IAR Blog Post 10

     I believe that the most revolutionary object in the world today is something that most people carry in their pockets:  a cell phone.  And not just any kind of cell phone, but a relatively new phone that has been dubbed the "smart phone."  The smart phone represents a completely new and unique way we gather information, and it has come along fairly recently.  In order to understand how influential this device is, one must first understand what came before it.  First, early humans communicated through primitive languages, both oral and pictorial.  Later, we developed a system of writing, and began putting our thoughts, ideas, and knowledge on paper.  Then, around 1440, the printing press made writings available to scores of people, writings that hadn't previously been available, and suddenly information was something readily available to everyone.  This continued for centuries, with improvements here and there, until the digital age, when the computer allowed users to store information in cyberspace.  Shortly after, the Internet allowed people around the globe to communicate with one another, and nearly all the world's collective knowledge became just a click away.  The smart phone represents the next step in how we send and receive information.  The one thing that all these steps had in common was the need to be in a single place:  early humans needed to be near other humans to gain new knowledge, books could only be read if you had them with you, and even the Internet is useless unless one is at a computer.  The smart phone changes all that by making information available to anyone, anywhere, at any time.  From the time they were first invented until very recently, phones existed solely as a link between two people.  But at some point along the line, someone stopped and said "What if people could access the Internet, and all the information it contains, no matter where they were?"  The cell phone was an obvious choice to serve this purpose:  it was the most sophisticated piece of technology people regularly carried, they used it all the time, and it was easy to carry on one's person.  So several years ago, we were introduced to the smart phone, and now we can access scores of information no matter where we are.  We live in an age where the world's vast stores of knowledge can be reached from anywhere, by any person, at any time.  We as a species have never had such easy access to such a powerful resource at any time in history, and it is clear to even the most casual observer that this power will allow us to move forward in directions and at speeds that have never been dreamed of.

Image source:
--http://www.aftermarketcellular.com/cart/images/pcs/SAMI897SKIN1.gif

IAR RR 10: The Early Work of Frank Lloyd Wright

     Frank Lloyd Wright is arguably the most famous American architect in history.  Wright began his career during the Arts and Crafts movement begun by William Morris in England, and was a major pioneer of the movement in the United States.  While he differed from the English movement in several areas, he was a major believer in the idea that all aspects of a home had to stem from the same idea, that all areas of the house should be part of a whole.  This idea became a sort of calling card for Wright, as all of his works revolved around a central theme. 

     Wright was also an advocate of the Prairie House movement, an school of thought first fully embodied in the Ward Willits House in Illinois.  Wright took advantage of the large lot and built the house outwards from a central chimney.  The public rooms on the main floor of the house--such as the living and dining rooms--are separated only by thin panels, and the house as a whole is inspired by Japanese architecture. 

     But while the Ward Willits House was the first representation of the Prairie House school of thought, Wright's Robie House is the finest.  When he designed the house, Wright "elevated" the house, putting the main living level on the upper floor instead of on the bottom.  Again, Wright emphasizes the horizontal by spreading the house out over a large area.  On the interior, the main living space is one long room divided only by a freestanding fireplace.  In constructing the house, Wright deviated from the English Arts and Crafts movement by using machine-made steel to support the roof (he believed that machines were necessary for production).  He also designed all the furniture in the house, creating a final product that was completely his.  The Robie House became a source of inspiration for European architects, and even today stands as one of the most well-designed homes in the world.

Final Thoughts:
--While he adhered to much of the beliefs of the Arts and Crafts movement, Frank Lloyd Wright (correctly) believed that the advent of machines would become central to design, and encouraged fellow architects to embrace them.
--The Ward Willits House, designed and built 1900-1902, combined traditional Japanese architecture and the concept of outward expansion.
--The Robie House (1908-1909) was designed to create a sense of unity with the earth, utilizing both exaggerated horizontal lines and a natural color scheme to achieve this end.

Image Sources:
http://www.oregonlive.com/hg/index.ssf/2009/06/if_youre_a_fan_of_frank_lloyd.html
http://www.delmars.com/wright/flw8-3.htm
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/377345
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Lloyd_Wright