richness of the marketplace. 

what makes these captivating places so dynamic, so full of energy, discovery, inspiration? 

grand bazaar - istanbul

the people – creatively displaying the fruition of all their hard work, and those that are seeking a discovery.  it is the public living room of the community – the best place to experience the diversity and connection to a culture in any place on the planet.

berber market - atlas mountains

delhi - chandni chowk

marrakech - nutshop

the craft – what is made, how it is displayed, the care in which the shop is curated.

instanbul - textile shop

delhi - chandni chowk shopkeeper

the richness of the sensory experience – scents – food, leather, flowers, tobacco, spices – colors – brilliant arrays of fruits and vegetables, vibrant patterns and materials in a vast saturated spectrum – sounds – the shopkeepers calls, intimate chatting, collective sighs, calls to prayer – textures – woven textiles, hammered and etched metals, smooth pottery, ancient cobblestones. 

marrakech souk

marrakech souk

spice market - istanbul

marrakech souk - blankets

From the berber markets in the foothills of the Atlas mountains, and the souks of Marrakech, to the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul and Chandni Chowk in Delhi, from the Pike Place Market in Seattle to the food markets of central Java – there is a universal language.  From the line of time back to nomadic trade routes and crossroads, to the modern day markets of urban cities – it is the fabric of human life, the celebration of human connections, the epicenter of human creative spirit – the marketplace.

istanbul - spice market

berber market - atlas mountains

working on the design of retail spaces, i’m learning to infuse that sensorial richness, layered experience, and inspiring memory of these places.

dac @home in the pike place market

moroccan architecture – light, texture, color, and detail

In Marrakech, after a short flight and descent of looping figure 8′s from Casablanca, there is a small hint of what is to come – the wrapping envelope of light and shadow, layered textures on every plane – though the saturation of color has been stripped away, in a modernist move, to pure white.  The effect is a striking geometry, softened by the intricate cast of shadow and light on a heavy structural diamond web.

marrakech airport - arrival hall

marrakech airport - exterior canopy

 Within the old city’s original walls, the medina, it feels like travelling back in time – in some places just a century or two, in others, thousands of years. This was a crossroads of trade routes – from the original Berber tribes in the nearby Atlas mountains, the blue-robed south Saharan Tuaregs, to the Atlantic.  Other than the city walls, only one small fragment of the original city remains – the mosque dome of Koubba El-Badiyin – the origins of Moorish building and the basis of North African architecture.

marrakech - koubba el-badiyin mosque

koubba el-badiyin mosque

A series of dynasties have since left traditions of incredible richness in the skill and craft of architecture – in palaces, tombs, schools, and mosques.  Even today, the highly detailed cut tile mosaics, carved and painted wood panels and cut plaster are all created by hand.  There are an endless number of details and textures wrapping every surface, a complete enveloping of beauty in color and pattern.  The French also left a tradition that continues – all buildings are pink – and the variations of hue are infinite, and especially beautiful in the late afternoon sun, as the city and people glow in the reflected shades of cinnamon, rose and sienna.

ali ben youssef medersa

ali ben youssef medersa

ali ben youssef medersa

 Diving in today – it’s vibrant, overwhelming in the riot and chaos of the souks and labyrinth of streets filled with hand carts, motorcycles, bicycles, donkey and horse-drawn carts, speeding Mercedes taxis, and people weaving through it all. Spice, smoke, incense.

marrakech souk

marrakech souk

marrakech souk

 Behind the doors are the hidden calm – the riyads – traditional courtyard homes filled with hand cut mosaics, carved and painted wood paneling, lace-cut metal lamps, hand cut plaster ceilings – all with a level of intricacy that continually captivates and changes with the time of day.

riyad al moussika - marrakech

jardin majorelle - marrakech

 

Everything here feels like a powerful reminder of time – the line of ancient cultures, the traditions handed from generation to generation, and the light of this very moment, just for an instant.

Grateful, in Marrakech.

the hand of fatima in morocco

In Istanbul a few years ago, I was exploring the amazing collection of old artwork and calligraphy in a little shop nearby the grand bazaar, and a small well-worn silver talisman caught my eye.  It looks and feels like someone has stroked it so many times that the silver has started to slowly melt.  The edges of the form of the hand have softened to an organic shape, and the pattern detail is nearly dissolved. 

turkish talisman

I’ve worn the talisman on a silk cord around my neck since then, and kept my eye out for others like that – but I had not seen any.  Today I’m in Marrakech, and there are many of these symbols – everywhere.  Mostly they are mass produced tourist trinkets in thin stamped metal with a fake stone mounted in the center, the eye.  Nothing in the character of these objects is captivating – except for the idea that they have a powerful symbolic meaning. 

the souks of marrakech

There is the captivation of the place – the souks – an endless labyrinth of shops.  At first it’s overwhelming – the chaos of motorcycles, bicycles, hand carts, and people of amazing diversity.  Discoveries emerge as you immerse, and go deeper – patterns, layers under layers of what is sensed, seen, tasted, scented.  The hand talisman are found in every small jewelry collection in hundreds of shops.

marrakech souk - jewelry shop

essaouira - souk jewelry collection

In this part of the world the symbol is called The Hand of Fatima, and links back beyond ancient Egypt; its meaning represents both power and protection, on the temporal plane as well as the spiritual. The hand works, it creates, it guides, it protects.  The symbol is also known as khamsa and the Eye of Fatima in Islamic tradition. The Hand of Fatima is made in the form of talisman, amulets, jewelry and architectural details. Although predating Islam, the symbol has been widely assimilated into Islamic art and popular culture.  There is also a symbolic link to the number 5, five fingers, the five pillars of Islam.

And when you keep looking you find it in more places.

marrakech - spice shop

And more places – as a protection…

essaouira port

ourika valley - the shadow of the atlas mountains

And as a greeting, a way of entering…

marrakech - door

All individually crafted by hand, sculpted metals with all variations of finish, texture, form, pattern, color, and composition with the door and it’s hardware – carefully displayed works of art, design, identity – punctuating the pink earth and stone walls of the city.  A small detail discovered in the amazing complexity and richness of this place. 

A few of them made their way home with me, along with the collection of images.  There are many meanings I think about as I study these, the hand as an eye – a way of seeing, as a way of connecting to others and to the world, as an opening of the individual spirit to the universal, as a tool of making, of loving, of being, human.

paris boutique window