PERFORMING ARTS AND ARCHIECTURE:

CROSS – MODAL ABSTRACTION TO DESIGN

 LEARNING OBJECTIVES

• To analyze the characteristics of performing arts to find out its

intrinsic qualities from architectural point of view.

• To explore interrelation between the performing art and

architecture with respect to structure, vocabulary,
compositional principles, aesthetic sensitivity and the creative
process responsible in making of both the art forms.

• To study the designs based on the interrelationship between

performing art and architecture.

• To sensitize the students on the application of the

interrelationship between performing art and architecture in
architectural design.
 INTRODUCTION

Every culture of the world develops from beliefs, customs, traditions and values
of its people.

Through their lifestyle they develop systems of moral codes and norms, which
are enriched with activities and customs.

Out of these arts music, architecture, literature and have been major integral
components.

There are different art forms like sculpture, painting, architecture, weaving,
dance, music and many more.

Culture has its own impact on the development of the art.

Likewise all the art forms have some relationship between them because of the
same cultural background.
Architecture is both the process and the product of planning, designing, and
constructing buildings and other physical structures.

Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as

cultural symbols and as works of art.

Historical civilizations are often identified with their surviving architectural

achievements.

Artes liberales are those subjects or skills that in classical antiquity were
considered essential for a person to know in order to take an active part in
civic life.

The seven ‘artes liberales’ in antiquity and the middle ages were grouped in
the ‘trivium’ with grammar, rhetoric and logic whereas arithmetic, music,
geometry and astronomy were brought together in the ‘quadrivium’.
 ART
[The expression or application of human creative skill and imagination.]

PERFORMING ART
 Music
 Dance
 Drama

VISUAL ART
 Craft
 Painting
 Sculpture
 Architecture
 MUSIC AND ARCHITECTURE

Architecture is referred as frozen music where its interrelation with

music is multiple (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe).

Iannis Xenakis, composer and architect explained the great linkage and
so much shared terms between music and architecture (Xenakis, 2008).

Research indicated the complexity in music composed by Baroque

composer Sebastian Bach which is similar to the complexity found in
Baroque architecture.
 Le Corbusier and the composer
Iannis Xenakis : Phillips Pavilion at
Brussells World Fair.

The Monastery La Tourette (1952-1960) is

designed by Le Corbusier
 INDIAN CLASSICAL MUSIC AND ARCHITECTURE

Dharmaraja Ratha
Shikhara Khajuraho Temple

The features in both musical systems show close correspondence with the structural
concepts and obvious aspects of the ancient sacred and historical buildings existing in their
respective areas of origin (Dhaky, 1991).
 DANCE AND ARCHITECTURE
From Dance Movement to Architectural Form
The aim is to design inspiring spaces which mirror the fluid movements of dance through
Digital expression.
 DANCE VISUALISATION
• Dance consists of two very basic qualities; its form and its temporality. The former is
possible to visualise with the use of traditional means (painting, sculpture,
photography, etc.), whilst the latter requires different approaches.
CROSS MODAL ABSTRACTIONS THROUGH SOFTWARE
 DRAMA AND ARCHITECTURE

• Intriguing spaces are more memorable than those that simply function

• A room that immediately reveals itself is disappointing to the mind’s sense of curiosity. By
carefully considering sightlines during the planning stages, you can control the views from one
room into the next, so that the spaces unfold in an intentional and effective order. Columns and
screen walls can also be used to alternately reveal and then conceal the destination without
"giving away the store."
 AVAKASH FOR PERFORMING ARTS

• As an art form, theatre does not require a purposefully designed building in which to
be presented. But when audiences gather regularly to experience a performance,
attempts are generally made to organize the space in order to improve on the nature
of the experience the audience can have, and this is the beginning of theatre design.
The simplest theatres are cleared areas of ground around which people can stand or
sit to view a performance. Theatre design, however, is concerned with elaborating
such space—first, to provide the optimum conditions for the audience to experience a
theatre performance and, second, to aid the performers in achieving the fullest
expression of their art.
CRAFT AND ARCHITECTURE
Contemporary architects re-interpret traditional craft practices such as ironwork,
woodwork, stonework, knitting, lacework, and paper craft in their building designs in
accordance with cultural aspects.

Digital technology contributes to contemporary architecture by being a tool for restoring

traditions of craftwork and an innovative medium for rendering images and presenting
architecture.

They also use technology as a tool to shift the place of conventional craft from material
practice to pure image. Simulating craftwork or reinterpreting traditional handicrafts in
building-scale locates history within contemporary urban context. It creates a sense of
tradition and a touch of history. By reviving traditional craftwork as a current interest, the
architects seem eager to seek the soul of cities .
• The lace pattern on the building façades incorporates details so small that they are
barely visible from a distance, despite the fact that the lace is produced ten times bigger
than the original. This relates to Ruskin’s comments on the rel ationshi p of the viewing
distance and the size of ornament; the details of the lace gets lost in the distance, and
are only perceptible when the building is viewed closely.

WWAA, Poland Expo Pavilion, Shanghai, China, 2010

 SCULPTURE AND ARCHITECTURE

• Public art is work produced by artists for a public space as opposed to an

institutional setting such as a museum.

• Public art is developed for particular cultural spaces and involves the
participation of public officials representing the community in which it is
displayed.

• Public art then consists of works of art , temporary or permanent, in virtually any
medium such as sculpture, music, theater, murals, architecture, media arts,
etc. that is intended for the public domain.

• Normally it occurs out of doors and is freely accessible to all.

Sculpture and architecture both differ from other fine arts. Unlike music, poetry, or theater,
which may on a temporary basis participate in defining public spaces from time to time,
public sculpture and architecture, typically persist in a fixed and determined space
becoming more or less permanent features of the environment.

Whereas, the spectator has a choice to avoid a theater or musical performance in a

public space, sculpture and architecture sculpture remain accessible at all times to
people using the environment.
• Looking backward in history, The Parthenon in Athens and the Eiffel Tower in Paris
will serve as important examples of public art.
 PAINTING AND ARCHITECTURE

Painting and sculpture play a beautiful role in the realm of

architecture, as architecture plays a beautiful role in the realms of
painting and sculpture.¹ —Louis I. Kahn (1960)
 TO CONCLUDE

Various software like sketchup , Rhino provides an abstract representation of the rich and diverse
structure of various stylistic musical forms and dance forms which could be used for spatial
configurations in architectural design.

In this sense, human skills are redefined in terms of digital technology, in which accurate
digital coding of computer and manufacturing machines is necessary. The role of the
architect is transformed from that of a form-maker to being a programmer and controller
(Leach, 2004). As Greg Lynn (2004) argues, digital technology is more of an enabling
device, rather than a de-skilling devic e, since its function is to assist the designer’s creati
vity, aesthetics, and improvisation. Contemporary techniques of fabricating ornament
demonstrate a reconfiguration of skill, a redefinition of mastery.