Author: Tyler S. Johnson

Conflict in Architecture

For one of the last blog posts for this trip I thought it would be nice to reflect on the experience. Coming to London I was riding this high of leaving for spring break. I was in a state of excitement because I knew I was going to turn 20 in London whilst also just leaving mid review on high hopes. I was excited to see St. Paul’s, Tate modern and the general city context. For the most part I was very fulfilled by this trip. That being said, in the midst of the trip our academic semester was put to a halt due to the Coronavirus. So as the trip progressed the pandemic began to morph our classes to become online and to start us on a process to leave the university. For me, this conflict made me wonder and reflect on architecture that is created from conflict. An example being north Ireland within the years of 1960-90. During this time the country was under siege but the city Belfast was still developing and the city’s architecture reflects that. In the case of London you can see much of the architecture around St. Paul’s. During WW2, St Paul’s was protect by people constantly however the aerial surrounding it was completely destroyed. Due to this the architecture around the cathedral was birthed out of conflict.

 

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Discontinuity within Tate’s facade

For my free days I decided to go to back to Tate Modern and see more of it and also the addition by Herzog & de Meuron. For me, I really enjoyed seeing more of the of the exhibits and interestingly one of the exhibits in Tate was also presented at the Werner center on campus. The exhibits was provocative words places on colored tiles repeated. The art piece was by Jenny Holzer. I thought it was cool to see both having the exhibits because I hold Tate to such a higher standard compared to the Wexner. Now I don’t know if this is controversial or not, but the addition done I think is almost a missed opportunity. In my opinion, I’m not a fan of additions that try to replicate the materiality of the original building. This is due to the fact that materials weather and when you try matching it with another material it never looks continuous. If I were to bring a person there who doesn’t know the history of the buildings I think they could clearly see that back part as an addition. The action creates a clear separation from the original and new. I wish that they just used a new material to pronounce it more instead. I guess one could argue that the tiling of the brick on the new addition is trying to present the contrast further. However, in my opinion it still is just unsettling seeing the the building as whole.

 

Why do these people seem to have so much influence?

Today we went to Westminster Abbey in London. One of the things that i could help but feel is why does the British people give these people (royals) so much credit. I get the idea of the theater of it all and just pure tradition however it just seems so bizarre to me. I will saw I probably have my own biases because I’m American, but to me these people seem like just bonfires celebrities. The idea that in some way people pay in taxes for these people in some way just sits weird with me. Also these idea they can cause and create so much attention is just very bizarre to me. Also today’s I visited the Victoria and Albert museum , to me this and the British museums are very similar in the exhibits shown however the Victoria ones were more interactive. What I found interesting today was this idea of these museums siting within everyday life. Like for example, we have Cosi in Columbus, a paid museum, in the city which is presented with a more hierarchical positioning in its site. With this museum, it blends into the site of the city generally and is free to all. I just thought it was something interesting to note about the our city and London’s .

Cultural Appreciating Vs Appropriation- British Museum

Visiting the British museum I was able to see actual see a museum. When I say that I mean in America we see a museum and we don’t nessasaly see a building of historic architecture coupled with original historic pieces. In London we see amazing works in classical architecture presenting original works of art and history. So, one thing I think is interesting about the museums is the topic of cultural appropriation. See, have the items in the British museum are not their original property and in many cases they continuously decline to return the pieces. They are just taking or matter of fact stealing other peoples history and showcasing it as a specifically in there own city. On one side this is negative operation stealing from other cultures. The other side would say that Britain is refurbishing send maintenaing the items and rather then appropriating they are appreciating. Both sides have valid points. However, it still is stolen items at the end of the day. I would like to do further research before I come up with my own conclusion. Like I want read up further on how they got these items and how they have managed discussions about these items with the countries and tribes.

 

 

 

Pre- Departure: let’s get onto St. Paul’s

I’m writing this on the end of my last flight today. See, the flights overall weren’t bad at all. The Chicago one was a tad bumpy but it is the Windy City. I’m excited to start the site seeing tomorrow specifically the British museum. The interior of the courtyard of the british museum is what I used for a precedent project for current studio project. I’m also looking forward to getting some sleep but all am happy and appreciative of the sleep I did get on the plane ride here. I’m nervous from the threat of the corona virus however, I don’t, want to let that stop me from my trip. Also the threat is not too high so I think overall the risk is low. I really want to see St Paul’s tomorrow because it’s a place I actually studied and wrote an essay on for a history class. So, it would be nice to see it in person and through practice actually study the buildings up close. Also, some of the details I read about St. Paul’s I couldn’t full find photos of so I’m excited to look for some of the specific things I have heard about from the building

Tyler’s Bio/About Me

Hi, My name is Tyler S. Johnson and currently, I am a rising sophomore at The Ohio State University. My major is the amazing and artistic field of Architecture. My minor is in entrepreneurship. My hometown is Dallas, Texas. Continuing, I am also in The Architecture, Landscaping, and City Planning Scholars program also am a member of the fraternity Phi Gamma Delta. My main goal in life is to become a successful entrepreneur. Additionally, My current aspirational career plan reads like the following, I would work as an architect until I’m able to start my own practice. Then, branch out into becoming a full-fledged multitasking entrepreneur—working on multiple successful companies at once. The pinnacle of my career and my current career model would be becoming a venture capitalist. Three words that best describe me are creative, openminded, and being a leader. One of my other goals in life is directly tied to what drives my work and passions. I want to have a lasting legacy. For me, the thought of one day having a legacy that impacts my grandchildren and even my great-grandchildren drives me. So, “why London?”, for me I’m excited to see the old architecture in London for the purpose of gaining knowledge in architecture. See, many of the buildings I will be visiting I have heard about, but seeing them in person will allow a different experience to take place.