This is a picture of the Byodo-in temple in Kyoto, Japan. I love visiting historical places including these temples. The reason that temples that make me feel calm and Zen is maybe because a lot of them have symmetrical balance. It creates stability and a safe and solid visual element. I like this picture because like the Taj Mahal in India, water reflects the temple which creates radial symmetry as well. If I draw a line horizontally and vertically in the middle, the four pictures are still the same.
This is called "Spiral Building" College of Technology & Design in Nagoya, Japan.
This unique "imbalanced" design definitely draws my attention every time I walk by. Humans naturally seek stability and calm design especially in architecture. However, this is a opposite example of calm, it is chaotic and dynamic design.
I am pretty sure that it excites an art student's curiosity.
I absolutely adore the use of strict symmetry in the architecture of ornate buildings, and I think that the first image captures that symmetry very well. I like that the architect included the pool in front of the building so that it is not only symmetrical when bisected, but also horizontally as well. I think that the second building is also very interesting in the way that it manages to appear both sturdy and slightly tilted due to its design and the materials used.
ReplyDeleteThe top building is what we consider the atypical Japanese building. The entire building is symmetrical and demonstrates exactly what the text was talking about (symmetry in architecture).
ReplyDeleteThe bottom building is way cool! The twisted design may seem unstable, yet this sort of structure is very common in nature (e.g. pine cones, DNA, scales of a fish).
The Japanese temple is very symmetrical and the reflection makes it a great radial symmetry. It speaks every bit of calm and stability. I'll bet the architects loved building the second building. I imagine it has held a lot of curiosity while it was being built and certainly afterward too. The top building stand out nicely because of the colors orange and blue are opposites on the color wheel, making for a very eye catching image.
ReplyDeleteThis photo is a perfect example of balance – not only is the architecture perfectly balanced, the reflection of the structure is in perfect balance as you said creating radial symmetry. The structure does feel very stable and calming. The repeating textures and colors throughout add to the balance of the temple.
ReplyDeleteThe Spiral Building invokes a totally different feeling! The asymmetrical design and the swirl of the building create a feeling of instability – a purposeful Leaning Tower of Pisa. It looks like the building actually gets narrower as it gets taller or is that just an optical illusion? It is a very dynamic structure and a from a structural design and construction standpoint, a nightmare! I love what has been accomplished with this remarkable structure.
Amy
Ive always love the style of Japanese temples. The image you posted is beautiful and a great example of balance.
ReplyDeleteThe second one actually feels calming and more organic to me because of the spiral shape.
The picture of the Byodo-in temple in Kyoto, Japan definitely has a lot of balance involved. The temple has balanced sections that it repeats itself on both ends. The temple is symmetrical, that's what makes it look safe and well build. I wold definitely would like to visit this place.. it would be a nice experience. The image is very well balanced because the temple its centered perfectly and makes the photo look need and creative.
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