devin holt

102 was a lot better than I expected it to be. Usually history classes aren’t really my cup of tea, but I really enjoyed learning about all of the art and the famous readings. I think Ambroziak is an amazing professor, and obviously he picks amazing TA’s. I hope to have him in studio next year, and I hope to hear of all the great things that you will accomplish. Thank you for all of your wonderful critiques.    -Dev

I have finally finished my first year of design school, and had my last amazing review of freshman year. I say finally as if it has taken forever, or as if I could not wait for it to end. The truth is, however, that it has flown by entirely too quickly and I am entirely unprepared, mentally and emotionally, to let it go. I am excited that my last review went extremely great for me though. I was the third to last person to go, so the reviewers were already acquainted with the project, and quite frankly seemed bored and someone irritable. Only one person cried, so things were not looking that grim as I walked to present my life’s work. I had spent at least 80 hours designing a flexible space for young entrepreneurs to work and host social events inside a pre-existing garage bay. I had struggled more with this project than any other in the past, so when I went to present I was a little uneasy. And then, out of the blue, a miracle happened. The one and only Marleen Davis seemed to love my design! Not only my design, but my model and drawings as a whole. I was elated when my toughest critique was that my outdoor walkway may need more light. After going through so many iterations I had finally nailed my floor plan and, along with that, my review. It was a perfect way to end an amazing first year. I am going to miss everyone tremendously over the summer, along with the work believe it or not, but sadly I have to go home. I cannot wait to be back and start my second year of design school with my best friends, my lovely girlfriend Jessica, and my newfound brothers in Alpha Rho Chi-Theodorus. I foresee many more amazing reviews in my future.

Since my last “amazing thing” post, I did something even more amazing, but I kept the same theme. This time my adventures landed me in Savannah, Georgia. I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to attend South Quad, a major AIAS function that is held every spring in different cities. There were very helpful workshops, such as learning how to make a portfolio, and also some pretty fun ones, like the scavenger hunt around the city. It was great to meet students from other universities, not necessarily even talking to them, but just observing how they interact with one another and discuss things amongst themselves. The professional opportunities were not even what made it amazing, however. It was the chance to travel to yet another city with some of my close friends and, luckily for me, my newly-found girlfriend. I grew a lot closer with Erica and Jessica, and even made a new friend, Nolan. Four first-year students alone in a foreign city probably wasn’t exactly the best idea at times, but it did make some great stories. We had some pretty cool upperclassmen with us to relax with when we got bored, so that helped. I believe the most fun workshop was the church tours. There are churches everywhere in Savannah, even the church from the movie Forrest Gump! I also enjoyed seeing the architecture facilities, as they are quite different from ours. We capped off the great trip with a Beaux Arts Ball, which is always fun. I am so glad that I took this opportunity my first year, so now I have four more to make the most of. It is going to be cool when I see the same people and catch up every year. I had an amazing last trip at the end of my amazing first year in design school, and I absolutely cannot wait to travel the world with my friends.

Five Things Architecture Should Address

1) Technology should be incorporated less into the experience of the space if we are to keep the feeling of home alive as we know it.

2) Technology should, however, be poured into sustainability, as it is a growing issue and requirement for our future and longevity. 

3) Finances should not be the driving force in many designs; innovation to avoid financial burdens should be.

4) Design does not always need to be extremely modernistic and extraordinary; practicality is often the best answer.

5) Architecture is supposed to be timeless, so buildings should be designed and constructed as so. There should be no short life expectancy on architecture.

Architecture is a unique thing because it can be viewed in so many different ways. The feelings or ideas that someone gets from looking at a building could be completely different than those of someone standing right beside of them. What makes architecture even more unique is that it is not always in the form of buildings. Sometimes design comes through drawings, sometimes artwork, but if we are lucky it comes to us through poetry. I have stated in the past how art does not really move me, or at least not in the way I would imagine it to. Poetry, however, is very interesting to me, and is sometimes very personal and moving. For me, poetry is taking complex situations and feelings and compressing them into a singular, compelling script that is relatable by many. What is amazing is when people can do both: describe an architectural concept through written verse that evokes certain emotional or intellectual states. Last week we had two guest lecturers. It was nice because their opinions and their comments were different from the ones we usually receive from Ambroziak. As I said, everyone views architecture differently. It is not that I do not love Ambroziak’s ideas and lectures, just it was nice getting a different standpoint, a poetic standpoint. The second lecturer ran through so many poems and ideas that I lost count, but what I found interesting is that many of them were translated into two or three languages. Sometimes it would be a playful flip on the words, but a lot of the times they were serious translations that had very similar ideas portrayed through different words and emotions. It is an example of people perceiving them differently, just as people do with buildings. People are not always going to value things the same, but there will always be people like Ambroziak who love art, and people like our guest who was passionate about poetry. That is why architecture is unique.

This door seems to have many hidden images and meanings. There are two hands reaching out to catch something as it is falling from the sky. There are two other focal points, one being a yellow and blue star to the right, and the other being a river or snake on the bottom left. The two are separated by a sea of blue specks. It is a somewhat symmetrical image that uses mainly primary colors, and is very active.

Diagrams in general are a beautiful thing. Not that all diagrams are beautiful, by any means, but the overall idea of a diagram is. They are used to take something potentially complex and turn it into its most simple form, the bare minimum to get the point across. I chose what is possibly one of the best known diagrams in the world, the evolution of mankind, because of, not only its simplicity, but also because of the theory behind it. As far as evolution goes, I know little of the science involved, but that does not stop me from questioning it. I find the diagram interesting because it shows many phases of what humans supposedly evolved from. The transition between species is amazing, as they all clearly look alike; the most different of them being the last, being us. What I am skeptical about regarding evolution is this: if the point is to make a more superior, adapted species, why do the first species, in this case chimps, still exist? If they are still here, why are the in-between species not? I am also curious as to why they made the different species in the diagram in such strange poses. I would argue that chimps are very rarely, if ever, in that stance. It also seems as if the arms are changing back and forth, rather than changing with the rest of the body. Like I said, I know little about the actual science of evolution, but it is neat how a simple diagram can cause such difficult questions. It is mind-blowing how if evolution is accurate, then the diagram is a discussion of time across thousands upon thousands, possibly even millions of years. To capture such a deep theory that spans ages of time with just eight images is marvelous.

It looks as if it was made using overlaid magazine cutouts. It looks post apocalyptic, but judging from the old cars, it could have been propaganda for what the world would look like in our modern time. It could also be how urbanism is the cause of this, since the tall structure is bursting into the countryside, replacing the tree where the bird once lived.

The young girl has a look of sincerity on her face, but is actually trying to steal the old woman's flame, something that could symbolize her health. The painter does a great job of leaving the upper corner of the canvas blank, but we begin to imagine what's there and create the lady's jacket and head-wear. The basket she is carrying is empty, and her eyes are weary. It seems as if they are struggling to survive, and time is running out for the elderly.

It looks like the front of a hardcover book that has been touched up with a brush and had a few strokes out of place. Compositionally it is nice. It’s balanced. The white stripe on the left forces you to move across the sea of black.

Their love was the type of forbidden love romanticized in the movies. They met at the usual place in Manhattan, as they did every Saturday. It was becoming an age old dance, but tonight was different; tonight was special. His success was obvious as he arrived in his sleek, impeccable, white Bentley, and her taste for the finer things in life was evident as she pranced to meet him. The twinkle in her eye was captivating as they began kissing intimately in the rain under the starry night, but this kiss was different; it was special. This kiss was forceful, the kind of forceful that sends electrifying shocks flying throughout the body. She exulted in the present; for under the weight of the soaking rain, she was no longer trapped by the past.

The piece sounded like something you would hear in a Civil War movie. It was nice; I enjoyed the first part of it more so than the end. It was repetitive in the sense that it was usually three or four notes stair-casing up in pitch, seldom starting high and becoming lower, but it was still nice.

During my high school career, I was fortunate enough to travel to most of the southeast United States with various organizations. I saw a lot of cool places and met a lot of interesting people, but they don’t begin to compare to the trip to Atlanta, GA with the College of Architecture. The main thing that made it truly amazing is simply the people. For once in my life I am surrounded by like-minded people who aspire to actually do something with their life and impact the world, and I find that amazing. After all, that’s kind of the purpose of life, isn’t it? To be the best you can be? I loved walking around a foreign city and discussing the unknown phenomena bustling around us. Other than the people, our visits were pretty incredible as well. The firm we toured, Perkins and Will, was huge. Not only was that particular office large and very accredited, but if I remember correctly, they have firms in twenty-two different cities! That’s crazy. The cherry on top for this trip was our visit to the High Museum of Art. I fell in love with it the moment I saw it. Not the exhibits, but the body keeping them alive. The building is so sleek and white, comprised of squares building upon more squares. It is my style to a very accurate degree, and I was mesmerized. I have discussed how I do not particularly care for art, but I actually enjoyed many of these exhibits. The top level had a lot of the contemporary and abstract pieces, and it was cool comparing them. For instance, on gallery had two very large works, probably ten feet wide by fifteen feet tall each, that were a sort of collage. One was of space connecting stars, the other a map connecting cities or streets. They were so large and detailed and it was sort of amazing to just look at all of the detail. It was one of the nicest trips I have been on, and given the same amazing people, I’d do it again in a heartbeat.

This week’s lectures were very fun, as they were more hands on and sort of a story time. To begin with, Ambroziak’s story of the children witnessing the painting and his impersonations were easily one of the best parts of my day. On a serious note, it is strange to me that people, children or not, would react so strongly to art. I guess it just doesn’t move me. Thursday, for example, we went outside and sketched. I actually really enjoy just sitting somewhere and sketching whatever interests me, but I can’t see even my sketches as moving. Informative is the word I would probably use to describe art. I don’t think I would necessarily be wrong in saying that either. After all, Ambroziak did say that “painting is writing”. Some people can draw meaning from art, some can from literal words. I enjoyed reading Delirious New York a Retroactive Manifesto for Manhattan, since I can understand it better than I can art. I believe this reading intrigued me initially from the sheer fact that it is about a city. Cities fascinate me, especially the largest one in the United States. How all the parts move together and flow to create a constant buzz of human activity is kind of the pinnacle of human advancements, and advancements were and are still being made today. Take the part about the elevator for instance. It was entered into an exhibit, and now it has changed the lives of people around the world. It brings inclusiveness to buildings, and allows a time for people to stop and relax for a moment. This is a small thing that I gathered from the readings, and I suppose it is the kind of meaning people take from artwork. I suppose they really aren’t that different; it all depends on the person’s forte.

I like how it is displayed, kind of using the rule of thirds. The object choice is interesting, because I’m not sure what an egg in a glass symbolizes. The map and the baby head tie it in with recent lectures. What I like most is the completely white pipe in the center, and how the two objects on top appear almost as lamps illuminating it.