Discussing Architecture through Various Media
By Ar. Shreya Shah
Have you ever reflected on whether you can grasp information through a single medium of communication, or do you feel the need for various media to understand something in depth?
Specifically, when it is related to architecture? As students and professionals in the field of architecture, we have learnt to communicate design and concepts through sketching & drafting. While drawings are the primary medium for discussing design, we consciously and subconsciously discuss architecture through various other media - ranging from journalism to film making and photography. Here is a brief dialogue on the various media that influence our understanding of architecture.
A well-known maxim says pictorial memory is the best memory. Graphical representations presented to the eyes ease the understanding, analysis, memorization, actions and reactions for the mind. Therefore, going back to the core idea, sketches and drawings have always been the primary medium for learning or discussing architecture. As one of the most effective media, drawings have grasped the roots of pictorial representation and what it stands for as a medium of communication. Parallelly, photography and films also play a major role in documenting and preserving architecture for posterity.
Access to smart phones with decent camera specifications has made everyone photographers in their own right. Amidst this avalanche of photographs reaching us every day, it’s important to spot the ones that are narrating stories. Specifically considering architectural photography, a vast array is captured by artists/ photographers, each expressing their views about architecture in daily life. The pictures convey a lot – the gleam of light cutting an object, volumes and masses, depth showcased through the play of sciography, colours and textures – about the perspective of the photographer, while leaving their interpretation on the viewers.
Video and audio in perfect sync has an even greater impact than still life photography. Movies (documentary films) are another such medium facilitating conversations and dialogues on architecture. The creativity, here, lies in delivering what one wants to convey to the target audience. Designers and film makers have often come together to deliver fascinating and educational films on architecture. Since many decades now, architectural short films have taken hold as a means of engaging with people on the topic of architecture. The ease of learning the art of movie-making has seen a surge in students, too, to experiment with this medium.
Last but not the least, the very fundamental yet most difficult medium, writing. Debates, discussions, writing and reading go hand-in-hand when it comes to understanding architecture through literature. A subtle shift in reading habits of people can be observed owing to the vast volume of knowledge sharing through magazines, newspapers, online portals and daily chats. What is being missed, is the crux and richness of this medium. Too many writers and barely any readers! We, as architecture students and professionals, need to filter the meaningful ones and encourage them. Another issue that is faced today is people from the design fraternity taking less or no interest in writing, leading to non-design related people writing about design issues. A certain amount of superficiality gets infused owing to lack of specific knowledge. It is crucial to inculcate reading and writing to ensure that our opinions with accurate information reaches people.
As I write this article, not knowing how many will read through to the end, the agenda is to instigate existing mediums of discussing architecture by applauding the efforts that designers make to convey their opinions and encouraging such dialogues in the fraternity.